I’m caught in the middle and think of getting to my feet and bugging out, but find that my legs refuse to move. They keep me grounded, and unable to get away. I’m stricken with the paralyzing thought of getting shot or eaten. I’m unarmed and bound, at their mercy.
I keep to the ground and scoot off to the side, waiting for them to finish off the chasers. As much as I want them dead, I need them to take me to Duke and the others.
Roy manages to better the chaser, bringing his knife back and drilling the tip into the middle of its head. It sinks in deep, half the blade burrowed inside its skull. The chaser goes limp. Roy grips the handle and pulls hard while kicking it in the stomach.
“Christ! Can you two morons not shoot straight?” Roy scolds.
After wasting what I would consider a full clip of ammo, Pete and Benny finally find their mark. The bullets tear through the chasers’ heads and blow out the backs of their skulls, sending them to the ground motionless.
“Sorry, boss. They were moving so fast, and we couldn’t get a clear shot,” Benny replies apologetically.
“Whatever. You managed to shoot up all the damn trees around us, and you nearly shot me in the process!” Roy wipes the blood free from the blade on his stained blue jeans. He places it back in its sheath as he gives Benny and Pete the evil eye. They don’t look happy being scolded like children, but they remain silent just the same.
“Hey, boy, I figured that you would’ve tried to run away or something.” Roy grabs the rope closest to my hands and yanks me up from the ground.
“I thought about it, but decided to stay put. I didn’t want to get shot by one of your goons over there,” I snidely remark.
“Well, I can’t say that I blame you for that.” Roy cuts his eyes back over to his men, his stare fierce and disapproving. “But I am glad you listened to me earlier. Running would’ve only gotten you in a much worse place than you are now. Besides, you’ll be much safer with us than out here on your own.”
I highly doubt that.
“Roy, I think there are more of them coming,” Pete says while pointing across the stream.
Off in the tree line we see multiple figures staggering about, coming closer to the water. The stream doesn’t appear to be very deep at this point, making it possible for them to cross it with ease.
“Come on, boy.” Roy jerks the rope hard, and we leave the stream. Just in time too. I peer over my shoulder and see chasers stopping at the water’s edge, looking around for any warm bodies to feast upon.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
The chatter among us has all but ceased, leaving nothing more than silence and the sound of nature. Roy’s kept to himself mostly, not even looking back at me. Since we left the stream, all I’ve seen of him is the back of his sweaty head and smoke flowing over his shoulder. Seems like he’s all business now, not wanting to flaunt how much he’s in charge anymore.
My wrists are red and chaffed, sore to the touch and aching from the rope continually rubbing back and forth. Roy’s kept the rope tight, giving me little slack. I’ve managed to keep my mind off the pain by thinking of Mom. and Cindy, and my friends.
“Man, I’m so ready to sit down and relax. Hell, I might even have a beer if there’s any left,” Benny says with a snicker.
“There probably won’t be any. You know how they are. We go out and do all of the dirty work, and they sit on their fat, lazy asses doing nothing and drinking all the good stuff,” Pete quickly adds.
We come out of the woods to a clearing that has a chain link fence running the perimeter with multiple bodies lying lifeless next to it.
Roy pulls a two-way radio from his pocket. “Turn off on five.”
Roy waits for a few moments before touching the metal gate. Is the fence electrified? He grabs the rubber handle and slides it to the left and heads in. Pete’s the last one in, stopping and securing the gate back in place.
“I’d watch what you touch, James,” Roy cautions.
“Yeah, you might be ‘shocked’ by what you find,” Benny jokingly adds, snickering under his breath.
“When can I see my friends?” I inquire.
“I’m taking you to them right now,” Roy advises.
Benny and Pete split off and head to the right toward a cluster of buildings while we keep straight. I’m not sure where we’re at. The grounds are covered in overgrown weeds and buildings are clustered all around. They appear as though they have been abandoned for some time now by the holes in their sides and the worn paint.
