Brotherly Bonds

Matt stirred as he heard something scoot across the floor which was followed by a curse. Zack froze and watched as Matt fell back asleep instantly, feeling a pang of regret at how exhausted his friends were.

“Are you trying to get us busted?” a voice behind him snapped. Zack jumped and clutched at his chest as he turned to face Jimmy.

“Fuck off,” Zack whispered back, though Jimmy could hear the smile in his voice. He walked up to Johnny and placed his hand over the smaller man’s mouth, jolting him awake.

“We’re getting you out of here to get you medical help,” Zack whispered to Johnny.

“How can I trust you?” Johnny replied back.

“You don’t really have a choice. You trust us and get better, or you don’t and you die,” Jimmy muttered. Johnny realized he was right though, so with great difficulty he swung his legs over the side of the bed, wincing as the cold from the stone floors touched his bare feet.

“We’re going to have to walk,” Jimmy informed him. “Through the trees to keep you hidden.”

“You know you’re dead if Matt finds out you did something to me.” Johnny said, stumbling over a tree root. It was more than obvious to them how sick Johnny really was, and it made Jimmy feel all the more guilty for telling Matt there was nothing they could do. Matt watches Brian and Brent struggle to keep themselves alive because one wrong move, and they’re done. He also had to watch Johnny struggle with keeping up with the work.

“Dude, if you ever get too weak to walk just let us know.” Jimmy told him with a sigh.

“I’ll be fine, this is nothing compared to being in the wood yard.” Johnny replied, feeling himself getting slightly dizzy. Zack and Jimmy both noticed and shared a glance. Jimmy sighed again before turning around a lifting Johnny on his shoulder like a firefighter lifts a victim.

“I can fucking walk,” Johnny grumbled.

“Shut the hell up short shit,” Jimmy said. “Accept the help.” Johnny stopped fighting, too stunned by the fact that Jimmy had called him “short shit” again over anything else. They walked until morning, when Zack ended up finding a cave for them to hide in during the daylight hours.

“I feel like I’m on the fucking underground railroad,” Jimmy muttered later that day. “Actually, what the fuck? We’re guards, we can just tell everyone we’re taking him to a different fucking city to rid of him!”

“You talked about it being risky to take him, well it’s risky to go around saying that because Garver and Carlson will get wind of it, and they’ll know exactly where we’re going. Since we’re actually out here with Johnny, we really can not risk getting caught now, so it’s best to do it this way.” Zack stood up and walked toward the opening of the cave. “Get some rest Jimmy, I’ll keep watch and wake you up to take over.” Jimmy just nodded and laid back on the rocky floor next to Johnny, who had passed out as soon as he was set down off of Jimmy’s shoulder.

“Matt was right, he’s fucking bad,” Jimmy whispered toward Zack.

“He’ll be better in a couple days,” Zack whispered back. What he didn’t let on though was how unsure of that statement he really was. He had watched Johnny closely since they left the grounds, and Zack could tell Johnny really was on his last legs. He just hoped they got him to safety in time.



“Where the fuck is Johnny?” Brent’s voice startled Brian and Matt awake.

“What are you talking about Brent? He’s fucking in bed,” Brian grumbled. Brent rolled his eyes and walked to his older brother, smacking the back of his head. Brian sat bolt right up in the cot, getting ready to smack his brother back when he noticed Johnny really was gone.

“What the fuck?” Brian asked out loud, causing Matt to turn around to look at the empty cot where Johnny should have been. “You don’t think they came after him in the middle of the night do you?”

“I’m sure we would have been woken up,” Matt said, sitting up himself. He looked outside and realized it was dawn. Time for them to be waking up anyway. “Let’s get ready guys, I’m sure we’ll hear something during the day.” The other two agreed and just as they finished getting dressed, a guard burst through the door.

“All three of you is in the wood yard today, so get to it.” he muttered, walking out and moving to the next cabin. Matt was frozen on the spot, as was Brian and Brent. Normally it was Zack or Jimmy coming to them to tell them their assignments for the day.

“Where the hell is Zack and Jimmy?” Brian asked, walking out of the cabin. Matt didn’t answer, but he thought he hoped like hell that he was right with where he thought they were.

“First Johnny, now Zack and Jimmy, guys I think they got Johnny out of here.” Matt whispered to the two brothers.

“I really hope so,” Brent muttered as they passed another guard. The day passed, and there were no signs of Johnny, Zack, or Jimmy. By sunset, Carlson was livid.

“Where would they go?” Garver asked, too calm for Carlson’s on-end nerves.

“Who gives a fuck? We need to fucking find them!”

“In time Roger,” Garver replied just as calmly. “They couldn’t have gotten too far. Don’t forget, Seward is weak right now. He won’t be able to go too fast.”

“Do you think Sullivan and Baker went willingly, or that that Seward forced them?”

