by Edwin Dasso
Amanda extracted the power bars, and the person up top jerked the bucket out of the hole. It banged tinnily as it was pulled over the brim. She stared after it then gazed down at her food and shrugged. She peeled the foil back on one of them and approached Jack. He was gaunt, his eyes sunken and dark, his face sallow. He sat unmoving, staring straight ahead. She leaned down and held out the packet.
“Here, Dad. Eat this.”
“I’m thirsty.” Jack licked his dry, cracked lips.
“Me, too, Dad…but we can’t risk drinking that water.”
He slowly turned his gaze up to her. “Why not? I’m thirsty…” He again looked off into space.
Amanda blew out a long sigh and plopped onto the ground next to him.
“I have a plan.”
Her dad smiled a thin smile, causing blood to ooze from one of his cracked lips. “That’s my girl.” He clapped a hand on her knee.
“Can you follow my plan when I tell you to?” Amanda wasn’t too sure he could—even if he said he could. She worried about his worsening hacking cough and his constant shivering. He can’t last much longer like this.
He nodded weakly. “Of course!”
“Okay. Let me tell you what I have in mind. Then just do what I say when I tell you.”
Her dad’s teeth chattered, but he smiled and nodded.
Mike threw the door open and ran into the office that evening after visiting the pit to give Amanda and Jack their rations. He skidded to a halt in front of the desk, bending over and panting.
“Th-they’re not responding,” Mike said. “I-I hope they didn’t die—they haven’t been drinking their water for days.
“Dumbass! Why didn’t you tell me?”
Mike shrugged quickly and hung his head then kicked aimlessly at a dust bunny on the floor. He glanced up at the man sitting at the desk. “Maybe you better come and check them.”
The man sitting at the desk slammed his laptop, scowling as he vaulted from his chair, throwing it backward so hard it tipped onto the floor with a crash.
“Idiot!” He jogged across the room, stopped at the door, and turned back to Mike. “If they’re dead, you are explaining how that happened, not me! C’mon. Let’s go check.”
Amanda craned her neck as she listened intently. Someone was dragging something across the ground near the top of the deep hole she and her father were lying in. She leaned over to her dad and put a hand on his shoulder.
“Dad,” Amanda whispered into his ear, “don’t move—just pretend you’re asleep. Then, when I ask you, help me for all you’re worth.”
Her dad didn’t respond, and Amanda could feel the shivers running through his body. Damn! I may have to do this myself. She’d had martial arts training but didn’t delude herself—she was only one hundred and ten pounds, and her muscles were cold and stiff. She didn’t have much of a chance against a stronger, larger man. Cross that bridge when you get to it, Bass. She lay down again on her stomach, her head turned to the side just enough to look up at the rim of the pit opening.
Amanda waited, keeping her eyes open only a slit. She sensed two shadows at the rim above then watched as a ladder appeared over the edge of the pit and lowered slowly. Footsteps scuffed on the ladder rungs as someone slowly descended, the light from a flashlight flitting across her face. She focused on not blinking, keeping her face flaccid. Wait for it, Bass. Don’t make your move too soon.
Gravel crunched under shoes as the person reached the bottom of the ladder. They didn’t move around the chamber but shined the light beam over Jack and Amanda.
“Huh,” a man grunted, then the footsteps scuffed on the hard dirt floor, growing nearer. A hand touched Amanda’s shoulder and rolled her onto her back.
Now!
Amanda clamped both arms around the forearm of the person standing over her. She rolled to the side as she kicked up at the back of the man’s knees, grunting with the effort.
“Dad! I need help!”
The man wobbled and fell to the dirt with a thud, the flashlight flying from his hand to land against the wall at an angle with the beam shining straight up. Amanda leaped on the man’s back.
“Dad! Wake up!”
The man under Amanda rocked violently, and she grabbed onto his hair to hold on.
“Ow! You bitch—let go of my hair!”
She twisted her head to look at her father. “Dad! I can’t hold on much longer! Help me!”