“Way back when, this used to be some kind of processing plant. The economy went belly up and they had to close it down. The owners put up that fence till they could figure out what to do with the place,” Roy says as he points to the structures ahead of us.
“Why did they make it into an electric fence? Seems a bit of overkill to protect a bunch of condemned buildings,” I add as I take in the drab buildings.
“They didn’t. We tied some generators we salvaged to the fence. That’s the only power here for the most part. So far, it’s working really well in keeping those things from getting inside.” Roy stops to talk to a big, burly man covered in dirt and grease. I take a look around, trying to get a sense of the place. I only spot a handful of armed people trolling the perimeter of the fence and others walking about, free of any visible weapons.
It’s getting late in the day. The sun dips over the horizon. I didn’t realize it was as late as it was. This day has escaped me and pushed me farther back from getting to Mom and Cindy.
“Where are you taking me?” I demand once more.
“To your friends, just like I said I was going to do,” Roy calmly answers.
We come to a small, shed-like structure with an armed man standing next to a ramp that leads up to a door. It almost looks like a hen house or chicken coop, but much larger.
Roy stops. He removes the rope from my wrists. The skin is raw and red from the friction of being pulled on. He grabs the handle, and opens the door.
“Go on, get in there,” Roy orders.
I’m hesitant at first, looking up into the darkened space. I do not see or hear anyone stirring about. Duke pokes his head out from the side and instantly folds his ears down after seeing me.
“Hey, boy!” I exclaim, racing up the ramp and wrapping my arms around his neck.
“James! Glad to see you’re all right, bro,” Dawson says relieved.
“You ok, kid?” Tony asks.
“Keep a close eye on them, all right,” Roy orders. “If you have any problems with them, come get me.”
The shabbily dressed man guarding the building nods.
“Hey, Tony!” Roy says.
“What?” Tony replies angrily.
“You may want to reconsider your position on the matter we discussed. I’d hate for something horrible to happen to those boys you’re with,” Roy suggests.
“Go to hell,” Tony snaps back.
“You first, solider man.” Smiling and chuckling, Roy slams the door, sealing us back into the building.
Dawson offers a high five as I carefully raise my hand to meet his. “Dude, I didn’t know if they killed you or if you managed to get away.”
“They got me when I was looking for ya’ll. Are those the people you were talking about back at the gas station?” I ask Tony.
“Yeah, unfortunately,” Tony responds, his voice thick with disgust.
“How did they find us?” Dawson asks while trying to peer through a tiny sliver of wood on the front of the building.”
“Dumb luck I would imagine. I didn’t think they’d be over by where we were,” Tony replies. “Are your wrists ok?”
“They hurt, but I’ll live,” I respond.
Duke licks my face, his tail wagging as I keep hugging his neck. I let go and lean back against the wall, thinking of Mom and Cindy. I remember my phone is in my pocket. I wonder if the battery is dead.
I fish it out and turn it on. The screen illuminates the dark, dank building, but I don�
��t waste any time on looking around. I have but one bar missing. It’s probably because I haven’t used it any since we had to ditch the truck. And of course, there’s no service out here in the backwoods or wherever we are.
Dawson points to my phone. “I’m surprised they didn’t take your phone.”
I show Dawson the screen. “Wouldn’t do them any good or us for that matter. No service out this way.”
Duke places his head and front paws on my lap and relaxes. He lets out a deep breath from what I can only imagine is relief in finding me. I feel the same way. I stroke his back and pull up a picture of Mom, Dad, Duke, and Cindy from our last vacation. That was such a great time.
Tears well up in my eyes. I wipe them away before I bust out into a blubbering mess, and notice I’ve got a text message.
Mom: James, I haven’t gotten a reply from you yet. Please let me know that you and your father are all right and on your way. Be careful. I love you both.
I know I don’t have any service, but I reply anyway, hoping that it will reach Mom and Cindy somehow.
