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  All Alex could see was the two barrels of the shotgun pointing at her face and she couldn’t help but think that she would never complain again because sometimes being bored was good.

  Chapter Eleven

  Quinn sat next to his grandfather on the wide tractor seat. He kept his head down and eyes on the ground that moved past as they drove out to the field. His grandpa had insisted he come out with him today, even though all Quinn wanted to do was stay in the room they had given him and stare up at the ceiling. It’s where he had spent every day since his parent’s funeral.

  He had just had his eighth birthday and his dad and mom had promised him a trip to the Calgary Stampede for his present. He was so excited to make the trip down to the city and could hardly wait the month and a half until they were going. He had been having a sleepover at a friend’s house when his grandpa had shown up and taken him home. It was really weird because his grandparents lived an hour away and they didn’t babysit him normally. When they had gotten home, he was surprised that his parents weren’t there waiting for him.

  It was then that grandpa had sat him down and explained about the car accident and that his mom and dad would not be coming home. He had run through the house, checking every room for them, unable to believe that they were gone. His grandpa had finally caught up to him and tried to hold him but Quinn had hammered at him with his small fists and screamed that he was a liar. It wasn’t until he saw the tears streaming down the older man’s face that the fight drained out of him and he collapsed.

  After that, everything was a blur and Quinn felt like a zombie. He was frozen all through his extended family members gathering and through the funeral and burial. He didn’t want to think or feel. All the things he would no longer have in his life with his parents gone was too much for him to process, so he locked it all deep inside and went through the motions and did what he was told.

  After the funeral, his grandparents sat him down and explained that he would be coming to live with them and his home would have to be sold. It was that final thing that finally broke through his paralysis. Not only had he lost his family but now he was losing his home and moving away from everything he knew and it broke him. He didn’t have many memories of what happened after that but it was a blur of screaming and crying. He remembered clearly looking over his grandpa’s shoulder, back at his home, as he was carried away to the truck but that was all. It had been five days since then and Quinn had not spoken a word since.

  “I love this view. There’s nothing more satisfying than looking out over my plowed and planted fields, knowing that I’m providing for my family with my own hard work. One day this will all be yours, Quinn. I hope you will come to love it as well,” his grandpa told him.

  Quinn looked up from the passing field and scanned ahead. The plowed field ran ahead in rows that looked like they had fuzzy green moss growing on them and Quinn realized that it was the crop just starting to grow. Further, in the distance, the field ended at a forest that went as far as he could see. White-topped mountains rose against the horizon. It was pretty and the air smelled sweet with the scent of freshly turned earth. Looking out in the distance, Quinn felt the beginnings of a peace settle into him.

  “You know, your father used to run through these fields like a banshee. He was always up to some project or adventure. He went camping by himself back in those trees and would have his friends over for all kinds of games. You could be happy here, Quinn. I know it doesn’t feel like you will ever be happy now but in time you will. Your mom and dad wanted everything for you. They would want you to enjoy life and not grieve forever. I know your dad would be happy to see you running the same fields he did. Just give it a chance, son.”

  Quinn felt tears fill his eyes and quickly blinked them away. He thought about his dad camping in the woods as a boy and wished they could do it together. He was lost in thought until he heard his grandpa speaking again.

  “Now, who do we have here?”

  Quinn’s head came up and he saw four kids standing at the fence line waiting for them. There were three girls and one stocky boy. As they got closer, one of the girls yelled out a greeting. She had red-gold hair that gleamed in the sun.

  “Hey, Mr. D! Who you got with you there?”

  Quinn’s grandpa stopped the tractor beside the group and shut it down so they didn’t have to yell.

  “Hey yourself, Alex. This here is my grandson, Quinn. He’s come to live with us. What are you kids up to today?” he smiled down at her fondly.

  The kids all studied Quinn with interest and curiosity. It wasn’t often that a new potential playmate moved into their area. They all knew what had happened to Quinn’s parents and the meet was a setup by the adults to try to draw Quinn out.

