‹ Prequel: Going Bush
Going Bush 2: Suburbia
21
Taylor could feel himself starting to sweat as he felt more and more sick as the time passed.
The man left bleeding on the floor had expired quite some time earlier, and was close enough to the brothers that they could see his body going through its final motions.
Zac had managed to get back to sleep soon after, but Taylor was being kept awake both through the sudden shock at being brought back to a mental place he hadn’t been in eight years, and through the very real threat that a similar fate was capable of being held for Zac. He knew now that his priority, if he had any hope at all of gaining ground with these people, would be to get Zac out of there. He could worry about himself later.
He was still lost in thought when the door was opened again by two intruders. Guessing at the time Taylor quickly pulled himself together as they stepped in, predictably dumping the food right near the lifeless body.
Without waiting to see the fight, Taylor darted forward and got there first. He barely had half a second before someone was on him, and the other person was larger.
He managed to grab what appeared to be a bread roll and retreated backwards while the remaining two fought over what was left. He caught a stray remark from one of their captors about needing to clean the cell out as they left, before taking his prize back over to Zac.
“Zac?” he managed to nudge his side in an effort to wake him up.
Zac’s eyes opened tiredly, and he groaned a little as he shifted his weight.
“Here, I got you something,” Taylor said softly, holding it out.
“What?”
“Feeding time, right?” Taylor’s eyebrows rose, “here, take it.”
Zac swallowed dryly as he struggled to sit up, squinting across at his brother as if to check if he was serious. When he saw the bread in his hand his eyes widened, and he reached out for it. Taylor just barely managed to throw it so that he could catch.
“What did you get?” Zac asked.
“Nothing,” Taylor turned to check that there was indeed nothing left.
“Tay…”
“Don’t worry about it, you need it more than I do,” Taylor insisted, “just hurry up and eat it.”
“Tay, you should have some too,” Zac insisted.
“Hey,” Taylor looked him in the eye insistently, “they won’t let me die, okay? I’ll be fine. Eat it.”
Zac stared at him in silence for a moment, the reality hitting him hard. Finally he sat back.
“Thanks,” he said softly, looking it over before taking a careful bite.
Taylor offered him a small smile, trying to twist his wrists as he looked back toward the door. Failing in trying to move his wrists, he tried exercising his shoulders instead. Finding that it was only making him feel worse in the stomach, he soon stopped.
Zac finished eating and left his arms over his own stomach, ready for the awkward sounds it was surely about to make.
“Feel any better?” Taylor asked when he saw.
“I’m sure I will soon,” Zac replied, closing his eyes.
Taylor watched him, once again wishing there was more that he could do. He knew that if he wasn’t careful, the feeling of helplessness was going to overwhelm him. And he also knew that nothing would make Nate any happier.
“Get some more sleep dude,” he suggested softly.
The man left bleeding on the floor had expired quite some time earlier, and was close enough to the brothers that they could see his body going through its final motions.
Zac had managed to get back to sleep soon after, but Taylor was being kept awake both through the sudden shock at being brought back to a mental place he hadn’t been in eight years, and through the very real threat that a similar fate was capable of being held for Zac. He knew now that his priority, if he had any hope at all of gaining ground with these people, would be to get Zac out of there. He could worry about himself later.
He was still lost in thought when the door was opened again by two intruders. Guessing at the time Taylor quickly pulled himself together as they stepped in, predictably dumping the food right near the lifeless body.
Without waiting to see the fight, Taylor darted forward and got there first. He barely had half a second before someone was on him, and the other person was larger.
He managed to grab what appeared to be a bread roll and retreated backwards while the remaining two fought over what was left. He caught a stray remark from one of their captors about needing to clean the cell out as they left, before taking his prize back over to Zac.
“Zac?” he managed to nudge his side in an effort to wake him up.
Zac’s eyes opened tiredly, and he groaned a little as he shifted his weight.
“Here, I got you something,” Taylor said softly, holding it out.
“What?”
“Feeding time, right?” Taylor’s eyebrows rose, “here, take it.”
Zac swallowed dryly as he struggled to sit up, squinting across at his brother as if to check if he was serious. When he saw the bread in his hand his eyes widened, and he reached out for it. Taylor just barely managed to throw it so that he could catch.
“What did you get?” Zac asked.
“Nothing,” Taylor turned to check that there was indeed nothing left.
“Tay…”
“Don’t worry about it, you need it more than I do,” Taylor insisted, “just hurry up and eat it.”
“Tay, you should have some too,” Zac insisted.
“Hey,” Taylor looked him in the eye insistently, “they won’t let me die, okay? I’ll be fine. Eat it.”
Zac stared at him in silence for a moment, the reality hitting him hard. Finally he sat back.
“Thanks,” he said softly, looking it over before taking a careful bite.
Taylor offered him a small smile, trying to twist his wrists as he looked back toward the door. Failing in trying to move his wrists, he tried exercising his shoulders instead. Finding that it was only making him feel worse in the stomach, he soon stopped.
Zac finished eating and left his arms over his own stomach, ready for the awkward sounds it was surely about to make.
“Feel any better?” Taylor asked when he saw.
“I’m sure I will soon,” Zac replied, closing his eyes.
Taylor watched him, once again wishing there was more that he could do. He knew that if he wasn’t careful, the feeling of helplessness was going to overwhelm him. And he also knew that nothing would make Nate any happier.
“Get some more sleep dude,” he suggested softly.