Maria, Maria Page 2

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  Deadguy pulled up to Eccleston Correctional Facility as the thunderstorm raged overhead. The guard stopped him at the gate. "Name," he asked.

  He looked around. "I take it you don't get the Internet out here. I'm Deadguy."

  The guard muttered something into his walkie-talkie. There was a pause as he listened. "Yeah. Warden's waiting for ya," the guard said finally.

  "You are just one big ray of sunshine, aren't you," he remarked as he crossed the gates and entered the prison. After being checked for anything that might be illegal, he met up with Warden Wache, a gray-haired man that was a little shorter than Our Hero.

  "Welcome Deadguy," he said. "Jill tells me you want to speak with Prisoner 326."

  "I believe her name's Maria," DG said.

  "All the same, follow me." The two walked down a long corridor. "We've been keeping her in aquatic isolation. A prison that is encased in water that would flood the cell if she ever tried to escape," Wache explained. There were two guards dressed head-to-toe with rubber armor and holding giant water guns painted black.

  "Super-Soakers? Seriously," Deadguy asked.

  "It was the state's idea," Wache said.

  "Apparently not elected based on intellect," he mused as the one of the guards opened the door to Maria's cell. He finally got to see what this special cell looked like. It was smaller than he imagined, but still big. There were walls of water surrounding a small prison cell. In the middle of the wall was a small mesh hole to communicate with. Maria Jones laid on the bed inside, reading. Her orange jump suit just made her skin look paler than before.

  "Miss Jones, you have company," the warden announced.

  Electricity crawled over the book she was holding. "I told you not to interrupt me when I am READING," she yelled, throwing the book across the room. She shot up before anyone could think to react, pressing her face against the glass. "You don't want to make me..." She stopped, looking over Deadguy for far longer than he felt comfortable with. She gave a smile that was both seductive and sadistic. "Hello Hero," she cooed. "Come to check up on me?"

  "You comfy in there," he asked. "Should I get you something? Some coral or a little castle, maybe?"

  She slinked away from the wall, not taking her eyes off him."I've been thinking about you. Lots."

  "Look, crazy lady. I'm just here for information."

  "Aw," she said, pouting. She sat on her bed, twirling her pale blond hair with her finger. "I was hoping your visit would be a little more...conjugal..."

  "Oh boy," he said. "Look, I'll just cut to the chase. What do you know about this group of copycat killers that worship you as a queen?"

  "I know they have good taste in women."

  "How many of them are there?"

  "Somewhere between too many and not enough."

  "Where are they located?"

  "In my heart." She looked over Our Hero longingly. "But they can't replace you."

  "Listen, being a sparky psycho bitch is not a way to get into my pants," he said.

  "Oh, then how," she begged.

  "Pretty eyes and a sense of humor, but that's not important. What's important is there are copycats out there and we need to find them, which means if you can help me out with any info, that would be greatly appreciated." Maria slowly stood up from her bed and walked up to the waterwall, slowly motioning with her index finger to come closer. He took a few steps. "What?"

  "I will be the one, to hold you down," she started to sing. "Kiss you so hard. I'll take-"

  "We're done here," Deadguy said, cutting her off. He walked out the room. "It's been a real thrill. See ya at the parole hearing in ten years."

  "They can't keep me away from you forever," she yelled. "You hear me? Don't you walk out on me!"

  Once he was out of range of Maria's screaming and out of the prison, he called Jill. "Hey boss. Nothing on this end. All I got out of her were innuendos. If she knows anything, she's not telling me."

  "Sounds like a dead end," Jill's voice sighed. "Back to base then."

  The young man laid in the hospital bed, bruised and bandaged up. The only light in his room came from the lamp above his head. The thunderstorm outside brought flashes of brightness into the darkened room. One strike of lightning, and a man with spiky black hair stood in front of the window. The young man stiffened with fear. "We need to talk," Valkadaidan growled.

  The man shook his head violently, as if he was trying to snap it off instead of talking to him. "S...s...stay..." he started to plead, but Valk was already by his bed and covering his mouth.

  "Don't bother calling for help," he said. "I won't be long."

  "W...w...wh...what do you want," the man asked.

  "Information. How many of there are you in this little cult?"

  "Our numbers are incalculable."

  "In other words, you don't know. Tell me what you do know or I finish what I started."

  "No. No, please," he begged. "I'll talk." He sniffled a bit, trying to regain his composer. "I only know of the ten of us, but Gary says there are other groups like ours that are scattered around the city."

  "Where's Gary?"

  "He lives at Raiden's Way, an apartment building in the south district."

  "Why Maria?"

  The young man's eyes filled with adoration. "She's so beautiful. I just want to make her happy. We all do. She should be treated like a queen."

  "What about the killings?"

  The door to the hospital room slammed open. A nurse stood there with two orderlies behind her. "Who are you," she yelled.

  Valk looked at the orderlies, then back at the young man. "We're not done," he growled, then started to back away. There was a flash of lightning, then Valkadaidan disappeared from the room. The orderlies pushed past the nurse to examine the area.