Good Night, Vegas Lights

Chapter 12

  Vincent woke up to the morning bell, and there was still no jet to be found. He stepped outside ready to move more damn rocks, but this time a Warden walked up to him.
  "Today and tomorrow will be your last days workin' at the pile. After that you'll need to go over to Blackwood's place."
Tick had said something about that there, but Vince didn't particularly remember what. He went to work and meticulously moved cement and rebar for hours. Every once in a while, Shannon would pass by. They'd wave if the guards weren't looking. It wasn't until noon that they actually got to talk to one another. Once they'd gotten their serving, they sat next to each other in the cafeteria.
  "So did ya go and see Tick last night?"
  "Yup"
  "How'd it go?"
  "Uh. Things were a bit heated at first..."
  "Why...?"
  "Oh nothing really"
  "Heh, fine. Be like that."
Silence sprouted for a moment, but Vincent pushed it away.
  "So, why do you keep your hair so short?"
She giggled like it was a stupid question.
  "I'm safer that way. They only buy the pretty ones."
He knew what she was implying and immediately regretted asking.
  "Oh uh-"
  "...Timothy. Tick's real name was Timothy. His brother was Mathew."
  "How do you know that?"
  "I know a lot of things"
  "Whatchya know about me, then?"
She smiled at his challenge.
  "You ha-"
The bell rung signaling that their time was over. Just as Shannon walked away Vincent called out to her.
  "Hey, where the hell do you work?"
  "Errands, but I'm being transferred in a couple of days"
Then just like that, she disappeared into the crowd. The rest of the day passed by in a blur. At sundown Vince readily went to see Tick again, but he wasn't there. For a moment Vincent had thought he'd went to the wrong place, but a quick glance around told him he was in the right area. He walked to where Tick had been, but there was nothing more than blood. Panic arose in his mind.
  "Tick?"
He checked every single fenced in person.
  "Tick! Where ya at?"
The fence's gate still had a secured padlock on it, so Tick hadn't gone anywhere on his own. A terrible thought streaked across his mind. Without thinking, Vincent ran to the fill. He studied the face of every man that lay in the hole. There were still dozens left when a gruff voice shouted just behind him.
  "Hey!"
Vince turned around and seen the barrel of a gun inches from his face.
  "What aren't you in da' slave house?"
  "I... Uh..."
The guard put the gun to Vincent's chest.
  "You better start explaining, or you'll be dead before you even make it to Blackwood's place. I'd much rather kill you myself anyway."
  "What, what are you talking about?"
  "You and the short haired woman. Blackwood picked you out special."
  "For what?"
  "Ain't none of the slaves that go in there ever come out alive"
Vince backed up to the edge of the fill. Any further and he'd fall in.
  "Now tell me what you were doing out here"
  "I was just looking for someone, I'll leave if-"
  "Lookin' for who?"
  "A man named Tick"
The guard laughed to himself and holstered his weapon.
  "He ain't out here. You get yourself back to-"
On an impulse, Vincent pulled the guard by his collar and let him fall into the fill. A sickening crack wafted through the air. He checked to see what'd happened. The guard was on his back amongst the dead, but his neck was bent all wrong. He was dead.
  "Oh fuck, fuck!"
Vincent worriedly yelled at himself. He had no idea where Tick was, but he knew Shannon would be in the slave house. Hopefully she'd help him. This time, he carefully maneuvered his way back without attracting the attention of anyone. Once inside he ran upstairs and frantically searched for Shannon. It only took minutes to find her sleeping on a bed.
  "...Shannon. Shannon, wake up!"
She groggily opened her eyes, but when she realized it was Vince who loomed over her she shot up in surprise.
  "What the hell are you doing here?!"
  "Shannon, Tick is gone. I- I killed a guard. We gotta leave or something."
  "Leave?! Are you insane?! Why would I risk my hide doing that?"
  "The guard, he said you and me had been chosen to go over to Blackwood's place. Thats true ain't it?"
  "Yeah..."
  "He said theres never been a slave that went in and came back out breathin"
She stopped to think for a moment.
  "Shannon, please come with me"
  "...Fine..."
  "Oh thank God. We gotta find Tick."
A sudden surge of gun fire rang out in the night.
  "Vincent, what was that?"
  "I... Don't know"
People all around started to awake and panic as the gun fire continued.
  "We gotta get out of here before people start goin mad"
Vince grabbed Shannon's wrist and started to run. Everywhere people screamed and tried to fight their way out. The scene they were met with outside was even worse. A great glow surrounded by smoke was on the horizon. Around them other people dropped like flies in a flurry of blood. Shannon pushed Vincent through the doorway of a nearby building.
  "This has happened before"
  "What?"
  "This camp has been attacked several times now by Regulators. Every time they attack, the guards are ordered to kill anything that moves. Including us."
  "Well what the fuck are we supposed to do?"
  "Theres a tunnel, an old sewer system or something, that runs from the middle of this camp to a couple of miles north of here. If we can make it there we should be fine."
  "What about Tick?"
  "You said he was gone"
  "Yeah, but-"
  "Vince if you wanna make it outta here, we have to do it now"
  "I'm not leaving him!"
He ran outside leaving Shannon behind. Smoke was beginning to drift all across the camp. His hope in finding Tick was bleak. Vincent made sure to check every body that even remotely resembled Tick he passed. He'd looked where Tick had been, then the fill, and finally Vince found his way to the center of the camp by accident. A slumped figure lay on the ground in a pool of blood. Vincent pleaded to himself that it wasn't Tick, but when he neared his fears were met. Tick had a giant gash across his chest, and he didn't appear to be breathing. Vince ran to his side.
  "Oh God... Tick can you here me?"
He felt around for a pulse. He found one, but it was barely there. If Tick stayed unconscious, he wouldn't be waking up.
  "Tick wake up"
He gently shook him. There was no reaction.
  "Tick? Uh... Timothy? Timothy!"
Tick's eyes opened ever so slightly.
  "...Vince...?"
  "Yeah, yeah its me. We gotta get you out of here..."
Vincent tried to lift Tick up, but when he groaned with pain Vince knew there was no moving him.
  "Damnit, damnit, damnit!"
  "Vince don' be hard on ya'self"
A bullet struck the ground just near Vincent, but he didn't move.
  "Tick, come on you gotta get yourself together"
  "Im not leavin' this place, and you know it"
  "Then I'm not leaving either"
  "Don't be stupid!"
He once again tried to move him, but it was still a fruitless effort.
  "I told you I wanted to watch this place burn"
Vincent looked down at him surprised.
  "I don't want to leave you"
  "Well your gonna"
Footsteps ran up behind him.
  "You found him?!"
Shannon had found her way there. She took one glance at Tick and promptly stayed quiet.
  "Vince, take yourself and yo' lady friend outta here"
  "But-"
  "Just do it"
Blood began to trickle from the corner of Tick's mouth. He let his eyes close once again.
  "Tick, tell Mathew I said hi for me, will ya?"
He smiled and without opening his eyes he gave his last words.
  "Will do, friend"
Tick's breath came to a stop. Vincent froze in place until Shannon eventually grabbed his arm.
  "Vince he's gone"
  "I know..."
  "Come on"
The gun fire still raged even as Vincent and Shannon climbed down the ladder into the tunnel, leaving the camp behind.