Wake of the Dead | Three

Chapter Four | Jasper

The birds were just beginning to sing, it was still dark outside when the truck stopped. Jasper forced his eyes open, blinking in an attempt to clear the fog from his mind. His arms were nearly numb, there was no feeling in his muscles. A pounding headache drummed through his skull, a deafening roar in his ears. The doors of the truck had been thrown open. So, he'd finally been brought to the camp? Jasper wondered if he'd see some familiar faces, although he knew none of them would be friendly.

A Silence member Jasper didn't recognize slid into the back of the truck, striding over to him. Their eyes narrowed, looking him up and down, scrutinizing every little detail. There was something in their eyes Jasper couldn't quite pinpoint. He hated it. "You sure Luke said to bring this one out? It looks like he's still wide awake and kicking." The girl said.

The voice that replied was more recognizable. Minora shouted from the outside, "Yea dumbass, we wouldn't be bringing him to The Middle if wasn't. It's not like he's gonna kill you. We've got guns and he knows it."

Jasper's blood ran cold. The Middle. Not again. He knew what The Middle was, he'd felt it before. It was a spectacle to be made out of prisoner's suffering. Torture. A deep shudder ran down his spine as the younger girl took a key from her pocket, undoing the chains holding Jasper's arms up to the sides. She was wary, watching his every move with the meticulousness of a hawk. "Come on then. You heard her."

The skin where the metal cuffs had been was chafed away and raw, painful to the touch. Jasper could see smaller scrapes, the wrists were bruised and his arms sore. When he stepped away from the wall, Jasper was immediately met with a handgun being pointed straight at his head, aimed between his eyes. "Calm down, kid." He said sharply. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"I don't know that." The girl retorted, a scowl on her lips. She snarled, "Put your hands behind your back, head down, on your knees."

Jasper narrowed his eyes, not being able to help the humorless smile that crept across his lips. He was shocked to hear his own voice, it was ragged and growly. He hadn't had water for several days. "I'm not getting on my knees for anybody," he rasped. "You'll tie my wrists while I'm standing." She's just a kid. Jasper thought to himself. A high schooler at most. What the hell is The Silence doing with recruiting kids?

"That's fine," Minora reluctantly allowed, waving a single hand to gesture towards Jasper. "Like I said, the man's not stupid enough to kill himself."

"H-how would you know?" The girl asked shakily, casting an accusatory glance towards Minora. Jasper closed his eyes, awaiting the stinging comment that was bound to arise from the girl's question. She hesitantly reached behind him, tying a rope tight around his wrists behind his back, then tugging to make sure it was secure.

"Because he was my old mentor." Minora spat, her glare cast over the girl's shoulder straight at Jasper. Her gaze burned into his skin, tempting his stare to waver. But he would not back down from a silent challenge. Not from the girl he once considered a daughter, not from anybody. He wouldn't break. They would not hold him as a whimpering coward. If they planned to torture him, then so be it. But he would not bow to their will. To Jasper's satisfaction, Minora turned away beneath his stern, silent discipline. He'd offered her a way out, she refused. He no longer felt sympathy for her.

Jasper stumbled as the younger girl shoved him from behind, but managed to catch his balance by leaning against the wall of the truck. "Get a move on. We haven't gotten all day." The girl paused, "Traitor." Clumsily spoken, Jasper mused. She's either a teenager or she hasn't been here for very long.

"Who are you to brand me as a traitor," Jasper retorted, "If I had no opportunity to turn against you?"

The girl stammered in return, "I belong to this group now. Once a traitor, always a traitor. And traitors deserve to be punished." They really have brainwashed her. A shame. She's so young, but she's lost herself already.