James: We love you too and can’t wait to see you. We are doing everything we can to get to you and Cindy. I will call next chance I get. Love you.
I hit the send button. The blue round circle spins aimlessly, trying to find a signal. I turn off the screen to try and conserve the battery, and pocket the phone once more to conceal its presence.
“I’m not overly keen on the way that guy used horrible and boys in the same sentence,” Dawson states with a shudder.
“Yeah, Tony, what did he mean by that?” I quickly add.
“Nothing good, that’s for sure,” Tony replies while walking around the building. He stops and peers out the tiny cracks in the wood.
I fold my arms across my chest and narrow my eyes at Tony. “What is he wanting you to rethink, exactly? It must be something pretty important for him to kidnap a couple of kids, and threaten to do bad things to us.”
Silent, Tony continues to peer out through the opening in the wall. At last, he sighs and looks back toward us. “He? They, want revenge.”
“Revenge? Against who?” My head tilts slightly downward, confused by Tony’s response.
“The military. The government. Anyone who had a hand in what happened at that bridge,” Tony answers.
“But you had nothing to do with that,” I respond.
“Doesn’t matter if I did or not. I’m with the military and that’s close enough.” Tony shrugs.
“So, what do they want you to do, exactly?” Dawson poses as he leans back against the wall.
“They want me to give up the locations of the platoons we have around the country for starters. Plus, caches of weapons and anything else they can get their hands on. Apparently, there are other militias out there that they’re working with that have the same goal,” Tony says.
“Do it,” Dawson flatly remarks. “Give them what they want, and they’ll let us go, right? Not sure why you’re not helping them. After all, the government is a bunch of tools killing their own people.”
“Regardless of how I feel about the military, or even the government, right now, I’m not going to betray my country to a bunch of backwoods hillbillies,” Tony hisses with a hint of indignation layered on his words. “Besides, giving those psychopaths military grade weaponry and other confidential intel would just exacerbate the already problematic state we are in.”
Dawson leans to his left and whispers to me, “What does exacerbate mean, exactly?”
“Basically, make everything ten times worse,” I respond.
“Yeah. We don’t want that for sure,” Dawson grumbles as he straightens up.
“So, what’s the plan, then?” I pose.
“I don’t know, James. I just... don’t know.” Tony places his hands behind his head and sighs in frustration. He drops them down to his sides and begins pacing the length of the space we are in.
Back and forth he goes, mumbling to himself. His hands move about in front of him. His fingers draw at the air.
Dawson and I watch the silent madness before us, hoping he’s formulating some sort of escape plan.
Duke’s passed out in my lap, snoring. Actually, it’s more like a whistling noise that comes from his nose. It’s annoying and yet kind of cute at the same time.
“I really hope all that talking to himself and acting all weird pays off, bro. Right now, I’m not feeling too optimistic.” Dawson drops to the unforgiving, dirty wood floor. He props his head up with his arm. “Wake me when he has a plan, or when the rednecks come back.”
Dawson grows silent as Tony finally stops pacing. He vigorously rubs both hands against his face and growls in aggravation. His body deflates and slumps back against the wall. He plops down to his backside and mutters some choice words.
Visibly pissed, he presses his teeth together and bangs his head against the wall. He reaches into his left pant pocket and removes another pack of cigarettes. He opens the lid and chuckles under his breath. “One left. Perfect time as any to stop smoking, I guess.”
“Probably for the best. Those things will kill ya,” I say.
“Yeah, among other things.” Tony glances my way with a long face. “Sorry, kid, for getting you and your pal mixed up into all this. Wasn’t my intent.”
I shrug. “Is what it is. Life doesn’t seem to be fair right now to any of us. I’ve had more bad crap happen to me these last few days than I have my entire life.”
Tony agrees. “It only gets better, kid.”
Even being as young as I am, I pick up on Tony’s sarcasm.
