by I. J. Smith
Bray could feel Gabe run the blade down his back. But it was strange, he was not pushing the knife to cut him. He felt the blade on his hip when suddenly Gabe cut though his trousers and belt. Bray began to panic, he tried to struggle but the weight of the soldiers holding him down was too much. He felt his trousers and underwear ripped away.
“No! No! Please, I will be good!” Bray begged. He managed to push away one of the soldiers, but then felt a punch on his back, forcing him down again. He was pinned down firmly.
“No!” He screamed.
Gabe grabbed Bray by the hair. “Listen, it’s you or her!” He told him while pointing the knife at Jennifer.
Bray closed his eyes. “Just take her out the room, please!” He begged.
Gabe smiled wide. “No I don’t think so, she needs to see her daddy broken!”
Everything went quiet for a moment, Bray locked eyes with his daughter. Her eyes were red, raw from her tears. “It’s OK baby. It’s OK!” He attempted to reassure her.
Gabe stood behind a semi-naked Bray. He undid his belt and lowered his trousers. He placed a hand on Bray’s back. “You’re gonna love this!” He muttered as he thrust himself inside of Bray.
Bray squealed in pain as he felt the most horrible, sharp pain inside him. He screwed up his face and tried to hold back his emotion as Gabe thrust harder and harder against him. With his eyes closed tightly a tear ran down Bray’s cheek, Gabe showed no mercy and pushed harder and harder, the table was beginning to scrape across the floor.
For the few moments, it took, Bray lost his soul in that moment. The cries of his daughter witnessing this was the biggest pain he had ever felt. Finally, Gabe gave out a roar and slumped down, breathing heavily into Bray’s ear. Opening his eyes Bray just stared at the floor as Gabe whispered to him. “Was that good for you too?” He pushed off from Bray and patted him on the back. “Good boy!”
Bray was relieved it was over.
Gabe pulled his trousers up and then said the most horrific word. “NEXT!”
Bray’s ordeal was not over. As Brandon stepped up, Bray took one last look at his daughter and screamed out as he felt the second sharp pain entering him. Bray cried and lowered his head, turning away from the gaze of his daughter.
∞
Several miles away, Adam was carefully walking towards an abandoned apartment block. The steel shutter was still low, but Adam looked around to make sure no one was following him and then pulled it up and crawled inside. He pushed the shutter closed again and pushed the locking bar across, making sure no one could enter.
He took one last glance thought the shutter and turned away. He walked through a heavy white door, he then began his climb up the steep stairs.
On the Fifth floor, he walked along the corridor where he was greeted by Sarah.
“You took your time!” She told him.
He pulled a rucksack from his back. “It’s getting harder to find food out there, the place has been picked clean.” He replied.
“How is everything here?” He asked her.
Sarah nodded. “Ryan is patrolling the building, making sure we didn’t miss anything. Zoe is with him.”
Adam giggled. “Not sure how much patrolling they are doing then!”
Sarah return a smile. “They’re in love and trying to keep it secret. So, don’t let on that we all know!”
“The boys, Craig, Taylor and Brad are all going through the apartments looking for medicines and anything to eat. Kat, Raven and Jacob are with Jack.” Sarah informed Adam.
Adam looked at her firmly. “Any change?” He asked hoping for a miracle answer.
“No! He is still unconscious, Banks is keeping a close eye on him.” She replied.
“I just hope someone is keeping an eye Banks!” He said with attitude.
Sarah shook her head. “Adam, you heard what Raven told said. We need to trust him!”
Adam started to walk into the apartment. “It’s hard to trust someone, when they won’t tell you everything.”
Sarah grew annoyed. “He will only tell Jack, remember that. He doesn’t know he can trust us!”
Adam walked away in silence.
In the bedroom. Jacob was sitting in a chair next to an unconscious Jack. Raven and Kat were asleep on a small two seater sofa. Banks walked in the room with a bottle of water, he walked to give it to Jacob, but was stopped. Paige was laying on the end of Jack’s bed growling at Banks.
