American Horror Story: Stolen Abroad

[True North]

Stolen Abroad Chp. 1 - Taken Souls

PAH! clik. PAH! clik PAH! Bullets could be heard firing from several guns' chambers from outside a rugged building that stood beside several other similar buildings in rows and columns. A merciless storm flooded down upon the area and drowned out most of the faint cries and high pitched screams of human suffering. Thunder clapped deafeningly above and caused jagged bolts of blue lightning to light up the dreary sky. Each flash of the storm lit up the area that resembled that of an abandoned Nazi concentration camp. The sounds of helpless screams proved that this place had been reclaimed and put back into use. Barbed fences surrounded the entirety of the unsettling location that seemed to be surrounded by thick and twisted looking woods. There was a dark dirt road that ran from the main fenced entrance on the west side of the camp and continued down the center of the unsettling looking forest. PAH! PAH! clik. PAH! A loud shrilling, high pitched scream of a woman would pierce all ears from within the barrack. "Cut it out of her head ALREADY." A scratchy voice of a man in his late twenties demanded as he choked on a laugh that would make anyone's stomach churn, because of what was taking place. The sound of hoarse laughter from a woman could be heard among the cries and sickening moans from inside. Busting through the metal barrack doors, was a group of people dressed in dark worn clothes that one might see in the 40's or 50's and the group wore oddly shaped jester hats atop their heads. With them were regularly dressed human beings who were violently forced into the sour, diseased smelling barracks bound by the hands. Fourty or so naked and barely clothed filth covered humans were shoved into tiny manmade bunks that were constructed from old horse stalls. All that was heard from the ones from the stalls were frightening moans and gurgled weeping. When the new captives were brought inside, they were chained to a thick unbreakable rail on one end of the room and other terrified captives, who had been there longer, were chained on a rail on the other side across the room. Their eyes were wide with shock and some men were rattling their chains in order to try and break free from the rail in an outrage.

"Shut them up." One of the black dressed men ordered to another who was standing near the rebellious captives. The man standing closest to the rail of men making the loud racket pointed his gun at the first captive man's knees. PAH! PAH! The impact of the bullets caused the tops of the man's knees to erupt into a bloody raw sight. He did the same to the other man's knees and they both scrambled in a pool of each other's blood in immense pain. The sight caused a woman who was also chained to the same rail to scream in shock and she began to panic, but could not get free no matter how hard she struggled. "We're called to meet. Don't cripple the rest for now." The man who ordered the shooting said. Most of the darkly dressed, cruel people left the barracks except one or two who stood outside to guard the doors. "If I don't return with news within the hour, continue what they started. Shoot the knee caps and cut out the tongues. All of them." The man's words could be heard from those inside the barrack and then he left and there was dead silence from outside. On the ground within the barracks, a blood stained pile of wet and shriveling tongues could be seen near the corner of the room. All that could be heard were the sorrowful groans non-stop within the room and it would be hard to even speak over all the noise. The same thing was happening within most of the other barracks and new captives were separated inside those buildings too. Blood covered the floor and some of the people within the splintered, wooden bunks reached their arms out for help toward the unharmed captives who would soon meet the same fate. The tormented people shoved tight within the bunks were practically skin and bones with some of their bones piercing through the flesh. The salty and nauseating smell of wound infections bit the noses of the new captives who could do nothing but witness their reality in horror. "I can't die here. I'm pregnant." A blonde woman who witnessed the two men on her rail get shot cried. She looked to the other captives with pleading eyes and hoped they could help in some way. One of the men who had been shot in the knees passed out and the other leaned against the metal wall and stared off in shock. The thunder could be heard booming outside with rain hitting the roof in hard patters. A crippled woman in the bunks began wailing as the sound of immature, mocking laughter of children could be heard from the bunk wall. A stake was being driven through slit sized openings in the walls to pester and torment the people in the bunk further.

---

Foot steps could be heard from outside the barracks and the sound of the children running away was heard with more giggles. "We have a visitor." A familiar voice was heard outside. The man in charge, from earlier, returned and the barrack doors squealed open. In stepped the black dressed man with a crooked grin and beside him was a wiry haired old man with a deeply wrinkled face. The old man looked like a mad scientist... and that's nearly what he was. "You came to select some more guinea pigs?" The man said with a long winded chuckle. The scientist ignored his words and began to whistle in an indifferent manner as he walked down the first rail of chained captives. As he inspected their faces, he would snort habitually and the sound of him swallowing the mucus could be heard each time. He stopped in front of an Asian teenager boy and grinned revealing yellowy-brown stained teeth that caused a rank odor of bad breath to swivel up the boys nostrils.

"Him...and-and him and her too! I could do so much yes. So much I can do." The old man mumbled with an oddly sounding monotone voice. He was referring to the Asian boy and then pointed out a woman with dark ruby hair, and then a guy with dark, curly brown hair. A group of cultists unchained the three the scientist wanted and forced them out of the barrack. The scientist left with another sick and slimey sounding snort in which he swallowed before disappearing from the other captive's sights. The doors shut behind him and the scientist led the way down the rainy trail as the storm began to let up. Two cultists stood on each side of the three chosen chain gang and held automatic machine guns. If the captives attempted to run they'd be shot down instantly. The walk down the rainy trail would be a few minutes before they reached a old looking warehouse. Once inside, the chosen guinea pigs were chained to pipes in a pitched dark room and were left alone for the time being where they had time to talk.

Meanwhile, back at the barracks, two cultists were conversing with one another about the fate of the captives. "Chauncey changed his mind. He wants them alive and untouched still for right now. He needs one of em." The convo grew silent as the doors to the rusted and rugged building shut once more. Their convo could be heard continuing from outside faintly. The convo became hard to hear and then it started up again. "That's the eleventh one they tried. I heard she bit the last ones throat out." Brief laughter was shared between the cultists before the convo continued once more, "Better risk one of them dying than us." The cultist said referring to the captives within the camp. "He wants her taken care of no matter the cost." He then continued, "He'll send someone later tonight to select a new care taker for her."

