Desolate The Complete Trilogy

9



Warden Matthew Scott removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Just what exactly are we dealing with, Corporal?”

“Sir, you got me,” Dan said. He shifted his weight in the chair and gripped the rim of his hat on his lap. “If I would have to take a guess, I uh…”

“Yes?”

“Well, now don’t hold me to this, but it looked like some sort of spaceship.”

“A spaceship?” Sergeant Cottrell asked. “Are you shitting me?”

“Calm down, Sergeant,” the warden said. “Let the man speak.” Cottrell grunted in disapproval and leaned against the wall next to the warden’s desk.

“Yes, Sir,” Dan continued. “It looked like some sort of hallway you’d see on one of those Star Trek shows. I didn’t do nothing but stick my head in and take a quick look, but that’s what I first thought of. I could be wrong, of course.”

The warden removed a cigarette from his pack and lit it. “What exactly did you see besides the hallway?”

“Not much. Just a couple doors on either end, lights on the ceiling, that’s about it. Whatever it is, looks like it’s been there for an awful long time. The air inside was stale as hell and it was pretty dusty. That’s when we high-tailed it back here.”

The warden inhaled deeply from his cigarette and exhaled it through his nose. He turned and looked out the window for a moment before speaking. “Sergeant Cottrell, I’d like to get a better understanding of just exactly what it is buried in the ridge. I’d like you to put together a small team to investigate it.”

“With all due respect Sir, don’t you think we should tell the feds about this first? I mean, we’re just a prison camp and I don’t know the first thing about any spaceships.”

“Do I need to remind you two why we’re digging in that hole in the first place? How do you suppose we explain that? Besides, this is my island. Not the feds. I’ll decide what action we take. Is that clear?”

“Yes Sir,” Cottrell said, embarrassed to get corrected in front of one of his men.

“Look, if you’re worried about safety, just send in a couple inmates first. If they come out okay then we can have a closer look.”