Purification

Chapter 6
Careful What You Wish For

Chapter Description: Scott heads into the labyrinth of tunnels in search of his partner.

VI

As Scott roared over the Harbour Bridge with his lights flashing and siren blaring he couldn’t help but steal glances off to his right. He could see the imposing fortress of North Head built into the hill straddling the harbour entrance. He knew his partner was there, hidden somewhere in the labyrinth of tunnels beneath the structure. He just hoped he wasn’t too late already.

Ten minutes later Scott arrived at the car park for North Head. He knew it was no use trying to break the gun loose from its locks, so he had to settle for taking the torch as his only tool and protection. He had radioed for priority one back-up but he had no time to wait for them to arrive. Scott took off running into the complex. He was awed by all the seemingly normal activities going on around him as he made his way towards the tunnels. Kids were sledding down the steep grassy hillsides on flattened cardboard boxes, families were playing cricket and footie on the flat areas while others enjoyed picnics. Didn’t they know there was a psycho on the loose here, that somewhere just beneath them a policeman was being held hostage? How could there still be some normality in the world when there was so much wrong?

Scott left the playful scenes behind him as he hurried down a set of cement steps that led to a narrow gated entrance to the tunnels. The iron gate wasn’t locked and Scott rushed into the blackness of the narrow tunnel beyond. The torch illuminated the tunnel before him, but after a couple of twists and turns there was no sign of the daylight behind him, only crushing blackness that seemed to wrap itself around his body. The sounds of the tunnel played tricks on his ears. Twice Scott was sure he heard footsteps behind him, only to spin and see that there was nobody there.

Deeper into the complex he went second by second, passing through larger chambers that had once held ammunition, then back into tighter and still deeper tunnels. Then as he reached a ninety-degree turn his torch illuminated something that made Scott stop dead in his tracks. There were words painted across the wall of the tunnel in bright red lettering. It read: Be Careful What You Wish For, You Just Might Get It.

Scott braced himself for whatever was around that corner. If that whack-job was waiting for him, he wasn’t going down without a fight. Scott prepared to use his thick metal torch as a club if he had to. His only worry was breaking it in a fight and then being trapped down here completely blind. Seeing no choice he took a breath and stepped round the corner.

The tunnel ended just before him, but not with a wall. There was a door at the end of the hall and if anyone was behind it, they’d have seen the light from his torch by now, so he’d lost the element of surprise. “Graham, are you in there?” Scott called.

There was no reply, but something made noise beyond that door. There was definitely something in there. “Graham? Can you hear me?” Scott called again.

Still no reply, but that meant nothing. His friend could be gagged, or worse, incapable of answering or even comprehending the question. Scott moved tentatively towards the door, checking again that there was no one behind him. He still appeared to be alone. Scott reached the door and tried the knob. It turned, the door wasn’t locked. Scott counted to three in his head then slammed the door wide open.

Several things happened at once. A light bulb flickered on, illuminating the small room behind the door. A chain attached to the door snapped tight, and a hunched figure on the floor by the back wall struggled against his bonds. Scott spun left and right, but there was no one else in the room, only the hunched figure with a hood over his head.

Scott hurried to the man and yanked off the hood revealing that it was indeed Graham, and he looked terrified. For a moment this relieved Scott, because he could instantly see the intelligence in Graham’s bulging frightened eyes. Then he realise what his partner was wearing. He was naked but for a contraption on his head and the duct tape over his mouth. The thing on his head looked like it had been designed by someone who’d seen Saw one too many times. It was a metal frame that appeared to be something you’d get from the orthodontist from hell, a teenager’s worst nightmare. What appeared to be two shotgun shells were lodged in holders at the front, pointing towards Graham’s face. At the back it appeared the chain attached to the door had also been attached here. When Scott opened the door it had detached and now the mechanism appeared to be ticking. Scott knew this was not an encouraging sign.

Wasting no more time examining the strange headgear Scott pulled the tape off Graham’s mouth. “Are you okay mate?” he asked.

“Fuck man, I’m so sorry!” Graham screamed. “He got me coming out of the station, I should have been more careful!”

“Don’t worry about it mate, we’re gonna get outta here right now. We’ll get that son of a bitch!” Scott assured him, cutting loose the rope that bound his hands together.

But Graham was shaking his head, still looking truly frightened. “We can’t Scott, it’s too late. When you opened the door it started the timer, he told me I’d only have a minute once that happened.”

“Shit!” Scott cursed. “We can get this thing off you okay. Just don’t panic.”

“No, we can’t. If we try to take it off it will just blow earlier. Look I have to tell you something while I still can.”