 

[RiniPinja]

Rozalin kept her eyes closed as she heard the ghastly screams erupt from all around her. She tried hard to block them out; her teeth bit hard into her lips in concentration. Despite the taste of blood in her mouth, she didn't lax her jaw, in fact, she hardly even noticed. The cries of the people she came in with were deafening, and the smell of the room was revolting enough to make her body want to add to it.

She thought she knew what she was getting into. From the shadows and the echoes of the wind, she had heard of dark rumors of the place - of what would be in store for her. She thought she took heed of them, but obviously, she did not take as much consideration or caution as she should. And now she's trapped in the goddamn hell hole.

After the shots finished firing, she finally pried opened her eyes. She had to assess the situation - that was the only way she could survive. Her eyes drifted to the pathetic people around her, who were squirming and wiggling, trying their best to get out of their chains. Stupid idea, she thought to herself, that'll only cause unnecessary pain to your wrists. And sure enough, she could see the chains biting into their skin, agitating the panicked minds of the people even further. She continued on, and her eyes drifted to the unfortunate unconscious man on the ground near her. The blood kept on flowing down his skin, and she quickly averted her eyes again. That's like… She didn't let herself finish her thought.

She didn't allow herself to even glance in the direction of the warm fleshy goo in the corner.

In the cold air, she shivered. She realized her clothes were gone, and her skin was left to the elements of the filth around her. She tried to pull her legs in closer, avoiding what she can only assume were dark red dirt marks on the floor and walls around her. At least, she tried to imagine they were dirt marks, but she knew that was just naive to think. She then looked up to see the veterans of this nightmare. She closed her eyes briefly at the sight, and tried to keep her cool.

How am I not going to become one of them? She thought to herself. But despite her mental cogs whirling, she had a difficult time keeping up with the task at hand. The children. The wails. The smell. The desperation. The pain. Her mind kept on spinning out of control: it was so hard to simply think.

~~~
​

Rozalin both hated and appreciate the repulsive man. She met people like him before - disgusting filth that enjoyed themselves a little too much when surrounded by the scenes of hell – and she knew that despite his disturbing appearance, it was a good sign that she was being taken away from the disease ridden room. At least she would not become a part of those withering pile of skin and bones, right?

Though… She silently thought to herself as she looked up at the man's back, who knows if the next destination is any better than this…


And besides, a little walk in the rain was actually a comfort. Even if the rain was as cold as ice and stung whatever exposed skin it could, Rozalin welcomed the feeling. It felt like she was being washed clean from the fresh stomach-churning memories of what she was forced to witness. Also, she had no idea when she'll get the chance to wash up as such again.

During the walk, she examined the two other persons chosen with her. They were both younger than her, so much younger. But, they were both male, and hopefully built enough to do any strength-related chores. She would need such if they ever plan on breaking out. Though, if we are pitted against each other, that might be a problem. She thought sullenly. She had heard of horror stories of human fights, and really, she wouldn't be surprised if this was a case. Everyone here certainly seemed sadistic enough.

Though, she doubted it. The hideous creature before look and sounded like a mad scientist. As if I would let him touch my skin, she bitterly thought. The thought of the wrinkled, slimy hands touching hers… It sent shivers down her spine, and not the good kind of shivers either.

The rest of the walk was rather quiet – another warm welcome, as it was a break from the noise in the barracks. She thought a lot about the situation at hand the entire walk. It wasn't long until they were once again tied up in a room. This time though, it was different. Instead of loudness, they met with silence. Instead of scenes of torture and disgrace, they met with scenes of absolutely nothing.

The only thing she could hear was the breathing of the other 2 boys around her. For a while, she was silent. Did she want to talk to them? Or would they just be stupid people that would be loud, noisy, and try to do more humiliating attempts to escape? She really did not want any more headaches, and she certainly did not want to deal with sniveling, humiliating people.

But then again, they could prove to be assets. They might have some special abilities that allow them to understand their surroundings more than she could. But the chance…

She sighed, it was a gamble she had to take. Finally, she spoke up, "Hello? Do you two know what's around you?" She asked first. She too, tried to use her legs and free hand to get a feel of her surroundings. Maybe, just maybe, they could all feel for some sort of item that might help them in any way.

 

[Twilight Starseeker]

I don't know what happened. One moment I was with my tour group, touring some ruins and boredly analyzing the actions of our attractive but preppy blonde tour guide. Then suddenly, the next, everything just blacks out. [spoili]When I come to again, the harsh sounds of gunfire is assaulting my ears as I'm pushed along in the dark. With its proximity, it's so loud, it minus well be as deafening as the thunder outside. I blank out again. [/spoili]

Waking up in cold sweat, I look around at my new, unwelcoming surroundings. I'm certainly wishing I didn't wake up. The smell hits me hard, so disgusting I feel like upheaving whatever I'd eaten last. After my ears finish ringing from the gunfire, I hear the wailing of a woman and look over blearily to see a naked woman's tongue being cut out by some men in black wearing strange jester hats incongruent to the situation. My eyes widen a fraction. What… Where am I? Where is this madhouse? I think to myself. It certainly couldn't be a dream, it was much too realistic for that. I continue to try to get my bearings, looking around, and ignoring the wailing woman.

My eyes begin to wander and I see… what looks to be a pile of tongues in a corner nearby. Were they in need of these tongues for some reason? Continuing, I see that some people just sit there, all light of hope gone from their eyes. Others yell and cry, trying to break free of their shackles to no avail. Their actions are futile, useless. A waste of effort. When I see nothing but torture and agony of the chained, naked people around me, I turn to examine myself and realize that I too, am naked and chained to a rail. It's like we're animals, I realize in horror. At this thought, everything is put into perspective and the pieces click together in a coherent manner in my head.

No. I think to myself, I'm no simple animal. Surely I still have the animalistic needs that come along with living, but I am a fully capable, sane, cognizant human being. And I am getting out of this place. One way or another. No matter how long it might take... or how many others I may have to kill along the way to do it.

It's then, as if triggered by my violent thoughts, that another round of gunfire shoots out and louder screams of agony resonate throughout the barracks. They're shooting the knees of two men. Ah, it makes sense now... to leave behind no evidence. That's the reasoning. Whatever these people here have seen is not meant to leave this place. Their tongues are cut so they can't inform others and so as to prevent escape, their knees are blown out. Hmm... quite brilliant, though most decidedly sadistic. I mean, of course, I don't want such things happening to me, but this system was the easiest, most uncomplicated way of dealing with such problems [spoili](though of course, illegal and inhumane, but what the government doesn't know or pretends not to know...)[/spoili]. They probably don't see the people here as more than mere objects or chattel either...

I hear the strangely dressed men with the guns talking. Hm, a meet? Meeting? For what? My mind reeled with curiosity, creating an itch that I currently lacked the resources to scratch. [spoili]I considered making an illusion to distract them and try to escape, but I decided that said efforts wouldn't be worth it. I would just be uselessly pulling at my chains like all these other useless creatures anyways. Moreover, there was the promise of momentary safety from the guards' talk. There wouldn't be any more crippling until after the meeting-... an hour or less and they would be back. I sighed, hopes dashed so suddenly.[/spoili]

I decide to look around more, to see if there's other sane people left in this madhouse besides me. Closest to me, I see no one. There are some that seem to be aware and in shock, though not insane yet, but as I listen, I realize that amongst the moans of agony, my voice would drown and not reach the ears of the sane. [spoili]A woman nearby cries out for help, justifying that it's not fair for her to die because she's pregnant. At the thought, my anger spikes. Firstly, it's rude of her to think that simply because she's pregnant her life suddenly has more significant and that she should be more privileged than everyone else. In other words, she's using guilt of others to try and better herself. It's sick that she would flaunt such a status around. If she truly cared for her unborn child, she would keep her mouth shut unless provoked directly. The men with guns could get a sadistic urge and shoot her stomach after all. In fact, I would welcome and encourage their actions to do so. Her wailing was especially annoying...[/spoili]

My building frustration at the pitiful mental and physical states of the people here begins to give me a headache. I sigh a bit to myself. This certainly wasn't getting me anywhere. Perhaps-

Suddenly, there's maniacal laughter of children as a wooden stake stabs through the wall beside me, grazing my shoulder and drawing blood. Nearby, a similar stake does the same, this time, impaling someone in the gut. I quickly pull away from the wall, looking at it, and see that there are small slit sized openings where the stakes are coming out from. [spoili]I chuckle darkly to myself, Lovely... we get the choice of being shot and mutilated from the front or being pierced in the back by the stakes of violent children with the temperament from the Nightmare Before Christmas...[/spoili] I could simply slide over and sit on top of the dead body next to me, using their body as a buffer or shield against the stakes, but unfortunately, they're not fat or thick enough to block the stakes anyways. At that, I decide to warily keep my distance from the walls...

With all the mental distress I've gone through and shock, it seems that I've gotten tired. I glance down at the bloody floor... and decide to lay on it despite how it makes me want to vomit. I'll be needing sleep if I'm to get out of this mess, so I force myself to think that it's terrible smelling koolaid and fall asleep to the symphony no, cacophany of tortured groans...

