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Chapter 6- James

James could barely breathe. After he had been rushed off the boat he had been gaged and tied. The gag threatened to choke him and his hands were so tightly roped behind his back that he couldn't feel the tips of his fingers. The rope cut into his skin and if he tried to struggle it only dug deeper. He had been ordered to stay still and keep quiet. James felt he didn't have much of a choice but to obey. So, he lay on the floor of the small motor boat as it shook his whole body, the vibrations from the motor going up and down his skeleton. He was only barely aware of two other boys pressed against him, tied up and scared just like him.

James could just make out the voices of the two Russians in the boat with them. They were speaking quickly and James couldn't understand what they were saying. He heard the hum of the other boats as they raced across the water away from the ship that would have taken James to safety. Now safety seemed too far away to be reached. Would anyone come looking for them? When his mother heard of the news what would she think? Both of her sons and her husband gone and all three were taken by the Russians, all three taken by the war.

James lay at the bottom of that boat for a long time. The waves made the hard bottom of the boat slam into the back of his head. He groaned over the gag and the two boys beside him did the same.

"Quiet." One of the Russians snapped, he kicked James hard in the stomach and he let out another cry around the gag. "I 'zed quiet!" The Russian kicked James again and it took all his strength not to groan in pain again, he knew it would only earn him another kick. Tears of pain still came out of his eyes but he couldn't reach a hand to wipe them away.

The small boat weaved around the waves for a long time. James let sleep take over, he knew wherever he was going he would need to be well rested. James slept rough and when a Russian kicked him to wake him up James felt only slightly better, he had a headache caused by a throbbing lump on the back of his head.

It was deep into the night now, James would guess 9 o'clock. The two boys next to him exchanged glances in fear. "Geet up." One of the Russians ordered. All at once the boys struggled to sit upright. They used each other to stand and once they were up the man gave them a shove. "Off." James stumbled off the boat and onto a rocky shore. "Walk." James set off up the shore his eyes trying to adjust to the darkness. His mouth was painfully suspended open by the gag but he knew he couldn't work it off, not now.

James could make out some of the other boys from the other boats, he squinted to try to see Luke or Seb but it was too dark, and he couldn't risk diverting his attention from the slope, if he fell he wouldn't be able to break his fall. James was out of breath by the time he reached the top of the slope. The boys that were in the boat with him were out of breath and they collapsed to the ground. James tried to regain his breath but it was hard over his gag. He had barely drawn in three comforting breaths when the Russians were onto them again.

"Keep moving." He pointed the muzzle of his gun sharply in James's ribs. James stumbled forward and the Russian trained his gun on the other two boys. "If you don't geet up now, I'll shoot you both dead." Fueled by fear one boy managed to get to his feet, the other boy was not so lucky. James turned away as the loud crack of a gun was fired on the boy who looked no older than thirteen. James and the surviving boy were shuffled along, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. They walked for a long time, in silence. James's feet were growing tired and he felt like he was going to collapse and not be able to continue. The Russian must have felt the same because he suddenly stopped. James fell gratefully to the ground and so did the other boy. The Russian pulled out a water bottle and took a few gulps. James and the other boy eyed it enviously. The Russian set it down and turned to them. "Don't leave." Then he disappeared into the woods.