Jack raised his head from the dirt floor. His head lolled around as he partially opened one eye, then his head flopped back down.
Dammit! Amanda snapped her gaze back to her attacker when he reached back and grabbed her hand, clamping onto it then rolling to the side. She crashed to the floor, and he rolled on top of her, his knees astride her chest and arms.
“You’re a feisty little thing, aren’t you?” He backhanded her across her face.
She tasted blood and screamed. “Yeah, I’m feisty, asshole!”
“Well, I don’t like feisty.” He drew his hand back again. Amanda closed her eyes and turned her face to the side, waiting for the sting of the next blow. He started grunting and his weight lifted off her, his legs kicking. Amanda opened an eye and glanced up. Her dad stood over her, holding the man’s upraised arm high enough to lift him off the ground. The man kicked at her dad, but her father ignored him as he gazed down at Amanda.
“You okay?” he asked.
She wiped dirt from her eyes and nodded. Her father tossed the man aside and reached down to her.
“Let me help you up.” He grabbed her hand and lifted her.
Amanda’s eye shot wide open, and she pointed past her dad.
“Don’t let him get away!”
Jack spun. The man was scrambling up the ladder. Jack shot a hand out, grabbing his belt and jerking him from the ladder. He threw the man to the floor then dropped a knee hard into the man’s back, knocking the wind from his lungs.
“Oh, shit!” someone hollered from the top of the opening.
The ladder rattled as it was yanked up the side of the pit. Her dad snatched at it but lost his balance when the man he’d thrown to the floor kicked at his legs. Jack spun and punched him hard in the back of the head. When her father turned back to the ladder, it was already out of reach.
“Dammit!” Amanda hollered. “That was our only chance to get out!”
“Maybe.” Her dad glanced at Amanda. “Let’s see who we’ve got here.” He bent and grabbed the shoulder of the man at his feet, turning him onto his back then shining the light on his face.
“Dr. Stone!” Jack and Amanda said in unison.
36
Amanda jumped on Stone’s chest and grabbed his shirt lapels. Stone’s head flopped around as Amanda shook him.
“You’re part of this? Really?” she asked.
He slowly regained consciousness, and his gaze darted from Amanda to her father.
“What did you say?” he asked. “P-part of what?”
Her dad put a hand on Amanda’s shoulder. “Hold on, Amanda. Let’s not jump to conclusions—maybe he’s a victim just like us.”
Amanda snapped her head around, staring up at her father, her eyes wide. “Bullshit! I heard him up there…watched him climb down the ladder.” Poor Dad. I think those drugs still have his mind muddled. “Then he fought me and slapped me after making some snide, little remark!”
Her father scowled, balled his hands into fists, and stepped toward Stone. “You hit my daughter?”
Stone’s eyes shot wide, and he shook his head as he tried to crawl backward, away from her dad.
“It was all a misunderstanding!” He nodded. “Yeah, that’s it. It was too dark for me to recognize her—”
“Liar! You knew exactly who I was when you smacked me!” She shook him again. “Now, answer us! You’re part of whatever is going on…and you’ve been drugging my father, haven’t you?”
Stone shoved her back, and she tumbled off him. “Screw off, you little bitch. I don’t have to an
swer to you.”
Jack jumped forward and punched Stone in the face. Stone’s head bounced off the ground. “Don’t ever touch my daughter!”
Amanda scrambled from the floor and brushed dirt from her clothes then leaned in close to Stone’s face. “Tell me! You’ve been drugging my father, haven’t you?”
“As I said, screw off!”
Jack pulled Amanda back and hopped onto Stone’s chest, the breath gushing from Stone’s lungs. He clenched the collar of Stone’s shirt in a fist and started twisting. Stone’s eyes quickly bugged out, and his face turned red.
“Show some respect to my daughter, asshole! She asked you a question. Answer it, or I’ll just keep tightening this noose till your head pops,” Jack growled.
Stone nodded vigorously, and Jack loosened his grip then stood and turned to Amanda.
“Ask him again.”
“Have you been drugging my father?”