~~~​

I wake up for the third time to a commotion. Sitting up from my bloody puddle bed, I hear the devil children giggling... something about... a visitor? This piques my interest. Only someone truly mad would want to voluntarily visit such a hell hole. Why would he come here? Was he looking for someone to take away from here? Perhaps he would pick me if I attract his attention? I frantically and eagerly look around, awaiting the stranger- Then stop as I realize that I'm following the exact same mentality as everyone here: a trapped animal. That wouldn't attract attention at all. [spoili]So I stop my gawking and close my eyes, taking in a deep breath- then start coughing and gagging. I should find a new way of calming down in this situaton...[/spoili]

Instead of begging for attention like the rest of the people, I sit calmly as I quietly observe the visitor. Perhaps by acting differently and sitting still, it would be more noticeable than all the others who are begging, groveling, and screaming nonsense. When the two men walk into the room, I'm not surprised at their strange, sinister appearances. One looked mad and the other looked like an illegal doctor who conducted inhumane experiments. The doctor- or scientist seems really old as he hacks out phlegm.

When he approached an asian boy, he shows off his rows of stained teeth. [spoili]Ah, I suppose he couldn't afford dentures or simply liked to intimidate people with his bad hygiene. Whatever the case, I'm glad I wasn't the one experiencing his bad hygiene up my nose first hand.[/spoili] When he picks out me next, I'm surprised. Despite my planning, I wasn't expecting to be taken. I guess it's good luck- or maybe bad, depending on what he wanted to do with us- that we were all part of the new batch.

As we're lead out of the bunker, the open air is welcomed into my lungs[spoili],though certainly the rain wasn't. It left a sour taste on my tongue like the terrible acids did in chemistry class. I spit it out onto the ground as we're walking, not wanting to take the risk that it would upset my stomach later[/spoili]. Looking around from the corner of my eyes, I see that we're walking in a forest. Even if we escaped the barracks, who's to know if we would survive anyways...

In the pitch black warehouse, a feminine voice rings out across the floor to my left. I'm happy to know that there's another sane person here, though she worded her question a bit strangely. Maybe she's a foreigner? I sigh and answer,

"I can see all the horrors around us flashing behind my eyelids, but I can't quite comprehend where we are or why this is happening, miss." I pause for a moment, "Do either of you have an idea why we're here? What's your stories? Perhaps there's a connection as to why we've been captured."

 

[ch0sen1]

The dark and brooding sky emits a flash of light upon the dreary land. Rain thumps down against cobblestone ground and marshed land with extreme prejudice. The clatter of precipitation with the thunderous roar of the clouds above sends a distraught Sharon scurrying back and forth in the small inn that she's currently holed up in. She constantly looks at her gold rolex watch wondering when the onslaught of mother nature will subside. She was supposed to have joined a tour group earlier today investigating some old ruins around the area, but the weather had delayed her flight and caused her to get into town late, where she has been stuck there for a few hours. Sharon sighs as the day evades her gradually.

