I was pulled back. A wet rag went over my face. I could barely breathe as it was but things were about to get a lot worse. They began pouring water over the top. The assholes were waterboarding me.
There is no way to explain what it’s like except that you are slowly drowning. Every time I would catch my breath, more water would rush over my face. I was coughing and spluttering as they brought me back up and ripped the wet rag off me. I blinked hard, trying to catch a breath so I could tell them that I wasn’t the enemy, but it was useless. The clothes weren’t exactly working in my favor.
They tipped me three times. All the while I could hear them doing the same to Jess, Izzy, and no doubt the others. I wasn’t going to die at the hands of someone who I didn’t even know. I held my breath on the next rotation and when I came back I shouted one name.
“Wren.”
They paused.
“What did you say?”
“I want to speak to Wren.”
Now if you thought that was my ticket out of this hellish Guantánamo Bay nightmare, it wasn’t. That’s when the fists started. Thankfully it didn’t last long. Finally they stopped but only when commanded to.
“That’s enough.”
I spat a big glob of blood onto the floor and they pulled back the light so I could finally see who was giving me a smackdown.
“How do you know Wren?”
“I knew Birdy.”
“Knew?”
I cast a glance to my right and to my astonishment I noticed that Tanner and his three men weren’t anywhere to be seen. The only ones besides me were Ben, Baja, Elijah, and the two girls.
“Where did they go?” I asked.
“Who? There’s more of you?” one of them asked.
I shook my head, trying my hardest to figure out what that smell was. It smelled like cigar smoke and fries.
“How do you know Birdy?” a female voice asked but I couldn’t see her.
I was given another smack on the side of the face. “Answer her!”
“Rowan, that’s enough.” The muscular guy who was enjoying giving me a good licking was tall, strong, with cropped hair and the one smoking the cigar. I peered past him to see a girl step out of the darkness. She was wearing a black leather jacket, tight black jeans, combat boots and had long light hair.
“You were saying…” she began.
“He told me to find someone by the name of Wren, is that you?”
She didn’t confirm or deny.
“Did he have a message?”
“No.”
“Where is he?”
My eyes dropped.
She looked at the man they called Rowan.
“I say we kill them now,” Rowan brought up a Glock. His finger shifted near the trigger.
“Look, we are not like them. We were brought in a few days ago. Birdy showed me what they’re doing.”
“So let me guess, you are here to let us know that everything is dandy now? Please, let me end him now.”
“Stand down,” the girl said. Rowan scowled and then walked away.
“I don’t expect you to believe me. If I was in your shoes, I would probably put a bullet in us too but I’m telling the truth.”
“You said there were others with you, where are they?”
I scanned the room. “I don’t know. There were three others in our group and another nine.”
“We took care of the other nine.”
I swallowed hard.
“Put the rags back over them.”
“No. Hey.” We tried to stop them but she had made up her mind. Thrown back into darkness we were dragged to our feet and led out. I tried to figure out where we were being taken but all I could see was the ground. I was pretty sure they led us around in circles a bit to disorient us before we were thrown into the back of a truck and driven away.
When they finally tossed us out, we heard them drive away. It was silent except for the rustling of one of us.
“Baja?”
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“Ben.”
One by one we let the others know we were still there. The skin around my wrists ached from the zip ties. I didn’t waste any time getting out of them. I pushed my hands underneath my feet and stood up. Then tugging on the
There is no way to explain what it’s like except that you are slowly drowning. Every time I would catch my breath, more water would rush over my face. I was coughing and spluttering as they brought me back up and ripped the wet rag off me. I blinked hard, trying to catch a breath so I could tell them that I wasn’t the enemy, but it was useless. The clothes weren’t exactly working in my favor.
They tipped me three times. All the while I could hear them doing the same to Jess, Izzy, and no doubt the others. I wasn’t going to die at the hands of someone who I didn’t even know. I held my breath on the next rotation and when I came back I shouted one name.
“Wren.”
They paused.
“What did you say?”
“I want to speak to Wren.”
Now if you thought that was my ticket out of this hellish Guantánamo Bay nightmare, it wasn’t. That’s when the fists started. Thankfully it didn’t last long. Finally they stopped but only when commanded to.
“That’s enough.”
I spat a big glob of blood onto the floor and they pulled back the light so I could finally see who was giving me a smackdown.
“How do you know Wren?”
“I knew Birdy.”
“Knew?”
I cast a glance to my right and to my astonishment I noticed that Tanner and his three men weren’t anywhere to be seen. The only ones besides me were Ben, Baja, Elijah, and the two girls.
“Where did they go?” I asked.
“Who? There’s more of you?” one of them asked.
I shook my head, trying my hardest to figure out what that smell was. It smelled like cigar smoke and fries.
“How do you know Birdy?” a female voice asked but I couldn’t see her.
I was given another smack on the side of the face. “Answer her!”
“Rowan, that’s enough.” The muscular guy who was enjoying giving me a good licking was tall, strong, with cropped hair and the one smoking the cigar. I peered past him to see a girl step out of the darkness. She was wearing a black leather jacket, tight black jeans, combat boots and had long light hair.
“You were saying…” she began.
“He told me to find someone by the name of Wren, is that you?”
She didn’t confirm or deny.
“Did he have a message?”
“No.”
“Where is he?”
My eyes dropped.
She looked at the man they called Rowan.
“I say we kill them now,” Rowan brought up a Glock. His finger shifted near the trigger.
“Look, we are not like them. We were brought in a few days ago. Birdy showed me what they’re doing.”
“So let me guess, you are here to let us know that everything is dandy now? Please, let me end him now.”
“Stand down,” the girl said. Rowan scowled and then walked away.
“I don’t expect you to believe me. If I was in your shoes, I would probably put a bullet in us too but I’m telling the truth.”
“You said there were others with you, where are they?”
I scanned the room. “I don’t know. There were three others in our group and another nine.”
“We took care of the other nine.”
I swallowed hard.
“Put the rags back over them.”
“No. Hey.” We tried to stop them but she had made up her mind. Thrown back into darkness we were dragged to our feet and led out. I tried to figure out where we were being taken but all I could see was the ground. I was pretty sure they led us around in circles a bit to disorient us before we were thrown into the back of a truck and driven away.
When they finally tossed us out, we heard them drive away. It was silent except for the rustling of one of us.
“Baja?”
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“Ben.”
One by one we let the others know we were still there. The skin around my wrists ached from the zip ties. I didn’t waste any time getting out of them. I pushed my hands underneath my feet and stood up. Then tugging on the
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