“She does not like me!” Banks stated.
Jacob laughed. “Don’t take it personally, she just loves Jack.” He replied in his Jamaican accent.
Banks smiled, he was grateful to Jacob. Only he and Raven had shown him kindness since they escaped from Groves.
The sudden noise of a grunt grabbed their attention. Then the sound of rapid breathing made them turn their attention to Jack.
As Jack’s eyes cracked open, the light was almost blinding hm. He was stiff and unable to move much, he turned his gaze to a blurry figure. He blinked rapidly to clear his vision, Jacob came into focus.
“Oh shit! I am in hell!” Jack muttered.
Jacob laughed aloud. “Love you too brother!”
The sound of laughter and then Paige barking awoke Kat and Raven. Their smiles shined to see Jack awake. Adam rushed into the room.
Jack attempted to sit up, but his strength was gone. He quickly slumped back down, Kat rushed past everyone to help him. As he laid back, Kat came into view. Her eyes were glazed over with tears, Jack reached out and touched her cheek. “Hey beautiful!” He said. She slumped down next to him, burying her head into his shoulder. He gently kissed her on the head. “Miss me?” He asked to her. She raised her head with a smile and a tear.
Raven came into view. “You OK?” He asked her. She simply smiled and nodded.
“So, you idiots came for us!” Jack joked.
Adam stepped forward. “We have a lot to talk about!”
Jack looked at him. “Yeah, more than you know.”
Adam went to move forward when Banks spoke out.
“Yes, there is a lot to talk about. But, not now. Jack, you need rest, I mean it. Everything else can wait.”
Adam looked annoyed. “He’s right. Raven told everyone. Come on, just let him sleep.” Raven caught the smile from Jack as she left the room.
Only Adam and Banks remained. Waiting for a moment, Adam went to turn away. “Adam!” Jack said. He raised his hand, Adam walked over and took it. “Thank you!” Jack said with emotion. Adam smiled. “Just get better, we need you!” He gripped Jack’s hand for a second and then walked away, closing the door behind him.
Raven waited outside with Jacob and Kat.
“Adam, we’ve been talking. We don’t want you to tell him about Eddie and Bray just yet.” She told him.
Looking confused, Adam asked. “What?”
Kat jumped in. “We all know Jack. He will drag himself out of that bed and fight. He can’t, not yet!”
Adam took a deep breath. “Yeah, your right. We will keep it to ourselves for now!”
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement, as Banks walked out of the room to join them.
“How is he?” Raven quickly asked.
“Weak! This is going to take time.”
Inside the room, Paige still laid at the end of the bed. Jack was staring at the ceiling. “I’m coming back you bastard!” He muttered angrily though gritted teeth.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
LIVE
TWO MONTHS LATER…….
Walking along a long corridor was a short haired, blonde woman in a white business suit. The sound of her high heels echoed. She glanced at the walls that were covered with bullet holes. She walked past a lab that once held the dead. As she walked down the corridor; she shook her head in anger.
As she approached a door, she glanced at the name on the sign. ‘GROVES.’
Without knocking she pushed the door opened and entered. Groves was sitting behind a large desk. Kelly was sitting on the leathe
r sofa; both of them were looking through paperwork.
Groves jumped to attention, the look on his face was one of fear. The blonde woman slammed the door closed and sat in the empty chair without a saying a word. Her deep blue eyes locked onto Groves’.
“Sit!” she spoke calmly.
“Miss Evans, I was not expecting a visit,” he struggled to say.
“Sit down!” she spoke firmly.
Groves glanced at Kelly who was still sitting on the leather sofa. He was annoyed at her lack of respect for Miss Evans. He looked back at his surprise guest.
“Would you like something to drink?” he asked.
“SIT THE FUCK DOWN!” she screamed.
Like a dog obeying their master, Groves dropped to his chair in a flash.
