Clarkesville (Chandler Riggs)

Chapter 34

Haley held my hand and squeezed it on and off as Gale impatiently waited for me to get a move on.

I gulped all that I had in my mouth until it was dry, and I couldn't speak. The lump was growing from my stomach all the way up to the back of my throat.

Ever since I got here all everyone has been talking about was how someone was going to take me and use me. Touch me, humiliate me. How the hell did this happen? Just yesterday I was cheering in the backseat after we had gotten through the highway full of walkers. Now, I'm about to be stripped. I even had a large chance of being killed if I react how I normally would.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked Gale with a shake in my voice.

He snarled, "Someone got to ya' before Derrick could. You're just goin' up the street to meet him. He won't fool around too much."

I swallowed once more and looked to Haley. "You'll be okay." She told me, not really smiling but giving me a fierce look to know that I'll see her again, barely unharmed.

"Let's go." Gale raised his voice.

I pursed my lips and dis-slouched my shoulders. Letting go of Haley's hand, I stepped from out of the corner of my section of the locker room and towards the stairs where the gruesome man was waiting.

"Hope you're enjoying your stay." Gale's voice changed from a raspy old man's to a kindly sarcastic tone.

I didn't want to look up at him, but I couldn't help but tilt my head in confusion. "Am I supposed to be enjoying it?" I asked slowly.

"No." Gale's voice continued to sound different. "I'm sure you've heard, don't speak up and you won't get killed."

"Once again, am I supposed to just go along with it?" The dark of the locker room faded as we got to the top of the small set of stairs and into the upstairs hallway.

"No. Just do what you think won't get these guys mad. If those girls can get through it, so can you."

What happened to the nasty guard that threw me into an unlit and cold locker room?

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because." We reached the doorway where inside I could see a few figures chatting, and with their backs to us. "I'm not the bad guy here."

He shoved me toward one of the men's back, causing me to bump into him and collapse to the floor. I escaped a quiet yelp and let myself curl into a ball.

My eyes looked up from my position to get a look at the people before me.

A grumpy looking guy with sunglasses and a shark tooth necklace, a boy about 18, and another middle aged man who was staring down at me. He wasn't completely terrible or hideous, you could tell he was younger but his looks were just a little intensifying.

"Thanks Gale." The Alright Man told him, with an 'I'm better than you' tone.

"No problem." His voice was now the creepy one that I had heard. What was Gale doing? He wasn't violently harassing me, instead he was trying to help.

The three men in the room waited for Gale to turn down the hallway until they turned their heads down to look at me, the new shark bait.

(Authors note; shark bait whoo ha ha)

"Hi there little lady." The Alright Man said. "Riley, is it?"

I didn't answer, I just gulped and held myself tighter.

"Okay, my name's Dylan," he put his fingers on his chest. "That's Mitch," he pointed to the boy, "and that's Mike." The grumpy man gave me a fake toothy smile.

"You're very beautiful Riley. Traits like that deserve to be shared. Young, blonde, green eyes."

I wanted to explode, die, anything so I wouldn't be forced to listen to this man's bullshit. I needed that feeling of protection, that Chandler gave me every moment for the past week, from both the dead and the living.

"Will you be able to share that with me?" Dylan continued. Haley had said that I'll be okay. But even before one of these men touched me, I could feel the bad sensation in my stomach telling me that I had no power over anyone.

"Okay." He looked side to side at Mike and Mitch, and nodded.

At that point all three of them pulled me upward by my arms. They began to drag me out of the room and out the door.

Don't scream, don't squirm, I thought to myself. No matter how badly I wanted to kick and scratch and try to make them stop, I knew that I couldn't. My body wanted to live more than my mind wanted to.

Once they got me out of the building, I got a better look of the outside now that I was out in the open.

Although it was dark ouside still, the strip was dimly lit with streetlamps and building lights.

It was a regular town, with apartments and streets like a city. As I looked around I could see groups of men in loose conversation, even more men walking on the road, and then my eyes found a large cluster of young boys. I knew that one of that had to be or known to Chandler, Luke, or Freddie.

As I impatiently stared through the streets, the three men began to take me towards the entrance to a building.

It was the apartment building that the girls were obviously talking about, and I knew exactly what would happen as soon as I was left alone with Dylan.

And then I remembered, my knife could be on me; either in my belt or in my boot. That was my only way of defense, and I just hoped that I would get a chance to look for it.

I needed Chandler. I needed him and Luke to get out of here. Where were they now? What about Bruno? Were they trying to get to me? Freddie came from Connecticut to Georgia looking for me, I knew someone wouldn't want to leave me alone. But then again, they could be dead and so could I.

Not just yet, I thought to myself, as I squeezed my eyes shut and let them carry me through the sliding doors.

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