Chains of Destiny by Nick Webb

Author:Nick Webb [Webb, Nick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-05-25T22:00:00+00:00

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The guard led them to an elevator shaft that plunged them down another several hundred meters or so, and the air soon became thick and warm. The smell of unwashed bodies intensified and rose up to meet him as a dense, ripe wall as they exited the elevator and plunged into a mass of people. Some laid against the walls, as if sleeping. Others huddled sitting on the ground in tight, silent circles, while still others fiddled with mining equipment. Both men and women—at least there were no children down here, Jake noted with a feeling of relief, until he saw a young man who couldn’t have been more than fifteen sitting up on one of the iron girders spanning the length of the low, jagged rock ceiling. The teen swung one hanging leg back and forth as he eyed the newcomers.

The guard pointed to another man—better dressed and not as thin as the other slaves, but gaunt nonetheless.

“Boss,” said the guard to Jake, still pointing at the other man, and then turned to leave with his companion.

The man the guard called boss walked over to them. He walked with a limp, and his bland, pale skin spoke of years beneath the surface. Stringy hair grew in tufts on his balding head and spilled over onto his tattered shirt. But compared to the rest of the people there, he looked veritably healthy. “Oh good. More grunts. Listen, friends. The rule here is that you work. If you make your quota, you earn your food and I don’t get punished. If you don’t make your quota, I get punished. If I get punished, I take it out on you tenfold. Understood?”

Jake, his head still sore from the last shock from his collar, decided to risk speaking again. “You sleep without a guard?” He glowered at the filthy man, who advanced on Jake until they were eye to eye.

“Funny. I don’t want to be here anymore than you do, so just shut it, ok? We all work, we all live. Simple. And if you think about doing anything to me, you’ll have to deal with him,” he indicated the boy up on the girder and laughed gruffly. “Jeremiah doesn’t take well to people jostling me around.” He picked up a heavy-looking piece of machinery and shoved it into Jake’s chest. “Take it. I’ll teach you how to use it, and then you teach your friends.” He glanced at the other two, pointing at the floor. “You there. Pick those up.”

Avery bent over and with a grunt, picked up a device that looked identical to Jake’s. Alessandro hoisted his up, as if it were just a small power tool. Jake rolled his eyes at himself as he wondered how the scientist lucked out with the light one. The tools looked identical, but Jake’s must have been thirty kilos at least.

The man they called boss dug into his front pocket and extracted a whistle, which he blew. Jake was not prepared for the sound,

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