The Dead Zone (Book One)

Chapter 12

Strong hands pushed him down, his knees burning in protest as he fell roughly to the floor. Concrete, he guessed as he struggled to right himself, which wasn't easy with his hands tied behind his back. A large door slammed somewhere near him, the sound reverberating through the room he'd been unceremoniously discarded in. It sounded heavy as a lock slid into place, effectively sealing him in.... he didn't know where, but he knew this wasn't good.

 He only hoped his brother had gotten away, and taken Paige with him. He hadn't been able to keep up. Once he'd been captured, Bryson and Paige had been out of sight, disappearing into the thick brush, leaving him to fend for himself. If only he'd run faster. The only good thing about his capture was that with his sacrifice, these strange people had stopped chasing his friends to apprehend him. That meant he'd bought them time. 

 He tried to get a bearing on his surroundings, but it was impossible due to the thick blindfold that obstructed his vision. Taking a deep breath, he smelled... death. Rotting odor invaded his nostrils, causing vomit to rise in the back of his throat, threatening to choke him as he scuttle away, his back hitting a hard wall, cool against his sweat-drenched skin.

 For a while, he thought he was alone, until a small scuffle caught his attention.

 "Hello? Who's there?" When no reply came, he braced himself, his ears pricking, trying to catch something. 

 "Don't be scared. Let me untie you." The voice was soft, like that of a child, definitely female. Cool hands, a little too rough for his liking, set in on his blindfold, his eyes taking a few seconds to adjust to the dark room he stood in.

  It was a small, cement room, with a large metal door as the only entrance, and exit. His eyes instantly went to his cell mate, taking him by surprise. Her voice was childish, but her face was not. She looked like she might even be older than he was, but he wasn't sure. Her eyes were green, even in the dim light of the room. Unruly blonde hair, that she'd tried yet failed to tame with a ponytail splayed around her heart shaped face. Grime covered her skin and clothes, dirt mixed with sweat and then dried into place. 

 He realized then that the rancid smell had been her. How long had it been since she'd showered? Then again, how long had she been in here? Once his hands were free, his rubbed his wrists, which stung vehemently from the circulation being cut off. 

 His cell mate went back to the other side of the room, sliding down against the wall as if she were too exhausted to stand any longer. As he looked at her then, despite the grime and stench, he realized she was quite pretty. All soft angles and long lashes, she had a certain charm about her. 

 "I'm Evie." She offered, and he realized then that he'd been staring at her for long enough to be considered rude. 

 "I'm Zach. Mind explaining where we are? And why?"

 She closed her eyes, releasing a deep sigh. "I don't know, and I don't know. You know as much as I do."

 Wow, what a great help she was. "How long have you been here?" 

 "A little over a month."

 "A month?!" His voice sounded horrified, no need to hide it. Why were they taking prisoners? Would they ever set him free? Or was he destined to live the rest of his pathetic life here, locked in a cement room, however long they decided he could be alive?

 "Yes." 

 "What can you tell me about them? Those people that took us?" Her bottom lip quivered, and her voice lowered as if she was afraid of someone might overhear them. 

 "There are a lot of them. Mostly men- they're the ones who take us and make us work. And they're ruthless. If you're smart, you'll play along. Don't do anything stupid."

 "They make you work? What does that mean?"

"We do anything from cutting wood for the winter or digging the trenches that surround the city." So that explained why the needed people, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it than that. 

 "What kinds of weapons do they have?"

 "Everything. Guns and knives. Whips." Her lip twitches at the last one, and his mind wonders if she's ever seen one. This is so, so wrong.

 "So they kill you if you don't work?"

 She approaches him then, taking his hand in hers, and suddenly, he understands why they were so rough. Calloused from hard work.

 "Listen to me very closely. Take it from someone who knows- it's best not to ask questions. You'll find out soon enough everything you want to know. Just keep your eyes down and do what you're told, okay?"

 She walks away then, pacing the minuscule room, as if she's debating something before adding, "Just so you know... if you don't work, or if you try to leave... let's just say guns and knives would be better than what they have in store for you."

 Her words were chilling, but not enough to sooth his curiosity or his raging nerves. 

 "Well I don't plan on staying long." He began kicking the metal door, loud thuds reverberating throughout the room. Evie wrapped her hands around his arm, trying to pull him back to no avail, although she was a lot stronger than he would have thought.

 "Open up!" He yelled, kicking harder, out of breath by the time he heard the lock sliding out of place. Evie whimpered, scuttling back to a corner, as if the shadows might swallow her up or offer some protection from what was coming.  

 Two men stepped inside the small room, making it seem that much smaller with their large forms. They were both older than him; he had to guess mid thirties/early forties, with the fine wrinkles around their eyes. They wore harsh, unforgiving looks as they eyed him, as if he were nothing more than scum on the bottom of their shoes.

 "Listen here, boy." The one nearest him growled, grabbing him roughly by his collar, his face mere inches away. Zach could smell his putrid breath as it washed over him, sickening him more than the smell of the room ever could.

 "I'm gonna give you the run down since you're new here. The boss man doesn't appreciate his prisoners making a lot of noise. So shut up and be a good boy, won't ya?" 

 "Who are you people? Why am I here?" His courage was waning. He hoped it didn't show on his features.

 "Who are we?" He chuckled darkly, a smirk appearing on his friend that stood guard at the door. "We're your worst nightmare." And with that, he took the butt of his gun and smashed it down on Zach's face, accompanied by the sickening crunch of bone and the feel of warm blood flowing freely. He was shoved roughly back before the door slammed, leaving him to tend to his wounds while Evie sobbed quietly in the corner.

 "I tried to warn you." She moaned, burying her face in her hands as if this was all her fault. 

 "Ugh, I know. Please don't cry. I'm fine."

 He'd learned a few things from today's encounter. First, Evie was right. For now, his best bet was to go along with this, until he knew more about his situation in order to form a rational, well thought out plan. Second, these people weren't messing around. They were ruthless. They had no problem abducting people, or harming people, hence the broken nose. And third, if he wasn't mistaken from what Evie had told him, this was some sort of... slave camp. If Bryson and Paige had been captured too... were they here, in the camp? Or were they out there, watching, waiting for the perfect moment to break him free? He didn't know, but he needed to find out. Soon. Because he saw only two things looming on the horizon: Death or Freedom.