"Great...scuse' me sir, when do ya think tha next transit will be?"

The innkeeper just stares at Sharon, not saying a word. Pulled skin covers the right side of his face as does a dead white eye. Creepy. Sharon didn't care, she lived for the small and surreal differences in life. After no response, Sharon takes her two suitcases and heads up the stairs back into her room. She unlocks the door and opens it again. This wasn't supposed to happen. Sharon grunts as she plops on the bed. She was supposed to be staying at a much nicer hotel on the other side of town, but the transit only took her to this area, where old fashioned folk and 19th century style buildings filled the district. She kicks off her high heeled boots and checks her phone. Extremely low signal. She had a ton of messages and a few missed calls from her parents. Mostly friends and teammates, but she decides to call her parents first.

"Hello....yeessir....I'm fine jus' stuck ina small hotel...our flight got delayed...yes I'm fine I promise....say what? You're breaking up...unkay. Tell ma I luv her...kay, see ya."

THWOMP!!!

Sharon jerks as a loud thud hits the window as rain pours down. Flickers of flashing light illuminate the dark room with an aura of blue. Sharon slowly creeps up towards the window and attempts to look out, but her vision is tainted due to the heavy rain. She focuses her sight on what seems to be a dark figure in the small street, but she can't tell for sure. She squints harder and places her hands on the glass, as a bolt of lightning strikes right in front of the window and cracks a loud sound of impact in spilt seconds. Sharon yelps to the top of her lungs as she instinctively jumps back onto the bed and curls up.

"JESUS...!!!!!"

The still and dusk air develops a burning smell as the smoke and brim from outside begins to rise and seep through the tiniest crevices of the window. Sharon rises slowly and moves to turn the lamp light on....nothing. The lightning strikes the power completely out as she can see through the window not a single source of light exists in the square anymore.

"Uggggghhhhh!!!!!"

Sharon grabs her phone flashlight and starts to kick on her boots again to head down into the lobby area to get help from the innkeeper. Just as she opens her room door, she thinks about how in every horror movie the dumb girl goes to investigate a creepy dark hotel and ends up dead. Sharon shakes her head and locks the door back as she makes her way to the hotel directory lines.

"Fuck dat."

She uses her phone flashlight to shine it on the list of phone directories and dials down to the main lobby with her cell phone. The phone takes what seems like endless moments to connect as it finally rings and Sharon takes a seat on the bed. The receiver picks up, however the other end of the phone remains silent.

"Hello?"
"........."
"Hello...?"
".............................................."
"Scuse' me sir?"

And then she thought: The power's out....so are the phones....then how did it pick up? Before she could process the thought, a song begins to play on the phone:

Sharon's breathing increases and gets hitched as her heart drops. She gets the feeling that something's going on. She's not alone...that eerie feeling of walking and knowing something else is there watching. The hairs behind her neck stands up, her intuition kicks in with one thought and message, and one only.

RUN.

Sharon Beth

 

[RiniPinja]

Rozalin stretched out to feel behind her, beside her, in front of her, using her bare feet to try to feel everything in her immediate surroundings. She was only met with cold, rough surfaces that seemed to be coated in slimes, or other various strange substances. At every encounter, she quickly withdrew her hands and proceeded to the next area. She tried hard not to linger about the possible identities of the different substances, though at every touch, the thoughts kept creeping up on her.

At one of the boy's answers, she sighed. He knew less than she did; he won't be very helpful informational wise, which, when she thought about it, isn't actually surprising. Although, there is a chance that he could just be playing victim, he sounded genuinely determined to figure out what was happening.

She debated telling them the truth herself. But, when she thought about it, she realized quickly that the strangers would grow very distrustful of her if she answered truthfully. After all, a person with any sort of association with her job is considered as a 'bad' and 'shady' person automatically by the public – not that she blames them. They were right.

So, how about keeping quiet and just allow the two boys to talk amongst themselves? No, that may lead to the same sort of results as the previous plan, and it's not as if she can just play off passing out – she just asked them a question! So, the only option left… Lying through her teeth.

"I don't know." She answered shakily, her voice showing hints of confusion and fear. "I was walking down the street, and the next thing I know, I… I was waking up… at that…" She didn't finish her sentence, which implied that the horrible nightmares of their previous area were too fresh to bring up. This certainly wasn't too far from the truth, especially her inability to mention where she woke up, so lying was much easier than she expected (which is saying something).

She closed her eyes, trying to think of anything else that would be able to help out with their circumstances, but not compromise the truth. "They were wearing… matching outfits… Which indicates, this is more than just a sadistic action. They're planning something – either selling us, or using us in some sort of… activity." She concluded, unsure how the two boys would react to the information she just gave them. Hopefully they will not freak out too badly – although, she has to admit, the thought of people trafficking was an awful one. Even she stayed away from those markets. "And you two?"

 

[Melia]

It had been quite some time since Sophia LaFonte had been scared, and right now, she was positively terrified. The series of events that had lead her to this place had been strange, but this place was stranger still. Sophia had sensed a calling to a forest. Somehow she had felt such a strong urge to photograph birds in this particular forest. Birds were her favorite, though Thomas had preferred to photograph people. And such strange and unique birds she found there! Birds she had never seen before. Birds she had never even read about. Surely she had stumbled upon a vast number of new species. It was all very exciting. But as she went deeper into the forest, she began to notice strange things showing up in her pictures. Things that she couldn't see with her naked eye. She tried to follow these things, purposely taking pictures in the places she had seen them last. And suddenly the sweet calling she had felt coming into the forest, turned to dread, and then she knew that what had called her here had been no more than a lure. It was a trap. And the moment she realized it, they were upon her. It had been some kind of advanced voodooism or other black magic to have tricked Sophia, for she was well rehearsed in the subjects, growing up Cajun.

