The last few days have quite possibly been the worse I've ever experienced, and even more so for Sam who has been crying inconsolably since we got away. I don't think there is a way back from what we lived through. I have lost what remained of my faith in humanity. Forget Day 4 where they stabbed me in the back (literally) and robbed me blind. The only reason I survived there was because the one they chose to kill me couldn't bring herself to do it, so she faked it and I played along. That day I was glad that I had left some things behind. This time I wish I'd left her behind. Though thinking of Day 4, I suppose it made me able to cope with the past few days, and able to do what I did...
The only good that has come of this is that we know water is safe to drink (of course we don't know if it will be contaminated at the source or not, but at this point, I care very little.)
The easiest way to describe what happened is to break it down by day.
Day 128
We got up at the now usual time of 6am. Still carrying the minimum of equipment we could we prepared for the full sweep of the site. We didn't know if it would take hours or days, but we went about it in our usual humour-filled way. Sarcasm, sly comments and innuendo.
Silence fell upon us when we left the safe confines of our hiding place. Even with our attitudes to life, we knew how serious this all was.
We reached the doors to enter the building and I used the card. With rifles raised we started moving room to room, making sure it was clear. In hindsight it was flawed from the start. Assuming people knew we were there, they could leave one side of the building and enter behind us, which I think is what they would have done.
As we began to cover areas we hadn't passed through before, we decided to slow down. Unfamiliar territory rousing new fears in us I guess. As we passed through a third room (full of servers, not that it means much in that place) I paused after thinking I had heard a noise. I turned to ask Sam if she did. She wasn't there. Just nothing, just an empty corridor. My heart not only leapt to my throat, but I felt it running a dozen times too fast. In that same instant a searing pain breached the back of my head and everything became distant. Then black.
Day ???
I woke up. My eyes wouldn't focus. I quickly realised that it was because my glasses were elsewhere. My hands were bound behind me. As were my legs. I was bricking it to say the least.
I wanted to move, but my neck hurt so much, most likely from the attack that brought me down. I just stayed still, and my neck felt better. I passed out again.
Day 129
"Wakey wakey boy" a sentence that will haunt me forever more. I woke to this alongside having water sprayed at me from a hose.
The apparent residents of the station, surprisingly, were not friendly. Sarcasm doesn't work well in written format, so I will inform you that sentence was sarcastic, emphasis on the surprisingly.
Following the wake up they threw questions at me like where I was from. Where'd I get 'these neat guns', to which they pointed them at me and fired them with impacts just inches from me, spraying me with fragments of the flooring. They then laughed. Annoyingly this is just what I had originally expected from the Dodge guys; though it turned out they were more for killing, I should count myself lucky I guess. I answered them each time hoping they'd let me go. Then they started asking about Sam. Each time I refused to answer. Eventually they got bored, and pulled a fire hose from outside through a window and sprayed me. I passed out.
I woke shortly later and found myself sat in a chair and tied to it. It was like some horror film. I shuddered as I remembered ‘Saw’.
One of them came in and I braced myself to be attacked. He pulled my head back and poured what tasted like porridge down my throat as I choked. Followed by water that was obviously from a tap, namely one that hadn't been cleaned in a while. I hoped to God that it wasn't from the toilet they used as a sick joke. Then without a word he left the room. I was left breathing heavy spitting the remains of my breakfast on the floor. They wanted me alive for at least a while longer.
With nothing to do, time passed slowly. I was able to count the seconds with the aid of a ticking noise I assumed to be a clock. At the very least the ticks were about a second apart, but I've never been good at time keeping internally so I could have been wrong.
The room was almost completely black save for the tiny amount of light coming through the small window round a corner so much so I couldn't see it. It left the room in what would be a twilight for most people. Adding in the fact I can see less than a foot ahead of me without my glasses, it meant I could see nothing.
After trying for what I reckoned was an hour to see what was in the room I gave up. All I knew was I was in the middle of a space in the room. Which helped me achieve exactly diddly-squat.
As I sat in silence any noise that occurred nearby I became aware of. I heard them talking, though I could never catch what they were saying.
I sat alone then counting the seconds. Hoping to hear something about Sam other than their questions.
Hours later a group came in and started asking me about random things, covering a lot of questions they already had. They randomly added in questions about Sam, which again I refused to answer. After a while I just refused to answer at all. Their response was pretty much the same as it had been previously. The speaker pummelled my chest as hard as he could, then pushed the chair to the ground. They then took turns to kick and stamp on me. I passed out very quickly.
Day ???
I woke and most of my body ached. The chair was still on it's side and I was lying in a small pool of my own blood. I felt as if only one eye was open, but with how dark it was I just couldn't tell. I drifted in and out of consciousness. And each time it felt as if I was very far away.
Day 130
I woke to her screams, and very suddenly, I felt everything again. Clarity has never been so painful to me. I could hear her over everything, which included them firing our guns occasionally without the silencers, and the laughter of them all. Those idiots would draw the Rani here on top of our torture? My mind clouded with fury. I finally started to try breaking the ropes I was tied to.
