Chapter 60

"We have been here over twenty-four hours, and I am starting to lose my mind. I would have thought they came in after the gas."

There were screams all around. It was the kind of scream that bypasses the ears to speak right to the heart.

"I can't handle it, Jack. How do you keep so calm?"

"I block out my surroundings, Angela."

Nicole moved over to Jack and looked up at him, "We will be safe, right?"

"Without a doubt."

Nicole looked up at him, "I feel safe around you."

Marcus looked over at his sister; she was calm and looked happy.

"How are you feeling."

"Under the circumstances, I'm okay, thank you."

"How are you feeling, Marcus?"

Marcus looked around in this shit hole, "I guess under the claustrophobic cell with the smell. I am trying to survive like you."

"Imagine how your sister felt being here alone, and the anticipation of the unknown could be scary."

"Thank you for getting her out of this hell hole. Maybe our purpose is to come back here to save others.

Angela stood up and looked up, "we are going to die of dehydration and hunger if we don't devise a plan soon."

"Do you have any suggestions, Angela? The piece of meat had soaked up the blood that was running from under the door."

The meat had started to look like it had maggots, "when you were here, is this what they fed you, Nicole?"

"Yes, but I never ate. I kept hydrated until they started giving me more food than water, and I had no choice but to eat it," said Angela.

"What does it taste like?" Marcus asked. He was starting to get hungry; they hadn't eaten for over twenty-four hours.

"I can't remember. I closed my eyes when eating it."

Angela threw up in her mouth.

"I guess it can't be that bad, can it?"

"No, Marcus, you will not eat that. Try not to think of food. You will fall ill eating that! Focus on how we are getting out of here."

"I can't, Jack. I am trying."

"The roof?"

"What about the roof, Angela?

"Well, we want to get out of here, so we must try any means possible."

Jack looked up at the roof, "she is correct. It has ventilation. If we can get through it, we might be able to get out of here."

"It's too high, Jack. There is no way we can get up there."

"Well, a sink roof panel needs to be pushed upwards. Then maybe we can hook it out and get through it."

"We first need to cover that camera."

Jack removed his Jacket and through it over the camera, "Okay, so we are choosing the slightest person to be on top. I will be at the bottom, and you in the middle, Marcus. Angela would push up the roof."

"What do I do?" Said Nicole

"You will go after Angela."

Angela had tried to push the roof up, but it was solid for a sink roof panel. It was hard; its as if it had been bolted into a concrete wall.

"I can't, Jack," Angela said, out of breath.

"Angela, you will have to try harder. We not sure what to expect here."

Angela pushed harder, and two bolts broke loose as the sink panel moved to give her sufficient space to climb through, "what do you see there?"

"Well, we are high up. It looks like we are in the last cell, I see a gravel road going downwards, and bushes surround it."

"Okay, is there any way we can go down?"

"Yes, we will have to move slowly and together."

Jack pushed Nicole up, and Marcus got after that. They pulled jack up the five-meter wall. Looking down, it seemed pretty steep. They could climb down, "Jack, what about everyone else in there?"

"We are coming back for them. This is something we can't fight on our own."

"Okay, we must move slowly and carefully for snakes and bears. There is plenty out here in this forestry."

"Jack, this is the same trail we were taken by," said Nicole.

Angela looked around, "I'm afraid she is right. We are walking right into their hands."

"Well, we could go around, but you must be prepared for the worst."

"What's more worst than coming out of that hell hole?"

"Thorns poisonous plants and lots of reptiles ."

"I will take chances. At least we won't be eating food with maggots. Speaking of which, do we have any food or water to survive on?"

"No, Marcus, but there should be a restaurant nearby."

"Do you guys have cash on you?"

Jack searched his pockets, "yes, they never took my wallet."

Nicole had her hand on Jack's shoulder as she slowly walked down the trail, "are you sure you want to go through the forest? What if those guys left, or can we go around?"

They had all insisted on going around, and eventually, Jack budged and moved around. To his surprise, most tall plants were cut down, and they could see freely where they were walking until they bumped into an older man wearing a broken grey cap. He loomed up at them, carrying a white trash bag with cans. He was wearing a three-quarter brown dirty coat. He stood still, pulling out a dagger; Jack immediately jumped into defense mode and stood in front of his sister. "You going to get hurt. Stop playing superhero, young man."

Jack faintly smiles, "I'm all about family; these people here are my family."

The old man shook his head, "family is rare. I lost mine in an airplane crash when I was nine."

"May their souls rest in peace."

They all looked at eachother, "anyway, thanks, we might see eachother around again. Who knows, who knows who we might bump into next time," Marcus and Angela were ahead.

"Are you okay, Nicole?"

She was reticent, "is there anything I can do?"

Nicole shook her head. As they walked down the trail, Jack could see something was wrong with Nicole, "guys, you need to keep up."

"We are right behind you, Angela."

"I see a fire burning down there."

Marcus picked up his pace, "Marcus, be careful down there. Wait for the rest of us before approaching or letting anyone see you."

Marcus ignored Jack and continued walking. Nicole felt sadness overcome her. She went utterly silent her thoughts all felt negative. There was no happiness left in her; everything she once believed in had been taken away.

"We are close, guys," Marcus screamed.

That's when Jack noticed something off. One of the guys was wearing a camouflage jacket, and there were cages. "Marcus, wait."

Marcus looked back, "what are you saying, Jack."

"Wait, Marcus." Angela stood still, grabbing him by his sleeve, "this is not safe. Go back, turn around."

"No, wait, maybe we could use this to our advantage and safe those people."

"Jack, now is not the time to be playing a superhero. We need to stick together.

"She is right, Jack. If we want to nail these assholes, we must be smart." Marcus replied.

"Right now, im starving. Is there no food around here?"

"You will have to control yourself, Marcus. Try not to think about food." Angela replied, and they walked around the other way.

"They are gone. How did you imbeciles let them escape?"

"Boss, we all know how dangerous Jack is, and we were waiting for backup."

"You imbeciles will get out there, and find those kids, bring them back, and we will kill them all."

"I thought we were not killing Angela."

"There has been a change of plans. We will kill them all. Get out there and bring me their heads."

The armed men took off. Over twenty armed guys drove an army truck, wearing their thawbs.

"Jack, do you hear that?"

"I do. Everyone down. The only way to get out of this is to kill them and take their truck."

"We can't just kill twenty people they armed, and we have nothing to protect ourselves with," Marcus said.

Angela looks over at Nicole, "you are quiet. Are you sure you are okay?"

Nicole shook her head. "Nicole? Are you sure you are okay?"

Jack reached out to take her hand, and she pulled it away. Angela looked concerned; could she have severe depression? Has that place triggered something in her?

"Here is a good hiding spot to take a break, guys."

It's a cave, and with a rock in front of it, no one would be able to find them. "I'm here, uou guys can hide in there; I am tired of hiding."

"If they catch you, Jack, they catch us all. Can you just please climb in already?" Said Angela. "You do know we all need a break. Let's sleep here for one night and keep moving in the moving."

"Fine, but just know I feel it's better if we do this now and get away from here with the truck."