Miss Evans smiled as her bright red lipstick glowed.
“Now, let us have a civil conversation. No need for anger, it ages people terribly.” She said with a touch of softness. She continued to smile. “Now, we need to talk about this situation involving Jack Mason. You had him in this very building and yet you somehow lost him.”
Groves shuffled in his seat and interrupted her, “We did everything to break him!”
“But then you allowed intruders to rescue him, you had a traitor in Dr Banks and you never noticed. My bosses are not happy about this.” she said softly.
Groves looked worried; he glanced at Kelly again, hoping she would say something.
“We will find him and we will find the box!” Groves attempted to reassure her.
“Two months. We have given you two month, endless resources and yet you cannot find one man. Honestly, the country is full of Zombies and yet you cannot a living man!” she replied.
Groves once again shuffled nervously in his seat. He was shocked when Miss Evans gave another wide smile, this time showing off her perfect teeth.
“Well, I am here to fix that. Oasis is not confident you can deliver.”
“NO! I will! I promise!” He said quickly, with fear.
“Don’t panic, you are part of the Oasis family. We’re not gonna kill you or feed you to the Zombies. We just feel your expertise would be better suited in another positon within our organization.” she replied happily.
Groves remained silent as she stood up. As she walked towards the door; she turned to face Groves once again.
“In one week, I will return. I will be bringing with me a rather special team to deal with Jack Mason!” She gave a cheeky smile. “So, you have a week to impress us!” she turned and left the office.
Groves was beginning to panic. “I want everyone out looking for Jack, around the clock!” he told Kelly.
“You really think we can find him in a week? We’ve had two months and haven’t found a thing.” she gloated.
With a look of pure anger, he glared at Kelly. “Listen to me! Do you think Oasis cares? I want everyone out there, including us. Stop all other operations, we need to find him. NOW!”
∞
It was sunny and warm as Paige ran alongside Jack. Racing across the flat rooftop, Jack was unrecognizable. His hair was much longer than usual and his beard was all overgrown and untidy. He wore shorts and a tight black vest as he ran freely around the roof with Paige. Jacob and Raven sat on the wall watching as Jack pushed himself.
“Jack, slow down!” Raven yelled, out of concern for him.
Jacob just laughed. “That is like telling him it is night time. He will not listen.”
Raven shook her head as she watched Jack come to a stop, and jump up to a bar that hung overhead. Jack was pushing himself hard, pullup after pullup. The sweat glistened off his toned muscles. Raven noticed that Paige sat watching him, her head bobbing up and down.
“Two months and that dog hasn’t left his side!” Raven commented.
Jacob glanced at her. “Don’t you know why?” She looked at him, squinting as the sun hit her eyes. “Why?” she asked.
“They are the same, both loyal,” he replied.
Raven turned her head. “Jacob, we all agreed not to tell him until he was ready.” She said with an annoyed look on her face.
Jacob stood up. “We have lied to him, telling him Bray and the children are all fine and safe. He does not even know about Eddie. You know he had a soft spot for him.”
Raven jumped to her feet and grabbed his arm. “Yeah he does. He loves them all, and you know the moment he finds out he will run into hell for them!”
“Maybe he should,” Jacob muttered.
Raven glanced over at Jack once more. “He is not ready!”
“Maybe it’s us that is not ready!” He told her with a look of despair.
Before Jacob could walk away Raven grabbed him again. “And what the hell do you mean by that?” she asked.
“We all know something happened at Oasis. We know Jack was tortured and we all know the way you look at him. Right now, everyone thinks Jack should know the truth. Well, everyone except you that it is.” he replied.
Stepping back, she cringed. She tried to talk, but the words would not come. Jacob looked her in the eyes.
“I am not judging, but if your keeping Jack safe for the wrong reason. Then he will not thank you for it.” He told her before walking away.
Raven stood for a moment closing her eyes. She remembered Oasis, how vulnerable Jack was. She could also remember his touch on her skin, the taste of his lips. She had not mentioned the moment they shared to anyone.
