Caught in the Middle

Chapter 12

It felt as if I had been down in this hole for days, but I really couldn't tell.  I lost track of my days and nights and all sense of time.  The only time the door to the cellar was ever opened was when they threw me down a meal once a day.  At first I spent my energy banging on the door, screaming for them to let me go.  It did nothing but waste my energy and my voice.  I had probably been here for a week and I wondered if Mason was worried about me.  He probably thought I was just tired and ran away, poor Mace.  Gavin was probably the opposite, angry that I had run.  He most likely was scouring the area back home right now, the only problem, I wasn't anywhere near home. 

I was laying down on my make shift bed of blankets on the floor that smelled like moth balls when the door of the cellar opened.  Thinking this was just a food run I stayed where I was, until I heard the footsteps on the stairs.  My pulse spiking I quickly stood up, a little weak from being in this cellar.  It drained me of energy and spirit.  The first thing I saw were his black boots has he entered the small room.  He was tall, he had to slouch so his head wouldn't hit the ceiling.  He had dark eyes and shoulder length black hair that hid most of his features.

"So, Julia."  His gruff voice said as he walked towards me, his fingers sliding against the cold cement wall beside him.  I cowered in the corner, not knowing what to expect.   "My name is Ian."  He was trying his hardest to be friendly, I could tell he wasn't nice to a lot of people.

"No need to be afraid."  He said a small smirk on his face, "We just want some answers."

I stared up at him, he had walked the length of the room within seconds of his speech and now hovered over me.  "I... I don't know anything." 

He smiled an evil smile, "Oh, but you do."  He grabbed me by the arm roughly, "Let me show you."  I yelped as he pulled me up the stairs and out the cellar door.  It was pitch black outside and I glanced around at my surrounding area.  It consisted of woods and a barn over to the side of the clear property.  He was leading me to the barn and I could hear someone inside screaming.  It made my ears hurt and my heart cringe.

"What are you doing?" I asked frightened.

He didn't answer but kept tugging me violently. 

Two guys in black leather jackets and sunglasses were standing by the barn door and opened it as we approached.  Who sunglasses at night anyways?

The scene that folded before me made my eyes widen, I opened my mouth to scream but nothing came out.  Hanging in the middle of the room was Gavin.

I took a step towards him when I was pulled back suddenly by my hair. 

I didn't give Ian the satisfaction of me crying out so he gripped my hair harder.

"Do you like what you see?"  He asked me making me face towards Gavin again.

They had him bound by his hands hanging from a rope attached to a wooden beam above.  They had stripped him of everything but his jeans, and blood dripped down his face and body.  His head was hanging down, his body sagging.  While I was wondering where all the blood was coming from since his face looked clear, a guy stepped out of the shadows and spun him around brutally.

I gasped at the sight of him; his back was covered in jagged cuts.  His flesh was raw and swollen as blood dripped down his body onto the floor. 

"Please!"  I cried trying to go to him again, but I was still being held by the hair.

"Not so pretty now, is he?"  Ian asked, whispering in my ear. 

I could feel tears come to my eyes, and even though I promise not to cry in front of these people, they fell.