“No, you don’t have to pass on any of this sicko’s twisted riddles!” Scott yelled.

“Yes I do, it’s the only clue you’ve got and this is big mate! He’s planning some seriously messed up stuff.”

“But we...” Scott began.

“Shut up and listen Scott! He was talking to me about cleansing the city with a flood, like God in Genesis. He kept saying the whole place was wicked and needed to be wiped away.”

“So what does that mean?”

“I’ve been thinking about it for hours and I think it must be water. He’s planning ...”

Graham was cut off as the collar of his head gear began to make a beeping noise. Graham’s eyes widened again and he used his recently freed hands to shove Scott away. “Stay back, we don’t know what will...”

With a final higher pitched beep the mechanism in the headgear was triggered and the two shotgun shells exploded. But they didn’t blow Graham’s face off, instead they blasted his nose and mouth with white powder.

Scott watched as his partner dropped back against the wall, his eyes remaining wide and his pupils dilated. Then his eyes rolled back and he began to smile, releasing a sigh of relief while his penis, to Scott’s shock, suddenly became stiff and erect. Apparently what was happening to him right now was intensely pleasurable. Scott dropped to his knees beside his partner and rubbed Graham’s arm up and down. “Come on buddy, fight it! Don’t give in!”

But already Graham’s whole body seemed to be relaxing, his stiff penis began to bob and soften as his eyelids drifted slowly shut. “No! C’mon mate!” Scott urged.

Graham blinked and opened his eyes again but Scott wasn’t looking there now, he was looking at the urine spurting freely from his friend’s now flaccid dangling pee-pee. He looked back at Graham’s face and saw that it was now relaxed, the worry lines all disappeared, his wide frightened eyes now glassy and innocent. Graham giggled lightly and announced, “Uh-oh, makin’ tinkles!”

**

It didn’t take long for all the carefree picnickers to scatter once Graham and Scott emerged from the tunnels. The sight of the fully-grown man toddling buck naked across the grass lawn with only some strange contraption on his head, his penis bobbing about in plain sight, was enough to quickly clear the area. The fact that Graham was now completely unabashed by his nudity, his inhibitions wiped permanently from his brain, didn’t help of course. He’d quickly taken to spinning about in dizzying circles, rolling around on the grass, giving everyone a good show.

Thankfully it wasn’t long before their backup arrived and Scott was able to hand over his former partner to the paramedics to be cared for. As Scott stood by the ambulance trying to understand the newest clue, he couldn’t help but glance into the vehicle where Graham was lying. There he saw his former partner, a highly intelligent man, lying on a stretcher with his feet pulled up to either side of his head, playing with his toes while a paramedic taped a nappy on him. For the first time Scott was seeing someone he knew reduced to mental infancy. Up until now it had always been strangers. That had allowed him to maintain a professional distance from the victims. That distance was gone now. This was personal, but not because he’d made it so. It was personal because this psychopath wanted it that way.

Scott noticed with some small comfort that Graham at least seemed happy. The former detective was now being entertained by the other paramedic, who was dangling a soft grey stuffed elephant before his eyes. Graham followed the animal with his eyes intently, then pursed his lips and began to blow saliva bubbles, dribbling spittle all over his cheeks as he reached awkwardly for the plushy, opening and closing his hands eagerly. Scott didn’t want to see any more, he needed to get working on catching the man that did this to Graham.

Scott stepped into the ambulance and did his best to smile at his pitiful partner. “I’ve gotta get going Graham. I’m going to catch the bad man who did this to you mate,” he explained.

But Graham didn’t seem to understand. He pouted and reached out towards Scott. “No go! No go!” he screeched.

Scott knelt beside the stretcher and looked the infantized man in the eye. “Sorry Graham, I have to go. But I’ll be back buddy. I promise.”

Graham whined petulantly and reached his arms out more insistently. Feeling a little silly, but wanting to comfort the poor upset child, Scott leaned in and let Graham pull him into a hug. It felt so strange, cradling his partner in his arms, brushing a hand through his hair and rubbing his bare back. Scott just pretended this was a little kid, not a full-grown man. “It’s gonna be okay mate. I’ll make sure we stop that bad man before he can hurt anyone else. These nice paramedics will take good care of you, I promise.”

Scott held Graham in his arms for a few more minutes, until he’d calmed down. The paramedic handed Scott a set of colourful plastic keys, which he jingled about before Graham’s eyes. Graham grinned again and chortled cheerfully, snatching at the bright toys. Soon he was gnawing on them, entranced by the noises and colours. Scott left him to play with his toys, satisfied Graham was in good hands now.