Escape or Perish

The bearded man snapped, "Hey!! That's going too far."

"This is nothing compared to what we have lived through!" she snapped back.

"They're just kids. We can't just..."

The woman interrupted, her voice like ice. "They're liabilities, and liabilities get you killed in this new world. Do you think the others would hesitate to kill them if they stumbled upon our hideout? No, they'd torture and interrogate them, then dispose of the bodies. And do you want to know why? Because they're not stupid enough to let children waltz right into their base."

The bearded man's face turned red with anger. "Logan, talk some sense into this bïtch," he said to the man smoking.

"How dare you!" the woman hissed. She glared at the bearded man, then shifted her gaze towards Logan.

Logan took another drag from his cigarette, letting out a cloud of smoke before he spoke. "She's got a point, Don. I'm not saying I agree with what she's suggesting, but if we want to survive in this new world, we can't afford to make mistakes like this."

Don scowled. "So what? You're suggesting we kill these kids? How would that make us any better from those creatures?"

Logan's expression remained neutral, his eyes fixed on Don. "We will keep them locked up for the meantime while we work on fixing the barricade. After that, we will think of something," he said. "Do you agree on that, Maya?"

Although the blonde-haired woman wasn't satisfied, she could only roll her eyes and sighed. "I will gather the rest and tell them about this new inconvenience. I am sure they will be so...pleased," Maya said, the word dripping with sarcasm. "This will set back our plans by at least a week, if not more." She turned on her heel and marched out of the room, leaving the men to their own thoughts.

"Liam," Logan called, and the man with the gun who had been lost in his own world quickly sat up.

"Yes, boss," he replied, his eyes darting back and forth between a grim expression from Logan and a furious Don.

"Go with her to ensure she doesn't do anything stupid," Logan ordered.

Liam nodded, tucking the gun in the back of his pants, and headed towards the door.

"And you," Logan said to Don. "Make sure they are fed. We can't have them starving to death before we think of a way to get rid of them." As he spoke, he threw what was left of the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it. With a final glance at Don, he turned on his heel and followed Maya and Liam out of the room.

Over thirty minutes had passed with Kia and Sofie locked in a room alone.

"It's not working," Sofie whined as she struggled to untie the ropes attached to Kia's wrists, but her hands were too small, making it a lot more difficult, and she was beginning to get tired.

"Just keep trying," Kia encouraged Sofie, knowing the ropes couldn't untie themselves.

Sofie opened her mouth and bit down on the ropes, trying her very best to get him free on time.

Unfortunately, the door creaked open, and Don entered. Seeing this, Sofie immediately fell to the ground and pretended to be unconscious.

Don scoffed at the sight of her on the floor and scooted her to the side with his left foot. "Nice act, kid," he said and placed a bowl of rice and a cup of water on the floor near Sofie's feet. "But I think you will need more than just a few acting skills to get out of this place," Don said with a low chuckle.

His eyes then drifted to Kia, and he began walking in his direction. "You are lucky Maya didn't get her way, or you would both be dead by now."

Sofie flinched as she heard this, and Kia clenched his teeth.

Who the heck is Maya, and why would she even want them dead? It's not like they were doing something wrong, Kia thought as the bearded man stepped closer until he was now standing in front of him.

With a smirk, Don observed Kia for a few seconds before placing his portion of rice and cup of water by his feet. "Eat up. That's all you get for today."

Kia stared at the food, his eyes narrowed, and his teeth clenched.

"You're a real bastard, you know that?" Kia spat, his voice low and filled with rage. "Why are you doing this? What do you hope to gain by keeping us prisoners?"

Don merely smirked. "You're in no position to ask questions, boy. You should be thankful we're not slitting your throats right now. Now stop complaining and eat up," he said and turned to leave.

Kia's jaw tightened even further, but then he released it with a sigh. "And how do you expect me to do that?" he asked.

"What?" Don halted in his tracks and turned his head to face him.

Kia tilted his head to the side, his eyes fixed on his bound wrists. "How am I supposed to eat with my hands tied up?" he asked, his voice laced with sarcasm.

Don's smirk faltered for a moment before he regained his composure. "Oh, right. I forgot about that," he said, his tone dripping with mock concern. "Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out. You seem like a resourceful kid."

Kia's eyes narrowed, his anger simmering just below the surface. "You know, for a group of survivors, you're not very good at this. I mean, keeping prisoners, tying them up, and then expecting them to eat like civilized humans. It's almost like you're more interested in playing prison guards than actually surviving."

Don's face darkened, his eyes flashing with anger. "You know, kid, you're pushing your luck. You're lucky we're even feeding you at all. So shut your mouth and be grateful."

Kia's smile was sweet as honey, but his eyes told a different story. "Oh, I'm shaking in my boots. But tell me, what's the plan here? Are you going to keep us locked up until we starve to death or until Maya decides we're not worth the trouble anymore?"

Don's expression turned cold, his voice dripping with malice. "You'll find out soon enough, kid. Just keep your mouth shut and your eyes open. And don't even think about trying to escape. You won't make it far."

With that, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving Kia and Sofie to their own devices once again.