And now she was here in some terrible place. Effrayant (Frightening). It was dark, and she found herself chained to a rail, next to others who had also been similarly captured, though she did not yet know their stories. There was a terrible pungent odor in the air but the place was dark and it was hard to see. What she could make out reminded her awfully of the conditions her ancestors had suffered centuries ago. While it had been her initial thought that she had had the dreadful misfortune to stumble upon a place that had yet to advance out of slave trade, looking around there were details that suggested that this place was in fact, much much worse. While her ancestors had been treated like cattle, here it seemed torture was a thing of pleasure to her captors as well. It would be a miracle not to go mad in such a place. So much bad JuJu was in the air. It was easy to tell those who had been here for some time, naked, and thin as rails, packed like sardines into rows and rows of bunks. Human beings, degraded to lying in their own filth, rotting alive. Those that were newer here still had clothes, but barely. Already they had little fat on their bones, and everyone seemed to be losing their hair from lack of nutrition or stress. Sophia dreaded she would soon be like them. It was an unescapable fate she had been brought here, and now she must make the best of it.

Beyond the sound of thunder and the rain clattering loudly on the metal roof of the barrack she and the others occupied, gunshots could be heard, and their firing triggered screams and moans of the people around her. "Mon Dieu..." Sophia whispered to herself. So much fear and madness in these poor souls. Would she become as such herself? She watched in horror as guards walked down the rows of bunks, the crack of a whip occasionally being heard above the wailing and the cries and once or twice gun shots within her bunker. Outside, children could be heard laughing. Such young children, and they poked stakes through the slat openings, prodding and wounding those unfortunate enough to be lying or sitting against a wall. The children did so with mirth.

What a tragic and terrible place. It broke Sophia's heart to know innocent children had been so manipulated to find amusement in le supplice (torment). Silent tears ran down her face as she mourned the better lives for every single person here. The guards left and she prayed silently, her faith being her greatest comfort now. She knew no matter how much harm could come to her, so long as she had faith, her soul was protected, and that was all that mattered. She prayed for strength and courage, sympathy and empathy, peace of mind and the ability to help those around her. She needed her faith now more than ever.

Around her the cries and moans were nearly unbearable. It was difficult to concentrate on her prayers with such sounds surrounding her. She must practice great discipline of the mind. Even so, she wanted to do what she could for those around her. She could distract herself, but could she help distract others from their pain, if only for a little while? So she did the best she could. She opened her mouth and sang for everyone in the room. Her voice was smooth, like warm caramel, and rang with the clarity of the bells of Notre Dame.

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we've first begun."​

 

[neptune]

The days had started to blur together, wetly congealing with the recent downpour outside into one long, hellish nightmare with no end in sight. It was hard to guess how long he had been there, whether it be a week or two, or closer to a month, but John Wyatt's hope of ever leaving this makeshift homage to a Nazi concentration camp was beginning to falter. There were other people in the barracks as well, some looking worse for wear, close to death as they had clearly been there longer than he and some of the other captives. John was frightened, terrified of ending up like them, sullen and slack-jawed, emaciated down to their bones with a look in their eyes that said they had died long ago, even if they did continue to breathe. Waiting for death had to be the most unsettling part about the whole ordeal, that in the back of his mind, he knew that it was coming for him and everyone else who was housed in the same location—dying wasn't a matter of if, but a question of when and how.

Outside, the rain continued to come down heavily, pelting the roof of the barracks in a musical way that was almost soothing, for it drowned out the ever-constant cadence of moans and groans from the other prisoners. There were so many bodies pushed together in the dark, shackled to the rail with one another like so many disobedient dogs. John couldn't help but wonder what all of it was for, what they were doing there, and if the kidnappings had served any kind of purpose. Thinking logically, trying to solve the mystery was John's way of coping, trying to remain calm so that he didn't have a hysterical fit like so many of the others around him. He didn't want to show his weakness, didn't want to let on that he was frightened or worried, but the pressure of it all was starting to crack him.

There was little light inside of the barracks, and whatever did manage to float in was always dingy and depressing, clouded over with dust. The smell inside was an indescribable rot, a sickening mixture of body fluids, sweat and terror that hung heavily in the air, humid and thick in a way that a person could almost (unfortunately) taste it. Infections ran rampant through the crowd, old wounds that refused to heal, yellow with pus and gaping and they came from the most simple things—a splinter, the metal chains that dug into tender skin—John had stopped pulling at his ages ago, not wanting to add injury to the insulting way he had already been treated. And finally, there was a pile of something in the corner, fleshy and wet, decaying into a pink sludge that would forever stain the floor. John wasn't sure what it was, but he had the uneasy feeling that it was human.

Between a few claps of thunder, gunshots rang out, plain and clear as day and John wondered which faceless soul had just lost their life. In a way, he was envious because at least they got to be done with this place, free while the rest of them continued to suffer. It was hard to tell what was going on outside between the rain and the disturbing giggle of small children, their sponge-like minds manipulated into thinking that torture was as delightful as a game of hopscotch. Toward the front of the bunk, the doors finally opened and in walked more men, hooded and menacing as they walked along, selecting people for something; John just hoped it wasn't him. He held his breath as he was passed over, thanking every god that he could remember off of the top of his head. He'd rather stay in the toxic air of the barracks than go anywhere with those men, sure that more horror awaited the sad three who had been chosen. It was no honor.

The door closed behind them as they left, and John shook his head. He could still hear bits and pieces of a conversation over the rain and thunder, but the words of those in charge meant nothing to him—he had no information, he could put nothing together. The weight of captivity was sometimes crushing, but there in the dark, a woman across from him began to sing. He picked his head up and watched her, listened as her angelic voice filled the barracks and for the entirety of her song, everyone else was silent. Her voice was a warm blanket, a new shard of hope that said there was still joy in their world, that not everything had been corrupted.

