Everywhere is Fire

Work, torture, and a lot of different things happened. Every day was horrible. They just continued. Rikki was really quiet, and I was going mad wanting to get out of this place.
And, of course, Dan was as annoying as he could be, waltzing around the place with is annoying voice.
“Gosh, we’re already put through labor, why are you so loud and annoying?” I said one day to Dan. I seriously was annoyed in the first place, and just him being here was even more irritating.
“Because we’re good at it,” he replied with a grin. He loves joking even when he has 12-year-olds captive. Sickening.
Rolling my eyes I said, “Why don’t you let us go? I think we’ll be too traumatized to say a word about all of this. Seriously, can you imagine what we’re going through?”
“You don’t seem to be,” James snapped, walking into the room. “Rikki wouldn’t, but you would.”
“Just let us go. You know, you’re not going to get away with this,” I said, with an edge of a growl. “Torture, drugs! You will never live to see the day when you get out of prison.” I told him.
“Who are you, Scooby Doo? Of course we are. Who can break us? Who’s going to tell someone? You aren’t, of course, you’re locked up, chained.”
I glared at him, knowing he was probably right, even so I’d try to get out. “Why? What’s up with the drugs? Weren’t you taught that drugs aren’t good for you? I mean, seriously. Every person these days is like, ‘Don’t get into drugs, blah blah blah.’ Most of us kids don’t.”
“It gets us money, kid. We don’t use them. We make and sell them. When I was a kid it was different. These days they’re always yelling about drugs.” James replied.
“Don’t you realize it’s wrong? Why don’t you get a job?”
“Jobs suck. I’ll just have a boss yelling at me all the damn time. Who wants that?”
“Well, one, you wouldn’t be a criminal. Two, you’d get money, and three, you wouldn’t have to--”
“James, I think we have a problem,” Dan said.
“What? Did you set the alarm off you baboon?”
“No, cop cars! To inspect! A lot of places in the U.S. are abandoned, and people make and sell drugs in them. I researched it.”
“Okay, go talk to them. I gotta get somethin’.” James muttered, and he left the room.
I was shocked, because I thought Dan was a dimwit. That’s probably the most intelligent thing I’ve heard him say the whole time! James didn’t seem like he cared at all. Or even noticed.
Dan had been outside, and I saw James pocket a gun. “James, no, you can’t kill them!” I said.
“Shut up,” he said. “You talk, you die.”
He grabbed my arm, and attempted to put me inside of a box. I was grateful for the size of the box. If he put me in a small box I would have been miserable. Not that I think being put in a box is fun at at, that said. He poked a couple holes in the box. “Try not to breathe too loud.”
He must have but Rikki in a box, because I heard her crying. “Shush!” he said to her. “Do you want them to hear you?”
Is he dumb? Of course we want them to hear us!
She silenced herself, knowing of the gun in his pocket.
I heard a door open, and I heard voices. “So, this was your grandfathers place?” I was pretty sure that was the officer, because I can place Dan’s or James’ voice a mile away.
“Yes sir,” James said. “We have been trying to clean up the place, you know? All of the boxes have different sorts of paints and fabrics. It’s really hard, though. It’s pretty old. We might have a team come fix it up for us soon. We work with computers. It’s much different doing this.”
“Wow. That’s interesting. I hope you can finish fixing it up. It sure is a mighty task for normal people. Not to be offensive. I am impressed you’ve done this much. I mean, it looks pretty good, considering it’s from a while back. Okay, I’m done checking the place. Have a nice day.” The officer said. I heard his footsteps.
I realized that because he was leaving, it meant that I couldn’t leave this place and go home. I had to make a noise. If I didn’t, I was sure I’d die. Or stay here until I got to weak to work anymore, then die. Either way, I’d die. I whimpered.
“What was that?” the officer’s voice shook a bit, but I had hopes of being saved.
“Just me, my stomach.” Dan said quickly, and I could hear his voice shaking as well. It may sound sickening, but I had the pleasure of his fear. After what they’d done to us, they deserve long times in prison.
“Let me see that room,” the officer said.
My hopes soared. I couldn’t believe it. I was just steps away from going home--being happy. Seeing my mom, my dad. Everything was falling into place. I wanted to jump up and down and yell.
I heard footsteps, and then I heard his voice. “Can I check those boxes?”
I felt so happy. I knew he’d find us. Then, James and Dan would be gone. I smiled at the thought of them in prison.
“No,” James said. I froze. It was quiet for a couple of seconds.
I heard a gun fire. My heart almost stopped as I heard the man’s body fall.
I heard footsteps towards the boxes. James ripped our boxes open. “Get out.” I saw Rikki get out of the box, and I followed.
