T-Bone the Monster, Eat the Steak "A Samuel Light Junior Story." John Pirillo

T-Bone the Monster, Eat the Steak

"A Samuel Light Junior Story."

John Pirillo

Jimbo and Samuel slid down the narrow entrance into the sewer by using a thick pipe they had found in the wrecking yard. The fact that they had ended up in that godforsaken place was because the Ends had made a run for it there and they had followed. 

The Ends were an underground race that came up to the surface once every hundred years to capture females and bring them downside to breed with. The Ends were a dark race and were the remnants of a mutated race created by the ancient Atlanteans before their fall from grace and they had blown themselves to kingdom come with their own massive weapons of destruction as both sides of the mighty empire became so divided that they ended up destroying one another.

"Stinks." 

Sammie eyed his friend. "You should know."

Jimbo dropped to the slimy concrete floor and gave Sammie a hand down. "Sticks and stones."

"Mine are tougher."

"Mine are longer."

Sammie laughed.

Jimbo laughed, and then eyed the compass in his hand. "Getting something."

"Sure it's the Ends; sometimes there are other things that magnetize the compass."

"Aren't you the one who said this would never fail us?"

"Guilty."

"Then shut up!"

They reached a t-bone in the underground sewer and had to use their flashlights to search both directions a few moments, looking at the concrete for tell tale signs. "This way." Sammie finally said, indicating with his light the prints of numerous feet.

"Gotcha!"

The two slung their backpacks over their right shoulders to free up flashlight hands better, and then picked up the pace.

"This is really stupid, you know."

Sammie agreed, but when the Ends showed up and stole his best friend next door. Emilie Parker. He didn't find it so stupid.

"It's more stupid if we let them get away with this. They'll be back for more."

"Not in our lives."

Sammie stopped and Jimbo bumped into him. "What?"

"Just because you don't believe in reincarnation, doesn't mean it's not true, Jimbo. You could be a woman in your next life and when an End came..."

Jimbo laughed, and then stopped laughing. "Nah. I'll never be..." He looked uncertain. "You're kidding, right?"

Sammie's face told him his answer. "Right. Right. Okay. Lead on leader."

They slowed down. The footprints were getting more clear and distinct. 

"Can't be too far ahead now."

"What're we going to do when we spot them?"

"Put the fear of God into them." Sammie said with a grin.

Jimbo stopped his friend. "This doesn't mean me having to act like a monster again, does it? Last time we did that I nearly got my ass blown up!"

"Forget it, Jimbo. We're going to t-bone them."

"T-bone?"

"Yep." And Sammie said no more.

The sound of women and girls sobbing became distinct in the distance, starting off as a low eerie series of moans, then resolving into the distinct sounds of many females crying, weeping and wailing.

"Oh crap! Sammie, there must be a hundred of them."

Samuel stopped. He and Jimbo watched as the Ends gave their captives the opportunity to rest, offering them bottles of water, taken from dirty backpacks.

The Ends were very human looking, except for the green hairs all over their body, and their utterly eerie green eyes that glowed in the dark. That's another thing about the Ends, they can see in the dark. He and Jimbo couldn't.

"So what's the plan?" Jimbo asked.

Sammie told him.

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Emilie Parker was a very pretty girl. Tall and lithe, with bright blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes. She was lean and mean in sports, which made her a perfect match for Samuel, even though she was more Jimbo's type when it came to tastes. She didn't really like boys who were so easy going. She liked them more rough on the edges. Jimbo fit the bill.

But at that particular moment as she surveyed the captives about her, eyed her own bonds, which were lacerating her wrists and cutting them wickedly, she didn't think much about anything at all, except for if the hell they had entered ever had an end. The Ends were too tall and strong to overcome, and she was tough in a fight. But not with these guys. They spoke English. One of them had told her they had learned it over the Internet from some stolen computer equipment in preparation for their raid.

