Clarkesville (Chandler Riggs)

Chapter 31

The car ride went on for about a half hour longer until Bernie ordered Bruno to take many turn arounds and drives down abandoned streets.

Finally, we pulled up to a wall made from tires and wood, lined up with trucks and vans packed with equipment. About six men that looked similar to Bernie lined up on the wall, holding guns in front of them as they paced back and forth.

I could not see what they looked like, because night had just come around. The car's clock read 8:14. Summer was approaching, so it was getting darker later.

Over the wall their was light from torches or lanterns, but we weren't in that place yet.

When we got as close at possible to the wall, the men pointed their weapons and Bernie waved three fingers out the window. One man spoke to another, and the wooden part of the wall began to open up.

"You three, your weapons. Now." Bernie demanded, once again aiming his gun at our heads.

My gun was resting still in my belt. Without resisting I handed it over, and Chandler and Luke did the same. I knew that if I tried to shoot him then the men outside would react and just kill us now.

What about my knife? Last time I had touched it was the night that we fled our group.

When Bernie took away all three of our guns, one of my pair of scissors, and both of the boy's knives, he turned away hopefully unsuspicious of any other weapon on us.

But I knew my knife was somewhere, in my backpack or hidden underneath my belt. I needed to get to it before anyone got to me.

"You're not off the hook yet, these kind gentlemen have to still to a body search." He said with a wink. I gulped and looked at Chandler.

"It's fine. Just go with it, we will get out of this." He reassured me.

Bernie got out of the car and handed all of our weapons to the first man who was tall and bulky. They were having a conversation but I couldn't tell what it was about.

"So you want me to just play along?" I snapped.

"Can you guys keep it down?" Luke whispered, crossing his fingers together. "They could hear us."

He had his head pointed downward. That boy was definitely the most frantic about our situation than anyone could be.

"We're gonna be fine, Luke."

"And what if we're not? What if we have no chance of getting out of this? I'm sure we all know what happens at places full of men like here." He was right.

Bernie was just the beginning, that man Derrick and all of the others would be sure to be creepy and want to look at me, do things to me. Bernie had mentioned that we would be put in a room with one of them.

I can't afford that to happen.

"Bruno, what do we do?" I panted.

"Like Chandler said, we go along. Don't resist, but don't be too obvious." He replied quickly and looked me in the eye. "Riley, they are going to hurt you. But there is no way you, Chandler, and Luke aren't getting out of here alive."

"Hey! All of ya,' step out of the vehicle nice and slowly with you hands where I can see 'em." Spoke a deep southern voice.

I shakily grabbed my backpack, Luke took his and Chandler did the same. I looked up out of the car, and three new figures held guns beside Bernie.

Chandler squeezed my hand, and helped me out of the Suburban.

Once my boots were on the ground I lifted my free hand up beside Luke's. my other was still knotted with Chandlers. I dreaded letting go, so we raised our hands together.

My mind was beginning to drift again but my spazzing nerves kept bringing me back. Along with that same booming voice.

"Wow Bernie. Brought us back some littlies again!" A man said, stepping toward the three of us. Did Bruno get out of the car?

"Oh yeah I thought you'd like the girl." This man had to be the Derrick that Bernie kept mentioning.

No, not me.

"You brought me back a sick one, can't do much with them... But this one seems pretty decent."

Oh my God. Sammy.

"Looks like she's got a little boyfriend here..." Now Derrick was right in front of me, towering over Chandler and I. His breath stunk of liquor and peanut butter.

He had gray and black hair, a beard like Bernie's and flat, mean eyes. He wore a leather jacket and a gun was strapped around his shoulder. Despite his old looks, by the sound of his voice, he couldn't be older than forty.

"Let go." Derrick bellowed.

Chandler did not listen to his command, in fact he gripped my hand even tighter.

"Damn kids don't listen anymore." His dry, dirty hands snatched each of our wrists and forced us to detach. But we kept eyes on each other non-stop.

"Take these two to the cages, and the guy to the Square." He ordered the men behind him. "I'll bring the girl to the lockers, no one is allowed to use these three until my say. Got it?"

"Yes sir."

How was I possibly going to stay safe when I didn't have Chandler or Luke to be with me?

And what about Sammy? I'm positive there would be no other sick teenage girls in this area. Alive, in that case.

I had a large chance of either getting raped, or being murdered in the next day.

"Let's go sweetie-pie." Derrick's words made me sick, but I remembered what Bruno had told me; don't resist, but don't be too obvious.

"I'd rather be called a little whore." I mumbled. I guess that would be my role, a fourteen year old brat who didn't care what these men did to her.

But that would not last long. I could barely stay still if one of them poked me.

"Okay, little whore. There are five other girls in the lockers. You'll see them, but you'll be watched so don't try anything."

He was dragging me along their wall, through a doorway and into a lantern-lit building. We were halfway down a set if stairs when I heard a scream.

"Don't worry bout that. He's not killin' her or anything."

Their was something about that scream that was so familiar. Maybe it was Sammy.

"Here we are... Gale!" Derrick hollered.

A man turned the corner and smiled. His teeth were yellow and black; the same as Bernie's. Did these men not bother to use a toothbrush?

"We used to never get the young ones." The man who I assumed was Gale grinned.

"Yeah yeah. Take her to a locker. No one touches her but me." He shoved me at Gale, who nodded and pulled me through a carpeted hallway.

About a minute later I was harshly thrown into a locker room.

"Nighty-night." Gale's voice echoed.

I was trapped and broken, and my arms and legs ached. My heart expected to be next to Chandler but my eyes looked into a glowing darkness.

There were other girls in here.

"Hello?" I called out into the silence.

The sound of a few pairs feet tapping along the cold tiled floor grew into my earshot, until I could see various faces in the small amount of light in the room.

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Sorry this is my last update for a while, I'm leaving for a week and it'll take me a few days after that to write a new chapter so just hold on. :))

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