I heard steps outside and I stopped. My daily food I guessed. He walked in and paused. He walked behind me and put the food on something (I heard a clang when he did). He then lifted me up and pulled back my head. The same porridge and water combo. I choked and lost less this time.
As he left the room after 'feeding' me I managed to speak; "When I get out of here. I will kill you. I promise I will kill you all"
He paused and turned. In the light he stood in I saw him smile "No, you won't kid. You haven't the balls." He walked out. I didn't dwell upon what he said or thought was funny. I started moving my hands back and forth in the vain hope I would get free.
Her screams carried on, with the occasional pause, until they dimmed to whimpers.
It dawned on me that if I got free it wouldn't help unless I could catch them off guard. A time they would be doing other things. I hoped that the morning would bring the same as this day, simply so I could utilise it.
After moving the ropes enough for me to be able to, I stood up, barely, just to make sure that I could do what I needed to. I could stand and shuffle. It would have to do.
With that I looped my hands and the now semi-free rope in a way so I wouldn't fall off the seat, and hoped in a sick way they would be too busy with her to come and beat the crap out of me again.
Day 131
I woke to her screams again. Gunfire. Maniacal laughter and talking. The fury had diluted enough to allow me to concentrate. I had even formulated a plan: considering we didn't see them to start it would mean that they would be mainly based in a small area which, now they had weapons, would expand, it would also mean that the remaining weapons or at least equipment would be nearby. Although it was just supposition, the fact she was so close by reinforced it.
I stood up and lay the seat down. Propping myself carefully. I made it look as if it had simply fallen over.
I took deep breaths which were becoming increasingly difficult due to sharp pains in my chest and repeated in my mind what I was going to do. I told myself I could do it by imagining his faint smile through the darkness and my lack of sight. I told myself that he was dangerous like the others and anything could happen. I heard footsteps and my pulse quickened.
Soon enough that man came in again. This time I saw him smile clearly at the door. "Fall over baby?" he laughed "So where's with the manly talk of revenge for your girlfriend? Well you really should man up. From what I've heard, it's your turn later."
He walked past me and put the things down. He pulled me up and I heard him turn. I stood, grabbed the chair, and smashed it over his back. I barely heard it myself over the gunfire outside. He collapsed momentarily then spun round to attack. I was only holding two legs of the chair and with his force I dropped them both. We slid across the ground and he started hitting me. I kicked him when I got my leg free and he rolled of grasping himself. I grabbed the chair leg and thrust myself at him. When I landed on top of him I plunged it into his chest. I saw his eyes open wide, then start to close.
I shook him and whispered "that girl is family. You guys made a huge mistake." Then I let him die. I threw up to the side of him, and almost passed out. A moment of insanity; my own bloodlust, my rage. I didn't like it. I didn't like how I was capable of killing so easily, without a second thought. I've always known about anger issues, I may have already said, but this went far beyond anything before.
I left the room as quietly as I could. I was terrified they would discover me because of the noise my feet made as I dragged them. No matter what I tried I couldn't summon the strength to lift them fully. I had left him tied to the chair. It would buy me a few seconds extra before they realised it wasn't me, though it probably took me longer to put him there than it would save.
I edged down the hall, leaning against the walls at each room as I looked around to see if they were empty, until I got to where she was. The door was shut. I closed my eyes and passed by. I couldn’t defend myself in that state, I couldn't do anything without weapons.
I faced a choice of left or right. I chose left because right lead to another area we hadn't been to ourselves it also would take me away from the area I wanted to head for ultimately. I opened a storeroom door and was greeted with a pleasant sight. Our equipment. I rummaged through my bag and found my spare glasses. They were sunglasses and an old prescription, but would suffice for now. I left the majority of my things there and carried on down the corridor. I passed a toilet and decided to go in and check what state they had left me in.
When I saw myself in the mirror I was, to say the least, shocked. Blood had dried to most of the right hand side of my body. There was fresh coming from my nose and I guessed the guy's blood on my chest. My left eye was swollen. I pulled up my top, just about, and saw it was mostly blue and black. I hoped it wasn't too much internal bleeding, I had to last at least until I got her out. I decided against washing myself off. Alongside it taking too long, it would make them doubt less about if I was going to pull the trigger or not.
Eventually I made it to the TV room, where we had been working. I reached behind the shelving on the wall and pulled out the MP5 I had hidden there alongside 3 clips. I smiled at how my 'just in case' preparation had finally worked.
I loaded one clip in and made sure the silencer was on correctly. After taking a deep breath I started down the corridor. Wincing at every step. I passed a digital clock which read 9.05am. It was going to be a long day again, but the date on the display below reaffirmed the time frame I had thought it was: Wednesday 26th January: Day 131.
As I neared her and that room I heard the cries quieten. My heart stopped in the fear she was dying. But they resumed. I guessed another was getting ready for a go, though I don't know for certain. I didn't know the area well, but I judged. It was a corner room. I knew the size of the one next to it, and the outside was at the end of the rooms. It was a guess, but I estimated where the people would be.