"That was beautiful," John said after the woman had finished. His own brown eyes were holding back tears, which he would have found silly at any other time in his old life, but he currently couldn't find it in himself to care. "Thank you." Whoever she was, John was selfishly glad she was there.

 

[❖iSengoku❖]

(press play and plug in headphones to get the full experience)

It was dark and bloomie, Wind was breaking against hard surfaces around my position. Silence, pray, I am one with the shadows.. till i realized that my eyes were merely closed and so i opened them, doing so i was eager to see my surroundings. People were sitting around me in chains of some sort, it was odd, what was i doing here? Of course i didn't show my emotions then, even when that slimy and ugly scientist got in my face, i was never the one to show my real emotion since my mental health is unstable.

Looking around more carefully i noticed that i was the youngest in the room, it was then that i realized that the worst was yet to come. A select few of us was to be picked out by this weird scientist for reasons unknown, Not too long after we were stood up and walked out of the room, into the rain and into some kind of weird and dark place. The rain was a bit gloomy, however besides the melancholy situation i was rather relaxed and calm, I was even already figuring a way out.

We arrived at the dark room and thus we were tied up independently, everyone was stripped naked, although they might have been before i didn't care to notice till now. The situation was rather erotic at some limits, it was weird and regardless of the repeated thought of things being weird it only gotten weirder when i felt a slight tingling satisfaction or rather should i say.. pleasure, seeing others clothes off near the disgusting blood.. wait.. was it disgusting? I then suddenly realized that i wasn't getting pleasure from the live erotica.. i was getting pleasure from the sight of blood.

The two people whom looked similar to cultists in a sort walked to me and was immediately denied service of my clothes being ripped apart, i was even lucky enough to keep my goggles. It was weird.. was it possible that the scientist found a similarity memory of the sight of the goggles i was wearing? I was not to be detained with such imagery or thought, i needed to conversate with the others to determine a escape plan. Hearing the nonstop panic that was happening i decided to simply close my eyes for a second to become one with my Zen, the balance between yin and yang needed to be balanced at this point, however then i heard a response that was really questionable..

"I don't know." This girl answered to some sort of question that she was presented with, Immediately i opened my eyes slightly and turning my head towards the girl i realized a off put fragment to her stance, It was clear to me that she was lying, Although she kept on showing obvious signs i realized that she was lying from the start. I was intelligent enough to see a liar when i see one and so i raised my head, the cling of the metal edge liner that was connected to my orange goggles hit my chest slightly but with enough force to make a small sound. Shadows covered my eyes and my hair covered most of my eyes, my hair clips weren't on me and perhaps they could've fell on the ground near me. ''Why don't you tell the truth'' I said whilst tilting my head slightly to the right, ''It's clear that your a terrible liar, i mean look at you.. your shaking, your acting nervous and your voice.. haha, well its merely cracking with fear..''

I wasn't scared to confront these people, they were rather weaker in my opinion but i would suppose there were some semi strong people there.. Wait.. i was the youngest.. w-wait.. did i say that again. My mind was swirling into madness with the obvious pleasure of fear in the room, mmm it was sweet like sugar or cake. Stop! I needed to clear my mind and figure out a way out, truthfully if there are chairs, knives, blood, chains, and so forth it was clear to me that there has to be some way out. Looking to the left and right i noticed nothing but darkness till suddenly i felt a weak point with the chains that had tied my hands together. There was a large crack between the actual lock and chain that connected to it, perhaps i could bang it over the obvious desk behind me, it was obvious that there was a desk or at least a large and flat structure behind me because you can feel the cold aura literally flowing and gently brushing against my hands. Rocking back and forth in my chair i seemed to be able to bang the weak part of the chains against the flat structure behind me, repeatedly doing the chains finally broke in a matter of minutes, although it seemed like hours when performing the act. I was free from the melancholy chains that which tied me to a horrorish fate...​

 

[Twilight Starseeker]

I heard the squish of something- or rather someone sliding around to my left where I had first heard the woman's voice. [spoili]I had felt a gooey substance slide between my toes while I was passing over the spot earlier when we were entering... so either it was the woman or someone else in the warehouse with them. I was hoping it was the woman, but if it was her then…[/spoili] What was she doing moving around so much? Was she looking for something in particular? Or was she squirming helplessly and mindlessly?

At the thought of slime, an idea sprung up in my mind. Perhaps… we could use whatever this slimy substance was to help slip off our shackles. [spoili]It may not work and we may not want to know what the substance actually was, but it was worth a shot. Though, as far as I knew, the woman was the only one with access to it. Though maybe the Asian boy had some where he was as well. I'd be sure to ask him later when I brought up the suggestion after we'd been properly acquainted with each other.[/spoili]

At my response to her initial question, she sighed, seeming disappointed or perhaps depressed... Like when a child doesn't do something properly for their mother. I was unsure of which, in fact maybe it was a bit of both, but time would soon tell about her reaction as the pieces fell together.

At the woman's long silence in response to my inquiry, many questions sprung up in my mind. Why did she have to think about such simple answers? Was she planning how to say something complicated? Was she trying to evade my question? With the vagueness and shortness of her answer, suspicions swirled in my mind. [spoili]Though, one positive thing I picked up in her response was the fear and anxiety in her voice. I realized that whatever it was I said next, I should let similar emotions leak into my voice, otherwise I myself would seem suspicious.[/spoili]

I planned to question her actions more, but she changed the subject, making a comment that the people in matching black suits were probably planning something… organizing something together. Matching outfits... she was right. They probably were some sort of organization as deduced by their matching uniform...I hadn't come to that conclusion myself yet... but it definitely seemed logically plausible... this woman... she was a sharp one. [spoili]For now, I was unsure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Whichever it was, I definitely desired to have this woman on the same side that I was so that we could possibly team up together to get out of this mess. I couldn't see why she would be against the idea. Afterall, she seemed to want to escape this place as well... unless her fear was fabricated and she was working with the organization somehow. Though I highly doubted the second option… I wouldn't keep it out of the realms of possibilities. [/spoili]