“Yes!” Stone yelled. “I have! I’ve been lacing his water bottles with LSD, starting with his first visit to my office. We’ve continued administering it to him here.” He jutted his jaw. “There—satisfied?” He looked at Jack and laughed. “You think I gave you a bottle of water at every appointment because I was being nice? What a rube!”
“That’s why I started having hallucinations?”
Stone nodded. “Exactly! Just as we planned…”
“And the texts—were you behind those, too?” Dad asked.
“Sorta—that was actually my employer. I told him the LSD would make you more open to suggestive texts like the ones he sent.” He waved an arm in Jack’s direction. “With your mental history, we figured you’d become more susceptible to us planting some…ideas in your head.”
“Ideas like my wife and baby still being alive?” her father asked.
Stone laughed as he nodded.
“Who’s your boss?” her dad demanded.
Stone gave Jack a smug look and flipped him off.
Amanda glimpsed at her father. This is getting us nowhere. She jumped between him and Stone and jammed a finger into Stone’s chest. “If you won’t tell us who, at least tell us why. Why would you, a doctor, do this to another doctor—to anyone?” She poked him again. “You’re supposed to heal minds, not destroy them!”
Stone shoved her hand away and chortled. “Why else? Money. A lot of it.”
“But…why?” Jack mumbled, his face twisted in confusion. “Why would someone pay you to do that to me?”
“To get you here, of course.”
“Why here? Where am I?”
“You don’t know?” Stone chortled and shook his head.
Jack cocked his head to the side. “I-I can’t remember.”
“Like I said—what a rube!”
Amanda grabbed a handful of Stone’s shirt, balled her fist, and drew her arm back. “Stop calling him that!” She smashed her fist into his nose, and blood spurted out his nostrils. “He’s no rube, but you are a schmuck! Now, tell me where we are!”
Stone held a hand over his nose and shrugged. “Why not? Neither of you are ever going to leave here alive, anyway.” He sneered at her dad. “We’re at that marijuana slave camp…where you got shot.”
Jack ran his fingertips over the bullet hole scar on his chest.
They all craned their heads and looked up at the sound of an aluminum ladder being moved to the edge of the hole.
Stone sat up and glared at her father. “And I think you’re about to experience some déjà vu.” He pointed at her dad and guffawed.
37
Two figures appeared at the rim of the pit, silhouetted by the pink background of a setting sun. Amanda couldn’t make out a face on either of the people, but they were both men.
“You two are misbehaving. We can’t have that,” one of them shouted over the howl of a rising gale.
Amanda’s eyes shot wide. That voice. It’s hard to hear, but…I swear I’ve heard it before. But who? “Who are you? And why are you doing this to us?”
“Payback.”
“For what?” Amanda and her father chimed.
“Killing my brother.” Abruptly, the man produced a pistol and fired a shot down into the pit.
Stone flopped onto his face, blood pooling on the dirt beneath his head.
“I was going to have to do that eventually, anyway. No time like the present.” He turned the gun on Amanda. “I hope you now understand I could give a crap less about killing someone.”
Jack jumped in front of Amanda and held her behind him as he glared up at the man.
“I’ll make a trade—you let my daughter go. Get her to a safe place”—he hung his head— “and then you can do whatever you want to me.”
The man cackled. “There is no safe place for your daughter, Bass.”
Jack stepped forward. “Please! She’s done nothing to you. I’m the one you want to hurt.”
“What I want is for you to feel the pain of the loss of a family member.” He bent down. “Just like you did to me!” he shrieked.
Amanda leaned down behind her father and picked up a rock. I know that voice…from somewhere. “Be enough of a man to at least show yourself, you dick,” she yelled.
The man leaned over the opening. “In due time, honey, in due time.”
Amanda jumped from behind her dad and flung the rock up at the man, hitting him in the forehead. He stumbled back out of sight, swearing loudly. A moment later, he glanced over the edge of the pit, holding his hand over his forehead, blood running down his face.