“RAVEN!” Jack shouted out.
Quickly she opened her eyes and smiled at Jack. “Yeah, everything OK?”
“Yeah, are you OK? You looked miles away.” He joked as he walked away with Paige following.
Jack walked toward a black door, it led down some stairs to the apartments where they had been hiding for the last two months. As he walked along the hallway he heard footsteps running up behind him. He turned to see Raven catching up with him.
“Jack, can we talk?”
He gave her his half-smile and replied, “Of course!”
She stood silent for a moment as if she was struggling to find the words. Jack placed his hand on her shoulder. “What is it?”
She took a deep breath and started to speak. “We never talked about what happened at Oasis.” She finally managed to say.
“Yeah, I am so sorry you had to go through that. They should have just taken me!” He replied.
Raven gave an awkward smile. “Not your fault, we…we...erm. Went through a lot, didn’t we?” she said, waiting anxiously for his response.
Jack locked eyes with her, they so much reminded him of Elle’s. He took a moment and then spoke. “To be honest, most of it is a blur. I remember pain, lots and lots pain.” Raven looked upset and made an excuse to leave. “I, erm need to find Sarah.”
Jack watched her walk away, he looked down at Paige. “What?”
He turned away, stepping into a room to a very annoying sound. The giggling of a woman and the laughter of a man, Jack stepped towards the bedroom door and pushed it open. A scream sounded out.
“JACK!” Kat yelled out.
She rushed to cover her breasts, as a shirtless Craig rolled from the bed. Hitting the floor, Craig jumped up and gave a scared laugh. Jack just stared at him.
“Oh, is that the time?” Craig rushed away, as he passed Jack he looked at him. With a single grunt from Jack, Craig ran.
“That was not funny!” Kat told him.
Jack gave her a smile. “It was for me! Do me a favor and next time use another room, on another floor. Preferably in another building!”
As she pulled her shirt on she walked past him and kissed him on the cheek.
Jack shook his head. “Young Love!” A Jamaican voice said.
He turned to see Jacob sitting on a leather chair with a wide smile.
“Did you know about them?” Jack asked.
Jacob just shrugged.
Jack pulled his vest off and grabbed a towel that sat on a sideboard. As he wiped the sweat from his body, Jacob began t
alking.
“I heard you and Raven talking out there. Must be hard not remembering?”
Jack slowly wiped the sweat from his toned body, he looked at Jacob. “Between us! I remember everything!”
Jacob just stared at Jack in shock.
CHAPTER TWENTY
ADAM
“There are a lot of guns in there!” Adam said.
On a rooftop, Adam was looking through binoculars at the Fort. He could see the guards walking the wall, and the children working the crops. He looked carefully for Bray, but did not see him.
“I still can’t see him!” he said as he lowered the binoculars.
Adam was starting to grow a beard, strands of grey were beginning to show. He looked over at Ryan. “We should get back!”
Ryan nodded his head. “Yeah, we should. We should also be telling Jack about this!”
Adam sighed, “Look, I agree. But both Banks and Raven say not yet. They are the ones with the medical skills.”
“We have not seen Bray in over a month, he is probably dead. All we have done is sit here and watch.” Ryan said angrily.
Adam sighed, he did not reply. He knew Ryan was right, they needed to do something and soon.
“Come on, let’s get back to the others!” Adam muttered.
∞
For the next few hours, Adam and Ryan made their way quietly back to the others. They stayed away from the main roads and walked through rural ground. They found themselves walking through a large, overgrown allotment field. A few zombies roamed around. One approached Ryan; who quickly smashed a hammer through its skull. As the zombie fell Ryan looked over at a zombie mounted on a large wooden cross. “Hey look, a scare zombie!” Ryan joked.
Adam shook his head, “That was terrible!”
They continued to walk, stopping time and again to pick the vegetables that still grew. Ryan was itching to ask Adam a question.