Just as I was about to answer her rebuttal inquiry, there was a slight thumping noise to my right that echoed and resonated loudly. The asian boy, whom had been quiet all this time, seemingly out of it, had finally chosen to speak up. His voice was youthful and... terribly confident as he accused the woman of being a liar. Though she had been vague, she certainly, in my opinion, wasn't a terrible liar. [spoili]In fact, if I was in her situation and hiding something, I would also give a vague explanation if I was trying to buy myself more time to formulate my answer. [/spoili] I personally wouldn't have called her out on a bluff without more evidence.[spoili]As for the nervousness and fear in her voice that he accused her of faking, I didn't see how those emotions weren't understandable in our current situation. We were in a gruesome place. In fact, it was her fear and anxiousness that reminded me that when I answered my own question that I should follow in suit.[/spoili]

Before she could answer, there was a sudden, loud, feverish banging noise of metal against metal that rang out loudly across the room. What on earth was he doing?! Was he really like all those animals left inside the barracks and trying to randomly break through his chains? His irrational behavior nearly made me check him off the list of allies that I would like to have- but suddenly, there was a CLANG with a tone of finality that signified the end of this madness. Even if there was a chink in or weakness in the chains that he had somehow noticed in this pitch black darkness, he had to be able to see in the dark to find a surface to bang it on as well as be strong enough to break the chains at all in the first place. Crazy or not, he had abilities that would be useful to escape. Until that happened, I would put up with any other oddities that I would need to have him on my team.

"Hey... are you alright over there?" I ask the asian who had somehow gotten his shackles off. Though I was still curious about the "apparent" lie that the woman told, the more pressing matter was this strange boy who could possibly do something to help us out of our shackles. Then we could actually do some action rather than sitting here and talking about doing something.

 

[RiniPinja]

Rozalin felt her skin bristle lightly The boy flat out accused me of lying. And although, she knew it wasn't the truth, it technically wasn't lying – it was just leaving out extraneous details that she didn't feel like sharing quite at that moment. She let out a soft laugh - although in the echo-sounding room, it sounded more like a cough - as the boy tried to point out the weak points of her "lie." It's fine if he's suspicious of her, Rozalin's quite sure that everyone had some sense of doubts in their mind. After all, why were they chosen by that scientist? Or by this organization in general? They probably want something to do with the supposedly 'innocent civilians', but why did they pick their victims out in particular? It's probably in all of their minds - whether or not this was just a random kidnapping. And frankly, Rozalin thought, putting me in a suspicious light was the least of our worries; we needed to focus on escape.

Rozalin did not refute the boy's claims or try to change up her 'act'. After all, the fear was still very much alive in her chest. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't stop that deep primitive feeling from leaking into her voice, and her shivering was mainly due to the freezing cold. It's hard being naked in a damp room on a rainy day, after all.

Before Rozalin got a chance to answer, though, the boy suddenly began to make deafening noises. It sounded as if he was slamming metal against metal, and at every screech, she winced. She tried to speak up, "Stop!" but it only got drowned out in the continuous noise, so she stayed quiet. Instead, she used the loud noises as a cover. She also felt a strong throbbing pain forming in the front of her head, and she could only close her eyes tightly to try to fight off the impending headache.

Finally, FINALLY, there was a final crack – and she heard two metal clanks, which sounded like something metal fell from somewhere and landed on the ground. Was that his handcuffs? Did the boy really somehow manage to get out? Or did he just break something? She was about to speak up, to question him, but the other boy beat her to it.

If he was indeed free, she knew the boy would be getting up soon, to walk around and perhaps - once again rather vehemently - try to escape, but she just listened for him to answer before she decided it was best to ask him to help them do the same.

That's when she heard some noises coming from outside – from where she can only assume the door was.

The boy might be free, but he was in no position to protect himself from any of the organization if they decide to walk in. They may end up killing him, ending his rather short-lived life if they saw him out of his chains.

Rozaline hissed softly, hoping he'll heed her words, "Sit back down, boy. Put the cuffs back on and pretend they're restraining you." If she was wrong about the handcuffs, or if she was wrong about the noises, then they'll just think that she's out of my mind. But if she was right, then she hoped that his compliance would prevent them from witnessing some more unnecessary horrors. "Once they are gone, then you can prance around as much as you'd like if you do so quietly. "

 

[True North]

Heavy metal bolts kept the warehouse door locked from the outside. If the scientist's newly chosen "guinea pigs" were to somehow miraculously escape, they'd have to find another way out from the inside. There was a door at the right hand corner of the room that was barely visible in the darkness, but it became more noticeable when their eyes would adjust.

Also visible, once their eyes fully adjusted, was another presence in the room. In one of the corners, was what seemed to be an animal of some kind crouched there in a still manner. It's body seemingly rocking and watching the chained captives who were in the dark. The creature waddled in a unusual fashion to the center of the wall opposite of the captives and the sliding sound of metal could be heard.

A light from underneath the door crack in the right corner flipped on. Someone was in the other room and faint noises could be heard. There were footsteps and sounds of cracking like chicken bone.

---

Rieekchhh. The sound of a sharp blade dragging across glass was heard from outside Sharon's room. A machete was being drug across her window leaving a white scratch in the glass. The person wielding the long knife could not be seen, but there was someone out there for sure. A small knock could be heard at her room door and it suddenly began to open.

Whoever was trying to get in had a hotel key to get in all the rooms. A chain connected to the wall kept the door from opening all the way, but it was left cracked open and the sound of the pouring rain could be heard outside. Another small knock came at the door and then there was dead silence.

"Room service," A woman's low voice could be heard at the door. There was silence again.

Sching! The chain keeping the door locked was easily cut into by a swift, downward swing of the machete and the door began to push open.

---

A stake plunged through one of the wall cracks near John and Sophia followed by the sound of adolescent laugher. Some of the jabs from the stake came close to them and they'd need to move if they wanted to avoid the harmful pokes. Sophia's singing was mocked by the children outside and they spit at the captives through the cracks in even more giggling laughter.

