In Between the Beyond (#1 in the Rotten Water Series)

Chapter Twenty-Five: Pugnacious

Bunker A - May 9, 2017 - 12:35 p.m.

Martin Riley

Martin stood in a dark closet, away from all the guards, resting his head on the cold concrete wall, feeling sweat welch through his clothes. Spencer's screams stung his mind like an unforgiving wasp, simmering his body with guilt. It'd been less than an hour since Martin left him there with Renzy, and he still hadn't come out.

As the wall's chill began to wear off of him, he felt a soft set of fur brush across his leg. He looked down, spotting the dog, Liza, staring up at him with a type of wonder Martin knew he could never know. "What are you doing in here?" he asked out loud, bending down to pet her. His fingers twirled through her fur, spiking him with a sort of peace he didn't think he could have. Liza's tongue seeped from her mouth, curling up to Martin's cheek. He giggled, nearly losing his balance. A foreign feeling speckled his body, lifting his lips higher than they'd gone in months. And, for just a single moment, he didn't feel like anyone's prisoner.

"Always yo' and that fuckin' dog," Ronald said, immediately demolishing all of Martin's momentary happiness. Martin straightened himself, backing away from Ronald, who stood in the doorway, Sheenan just behind him. "When will yo' and yo' fuckin' friends learn that this place ain't no damn suite! Yo' got work to be doin', quit yo' screwin' around and do as yo' told!"

"We'll learn when you treat us like human beings, you fucking idiot," Martin instinctually repelled, stomping his left foot forward. Liza jumped before him, blocking Ronald's path from him.

"What'd yo' call me?" Ronald asked, clenching his fists.

Martin looked him dead in the eye, spotless of emotion, "a fucking idiot." Ronald stomped on the dog's paw, causing her to whimper, then kicked her side to throw her out of the way.Ronald's hands were then wrapped around Martin's throat and his body was lifted off the ground, pinned violently to the wall. His hands melted around Martin's neck like fire on styrofoam, suffocating whatever was inside.

Through the corner of his eye, Martin could see Sheenan standing there, frozen with a face of panic. Martin's arms were limp, shaking beside him, and his face was turning purple. Ronald's arms and neck popped with veins, circulating all its force onto Martin. Breaths could no longer be drawn and thoughts seemed too unimportant to register. Then, with a leap of luck, Ronald's hands released from Martin's throat, dropping him to the floor.

Martin gasped, sucking life back into his soul, gagging wretchedly. He could hear a repeated thump echoing in front of him. Once he was able to breathe correctly, he looked around, finding Kate hunched above Ronald, smashing her fists into his face. "You stupid-piece-of-shit-fucking-no-good-worthless-dumbass, I'll fucking kill you if you ever lay another hand on one us again, you hear me?!" Kate screamed, resulting in various tones of groaning coming out of Ronald.

"Kate," Martin screeched, stumbling to his feet. "You can't, Renzy will have you executed..."

"I don't care!" Kate snapped, turning towards Martin for just a moment, but in that moment, Ronald grabbed her arm, yanking it so hard that she rolled completely off of him. He then welcomed himself on top of her, squeezing her wrists.

"YO' WILL NOT DEFY ME!" Ronald screamed. Kate jolted from below him, tossing and turning. Martin staggered his way towards them, tripping over his own lightheadedness, struggling to keep a solid balance of himself. Ronald quickly removed his hand from off her wrist, pile-driving it into a bone-crunching punch to her face. Martin took a step further, then sprawled into a jump, landing on Ronald's back. The two of them rolled into a mop bucket, spilling it all over the floor.

"Kate, run!" Martin shouted, pressing the mop handle into Ronald's chest.

"No, not without you," she coughed, standing up. Martin nodded, quickly positioning the mop handle like a sword, stabbing it down onto Ronald's stomach, though not hard enough for it to tear through any skin. He then stood up, fleeing the room with Kate, passing by Sheenan who still stood in his frozen-state.

They sprinted around a corner, down through another hall, but Ronald didn't take long to recover, already trailing them from behind, threatening various ways he'd like to kill them. "What do we do?" Martin asked in a panic, struggling to match Kate's speed. "We can't just leave, there's no way out of this place."

"I don't know," Kate confessed. "Just keep run-" They both stopped instantaneously as a door swung open, nearly hitting them in their track. Renzy stepped out, holding a bruised Spencer by the collar. Ronald collapsed along with them, shoving Martin into the door with heated anger.

"Woah, woah, woah," Renzy called, tossing Spencer back inside the white room. "What the hell is going on here?"

"THESE TWO MUTHU'FUCKAS GANGED UP ON ME!" Ronald raged, spitting in Martin's face. "I'MMA KILL 'EM!"

"Unfortunately for you, Ronald, no you will not be killing them," Renzy stated, stepping in between him and Martin. "Perhaps later down the road, but for now, I have a better idea."

"Ain't nothin' better than cuttin' these bitches up and givin' their bodies to the dead outside," Ronald remarked, wiping his nose with his sleeve.

Renzy smiled, pointing at Spencer, "mind games are. That device me and Savvy have been working on got finished earlier today. We used them on 410 and 409 and reached great results. They mix physical and mental torture, as well as give me the things that I need."

"Fine," Ronald scoffed. "But I want anotha girl in my bedroom. Audrey's gettin' boring. She's soundless."

"Yeah, probably because you're forcing her," Kate snapped rudely.

Ronald raised his fist, but Renzy grabbed it, intrepidly pushing him away. "Ronald, just go get some food, clear your head, and have Kendjareiah or someone deliver me subjects 390 and up. We'll do the rest throughout the week."

"Right," Ronald muttered, setting back down the hall, crossing paths with Sheenan, who was walking the way Ronald just came from. "Boy, yo' lucky ion whoop yo' ass fo' standin' there and doin' nothin,'" Ronald called, finishing his sentence with a chaotic burp.

"Sorry," Sheenan whimpered, falling into the wall after his father shoved him.

"Sheenan is going to escort you back to your cell for your disobedience," Renzy said, looking at Martin. He then turned to Kate, who stood there with a twisted nose and a bloodied face. "You, get in there, now." After Kate stepped inside, he pulled a set of handcuffs off his belt, tossing them to Sheenan. "Leave the cuffs on him, even after you put him in his cell. He must learn." Sheenan nodded, twisting Martin's hands behind his back, locking the handcuffs around them.

Martin waited until they were several hallways away before saying anything, scared for both himself and Sheenan. "Look, I understand why-"

"I'm sorry," Sheenan said, cutting Martin off. "I wanted to help you, but I just couldn't..."

"I know," Martin claimed, setting down the long staircase. "You don't have to apologize to me, but someday, you're gonna have to stand up against him. He's horrible to you."

"He's still my dad, though," Sheenan whispered, unlocking the door to the prison floor. He led Martin to his cell, removing his handcuffs. "Consider this a start. Keep the handcuffs near you, put them on when you need to."

Martin took the handcuffs, sitting them on the floor, "thank you, Sheenan." Sheenan nodded, a tear shining in his eye. He then locked the cell back up, quickly rolling back up the steps.