“Anything is possible my friend,” Timothy sighed, standing up and looking out over the fields. He spotted three workers in a small group. The two Haner brothers and Sanders.

“Seward was in the cabin with the Haners and Sanders correct?” Garver asked Carlson. Roger grunted and followed the other man’s gaze.

“Yes, he was.” Carlson answered.

“Bring them to me separately. I want to see what they know.”

Carlson nodded and called for a guard, ordering the older Haner first. Brian walked in a few minutes later, his head held high like he always has it. Full of the pride his parents had instilled in him and his younger brother.

“Mr. Haner, I’m just going to cut to the chase. Your cabin mate, Jonathan Seward, is missing.” Brian didn’t say anything, just continued to stare at Garver. “Two of my guards are missing as well. James Sullivan and Zachary Baker. I want to know, where are they?”

“I don’t know,” Brian stated, staring straight into Garver’s pale gray eyes with his dark brown ones. “Johnny disappeared in the middle of the night while we were all sleeping. As for Sullivan and Baker, I couldn’t give two fucks where they went.”

“You better watch your mouth Indian, or else you’re likely to end up working a full week in the wood yard.”

“You know what, I really don’t give a damn what you do with me. I know I’ll get my ass kicked for this, but I’m fucking sick and tired of all this shit you and your men are putting all these innocent people through on a day to day basis. Just because of what they look like. Slavery was abolished during Lincoln’s time as president, or did you forget about that? Did you forget that people fought side by side in the Civil War to bring peace in America? Beat me for all I care, kill me even! Just fucking stop all this bullshit and let these innocent people go!”

“You heard the man, beat him,” Garver sighed, turning his back as a punch collided with Brian’s gut. He doubled over after being winded, but didn’t fall to his knees the way anyone else might have. The person punched Brian in the face, drawing blood from his lip right away.”

“Get the fuck out of here!” Garver said after what seemed an eternity of endless beating. “And if you ever raise your voice to me like that again, Indian, I will kill you, personally.”

“I would love to see you try,” Brian snapped, glaring at the man as he was dragged out of the office and back outside. He limped back to where Matt and his brother was working, and collapsed against Matt as soon as the other man turned around.

“Fuck Brian, what happened?” Brent asked, helping to support his brother.

“Fucking told Garver off I did,” Brian replied with a smile, wiping at his bleeding lip with the back of his hand. Matt chuckled slightly as he helped his friend straighten out.

“Brent Haner, the General would like a word with you.”

“He’s asking about Johnny, Zack and Jimmy.” Brian whispered before Brent could walk away. Brent nodded slightly and followed the man into the main house. Brian stood back up and picking up the saw his brother had laid on the ground and got back to work with Matt, wincing at the pain radiating through his ribs.

“They better not lay a hand on my brother,” Brian whispered to Matt who was chopping at the wood with a small, very dull hatchet.

“There’s nothing we can do if they do, just like we can’t do anything to them for what they did to you just now.” Matt growled, tossing a small piece of wood to the pile beside them.

“Where do you think they did go?” Brian asked, looking around to make sure they could talk freely.

“I have no idea,” Matt sighed. “I would love to know though. I wouldn’t think they would kill him themselves. They’re assholes and they caused a lot of deaths, but they never did the actual killings.”

“Maybe they really did just go get help for Johnny man. You know Jimmy…”

“I knew Jimmy,” Matt corrected him. “The Jimmy we’ve been seeing isn’t the same one we grew up with Brian. He changed way too damn much. He would never betray his friends or his family the way he has been. Same thing with Zack. Zack would have died before giving his niece and nephew up like that.”

“True, but what if they were brainwashed. You know, like they were promised immunity or some shit like that.”

“I don’t know, I just know that the Zack and Jimmy we’ve been seeing are not my friends.”
Before Brian could reply, a crack sounded across the grounds. Everyone stopped dead as they turned to the main house, where the window of Garver’s office was.

“Fair warning for anybody who attacks me again!” he shouted, pushing something out of the window. Brian’s eyes widened with grief, shock, and pure rage as he realized the object was his brother’s lifeless body. He watched helplessly as his brother’s body landed on the ground with a thump.

“No,” he muttered, standing up and running toward the mass on the ground the best he could. Matt was on his heels, bending down to look into the lifeless brown orbs staring into the sky.

“Brent, no,” Brian was sobbing, gathering what remained of his younger brother into his arms. “I’ll fucking kill you!” he shouted up toward Garver. “I swear to God I will fucking kill you!” Matt just stayed kneeling next to his friend, clasping one of Brent’s hands into his own as Brian continued to sob. He didn’t know how to comfort Brian, but he did now that if Jimmy and Zack were out there with Johnny, they had better be keeping him safe, otherwise he would kill them, along with Timothy Garver and Roger Carlson.