Good Night, Vegas Lights

Chapter 9

  The sun hadn't even begun to shine when that same alarm bell rung once again. Tick jerked awake. He quickly got himself together, whereas Vincent could barely pick himself up off the floor. His arms and back were more sore than they'd ever been before. When Tick noticed Vincent's condition, he got mad.
  "Im not gonna waste my resources on someone who plans on fucking himself over"
  "I'm- I'm fine"
  "Right. Come on, we should get goin'. They'll get mad if we linger to long."
They walked outside. The air was still chilly.
  "We doing the same thing today, Tick?"
  "Not sure. They'll assign us our jobs in a sec. If we're not together, then we can meet back up for dinner."
  "When is that, by the way?"
  "Noon. Usually. In the cafeteria."
  "That'd be lunch"
Tick looked at him annoyed.
  "Lunch, dinner, food. Food is food."
A PA system crackled on.
  "Continue with your assignments from yesterday unless personally told otherwise by your Warden"
Tick already started to walk off. Vince had to fight off the sleep as he walked. When they arrived at the pile, he could barely pick anything up. Tick finally shed his anger and seemed worried.
  "Yo Vince, you gotta work"
Another head ache started to emerge. Not allowing himself to sleep was evidently a very bad idea. His level of care started to plummet.
  "Why?"
  "...Why? Are you stupid?! They'll kill you!"
  "And?"
  "Vince, whats gotten into you?!"
  "..."
He could feel himself not wanting to continue. It was like he was slipping away from his own self. Tick glanced at the guards, who were now staring.
  "Vince come on man. You wanna know what happens to the slaves that just quit? The Wardens don't even bother letting them die. They get thrown into the fill. You want that?"
Vincent didn't particularly care.
  "For fuck's sake Vince! You were fine yesterday! Whats wrong with you? How'd you even end up here?"
The question caught Vince's attention. He stood up straight just as the guards started to walk over. Vincent tried to act like he'd been working, but it didn't work.
  "Do we have a problem here?"
One of the guards asked insincerely. Tick squeezed into the conversation.
  "Naw sir. Vince here, he just-"
  "Shut your trap, Tick. We weren't talking to you."
Tick retreated back to the pile to silently watch. Vince couldn't think of anything to say to defend himself with.
  "So, Vince, you gotta problem?"
  "I- Uh. No I was just-"
At what was probably the worst time, another pain shot across Vincent's head. Though this one was even worse than yesterday. He immediately went to the ground writhing in pain. The guards laughed and walked away. They seen all that they needed to. Once they were gone from ear shot, Tick ran to Vince's side.
  "Damnit Vince, you got some shitty luck"
The pain started to fade. It was enough for Vincent to get back up again.
  "You have no idea"
He expected Tick to laugh, but he was as serious as ever.
  "They got a hold a' ya now, Vince"
He knew what Tick was talking about. The jet problem.
  "Im sorry. I-"
  "Why you apologizing?"
  "I... Don't know"
  "Look, lets just get some work done."
Tick stood and began his work again. Vincent did his best to follow suit. Just like yesterday, they worked in silence until the familiar alarm bell rung. The sun was at its peak, so it was time for food. Without a word, Tick guided Vincent to the cafeteria. They both got the standard glass of water and a plate of who knows what. Once seated, conversation opened between the two.
  "Uh Tick. What exactly is this?"
Vincent poked the food that sat on his plate.
  "Some say its human. People go missing all the time, so it wouldn't surprise me."
Vincent did nothing more than stare at Tick in disbelief, since he was stuffing his face with whatever the food was. Eventually Tick busted out laughing.
  "Im just shittin ya. Its old radroach meat. Its kids who work the kitchen and they don't know how ta' cook, so I can't blame 'em"
Vincent warily ate. It wasn't that bad. He'd surprisingly had worse. The alarm rung within minutes. Vince quickly gulped down his water and left with Tick at his side.
  "So Tick, you asked how I got here?"
  "Yeah. You tell me your story, and I'll tell ya mine."
  "Deal."
Vincent told Tick every detail from the moment he left Freeside, to the second he met him. He found it nice to talk while he worked. His tale took an hour or two to finish. Tick was silent for a moment when Vince had finally stopped, but he eventually spoke.
  "Sacrificed yourself for a dame huh? She musta been pretty special"
  "She was, but not like that"
  "How come?"
Vincent had never talked about his family to anyone but Sam, and he wasn't about to break that.
  "Now now, its your turn to tell me how you got yourself stuck in this hellhole."
  "It was when I was... Oh fourteen or so. Me and-"
  "Wait what?! How long have you been here?!"
  "Oh man I lost count years ago. If I had to make a guess, I'd say almost twenty years"
  "How the hell have you been here that damn long?"
  "They don't sell the men. Only women and children. The only escape is death. I kinda just hoped that one day I'll get lucky, and this god forsaken place'll burn."
  "Damn..."
Vince knew he wouldn't last that long if it came down to it.
  "Anyway, me and my little brother. We worked on a brahmin ranch. For years, other workers went missing but no one ever thought nothin 'bout it. 'Till you know, one night me and my lil bro, we were taken. Then tha next mornin' we woke up here. Turns out the ranch holder was selling his workers."
  "Didn't you have parents to come looking for you?"
  "Nah. My Ma died when she was having my brother. Not long after that, my Pa got killed by some raiders that were trying to take over the ranch."
  "What of your brother?"
  "He's dead too"
Tick just kinda stopped for a second. He and his brother must've been close... The sun was beginning to set when the bell rung. They each walked back to the slave house. Surprisingly, they got the same spot as yesterday. Tick seemed to like the corner after all and he was fast asleep just like last time. Vincent forced himself into slumber, but it was short lived. He awoke hours later to the sound of something sliding across the floor. He opened his eyes to see the familiar sight of a jet inhaler. Vince shot up and rubbed his eyes, hoping it was just a dream. When he realized that it most certainly wasn't, he glanced in the direction of Tick seeking some kind of reassurance. But, Tick wasn't there. He wasn't anywhere in sight. Vincent glanced back at the jet, and all logic tumbled away. He scrambled to pick up the inhaler, and then let the missed sensation fill his lungs. A great relief spread across his body, but when he realized what he'd done it distorted into regret.