Departure by Ken Barrett

Author:Ken Barrett [Barrett, Ken]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781980745150
Published: 2018-05-19T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14: Sacrifice

Although terrified, he still managed to smile as a group of soldiers pushed him down the hall. He was in a narrow underground corridor with damp concrete walls that was dimly lit by old-fashioned lamps that hung from a low arched ceiling. His feet splashed through shallow puddles as he struggled not to trip over the chains that jangled around his ankles.

He was shoved from behind by a small statured guard. His feet tangled and he bounced off the wall then painfully landed on his knees and outstretched hands. A boot slammed into his ribs an instant later, rolling him into an icy pool. He looked up at his tormentor and was surprised to see a girl in her late teens wearing a black uniform.

“Get up asshole. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet; we’re just gettin’ started,” she said through gritted teeth.

Liam rolled to get his back up against the wall. Then with a quick intake of breath to refill his lungs, he pushed with his legs and stood up. “Whew… that wasn’t fun.”

The girl kicked his knee, and again he dropped to the floor. “Fuck you,” she said. “You’re gonna die down here, and it’s our job to make sure that takes a long, long time.”

“No, you’re not gonna kill me,” he replied. “I’m here because I won’t work for the old bitch. If I die, she doesn’t get her way and I win.” His teeth chattered in the damp cold, and probably with fear as well.

“Killing is an act of mercy down here,” she said. “Now get up.”

“Why? Just so you can kick me again?”

“I kicked a man to death once.” Her tone was unemotional, as if she were speaking of something she recently had for dinner. “It was kinda tiring, but interesting too. A challenge, you know? Keepin’ someone awake all the way ‘till he dies is tough work.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to put you out.” He squatted against the wall. “So, are you gonna let me stand up? If not just tell me, because it’s easier to stay down.”

The girl looked at him and shook her head. “Nah, you ain’t worth the trouble. My boss wants to deal with you herself, and that makes you some special kinda shit-heel. Now get up motherfucker.”

“Why thank you,” he said while sliding to a standing position against the wall. “You know, I once had a sister about your age.”

“Yeah, so?”

“Your army killed her when they burned my city to the ground. Do you really think that anything you do to me will be worse than watching her die?”

The girl in black stared at him for a moment, then kicked his hip driving him further down the hallway. “Shut up asshole; important people are waiting for you.”

*****

“Welcome to Hell Liam.” The man he recalled from the council meeting stood at an intersection of hallways. Robert Bradley, Director of the Military, was with a group of women and men, some of which wore the gray uniform of the army, and others were dressed in black like his young tormentor.

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