‹ Prequel: Going Bush
Going Bush 2: Suburbia
14
Roughly the same amount of time passed before Taylor heard his door opening again. He opted to keep his eyes closed this time, both through being tired and starting to feel sick to his stomach.
He finally opened them when he realised there were multiple people entering the room. He looked up in time to see three dark silhouettes, similar in stature to the men that had taken he and Zac from the freezer at the butcher shop.
He barely had time to register the possibility that they were the same men before one of them reached up and unhooked his chains. Not expecting the sudden release, Taylor fell to his knees with a grunt.
A second man reached down to pull the gag from his mouth before handing him a bottle of water.
“Here,” said the gruff voice as Taylor saw what it was.
He grabbed for it thankfully, confused for a second when his hands wouldn’t work as well as expected, before desperately downing half the bottle in one go.
“Slow down, you don’t want to throw it up again,” the same man spoke.
Taylor stopped to breathe at the halfway mark, before closing his eyes and taking another gulp.
“How long’s he been here?” the first one asked.
“I’d say almost twenty four hours by that reaction.”
Taylor managed to catch his breath again, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. It was then that he saw how angrily red they’d gone from the lack of blood circulation.
“You done?”
Taylor shook his head and had another drink, managing to leave a little in the bottle before it was taken away from him again. Once relinquished the first man pulled him to his feet, the second replaced his gag, and they began to lead him out of the room. He flinched as he hit the bright hallway, using his chained hands to shield his eyes as best he could.
They passed multiple doors with heavy bolts on them, much like Taylor assumed had been on his, before taking a stairwell down. Taylor was glad for the lack of lighting on the lower level and let his arms fall in front of him, his shoulders forced inward from the rough angle.
They soon stopped at a barred door that Taylor couldn’t see anything behind. Once it was opened he realised why – the room was pitch black.
Only one of the men pulled Taylor inside, half dragging him a few metres in before picking up a length of chain from the floor. He produced a padlock from a pocket and looped it through the chains on Taylor’s wrists, securing them to the main chain. Then he put a hand on Taylor’s shoulder to force him down into a sitting position, before turning to leave the room.
As the door was shut and locked, Taylor blinked as he tried to focus. His purple vision took longer than usual to kick in, but when it did…
He struggled for a moment with the gag, managing to pull it down to his throat.
“Zac?!” he croaked out, pulling on the chain to try and move closer to what he was sure was the outline of his brother.
He managed to stretch a leg out and kick one of Zac’s feet.
“Zac?!” he hissed a second time, jumping a little as he heard chains moving somewhere else.
“Tay?” came a soft reply.
Taylor breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Zac’s head move.
“Thank God you’re okay,” he said, “can you sit up?”
“Not really,” Zac replied honestly, “but I’ll work on it.”
He finally opened them when he realised there were multiple people entering the room. He looked up in time to see three dark silhouettes, similar in stature to the men that had taken he and Zac from the freezer at the butcher shop.
He barely had time to register the possibility that they were the same men before one of them reached up and unhooked his chains. Not expecting the sudden release, Taylor fell to his knees with a grunt.
A second man reached down to pull the gag from his mouth before handing him a bottle of water.
“Here,” said the gruff voice as Taylor saw what it was.
He grabbed for it thankfully, confused for a second when his hands wouldn’t work as well as expected, before desperately downing half the bottle in one go.
“Slow down, you don’t want to throw it up again,” the same man spoke.
Taylor stopped to breathe at the halfway mark, before closing his eyes and taking another gulp.
“How long’s he been here?” the first one asked.
“I’d say almost twenty four hours by that reaction.”
Taylor managed to catch his breath again, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. It was then that he saw how angrily red they’d gone from the lack of blood circulation.
“You done?”
Taylor shook his head and had another drink, managing to leave a little in the bottle before it was taken away from him again. Once relinquished the first man pulled him to his feet, the second replaced his gag, and they began to lead him out of the room. He flinched as he hit the bright hallway, using his chained hands to shield his eyes as best he could.
They passed multiple doors with heavy bolts on them, much like Taylor assumed had been on his, before taking a stairwell down. Taylor was glad for the lack of lighting on the lower level and let his arms fall in front of him, his shoulders forced inward from the rough angle.
They soon stopped at a barred door that Taylor couldn’t see anything behind. Once it was opened he realised why – the room was pitch black.
Only one of the men pulled Taylor inside, half dragging him a few metres in before picking up a length of chain from the floor. He produced a padlock from a pocket and looped it through the chains on Taylor’s wrists, securing them to the main chain. Then he put a hand on Taylor’s shoulder to force him down into a sitting position, before turning to leave the room.
As the door was shut and locked, Taylor blinked as he tried to focus. His purple vision took longer than usual to kick in, but when it did…
He struggled for a moment with the gag, managing to pull it down to his throat.
“Zac?!” he croaked out, pulling on the chain to try and move closer to what he was sure was the outline of his brother.
He managed to stretch a leg out and kick one of Zac’s feet.
“Zac?!” he hissed a second time, jumping a little as he heard chains moving somewhere else.
“Tay?” came a soft reply.
Taylor breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Zac’s head move.
“Thank God you’re okay,” he said, “can you sit up?”
“Not really,” Zac replied honestly, “but I’ll work on it.”