  It was Alex who answered him. “We’re headed back into the forest to build a clubhouse. We got hammers and nails and a hatchet. It’s going to be our home base for the summer.” She looked to Quinn again and then to her friends. “Hey Quinn, do you want to come with us? We could really use someone else to help us build.”

  Despite himself, Quinn felt a surge of excitement. Go into the forest and build a clubhouse? With no adults? How cool. He was about to jump down when he remembered his parents and his shoulders sagged. How could he go off on an adventure when his parents were dead? He looked down at his feet and stayed silent.

  “Dude, I’m seriously outnumbered here and if you don’t come, these girls are going to totally boss me around. Help a brother out?” the stocky boy pleaded.

  “Yeah right, Josh! We’re the ones that will end up doing most of the work while you mess around. Seriously Quinn, our friend David is away and we need at least one boy who can pull his weight,” said the brown-haired girl with piercing grey eyes.

  “Just give it a chance Quinn,” his grandfather said quietly, so only he could hear.

  Quinn looked into his grandpa’s eyes and saw such love and hope in them. He felt his heart lift. He turned and looked down at the kids waiting for his answer and slowly nodded his head. The boy named Josh gave a whoop and did a funky little dance on the spot and the girls all smiled up at him.

  Alex waved him down off the tractor. “Let’s go! We brought a lunch so we’ll feed him Mr. D and we’ll have him back by supper. Come on, guys. We’ve got a lot to do!” She turned and headed towards the tree line.

  Quinn climbed down from the tractor and ducked through the fence. The three girls had already made it almost to the trees but the boy, Josh, had stayed, waiting for him.

  “All right, dude! You really saved my bacon. They still have us outnumbered but at least now I’ve got some backup.” As the two boys followed the girls into the woods, Josh leaned over and stage-whispered, “What do you know about cherry bombs?”

  That summer, Quinn’s new friends slowly pulled him back to life. They filled a part of the void that his parents had left in his heart. He slowly built a new family with his grandparents and friends and he did everything he could to help them and keep them safe.

  ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

  The motorhome swerved to avoid a car wreck, throwing Quinn into Cooper and bringing him out of his memories. The kids were crammed into the small amount of floor space in the camper and with their hands tied it was hard to keep braced against the motion of the vehicle.

  The biker guarding them was named Snake. At least that is what his buddies had called him. Very original, considering the tattoo of a snake coiled around his neck. His greasy hair and dirty clothes reeked of body odor and stale cigarette smoke and he had been keeping up a running commentary on all the nasty things that he planned to do to the girls.

  Quinn looked over to Dara and Alex and was relieved to see that they both seemed to be unaffected by the man’s rant. Alex seemed to be far away in thought with a blank expression on her face. Dara had a look of concentration and was focused down at her feet. Josh had his back to her and she seemed to be nudging his bound hands with her boot. Josh kept trying to grasp her foot but with
his hands tied he was having trouble getting a good grip. Quinn didn’t know what the two were trying to do but he didn’t want to bring attention to them so he looked away.

  They were sitting on the floor and there was no way to see out the window to where they were going but based on the movements of the camper, they hadn’t left the highway they had originally been traveling on. At least they were going in the right direction, Quinn thought.

  A sharp intake of breath from Dara made him look back to her and Josh. Quinn saw her sock start to turn red with blood and was confused until he saw the knife clutched between Josh’s bound hands. Quinn realized that Dara must have had a knife in her boot and Josh had managed to free it. Josh held the knife until the next time the camper swerved and used the motion to arch forward and slide it down the back of his pants. He then slowly pulled his shirt out of his pants and let it hang down to cover the back of his pants. When he was done he slowly wiggled and shifted until he was sitting sideways and could meet Quinn’s eyes. Quinn gave him a brief nod of understanding just as a boot was shoved against Josh’s side.

