Tolerating no dissent or disagreements, Nealson stepped forward and grabbed the man by the arm, swinging him around into a headlock. Dianne’s group slowed their pace as they watched Nealson growl at the man, hissing in his ear too quietly to be heard. The effect was instant, though, as all traces of fight went out of the man and he submitted to Nealson, holding his hands in the air and pleading for his life.
The thought of attempting an escape flashed through Dianne’s mind, but she threw the idea out as soon as it appeared, knowing full well that they wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance of making it very far with the chains on their legs. Adding to that the fact that Nealson was armed and had a group of minions on the other side of the building meant that fleeing was not a good idea. When someone is trapped in a bad situation, though, sometimes a bad idea feels like the only option available.
So it went with the group of four, the ones who Dianne’s group hadn’t even gotten a chance to speak with. Three men and one woman, all looking like they were in their thirties or older, turned in unison and began shuffling away toward the baseball fields as soon as Nealson turned away. Nealson’s preoccupation with the man he was chastising continued as he let the man go and shoved him to the ground.
Beyond the baseball fields was a grove of trees and a few buildings, but they were far enough away that any rational mind would have immediately known that it would be impossible to make it. Healthy individuals who hadn’t been pushed to the breaking point for an extended period of time and who weren’t literally shackled to one another might have stood a slim chance. The group of four, however, didn’t make it beyond the bleachers.
Nealson turned and saw the four figures vanishing out from beneath the bright halos cast by the halogen lights. He opened his mouth to shout at them but stopped himself, shaking his head and sighing instead. In one smooth motion he drew his handgun, took aim at the man at the back of the group and fired three rounds. The man cried out in pain and fell to the ground, the force of his fall pulling the chain taut and dragging the women down as well. Nealson turned and looked at Dianne as he walked toward the group, shrugging and sighing.
“Some people, right?”
***
While Nealson was busy herding Dianne’s group into the community center and killing one of the members of the other group of prisoners, two individuals sitting in a truck a quarter mile away were trying to deal with their nerves. Jason sat behind the wheel, driving the truck at just a few miles an hour while Mark sat next to him holding a rifle scope up to his eye. The slow speed had many purposes, including ensuring that the gang at the center knew that the truck was coming as well as giving Mark ample time to get the lay of the land. The biggest reason for driving slowly, though, was to ensure that the fragile contraption in the back of the trailer wasn’t set off prematurely.
“Six out front. Wait. No. Eight of them now.”
“Eight? How many do they have left?!”
“That looks like all of them, maybe. Wait… no I see one more inside. Now two. One of the ones inside is the leader.”
“Red shirt himself, eh?” Jason’s eyes narrowed. “I hope he’s one of the ones standing at the back when they open it up.”
“Are you sure it’s going to work? We didn’t get a chance to test it out.”
“
Oh it’ll work, all right. Just remember what you’re supposed to do, okay?”
“I’ll handle it.” Mark visibly stiffened as he focused back on the scope.
“I know you will.” A short, uncomfortable pause followed. “Still see six out front?”
“Yeah. There’s more movement inside, but I can’t tell who it is. Maybe mom?”
“Possibly. I don’t see anyone outside. Check out back.”
Mark turned his head slightly before shaking it. “Nothing.”
“Probably brought them inside for the night. That’s a good thing.”
“What if they make them unload the trailer?”
“I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Mark looked like he might say something else but sat quietly instead, staring through the scope with one eye as they crept closer to the community center.
***
Inside the building, Dianne closed her eyes as three more gunshots rang out, a long moment of silence hanging in the air between each of them. She, Sarah, Tina and the two children sat in a corner along with a gallon of water and a few bars of granola which the guard inside had given to them.
“Why would he do that?” Tina whispered to Dianne. “He’s killing free labor.”
“As an example to us. If we try to escape, he kills us all.”
Tina snorted and narrowed her eyes. “That truck coming in hasn’t arrived yet. It’s got to be Jason and Mark.”
“If it’s them,” Sarah looked between Dianne and Tina, “then Jason’s going to have a surprise in store. Just watch and see.”