Chapter 27

Shay

My eyes crack open and the sunshine from the opening within the roof makes me shrink back. Solely, I’ve nowhere to cover my eyes. My arms are tied behind my again tightly; I can really feel the bind digging into my flesh. And to prime it off, I’m tied right down to a mattress; I can’t transfer something aside from my head. I battle towards my restraints, however it’s no good. I would like to select my battles correctly, and this isn’t one in every of them.

A sudden noise from my aspect makes me elevate my head. The ache rushes by my head and shoulders. There are three males armed with weapons. I blink a couple of occasions to attempt to clear my imaginative and prescient. I feel I’m dreaming at first, however I see Josh, pacing up and down like a brainwashed soldier. His posture is ramrod straight. His gun is poised towards his shoulder. His imaginative and prescient is pointed straight forward. He appears thinner and in contrast to the person I left behind, however it’s him.

“Josh!” I cry out. He’s alive.

He doesn’t take a look at me. He doesn’t even acknowledge that I spoke to him. He’s not the person that saved me all these months in the past.

“Josh. Please. Take a look at me. It’s me, Shay. You saved me. Keep in mind. You’re my commander. My pal.” Tears roll down my cheeks freely.

He carries on pacing up and down, a couple of ft behind the opposite soldier. It’s like they’re following a sample.

“I noticed your mother and pa this morning.” He stumbles; I’m reaching him. “They’re lacking you, Josh. Your mother and pa are distraught. Please, hearken to me.”

Josh stops useless and the soldier behind him bumps into his again. Josh takes a step out of line to permit the opposite two troopers to hold on with their pacing.

“Josh.” I sob.

Josh appears down at me on the mattress. His eyes are glassy, his cheeks gaunt. He’s like a shadow of the person I as soon as knew.

“What have they carried out to you?”

He doesn’t say a phrase. He simply appears at me like I’m nothing. Like I’m one thing he wiped off the underside of his shoe.

“Are you okay?”

He blinks rapidly and stands up straighter. “I’m not one in every of you anymore. The day you left me there was the day you gave up any proper understanding about how I’m.”

“I didn’t depart you, Josh. I used to be getting assist. Clay was coming again for you. We by no means as soon as gave up discovering you. Your dad and mom haven’t given up both. Please, it’s essential to imagine me. You’ve bought it flawed. You’re not one in every of them, Josh. You’re one in every of our staff. You saved my life. With out you, I might have been useless.”

“Possibly it might have been higher in case you died. If we each died.”

“No.” I gasp. “What has occurred to you, soldier? We by no means surrender.”

He steps again into line along with his troopers and continues to march up and down.

“Rattling you, Josh. You’ve allow them to get beneath your pores and skin. You’ll at all times be one in every of us. You may’t simply stroll away. We by no means surrender!” I yell, which takes extra effort than I care to confess.

I watch him stroll up and down, by no means dropping step. He’s like a managed doll. A puppet. Somebody is pulling his strings. I’ll take nice pleasure in ripping the bastard’s throat out like some rabid canine. Some folks don’t should have a life, and these fuckers inflicting such ache and destruction are excessive on that listing.

“I’m going to avoid wasting you, Josh,” I say quietly by the tears.

Please, Clay. Come discover us.

Supply: www.seynovel.com