  “What’s a matter, big boy? You gotta go potty?” Snake taunted him in baby talk. When he got no response from Josh, he chuckled and said, “Don’t worry. You’ll be pissin’ your pants soon enough.” He let out a laugh that sounded like a donkey braying.

  The driver didn’t turn around but yelled back. “Shut the hell up, Snake! Leave them kids be until we get back to base. We don’t need any problems or Skull will be using us for entertainment tonight.”

  “Ah shit, I’m just havin’ a little fun,” he mumbled like a chastised child.

  After that, there wasn’t any more talking and it seemed to Quinn that they had been driving for about an hour when the camper began to slow down. They all swayed to one side as the camper made a turn and they could feel the road change to a rougher surface. It was only five minutes when they made another turn and came to a stop. The driver came around his seat and pointed a handgun at them.

  “All right, kiddies, everybody off the bus.”

  He motioned them up. It was difficult to stand with their hands tied and finally Snake reached down and started to haul them to their feet. The driver opened the side door and bright sunshine filled the inside of the camper. He climbed down and motioned them to get out.

  It was a relief to be outside in the fresh air. The smell of nasty old sweat from the two bikers was enough to make them gag. Quinn took a look around and saw that they were parked in a graveled area that had ten motorcycles and a large white panel van. The building was a long one-story structure; an old store with a living area attached. There was an old style set of gas pumps on the far end that looked like they hadn’t been used in decades.

  A rough shove sent Quinn forward and he followed his friends toward the building. He looked at his friends and vowed that whatever happened he would do whatever it took to free them.

  As Alex walked through the door, it took a few moments for her eyes to adjust from the sun’s brightness to the dim interior. She tried to avoid the trash that was strewn around on the floor, but the place was a mess with empty beer cans, glass liquor bottles, and other junk. As the room came into focus, she could make out a couple of old leather couches and a glass coffee table overflowing with filled ashtrays, more beer cans, and dirty glasses. There were two dirty women with stringy, greasy hair wearing skin tight jeans and low-cut tight shirts sprawled on the couches. The women looked over with glassy eyes and not much interest when the kids were pushed into the room. Alex was shoved to the side when the leader, Skull, entered and barely kept her balance when one of the other bikers pushed her back the other way. Skull strode over to the two women and grabbed one of them and hauled her to her feet.

  “Get up you lazy cow! Can’t you see we have guests? Go get the ropes so we can hook them up!” he yelled as he turned the woman and booted her in the butt, propelling her towards a door in the back of the room. He flopped down into the spot the woman had just occupied and started to search through the piles of empty beer cans. When he didn’t find what he was looking for, his face turned even harsher and he let out another bellow.

  “DOG!!! Get in here!”

  Within seconds, a short, skinny, weasel-faced man rushed into the room. In his hand was a dog leash and attached to it on all fours was a small boy of about eight or nine. He was naked except for a pair of dirty underwear that had rocket ships on them. His skinny body was covered with bruises and scrapes and what looked like burns. When he lifted his head up, Alex could see he had a black eye and crusted blood under his nose. With all the damage done to the child, it was the utter emptiness behind his eyes that broke Alex’s heart.

  “Rat, let Dog off his leash. I want a beer!” Skull commanded.

  “Sure, boss, sure,” Rat said in a rush and reached down to unhook the leash from the collar around the child’s neck. “You heard him, Dog! Go get some beer and make it quick.”

  He punctuated the order with a boot to the child’s bottom. The boy made no sound as he scrambled back out of the room.

  “Make it two,” Snake called after him.

  Skull turned towards the other woman still lounging on the other couch. “We’re having a party tonight, Baby. We’ve got some entertainment and I want a good meal. Go on out to that camper we just brought in. I took a quick look and they have it stocked up with all kinds of food. Get some stuff and you and Sheila can make us a feast.”

  The woman stretched lazily and came to her feet. She sauntered over and straddled Skull.

  “If I make you a good meal, do you promise to share the entertainment with me later?” she asked him seductively.

