Donnie floated above the Allenwood Penitentiary alongside an assortment of miscreants he had somehow joined. Below, the various buildings making up the complex interconnected to create a rectangular recreation area in the center where inmates played basketball, walked around a track, or congregated together in packs. A double row of chained link fence ringed the perimeter of the property, with guard towers overlooking the area. Fortunately, no one in the guard towers thought to look up and witness the spectacle of six men standing on the air like gods.
Jonah, the self-appointed leader of this operation, grinned around at them and talked smack about how much havoc he was going to wreak, but he licked his lips frequently in a clear tell that he was nervous. Far from the rest of them, the ever dour Theodore appeared to be crying again. The three hispanic brothers were matching wits with Jonah and babbling at each other in Spanish by turns. Donnie suspected he was the only one in the proper frame of mind for what was about to happen. Theodore might have two talents, but the rest of them had been attuned under Jonah to guarantee they would be kinetics. None of them could harden their skin like Nallit, which meant taking a bullet was just as much a game over scenario as ever.
Below, alarms began to blare. The guards Nallit had mind controlled were doing their part. Killing other guards, Donnie assumed. Or aggressively picking their noses if anyone happened to say the word 'yum' around them. Jonah had gotten plenty of entertainment from that trick the other night until Nallit got bored and had him stop. The one good thing about serving that monster of a man was that he liked to knock Jonah down a few pegs whenever he got annoying. Otherwise . . . it had been a neverending nightmare ever since he made the mistake of outrunning a cop while out on his bike. Nallit had seen the sin and swooped into claim Donnie's soul like the devil himself. Bad luck, bad karma, or just punishment, it didn't matter any longer. He couldn't do anything other than what he was told if he valued his life.
Jonah removed his backpack to pull free the grenades. How the hell did they acquire grenades? They each received two and Jonah pointed them each towards a guard tower.
Donnie didn't hesitate once he had received his orders. Failing in this mission wasn't an option. Not after he had seen that Greg guy's punishment for refusing to join them this morning. His arms and legs had been rolled up like so much fabric, one at a time, accompanied by bone snaps as loud as a wooden baseball bat cracking and even louder screams. The man had been left like that while the rest of them prepared for the mission, then the screaming had started up again as they departed. Though at least Greg was getting it easier than Twelve. Donnie couldn't even imagine what Twelve had done to earn the constant torment.
He landed on the roof of his assigned guard tower, then took the first grenade in his corona to lower it over the edge and through an open window. The second grenade followed. Then Donnie pulled both pins simultaneously and jumped into the air. Below, the guard tower shuddered. Donnie let the smoke clear for a count of three and then went through the window himself to make sure no one survived. None had, and he exited quickly to avoid the mess. Down to the ground, where he used the kinetic talent to tear down a section from each fence and lay it atop the barbed wire as a bridge. The others should be doing the same at their guard towers. Having done that, they only had to wait to collect the inmates released by the mind controlled guards.
Thick smoke from the prison caught his attention. Donnie considered flying up to get a better view of where it was coming from, but he decided against presenting any better of a target than he was currently. After a few more minutes of waiting, men in gray jumpsuits began sprinting towards his position. As they grew closer, he waved for them to continue outward to freedom. Huh, freedom, yeah right. I'll be surprised if half of these guys survive their meeting with Nallit. If I thought it would work, I would trade places with one of them to live out the rest of my life behind bars.
"Keep it moving, we're going for the woods!" Donnie didn't wait any longer than it took the first men to reach his position. He took off on foot, leading them towards the woodline.
Ten minutes later, they were all crouched over with hands on knees, breathing hard. The line of inmates joining them had slowed to a trickle. A quick count revealed he had twenty-two human souls to deliver to the devil. That should be enough. The men around him had segregated themselves into groups based on their race, but there didn't seem to be any animosity between them. Donnie nodded and extended his corona to lift into the sky. "Listen up, all of you. I'm taking you to get super powers from a guy you do not want to cross. Don't talk back to him, don't look at him wrong, and sure as hell do not disobey one of his orders. If about right now you're wondering what you got yourself into by running . . . too late, my friends. You became the property of Nallit the moment you escaped."
A skinny black man was the first to speak up. "Who the fuck is Nallit? He one of those guys who did the hospital attack? Cause I ain't down with that shit."
Murmuring started among the others, causing Donnie's stomach to tighten. "Look, guys, I'm sorry if I made you think joining us was optional. It's not. I feel real bad about needing to threaten you. Honest I do." Donnie shrugged, tilted his head to one side, and forced a smile. "Anyone who refuses to come with me is threatening my life. I will break your damn legs and drag you off if I need to. Things will only get worse after that."
The man who had spoken weighed him with a wary eye. "Fine. We'll go. No need to get dramatic. But I ain't gonna be killin' doctors an nurses."
"Good for you," Donnie said. "Now let's get moving before someone decides to chase after us."
The sound of crashes and vehicle horns erupted from behind. Jonah had promised to throw some cars at the prison. He said a silent prayer that a surviving guard would shoot the trashy man, then lead the inmates further into the woods to where Nallit had set up a camp. He did not look forward to what was about to happen.