“Bass, I can see that little twat is a chip off the old block—that’s unfortunate.” He jabbed a finger at Amanda. “That little move is going to cost you.” He turned to the man standing next to him. “Hose them down.”
A couple minutes later, the second man dragged a large irrigation hose to the opening and aimed the nozzle downward. The powerful stream of cold water hit Amanda in the chest like a sledgehammer, knocking her back. Her dad jumped forward and grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her and turning her away from the torrent, his back absorbing the full pressure of the frigid water for several minutes. The deluge stopped after what seemed like hours and they stood in ankle-deep water. Waves of shivers ran over Amanda’s body as she huddled against her father, who was shaking, too.
“We’ve got plenty more where that came from,” the first man said then laughed. “Have an enjoyable night.”
38
Hank squatted in the shrubs on the edge of the woods and adjusted his night-vision goggles, NVGs. As the deserted-looking camp in front of him came into focus, a shudder ran through his body.
Holy crap! The camp! Hank swallowed and tugged his collar away from his neck. I’ve always hoped I’d never see this place again. Transient, ethereal images flashed through his mind of the time he’d spent as a slave in this place. His mouth became dry, and he had difficulty catching his breath, his heart racing. He took a deep breath the let it trickle out over his tightened lips.
“Stop!” he muttered. “That was then, this is now.” He was no longer the same person he was then…and he knew it. He took another cleansing breath and set his jaw. Time to get your head back in the game, Greene.
Hank crawled on his stomach under the barbed wire fence then rose to his knees and surveyed the area again. Nobody in sight—that’s good. His gaze froze on a ladder lying on the ground next to a large, dark, oval shadow. He squinted. I-is that the…pit? He cringed, his shoulders burning from the tightness in his muscles. I better check that out first. They had a bad habit of throwing people down there.
He slinked over to the edge of the hole and cupped his hands around his mouth.
“Jack?” he called in a loud whisper.
He turned his ear toward the crevasse but heard nothing. He lay flat on the ground and leaned his head down as far as he could over the rim, again cupping his hands around his mouth.
“Jack?” he called out louder.
Rustling sounded down in the darkness. Someone is down there!
“Who is it?”
Hank could hear Jack’s teeth chattering even from his perch. “It’s Hank. You sound terrible.”
“I feel terrible. I’m freezing!”
“Me, too!” Amanda said.
“Amanda?” Hank asked. “How the hell did you get here?”
“I don’t know, Hank, but I’m ready to leave. Is that ladder up there?”
Hank looked back at the ladder lying on the ground. “Yep. Give me a minute.
Hank handled the aluminum ladder as gingerly as possible, wincing every time it clattered or rattled. He fed it down over the edge of the hole until Jack grabbed it and lowered it to the ground. Hank waved an arm.
“Get up here—quick. Be careful not to make noise on that rattly old thing. I’ll keep watch.” He turned to face the buildings and rested his hand on the butt of his Glock.
The ladder clanged softly as Amanda and Jack ascended, and Hank focused intently on the buildings, watching for any sign of movement. Amanda threw her arms around him from behind, almost knocking him off his feet.
“Hank! You’re my hero!”
“Yeah, yeah, that’s why I always wear a cape. C’mon, we gotta get the hell outta here—quick.”
“No!” Jack growled. “I’m not leaving without finding out who did this to us. I need to know who…and why.” He clenched his teeth. “Then kick their asses.”
Hank winced, a sinking feeling clawing at his gut. “Aw, Jack, why am I not surprised to hear you say that?” He flipped up his NVGs then put his hands on Jack’s shoulders and looked into his face. “Can’t we just leave—send the cops back to deal with these clowns? You don’t need to take this risk.”
Jack pressed his lips together tightly and shook his head. “No—I can’t. You’re right, though; you and Amanda don’t need to take the risk.” Jack poked a finger into Hank’s chest. “I want you to take her out of here—get her to safety. I’ll catch up with you later.”
Hank snorted. “Yeah, right! Like either of us would agree to that.” Hank crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m guessing there’s no chance I’m talking you out of this. Right?”