"Humans are so gullible." He had proudly and arrogantly told her. "They think they rule the planet and can do whatever they damn well please. Well." He grinned, revealing teeth that were rotting in his mouth. "They can't."

She had used that casual friendship with the End to try and get free, but it had failed. The moment he saw her slipping further and further back, he had dropped back as well and double tied her bonds, so now she hurt even worse than before. 

"I hate you." She had told him.

He smiled. "Passion is good."

"I really, really hate you!" She emphasized fiercely.

But he only grinned even more so.

And so here they all were, twenty of them, young and old, herded into a narrow circle to rest and recuperate before they began the descent. She saw the narrow entrance that the End had been bragging about all the way to this point, telling her how carefully it was hidden and guarded. It didn't need to be guarded. Only a fool would wade through the sewage they were presently in.

"Rise!" The End leader commanded to the captives.

As one they stumbled to their weary feet, afraid to move, afraid not to move.

"From this point we shall descend into the depths where our home is. I want to welcome you all to your future home." He paused, and then grinned. "From which none of you will ever return."

The females began wailing and weeping again, which made him seem to smile even more.

Emily really wanted to punch him out.

Then the entrance to the Ends home lit up like a small sun, and a huge form stepped out from it, rays of intense light bursting around its sides and plastering the entire warrior Ends and their captives in the light.

The Ends became silent with fear.

"You will leave and never return!"Commanded the huge form.

The End leader stepped forward. "And who will stop us, if we do not."

Something struck him in the face and he stood there stunned a moment, as if in total shock, then he laughed. "You'll have to do better than that!"

Then he did a strange thing. He twitched his right arm, then his left, then he began scratching at his chest, then his next, and then his face, and before long he was crying out in horror as his entire body seemed to be on fire.

The Ends looked on in horror at the strange affliction that had struck their leader.

The huge form spoke again. "Next time, the rest of you will fall!"

The Ends as one broke free from their captives and ran away, seeking another entrance that was further down the tunnels.

The End leader lay in the filth a moment, and then slowly rose. "Come back!" He screamed after the others.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around. A fist connected with his face. He fell backwards to the floor, stunned. Emily stood over him, cracking her knuckles. "If you're smart, you'll never show your face around here again. Ever. Ever. Ever!"

He crawled away on his knees, scrambled to his feet, then dashed after his other Ends, sobbing like a child.

The huge form stepped away from the entrance and Jimbo lowered his flashlight, revealing a grinning face. Samuel stepped from his hiding place and joined him. 

Emily saw Samuel and ran to hug him. He fended her off, and then began scratching himself all over.

"What's wrong with you?"

He sighed. "Cost of battle. Poison Ivy."

Jimbo grinned. "I'm huggable."

"Of course you are." Samuel pointed out. "Aren't you always?"

"You got it, mastermind."

Jimbo stretched his arms out and Emily ran into them. He hugged her tight. ."You're safe now."

They brought all the captive females back to the surface, where they all scattered to return to their homes. 

Samuel always felt bad about that day, because he knew that he liked Emily, but he couldn't be the one she ran to. It always had to be Jimbo. Always!

He sighed as he sat on top the roof of his home, looking at the stars.

They were all safe and that was the most important thing.

He heard a scrambling sound and tensed, fearing an End was coming for him, then Jimbo's grinning face popped over the rim of the roof. He clambered up and offered Samuel a small vial of ointment. "Thought you might need this."

Samuel sighed with relief. His mom had forgotten to get some when she came back from the store. He began rubbing it into the tender areas of his arms and hands, and then sighed with even more relief as the intense burning of the poison ivy lessened.

"Thanks." He told Jimbo.

Jimbo grinned. "Hey! That's what friends are for, buddy."

Samuel grinned back at him. He might never win the hand of the opposite sex, but he would always have the best friend anyone could ever have in the universe.

Then he said as an afterthought. "Next time, you t-bone the monster, and I...I eat the steak!"

Jimbo broke into laughter, and then stopped. "Never happen!"

They broke into laughter together. Jimbo was right.