UnAlaska

21. Into the hold

The freight elevator opened to a low cargo deck. The walls were painted a dull, institutional beige. Instead of the plush and thick carpet upstairs, the floors here were linoleum tile. The two kidnappers gestured with the muzzle of their guns, and the children began to walk off of the elevator. Their hands were tied behind their backs with zip ties, and their mouths were taped.

A few of the children had tried to run. Dmitry had given them a quick jab of the pre-measured midazolam, and they had calmed down. Their walking was a little unsteady, and their heads nodded like they would fall asleep. But, they were walking where he pointed them. And besides, his point had been made. There would be no running, and there were tools to keep everyone in line.

The ungainly group stepped out of the elevator, and made their way down the hall. Dmitry lagged behind, and the man in the security uniform picked up the pace to lead the front of the group. They came to a junction with another hallway. The man in front held out his hand for the convoy to stop. He tucked his gun behind his back and walked into the junction. He looked around for a moment, and then gestured to them to keep walking.

They began to cross the intersection. One child, about Kindergarten age and with a shock of blonde hair, turned and began to sprint away down the opposite hallway. Dmitry saw him running immediately. He sprinted around the group. His rapid footfalls echoed on the hard linoleum and beige paneled walls. As he ran, he un-slung his gun from his shoulder. He spun it around. The child was breathing heavily through his nose and trying to scream. The sound was muffled by his taped mouth. Dmitry quickly caught up to the child, and swung the butt of his rifle into his back. The child toppled forward, onto his tied hands. He laid still for a moment on the floor. Then, his small shoulders began to shake with a silent, sobbing cry.

Dmitry grabbed the child by the back of his shirt collar. He hoisted him to a standing position, and then turned him around to face the group. "Now. We talked about this, Alex. You do not run. You have to listen to Pavel and Dmitry. Do you understand?"

The child's hair was matted from sweat and his fall to the floor. His eyes were filled with tears. They had streamed down his face and dripped onto his small gray polo shirt. His shoulders were still shaking.

Dmitry put his hand on the child's shoulder. "I need to make sure you understand this, Alex." He paused for a beat. "Will you run again?"

The child shook his small head side to side.

"Will you listen to Pavel and Dmitry?"

He nodded.

"Good. Now back to the group. Go."

Dmitry and Alex rejoined the group. They once again started their slow march down the main hallway. A few other children began to cry, but after a prod they kept walking. The space began to fill with the sound of scattered footfalls on linoleum. They began to reach deeper into the ship. They passed by a doorway for the garbage sorting room on their right. The smell of food scraps and decomposition wafted into the hallway. They kept walking. On their left, a door led to a laundry room. They heard the loud hum of washers. Through a small window in the door they saw piles of uniforms, sheets, and tablecloths in huge hampers. Industrial sized dryers spun hypnotically. They could hear the clicking of zippers and buttons on the drums of the dryers.

Finally, they reached an open cargo area. The hallway opened up into a larger space. It spanned the width of the ship. The linoleum gave way to bare textured metal. The floors were painted white, with sections covered in textured grip tape. The white paint had been dulled by a constant criss-crossing of footprints and tire tracks from dollies and forklifts. The walls went from beige painted panels to unfinished steel. The ceilings were sprayed with popcorn foam insulation. At both ends of the space sat large cargo doors. The doors were large, steel, and heavy. They split horizontally, where huge hydraulic rams pushed the top open to form a cover and the bottom down to form a ramp. They were large enough for pallets and crates to be loaded from shore.