Building bridges [Vikklan]

Chapter 10- The bait [Vikk]

When I wake up, my ears are ringing like a school bell. The world is misty and white, and I can feel an intense pain in my right cheek.

I try to locate myself, but opening my eyes any further sends shards of white hot pain shooting through my mind.

Gently, I move my head and (frustratingly slowly) force my eyelids up. Eventually they get used to the light levels, and I'm able to see. I'm in a room, stone walls, stone floor. There's a door in one wall, but no window except for a tiny hole in the wood that the door is made out of. I'm sitting in the corner farthest away from it, chains wrapped around my wrists and snaking up to hooks on the wall. There's very little light coming in through the window, but from what I can tell, I think i'm in the red compound.

What happened to me?

And then, I remember.

Mitch and the blue. Lachlan finding me. The other red, appearing from nowhere and slamming me into the ground.

I should be dead.

I freeze, hearing voices outside. Feigning sleep, I hold one eye slightly open, to try and see what they are doing.

"...down to five now. This will be easy." One of them says, and I realise its the guy who knocked me out's voice.

"We're so lucky you were there when you were, Preston. You saved Lachlan from, like, assassination!"

My heartbeat starts to pick up. They think I was going to kill Lachlan? Yeah, right. But relief courses through me as I realise that he's okay, at least.

"So, what do we do with the Blue? Vikk, I think his name is." Another voice says.

"We can probably use him to lure and distract their team, and then when they're all wiped out, we finish the job by killing him."

I feel bile rise in my throat as they speak. They're going to use me as bait? Live bait?

Man, these people are sick.

There is the jangling of a set of keys in the door, and I tell myself to stay perfectly still as the three reds walk in. One of them is the guy who knocked me out, Preston.

He closes the door behind him and walks up to my slumped form, grinning. I brace myself for a kick, but none comes.

"Hey, Blue. You can wake up now. We wanna ask you some questions. So don't try and fight, okay? Our entire camp is within the vicinity of this building, and you're in chains. If you try to run, you're dead."

I debate whether to keep pretending I'm asleep or open my eyes, but decide pretending probably wouldn't help me, in this situation. I open my eyes and find myself face to face with Preston. He seems to be the leader of their group.

"Well done, blue. Now get up."

Moving like a snake, he quickly grabs the chain that connects to my hand and gives it a hard yank, sending me onto my knees.

"Aah!"

As Preston unlocks the door, the two other reds help me up and take the chain that holds my hands together. They lead me into the bright sunshine, and into a house near the middle of their camp.

I am sat on a chair.

"Okay, boys, I'll leave you to it." Preston says, and then leaves me alone in the room with the two reds. They both look, surprisingly, quite awkward.

"Hi. I'm sorry about Preston being a bit rough. He's like that sometimes. I'm Choco." One of them says. I look at him, not saying a word. The other one coughs, and then introduces himself.

"Hey. I'm Kenny."

Sudden realisation dawns on me.

"That boy. He killed Ali to save you" I accuse him. He flinches, visibly flinches.

"I'm sorry. Its just..."

Choco smirks at him, then turns to me.

"Okay, so we've got to ask you some questions, and then you can go back, okay?"

I don't answer.

"Vikk. Seriously. The other guys, they're kinda violent. And, we need these answers. So, how did you find our base?"

I will not tell them. I must not.

Kenny sighs.

"Vikk. You have to understand. If Preston doesn't get answers to these questions, he'll flip. And that's not just bad for you."

I take a breath. Sorry, guys. You seem okay, for reds.

"Who was missing last night?" I blurt out, trying to change the subject.

"What? No-one was-"

"I saw someone. Red band. They were in the plains over there."

I tilt my head.

"Vikk, nobody was out last night. We were all asleep, recovering. I think you must be-"

Choco is interrupted by Kenny.

"I saw someone. He's telling the truth."

This time it's Choco's turn to be confused.

"What? Why would someone sneak out in the middle of the night?"

"I don't know. Why would I know?"

I seem to have distracted the pair for a bit, but I still don't really have a plan. The shackles around my wrists are starting to rub my skin raw, but they're not coming off. I'm about to give up when there's a shout from outside. I Snap my head up, craning to look out of the window.

Its Lachlan, and he's in danger.