“Don’t disobey, kids,” he pointed at the police officer’s body. He’d been shot in the head, and it was bleeding. His eyes were opened, and his blue eyes looked shocked. I almost cried. He could’ve saved us. Why didn’t he have his gun out?
 “Why did you kill him?” I asked. I had to fight back the tears. Now, instead of my loving family, my soft, warm bed, I had to be here. I had to obey this guy. Tears sprang from my eyes softly, but I tried to hide them.
“What if he found you? We would have been in jail. Don’t be stupid. I’ve done worse.”
Done worse?
Rikki gulped. I could tell she had the same hopes as me. I could tell she was hurting too.
Rikki and I walked close together. “It was a good try,” she said.
“But I feel like I killed him,” I replied.
“You didn’t,” she said, and I could tell she was confused.
“But if I hadn’t made that noise, he might’ve been still alive,” my head dropped. “He wouldn’t have come over to see if we were inside of the boxes.”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure if James could resist killing someone.”
They locked us back up into the chains. “Get to sleep. Tomorrow will be a busy day.”
Rikki and decided to silently brainstorm ideas to get out. Because of today, we had felt the hope of getting out. We had been so close. Meaning it was possible. Maybe no one else could save us, but we can. Being a kid isn’t all so bad. “Maybe we could just pretend to get into a box, and then stay here.” Rikki said. I could tell that ideas weren’t coming to her easily.
“No. we couldn’t. If we did that we’d have no way to access a phone, or get help. We may even have to walk home or something, and we don’t even know where we are.” I said. “They’re leaving because of the dead officer. The other police officers will be here shortly because he’s missing.”
“Then we have to find a way to get out,” Rikki said. “With all that moving, can’t we just slip away? I mean, there are so many boxes in this place.”
“Yeah. I think I know just the thing.” I grinned. Safety was at our fingertips.

The next morning, they began to put boxes into the truck. They woke us up at 4:30, so we could help. There were a lot of boxes. “You stay there, I got to go.” James said.
“Why?” I asked. “After we lifted all of those boxes you’re leaving?”
“I got to go drop them off,” he grunted.
“Whatever.” I said.
Dan stayed with us, you know, making sure we didn’t run away or anything. “Hmm. I guess if we clean the place down none of your fingerprints will be found.”
 He left the room.
“Do you want to spring the plan into action?” I said.
“Yes, and nice choice of words,” Rikki grinned.
I smiled back. “What if it doesn’t work?” I doubted.
She grabbed my arm. “Don’t worry! It will work, okay? We worked too hard. Plus . . . the odds are towards us. You remember reading books about kids getting kidnapped, right? Like in school? Don’t they always get out alive?”
 I didn’t answer. Those were books, not real life. Meaning they were fiction. Not always did kids get out alive. My mom plays the news a lot, and sometimes I hear really scary stuff. Then again, some of that scary stuff has happened here as well.
Dan soon entered the room once more. “Hello, girls,” he had a lot of different cleaning supplies.
“Seriously? We have to clean?” I asked, my eyebrow raised.
“Yep, now get to work.” He glared at me.
“Dan, we worked all of this--”
His hand hurled towards my face, and a burning sensation took place immediately. “I said get to work.” he growled.
My face still burning, I immediately grabbed the broom, and started sweeping.
You will not believe how disgusting it was. There were at least 5 carcasses, and a mountain of dust. I also found feces, maggots, and a substance that I question.
Rikki had to mop, and I don’t think she was enjoying that much, either.
Dan was watching in pleasure.
“Do you get pleasure out of seeing us clean?” I asked Dan.
“Yes. I do.” he grinned at me.
I was so angry, I wanted to throw the dead rat at him. Maybe then I could run. I felt like trash. Literally.
“Can we please go now?” Rikki asked. “I think we finished.”
The place looked significantly better. You couldn’t see piles of dirt or feel the dust on your feet anymore. I wish it could have been like this when we got here.
“No,” Dan replied. “Until James gets here. He had a long drive, you know. I hope he gets back soon. If the police come we’re dead.”
You’re dead. I thought.
“I have to go to the bathroom.” Rikki announced.
“Down that little passageway, over there,” Dan pointed.
“Kay, thanks.” She left, and I was happy our plan was finally taking action.
And yes, the bathroom was our plan.
15 minutes later, Rikki still wasn’t back from the bathroom. I was wondering what she was doing.
“Where the hell is she?” Dan asked. “James will be getting back soon!”
“Let me see,” I said. “I’ll find her.”
I walked down to where the bathroom was. When I opened the door, the smell of feces and piss hit me. Also, I thought I smelled something . . . dead?
 I walked along. “Rikki? Did you get the gun?”
I saw her shoes in one of the stall doors. “Rikki? Why aren’t you answering me?”
I opened the unlocked stall to see a gun on the floor, and Rikki’s dead body.