His gaze drifts off to the left as I continue to stroke Duke’s coat. With no one else to engage my thoughts, I sit anxiously and wait.
For what? That remains to be seen.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
As night sets in, and the building we’re trapped in gets darker, I stare off into the void of my nothingness. Both Dawson and Tony are out, leaving me to my restless thoughts.
I haven’t been to sleep. I’ve closed my eyes, but never drifted off. How could I? Every time I do now, I wake in a panic from the dread that plagues me. Regardless of where I go, it follows me constantly.
I try to curb the impulse to check my phone every second in the hope that my text got out, and Mom has already replied. I know the battery is inching down every second that goes by, and when I turn on the screen, ZAP! There goes even more power. I didn’t even realize that my hand was already cradling the phone.
I slip it back into my pocket, resisting the temptation. My face disfigures in anger. My fingers want to ball into a fist and punish something, anything for the way I feel. I struggle to maintain my composure, and refrain from lashing out.
I’m still just a kid, and it’s not fair. I know most kids complain that they want to be an adult and are ready for such grown-up things, but this is way more than I can bear.
Something stirs just outside the wall and catches my attention. The distraction frees my mind and gets my focus back. I listen closely, pressing the side of my head to the narrow gap in the building. There it is again. What is that?
“Hey guys, get up!” I say, but they don’t budge. Duke lifts his head and stares at me. “Did you hear that, boy?”
Duke groans as he yawns. His fangs glisten in the brief shred of light that slips in through the narrow cracks of the walls.
“Daw-”
The door unlocks and swings open. A foul stench invades our space before a large, overweight man enters our lavish accommodations.
“Hope ya’ll are ready to give the boss what he wants. For your sake, anyway,” he says with a halfhearted chuckle. Another one of Roy’s fetid henchmen. Great.
We say nothing.
“Get up!” He slams the butt end of his gun on the wall, startling Tony and Dawson out of their slumber. Duke begins to growl, baring teeth and folding his ears back.
The man trains the rifle at Duke. “I’d watch that dog, boy. If he tries anything, I’ll put him down.”
“It’s all right, just settle down,” I say to Duke while glancing up at the man. His face is mostly blocked out with shadows, leaving only a hairy round outline for me to view.
“Wake up and get down here. You have two minutes.” The man and his stench leave the building as Dawson and Tony shake the sleepiness from their faces.
“All right,” Dawson croaks. He laboriously gets his feet under him. “Stinky prick.”
Tony’s lips remain sealed as he rubs his face.
I run my fingers through Duke’s coat a little more before standing up.
“What was that all about?” Dawson whines.
“I guess Roy doesn’t want to wait any longer.” I glance at Tony. “Tell me you have a plan to get us out of this?”
Tony looks in the direction of the door and strokes the thick black stubble on his chin. “I’m sorry, boys. I-”
“Get down here now,” the man bellows from outside the building.
Tony takes the lead and walks toward the doorway. He steps out and down the ramp, followed by Dawson, then Duke, and myself.
A handful of armed men stand off to the side, their darkened faces void of any sort of jovial expression as they hurry us along.
Dawson stops at the opening. He glances back over his shoulder at him, his eyes wide with a look that he’s thinking intently on something. He grabs the door jamb on either side of him and barks, “What are you going to do with us?”
“You’ll find out soon enough, pretty boy, if Captain America here doesn’t give up what the boss man wants to know” the man replies. “Now get on down here.”
“Guess he’ll have to wait then ’cause I’m not going anywhere until you tell me where you’re taking us,” Dawson demands.
I lean in close and peer over Dawson’s shoulder. Tony is pulled off to the right and held at gunpoint.
The man on the left narrows his eyes in Dawson’s direction. His tongue plays across his pursed lips as he spits off to his left and responds in a gruff baritone, “Boy, if you don’t get your ass down here now, I’m going to break every bone in your body slowly.”
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