Just as I was readying myself to break the door down and shoot, it opened alongside a "I'll check where he's gotten to." The man had almost closed the door before he realised I was there. He paused looking at the end of my gun.
I pulled the trigger, I didn't close my eyes and I saw his last moment. A piece of time that will stand alongside the eye of that Rani... The force of the bullet and his body hitting the door threw it open wide and I got a perfect view of the man next in line to Sam. He turned and before he could finish his "What the f..." I pulled again and his head jerked backwards. That's when the shouts began.
Now knowing where she was I was happy to aim at the walls and fire. I emptied the remainder of the clip on one side, reloaded quickly and emptied the full amount on the other. As I put the final clip in place a few tried to escape through the windows at the back. I stepped forwards and fired again. They fell out. I ran in to check if they were dead, but I stopped half way to do a check and just in time was able to pull the trigger against the few who were still alive. One dropped the pistol he held and just looked at me lifelessly. I turned back and ran past her to check they were dead outside. One was trying to crawl away and I stopped him. The MP5 clicked a few times I didn't realise at first that it was empty.
I finally turned to Sam. She was crying and had her eyes closed.
I knelt down which was agony and put my hand to her cheek but she cringed. I stood up and started to untie her hands and said her name; she opened her eyes. I told her not to worry. It was over; that I was here. I told her to keep her eyes shut for just a few moments longer. I searched the room, still in disbelief of what I had done. I recovered two pistols and a knife. I shoved them where I could and picked her up. When we left the room I pulled the door to.
Standing back I saw bullets riddled the walls. If they didn't know something was wrong now, they wouldn't even need to open the door to find out.
As I carried Sam towards the exit closest to our hideout I had the thought of moving the bodies that were outside the window, but I dismissed it. Sam whimpering in my arms as I struggled down the hall made me want to get her out as soon as I could. I opened the door and saw only a few metres away another person with a gun.
I stepped back and put her down and grabbed the knife. I was now out of MP5 bullets until we got the packs out of our safe storage. I prepared in my mind what I was going to do. Just like the movies. Cover the mouth and pull the blade across. I repeated to myself, but found that I couldn't do it. I was just 2metres away and I froze. Attacking the man in the room had been on adrenalin impulse. All the rest had been trigger happy. I didn’t have that energy any more. This was as close to real murder I would get. For all I knew this one could have opposed what they did. But then he had a gun, he could have stopped them. But again, that would mean using the full clip against the room and having nothing left.
He turned and as he did I drew the pistol. I decided I would give him a choice. "Drop the gun". Gunshots still rang out. They wouldn't have much ammo left assuming they were only using what we had in the emergency bags. He turned sharper and stared at me, he began to raise his weapon so I shot him. I wanted to kill him outright, so there was no risk of retaliation but I was shaking and missed the kill shot; instead hitting him in the throat. He didn't die immediately, but the hit was enough to prevent him from screaming.
"Ha finally decided to try shooting did ya?" I heard a man call from the direction of the repeating gunfire.
I looked at the body below me and realised they were shouting to him, I shouted back with a voice I found was shaking "Yeah, not so bad". I immediately thought myself stupid. They would know his voice.
Luckily they were deafened slightly from the shooting, "Nope it ain't" was their response before they carried on shooting. The man convulsed for a short time then died. I took his gun.
Counting the weapons meant we were only missing two. One more MP5 and a rifle. I took a slight peek around the corner. There they were. Middle of the open, and worse, in line of sight if we moved across to where we hid.
I lined up the rifle. I cringed when the butt pressed against my shoulder. I took the safety off and put it on burst fire. I stood there for a few minutes until they stopped, and started moving in. I was in the shadow and they were talking to each other so they didn't notice me. I would wait for them to come over. Less chance to miss. They started to pass by and froze at the sight of their friend, they started to turn but I pulled the trigger and they both fell. One being the one who hit me previously, I was certain of it.
I managed to pick Sam back up and took her 'home' as it were. Upon doing that I returned to reclaim our emergency bags. I made sure no one could follow me by taking a long route both times that lead no where in particular. It took a very long time to do with the speed I was travelling.
I was now certain we were alone. And I was sick to the stomach about it. These people weren't people who worked here, I didn't remember a single face. It's true I wouldn't remember most anyway, but not a single one was even vaguely familiar.
I returned to Sam and fell asleep.
Day 132
I don't know what happened to Sam for certain. I can guess but I will never ask her. Ever. I just hope what I did to them helped somehow. I still don't think I'll trust anyone else again; these days will haunt my dreams, and make me doubt my decisions.
All Sam said to me was that she was certain she would be okay physically. To which she smiled, just about.
I checked the security system today and the personnel information was quite good, faces for each. Not a single one was one who worked here. I guess I'll never know from where. But a question is where were the women, and why weren't there more.
We got out. I should take that as something good. I should. Doesn't mean I will...
Tomorrow; the search begins for my glasses, and the preparation begins for the now inevitable Rani incursion. I would say we would make a break for it but I know I'm in no state to move much and I doubt Sam will be...
I hope you make another day
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