that’s it.
“Got
it,” Twig chimes, then drags me to the ladder with brute strength. It takes
quite a bit of maneuvering to figure out how to climb a ladder with six guys
attached at the wrist, but we make it up a few rungs when the churning water
begins to grow violent.
The
water whooshes all around us and the waves crash higher and higher. “It’s
spinning, like a drain,” Twig yells. As soon as I process it I feel Billy get
yanked from the ladder, pulling me down with him.
Twig
holds tight on the ladder, but the metal cuffs are cutting into my wrists. He
slips his fingers around my hand and pulls me once again toward the ladder. I’m
not sure if the rest of the guys or even my own right hand will make it with
me. I try to find Billy’s wrist the way Twig holds mine, but I can’t get ahold
of it, and the metal is slicing into my flesh from the pressure of five
teenagers. I scream in agony when the cuff touches bone in my wrist.
Twig
manages to wrap my fingers around the ladder rung, and reaches over me to grab
Billy and reel him in behind me. He climbs faster this time, and somehow we
make it up the ladder and out of the water’s reach.
At
the top of the ladder, we spill onto a concrete landing, though I can’t see
anything to know what else there is. We lie flat on our backs, catching our
breaths when Sean moans, “Is he trying to kill us?”
The
other boys force a hollow laugh, though I doubt they find it funny. Nathan
actually might be trying to kill us. I wouldn’t put it past him. But
what would be the point of all this trouble, then?
Matt
breaks the silence. “That wasn’t clean. No way that’s our water supply.”
Twig
replies, “I think they’re treating it. I think that’s what those machines
are. Maybe they can filter out the toxins.”
“I
doubt it’s that simple,” Sean replies. Sounds like he’s regaining his
strength.
“What’s
next?” I ask, not sure if I really want to know.
“I
can’t tell where--” Twig starts, but Sean cuts him off.
“That
way,” he says. I assume he’s pointing somewhere I can’t see. “Let’s move.”
We scramble to our feet, and I realize my reign was short-lived. Sean is back
from his lapse in consciousness.
I
feel something warm on my hand where the handcuff grinds on the bone, and it
takes everything I have not to fall to my knees and cry. Dylan’s words dance
somewhere on the edge of my thoughts, but I can’t make them out.
I’m
yanked forward by both arms, and we run side-by-side. When the footsteps slow,
I keep my hands in front of me. My hands slam into metal and I lace my fingers
around chain-link fencing.
“Climb,”
Twig calls out, and I hear the fence rattle.
“Wait,”
I yell. “If we climb up side-by-side, when we get to the top, we’ll fall
over.”
“Guys,”
Sean calls out. “One after the other, just like everything else. Follow me.”
He’s just addressed my concern without actually acknowledging me. Maybe nobody
heard me anyway. Maybe I didn’t even speak. My head is spinning, and my arms
hurt, especially my wrists.
Sean
leads us up and over the fence, which slices into my thighs on my way over the
top. Once on the ground, we break into a sprint on what feels like wild
terrain. Someone trips, and we wait till he gets to his feet before
continuing. Sean barks orders along the way.
“On
the ground,” he shouts, after a long sprint. We drop to our hands and knees.
“Crawl,” he tells us. We keep ourselves low and shimmy forward. The ground
below us slowly transitions into mud, and I’m not sure if we’re headed for
water, but I don’t think I can take any more.
A
piece of my hair tangles in something above us, but I can’t reach to untangle
it, so I’m forced to move forward ripping a chunk of hair out.
I’m
taking count of my injuries when I hear it--the caw of a bird. Proof of
“Got
it,” Twig chimes, then drags me to the ladder with brute strength. It takes
quite a bit of maneuvering to figure out how to climb a ladder with six guys
attached at the wrist, but we make it up a few rungs when the churning water
begins to grow violent.
The
water whooshes all around us and the waves crash higher and higher. “It’s
spinning, like a drain,” Twig yells. As soon as I process it I feel Billy get
yanked from the ladder, pulling me down with him.
Twig
holds tight on the ladder, but the metal cuffs are cutting into my wrists. He
slips his fingers around my hand and pulls me once again toward the ladder. I’m
not sure if the rest of the guys or even my own right hand will make it with
me. I try to find Billy’s wrist the way Twig holds mine, but I can’t get ahold
of it, and the metal is slicing into my flesh from the pressure of five
teenagers. I scream in agony when the cuff touches bone in my wrist.
Twig
manages to wrap my fingers around the ladder rung, and reaches over me to grab
Billy and reel him in behind me. He climbs faster this time, and somehow we
make it up the ladder and out of the water’s reach.
At
the top of the ladder, we spill onto a concrete landing, though I can’t see
anything to know what else there is. We lie flat on our backs, catching our
breaths when Sean moans, “Is he trying to kill us?”
The
other boys force a hollow laugh, though I doubt they find it funny. Nathan
actually might be trying to kill us. I wouldn’t put it past him. But
what would be the point of all this trouble, then?
Matt
breaks the silence. “That wasn’t clean. No way that’s our water supply.”
Twig
replies, “I think they’re treating it. I think that’s what those machines
are. Maybe they can filter out the toxins.”
“I
doubt it’s that simple,” Sean replies. Sounds like he’s regaining his
strength.
“What’s
next?” I ask, not sure if I really want to know.
“I
can’t tell where--” Twig starts, but Sean cuts him off.
“That
way,” he says. I assume he’s pointing somewhere I can’t see. “Let’s move.”
We scramble to our feet, and I realize my reign was short-lived. Sean is back
from his lapse in consciousness.
I
feel something warm on my hand where the handcuff grinds on the bone, and it
takes everything I have not to fall to my knees and cry. Dylan’s words dance
somewhere on the edge of my thoughts, but I can’t make them out.
I’m
yanked forward by both arms, and we run side-by-side. When the footsteps slow,
I keep my hands in front of me. My hands slam into metal and I lace my fingers
around chain-link fencing.
“Climb,”
Twig calls out, and I hear the fence rattle.
“Wait,”
I yell. “If we climb up side-by-side, when we get to the top, we’ll fall
over.”
“Guys,”
Sean calls out. “One after the other, just like everything else. Follow me.”
He’s just addressed my concern without actually acknowledging me. Maybe nobody
heard me anyway. Maybe I didn’t even speak. My head is spinning, and my arms
hurt, especially my wrists.
Sean
leads us up and over the fence, which slices into my thighs on my way over the
top. Once on the ground, we break into a sprint on what feels like wild
terrain. Someone trips, and we wait till he gets to his feet before
continuing. Sean barks orders along the way.
“On
the ground,” he shouts, after a long sprint. We drop to our hands and knees.
“Crawl,” he tells us. We keep ourselves low and shimmy forward. The ground
below us slowly transitions into mud, and I’m not sure if we’re headed for
water, but I don’t think I can take any more.
A
piece of my hair tangles in something above us, but I can’t reach to untangle
it, so I’m forced to move forward ripping a chunk of hair out.
I’m
taking count of my injuries when I hear it--the caw of a bird. Proof of
Similar Books