  Skull leaned back on the couch and looked the woman up and down with a smile. Suddenly, he bucked his hips and the woman flew backward, landing on the floor between the coffee table and couch. Her head banged against the table, sending empty beer cans and ashtrays flying. She scrambled to her feet while rubbing her head.

  “Damn it, Skull! Why’d you do that for?” she whined.

  “Take a good look, Baby.” He motioned to Dara and Alex. “Fresh meat. You watch yourself or one of them will be your permanent replacement.” He then bellowed out a huge laugh at the look on the woman’s face. “Get cookin’, Baby! And make it good. I’m tired of the crap you two have been feeding us.”

  With a look of hatred directed at Alex and Dara, she stormed out to raid the camper.

  The other woman, Sheila, came back into the room with her hands full of rope. Her voice was whiny when she handed the pile to one of the bikers.

  “We only have four sets of hooks put up so one of them won’t be hung up.”

  “Whatever! Popper, just tie one of those boys to a chair for now. He can replace whoever dies first. Sheila, go out and help Baby in the camper. Popper, you and Rat get them kids secured in the back room. DOG!!! Where’s my damn beer,” he roared suddenly.

  The child came running into the room with two beer cans clutched to his chest. He placed them on the table in front of Skull and quickly dodged a backhand headed his way. The boy retreated into the farthest corner of the room and curled himself up.

  Alex felt a man come up behind her and her bound wrists were pulled up higher than her arms would bend. She leaned forward to ease the pressure and felt the man push himself against her bottom.

  “Yeah, baby, that’s the ticket,” he breathed into her ear.

  Alex shuddered in disgust but said nothing. There was no point in antagonizing these men. It would be better to comply and wait for her chance to do something.

  The pressure on her arms went away suddenly and Alex realized that the plastic zip-tie had been cut. She quickly brought her hands in front of her and tried to rub the circulation back into them. Looking at her friends, she saw that they had all been freed but they were having each wrist tied individually, with a loop left over. It didn’t make sense to Alex until she remembered what the woman said about hooks. Her shoulders tensed at the thought of hanging b
y her arms from hooks.

  As they were shoved into the back room, Alex craned her neck around to get one more look at the child curled up in the corner. Instead of being afraid, she felt a huge rage settle over her and sent a silent promise to the child that she would free him and give him vengeance.

  Chapter Twelve

  The room Alex was shoved into was sparsely furnished. It had an old, ragged futon against one wall and a folding table against another. There was another door leading to a different room on the third wall. The main feature of the room was two pairs of thick metal hooks anchored to the fourth wall just above head height. Under the hooks, the wall was scuffed and had grooves in it that looked like heel indentations. There were also many dark brown stains that looked like rust but Alex guessed that they were dried bloodstains.

  The hooks had obviously been used before and Alex gave a shudder at the fate of the previous occupants. When Dara saw the hooks, she started to struggle with the biker that had her arm in his grip. Alex was surprised and proud of her friends for staying calm so far. The biker named Popper backhanded Dara across the face and she fell to the floor clutching her cheek. The other man, Rat, pulled a gun from the matching pair strapped to his thighs.

  “I’ve got them covered. Go ahead and get the girls on the wall,” he told Popper.

  Popper hooked a foot under a small step stool that was under the table and sent it sliding across the floor towards the wall with the hooks. He reached down and hauled Dara to her feet and dragged her over to the wall. Still stunned from the blow to her face, Dara didn’t struggle. He positioned the stool between the hooks and shoved Dara up on it and turned her around so her back was against the wall. He raised her one arm and slipped the looped part of the rope over the hook and repeated it with her other arm. Once he had her positioned, he stepped back and once again hooked his foot under the step stool and yanked it out from under Dara’s feet. She screeched in pain as her body dropped and her shoulder joints were stretched to hold her body weight. She could just barely reach the floor with her tippy toes. She snarled at the man as he patted her cheek.