20 The dungeon

The dungeon where Jackson was locked had the metallic smell of blood spread each and every corner. The rats roamed around everywhere as if it owned that place. The scream of prisoners floated around echoing on each and every wall.

Jackson sat on one corner while trying to shoo away the mice which kept on trying to climb on to his body. He kicked it with his legs, hard and it flew and hit the prison bars. He screeched and climbed up on his four legs and ran away.

He searched for the book to read as he couldn't bear to listen to the noise around him. But realized that he had dropped it previously and Carson took it with him. He suddenly remembered what he read in that book. It said, "The App"...

What does it mean? Is this the one which Haruto developed? But how was it able to send him a book when he was placed under high-security prison? What is this App actually? He couldn't think of an answer, he was yet to get familiarised with the current trends. He was lagging behind for at most twelve years. The world had developed so much that a man who was in a coma could not even identify a smartphone or what it actually is!

Suddenly, a Uroplatus Phantasticus, satanic leaf-tailed gecko jumped in front of him out of nowhere. Jackson got irritated thinking that the rat was back and was about to kick it away. But right at that time, the slaughter's voice echoed on that cell.

'Greetings Listener, I am going to do a special podcast of your son's story live only for you! You are the lucky person who is selected on this program to get slaughtered. I am sorry, I meant butchered! Oops, wrong again, maybe to get chopped… Just let that be! I am here to take you on the journey of how your friends got devoured by the app's creatures.'

"What is this thing? How can a lizard talk? I think I am losing my mind." Jackson voiced out aloud.

'No! No! You are not losing your mind! Calm down! Relax! I am really talking to you. This is all real. Let me introduce myself first, I am Slaughter. I am a personal assistant, specially created to help your son and provide emotional support throughout his journey of chopping down, I mean, while writing his book, Deathly app.'

Jackson found a loose stone on the wall, he pulled it out and threw it at the lizard. The stone passed through the lizard and hit the rat which came back once again to try his luck.

'You cannot hurt, Satan. We are not real! I mean we are real but you are only seeing our hologram. Let us not waste our time any more and jump right into the podcast as my slaughtering time is the most precious.'

Jackson moved towards Satan and tried to touch it. His finger went through but the feeling he had was too real. He walked away in horror and shook the gate while shouting,

"Open the gates! Please! I will do anything but just let me go! I beg you."

But no one heard him and even if they did, Gary had given clear instruction before he left that they were not supposed to go near his cell at any time except for giving him food and water to keep him alive.

'You should not cause trouble for us, Jackson. I order you to sit and listen to my podcast right now or else Tegus would become angry.'

The giant invasive lizard jumped down and landed near his feet. Its tongue licked the flesh near his ankle. Jackson screamed in horror. Left with no choice, he went and sat on one corner of the cell.

'Since we already had an introduction, I am going to skip a formal one and jump right into the story.' Slaughter played horror music to keep the podcast as realistic as possible.

'The story starts with displaying an abandoned warehouse. There, five people laid down with their eyes closed, just like five corpses. If you did not keenly notice the slight movement above the chest confirming that they were still alive, a forensic team would definitely declare them dead at the first sight.'

Slaughter gave a pause and played rustle noise. Then it continued the story,

'A guy who was supposed to be half-dead woke up and started to run towards the exit. He thought he would only stay alive if he could run away from that place. But the minute he opened the abandoned factory, he realized that he was being lifted in the air by our Giant vulture, Slayer.'

Slaughter stopped saying and displayed an image on the hologram.

"Luis!" Jackson shouted.

"What did you do to him? Where are you taking him? Let him go! Let him go!" Jackson stood up like a mad man and went to pick the stone to hit Satan with that.

Before he could even pick the stone, Tegus jumped on him and brought him down.

'First warning: If the listener tries to harm any of the app's creations then he will be punished severely. This is your first and final warning! Since we did not issue a warning for your previous actions, this will be your last warning. If you fail to adhere to the rules and regulations, strict action would be taken against you.'

A code red warning was issued almost in an ear-splitting loud tone. Jackson held his ears with his hands while Tegus slowly moved away from his body. Jackson crawled towards the prison cell gate and tried to shake it once again. By the time he touched the iron bar, Tegus teeth sliced through the flesh in Jackson's leg and pulled him backward.

"Noooooooooo! Noooooooooooo…. Let me go… Let me go…. Noooo" Jackson's screams filled the whole place.

'Final warning: Since Jackson did not heed to our rules and regulations, the system now allows Tegus to bite off one of his toes as a punishment. If the listener still did not obey and act disregarding the warnings once more, for each mistake he would lose one of his toes. And if the toes are over, then the system will let Tegus feed on the remaining parts of his body.'

"AAAAhhhhhhhhhh… Ahhhhhhh…" Tegus without mercy chomped on the right legs big toe.

Then it moved away munching with an unsatisfied face. The bloodthirsty beast keenly had its eyes on Jackson's other toes. Jackson's toe was scrunched away within a few seconds, and so Tegus went to the opposite corner and laid down on the cold floor while hitting its tail up and down impatiently.

'Since the listener has just lost one of his toes, we will take a short break and continue in a few minutes.'

Slaughter along with Tegus and Satan disappeared. Right at that time, the prison door was opened and a plate was moved in. The food looked stale and molds were formed above the surface. The water looked like blood because of the dirt accumulated on the surface.

The food deliverer saw Jackson's blood-covered body but did not show any pity. He was already used to seeing all such bloody scenes. He went near him and kicked Jackson with the boots he was wearing.

'Warning: You are not supposed to harm the listener. You will be punished for your malfeasance.'

The guy looked around in terror as he was not expecting to hear any robotic voice into a thousand-year-old dungeon. He thought it was his imagination and kicked Jackson once more. Again one more voice was heard with the warning statement,

'Final warning: You are not supposed to harm the listener. You will be punished for your malfeasance.'

Just to check it once again, he kicked Jackson multiple times. Jackson groaned in pain and curled on the floor.

When the guy was about to kick him once again, Tegus jumped on him. Before he could realize what had happened, Slaughter ordered Tegus to climb down from the body.

'Since you did not even consider our warning and intentionally tried to harm the listener, you will be brought in front of the App. Once your punishment is decided, it will proceed accordingly.'

"Do you even know whom you are talking to? I am in charge of this place. You cannot do anything to me here… Now just come on out and show your faces, your bloody suckers." He roared.