Short Stories

Number 7: Persephone

I thought of this as I walked around Alcatraz Island listening to the audio tour about the prison's history. I hope you enjoy!

    The whistles and hoots faded into a stunned silence. She heard strangled sounds and loud gasps. Every inmate was marched to their cell in their birthday suit, however, she the first woman to strut down the prison block like it was a cat walk. There had never been a human of the female type on Alcatraz, none had ever done anything that warranted a sentence to an inescapable prison. Not until her.

    She was shaken out of her thoughts as she was gently shoved into her small cell. The guards didn't even have the balls to shove her, they couldn't bring themselves to treat her like her fellow inmates. She wasn't a lady, not anymore. They must not know what she had done, how many men she had killed.

    "Hades has been caught by authorities." One inmate must have been listening to the radio, he also appeared to have no respect for his neighbors who would like to sleep. "But here's the thing you'll never guess, folks. Hades was a woman! I guess we should call her Persephone now. Am I right Steve? Steve is nodding, for all those not in the studio. Bonnie Elmore was obtained four days ago," It had been five days, actually. "By authorities in Los Angeles. Her seventh, and hopefully final, kill was Danny Clement; a popular news editor. He was found in bed with, oh God, she didn't... Well folks, if children are listening, they should probably leave."

    The announcer was being dramatic, Bonnie only replicated exactly what he did to the poor waitress, plus a few small embellishments.

    "She seems to have tied him to his bed with her stockings, completely stripped him, left scratches and... Other things all over him. The authorities said he died of blood loss when she, my God, when Persephone cut his, um, member off."

    He had had it coming for him, Danny had thought that just because he was some big shot he had the right to rape a poor defenseless girl. He felt he was so entitled that he hadn't even blinked when she seduced him. He had blinked when she tied him down, but quickly got over it with little persuasion and lots of cleavage. He was a pig, and pigs were always slaughtered. Bonnie just so happened to be a willing butcher.

    "Bonnie Elmore was taken into court the same day she caught, covered in Mr. Clement's blood and carrying a knife. It took the jury less than hour to find her guilty. She has since been shipped off to, no-you have to be kidding me. She has been sent, Lord help us, she is now in the inescapable island prison called Alcatraz. It's on an island, folks, next to San Francisco, we can all sleep safely here in Los Angeles now." Only the last three kills had been in Los Angeles, the rest had been in San Diego. She had had to move when the cops started to get too close her the first time. "Ms. Elmore will be released in one year. What caused her to become this monster? Tune in tomorrow for more on the mysterious Persephone." It faded into a song that was God awful, if only it could raise the dead.

    What caused her to become this monster? She dressed in the flimsy rags they called clothes here and wondered if they would get the real answer.

    "Are you Persephone?"

    It was the man in the cell across from her. He had scars all along his arms and some on his face. He barely fit in the tiny desk and chair attached to the wall in his cell. He was a behemoth. If not for the bars, Bonnie might have been a little, or a lot, afraid of this man. His bicep was bigger than her head.

    "Yes, I suppose I am."

    He nodded, looking slightly impressed, and then went back to reading the book that was comically small in his huge hands. He hadn't asked why she had done it, that was all anyone ever wanted to know, why she killed seven rich and powerful men.

    The only person who knew was her sister. But they couldn't ask someone who was dead why her older sister jumped off the deep end. Of course, if her sister wasn't dead, there wouldn't have been any murders in the first place. Her first kill had been the man who had raped her and caused Mary to kill herself, because no one would want a tainted bride.

    Stanley had been fun, she had cut the tendons in his legs so he couldn't run, she took her time with him. By the time he had finally died, from blood loss or pain was still a mystery, Bonnie's blonde hair had become red with his blood. She showered and cleaned herself up in the dead man's apartment. As she watched the blood run down the drain, she had realized all men who took advantage of women should be punished. Maybe she had snapped a little bit, just like the bones in his hand when she slammed his hand a drawer-repeatedly.

    Bonnie could remember the next morning, putting on her best dress and curling her hair to perfection. She had demurely walked into the office of Aurthur Cartwright, who was known for accosting women and getting away with it. He had asked her to dinner, and who was she to turn down potential suitors. Bonnie didn't argue when he forcibly made her enter his home, or when he grabbed her face and stuck it in his crotch, or even when he raped her. She was hollow, and hollow people are invincible. He, however, made the mistake of falling asleep while holding her down after he tired himself out. He wasn't aware that the deal was if he got her virginity, she was going to get his life. She collected anyways.

    It didn't stop, she seemed to have a knack for killing assholes. She was a shell of a person, the only reason she was still alive was because of her sister. Someone had to avenge her along with the other women who were used and abused, and Bonnie was the girl to do it. Alcatraz couldn't stop her from protecting those who couldn't. Only Hades himself could stop her now. She seemed to have dropped her marbles, and Bonnie couldn't be bothered to find the ones that had rolled away.

    She was shaken out of her daydream by the door of her cage creaking open. Four guards stood outside her cell, looking anywhere but her. "Miss, if you would come with us. It's lunch time, lunch is a special type of hell," The young guard looking at the floor blushed when he realized he had sworn in front of her, "We figured you might need an escort."

    "No need." She smirked at their astounded faces, still not directed to her. "I can handle a few boys enjoying a meal."

    With that, Bonnie lifted her chin, pulled back her shoulders, and walked out of her cell towards the cafeteria like she owned the place. She supposed she did. The public called her Persephone, the Greek ruler of hell, once they learned she had a vagina and couldn't be a Hades. Alcatraz was supposed to be a slice of hell, which made her the queen.

    So with all the grace of a woman who knew she ruled the world, Bonnie walked into the chaos of lunchtime, determined to make them all bow down to their slightly homicidal sovereign.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this! I had so much fun writing this, and editing it while watching the Office.  I love you, Dwight.