Breaking Their Hold

“So, have you reached a decision, Mr. Baker? Think carefully before you answer my question.”

“I have come to a decision.” Zack told him, narrowing his green eyes into angry slits before looking at Zina and his mother. He hoped they wouldn’t hate him forever when they heard his decision. God only knew how he was going to make it through the rest of his life with the decision he’d made.

“And it is?” Schlagger asked him. Zack sighed, and then met the man’s cold gaze.

“I’m not telling you anything about Melissa.” He spat angrily. “I won’t tell you a damn thing, Schlagger. So you might as well do whatever you’re going to do.”

Schlagger sighed, before nodding towards one of the men in the corners of the room. “I’m so sorry you’ve chosen this path for your mother and elder sister, Zackary. I never break my promises; all of your lives are going to be quite painful. Alonsa, have you found the records on Maria Baker and Zina Baker?”

“I have them here, dear.” The dark-haired woman told him, handing her husband two manila folders with thick sheaves of papers. “They both have quite an extensive record.”

Schlagger nodded and opened the top folder, Maria’s. “You are married to a James Baker? Do we have him in custody?” He asked Alonsa, who shook her head, a smile on her face.

“No, he was shot and killed shortly before Zackary was brought to Haverly Hospital. Erich nodded before going back to reading the file.

“Four children, three of whom we have in custody and one of whom is deceased, if I have the correct information?” Erich murmured the question to Alonsa, who again nodded.

“Yes. Matthew Baker was shot in the same manner as his father three years ago as punishment for refusing to comply to Hospital and Government regulations.” Alonsa told Erich, watching Zack’s facial expressions with a smile on her face. “He was also denied Christian burial, and was instead disposed of in the Government’s mass grave.”

“It would seem to me, Mrs. Baker, that you failed to raise your children to my Government’s standards.” Erich said, closing the folder and looking at Maria. “Three of them are no better than dirt, the third was killed. Tell me, Mrs. Baker, did you teach them what they were to know as children? Or did you merely slack off and let them do as they wanted?”

“Your standards had no place in my home.” Maria said, her head held high as she glared at him angrily. “You kill innocent people; have children locked up for no reason. You’re not a president, you’re a monster.”

Schlagger only smiled at her words, and looked again at the man standing in the corner. “Take Mrs. Baker to one of the basement confinement cells. I’m sure one of the doctors has some procedures they can experiment on her with. Make sure that they are told to keep her in as much pain as possible without killing her until I give consent.”

The man nodded and grabbed Maria’s arm angrily and dragged her out of the white room. Zack watched as his mother was taken away from him yet again, but he refused to cry. That would only be giving Schlagger what he wanted, and he wasn’t going to do that.

“Now, this is your file, is it not, Zina?” Erich asked before opening her file. “It says here you were also married, but that your husband was taken into custody and sentenced to life before being executed for an attempted escape. You…Have two children, is that correct? Gianna and Gavin Baker. I’m sure they’ll enjoy being moved from their Elementary hospitals to Haverly. I’m quite sure of it. They’ll be able to see their mother and uncle again, though I’m afraid they might not enjoy that as much as they’d like to.”

“Don’t you dare bring my children into this.” Zina whispered in a harsh, angry tone. “They have nothing to do with it. They’re innocent children.”

Schlagger laughed and looked at Alonsa with humor. “She says their innocent, Alonsa. Tell me, what innocent child tells a Government official that they want their baseball back after it was confiscated? I’ve made no secret that baseball is a banned sport now, Mrs. Baker. Yet you allowed your children to play it. That’s why they’re in that Elementary hospital, is it not?”

“You’re pathetic.” Zina hissed angrily.

“However, I have no use for someone like you. You’re not even decent enough to be called dirt; you’re trash. You’re nothing but a bad example. Have her killed, immediately.” Schlagger told the second man, who nodded and took Zina out of the room roughly. It was then that Schlagger looked back at Zack.

“This is only the beginning, Zackary.” He told him with a smug expression on his face. “And I shall take immense pleasure in watching you suffer through watching those who you care around you fall one by one.”