PAK! The sound of gun fire rang through the humid air accompanied by the frantic running of little feet. A small body could barely be seen dropping to the ground in the moon light through the cracks of the barrack walls.

"Get away from there! We don't need holes in them!" An older voice yelled. He ran over to see the child's body lying in the mud. "Damn it. I just get so angry." He murmured to himself as he drug the seemingly lifeless body away with little remorse.

 

[❖iSengoku❖]

It was clear that someone would die here, there was no way escaping this fact, however i knew that it wasn't going to be me whom would die here at least not now. bending down to run my hand over the cold surface of the ground i found my hair clips to which i brushed the left side of my hair bangs back then clipped them which revealed my left eye. It was clear that these other people were scared, their fear was obvious but to some extent. Seeing how much noise i made it wouldn't take long for some sort of armed guard enforcement to arrive so he had to act quick, however acting quick was a understatement to me. I ignored the faint laughter earlier but it seemed like a appropriate time then ever to address or display dominance over these people that seemed to be older then i was; It was weird enough that he felt no sort of fear at all but to have complete dominance or power of these people had turned the fate of the world, it was like i was the reaper and whom i decided to kill was upon my choosing. Whilst lifting my Goggles to my head and equipping them for further clearer vision i would remark that ''i was no one to be laughed at''. The goggles allowed me to see in the dark and these goggles were only one part of my secret training that i had to go threw when i was in school, however this was oddly perfectly relevant to the situation.

I was Reviewing and mentally documenting the surrounding till this girl spoke up towards me to which i ignored, although i might have listened to her thoughts of the situation it was rather reckless to give a stranger advice so early, it was humorous to me to see how most people could become so blind and blundered in situations that would be normally frightful. I noticed that there was a vertical pillar that seemed to be connected to the ground and ceiling, thus lead me to see a horizontal pillar to be connected to other sides of the ceiling; running to the vertical pillar i picked up a gas pipe that was leaning against it then i jumped towards the vertical pillar to which i hide the gas pipe inside my coat, then i extended my leg to which i bended upon impact then pushed which i extended my leg once more thus caused me to eject to the opposite side, lifting my hands up to catch the edge of the horizontal pillar i used my upper body strength to pull myself up to sit upon the top of the horizontal pillar. I was completely invisible to the naked eye, and whoever walked in was unable to find me unless that said person(s) had a light source. Taking out the gas pipe and resting it upon my shoulder i was to wait for someone to enter the said room, this reminded me of training where i was taught to strike when a opening presents itself.

Finally the door opened to which a small light was emitted from the outside, however it was not enough light to show my position it only shined upon the eyes of the people whom was sitting still hostage. Who was coming from the outside i wondered, tho it didn't make a difference they were going to die when they were completely inside and when the door was to be shut or at least shut enough so no one could see the brutal murder that was about to occur. I then thought to myself what i was going to do after whoever was to step foot inside dies, Was i going to free the hostages? or was i to leave them there? no, it wasn't in his nature to leave people when they needed help, however it was concerning that the girl was to mess things up in such a way that she might kill us all or perhaps she will try and lead us to which most likely be death. None the less, the thought of helping was just enough to free the others when he got the chance.

 

[neptune]

The few moments of peace that the woman's song had brought was soon interrupted, ripped away by the children and their sick games. A large stake had been stabbed through the cracks in the wall, the deadly object nearly spearing John's shoulder when it came through. Whatever fear he felt from the sudden intrusion was quickly replaced with rage when he heard the sound of their mocking chant and laughter outside. Still shackled to the wall, John wanted to wrap the chains around their necks and forever silence those hellish little bastards. The thoughts were startling, dark reflections that he never would have considered in his regular life, the time before the kidnappings. He swore at them, cursed them to hell as the heavy chains on his limbs rattled with each movement.

Another gunshot rang out through the air, followed by the sound of the children running away –their footfalls like a tiny stampede of elephants. John looked up, barely able to see through the cracks in the walls of the barracks, but he easily caught a glimpse, like a sign from above, of a small body falling to the ground. He smiled to himself; the man who had never actively tried to hurt anyone, who had never wished death on another person, was smiling at the image of a dead child.

"Had it coming," he decided, and then looked away. A wave of shame washed over him as he fully realized his actions, and John didn't dare look back toward the woman across from him. She probably thought that he was a monster, no better than the people who were keeping them prisoner. Something had broken inside of him in that moment, a resolve that he had been hiding behind, something that made John's world a little less black and white and a little more muddy gray. He stared at the floor and let part of himself wonder if he would ever come back from that outburst, if any of the other prisoners would ever look at him the same way again...if any of them had even been paying attention.

 

[Melia]

The silence that filled the barrack during Sophia's song went nearly unnoticed by the older woman, so hard was she concentrating on the song. When a man sitting across from her thanked her for her song, however, she was grateful to know that it had helped even just one person. However, outside, the children had returned with their spears, poking through the slatted walls. Her song had appeared to draw their attention back to her specifically, and they mocked her song and jabbed their spears inside. If only they could listen to the very words that they were mocking.

Sophia's body was weary and older than the others, and she struggled to get herself up enough to move from the wall to avoid the jabs of the children. They were only children, however, and their jabs lacked the strength to do any real deadly damage, however she was stabbed in the shoulder hard enough for her to cry out, feeling the sharp object piercing through her clothing and drawing blood. She bore the pain and closed her eyes, praying quietly. "Dear lord, les enfants ne savent pas [spoili] the children don't know[/spoili] what they do. Please help them escape ces horruers [spoili]the horrors[/spoili] of this place. Teach them love-"

Sophia's prayer was interrupted, however, at the sounds of men violently scolding the children away from the barracks. It was a relief to stop the spears poking into her back, and for that she was grateful. But her relief was short lived when she heard the distinct sound of a gun firing, a following silence that echoed with the thump of a small body hitting the ground. Sophia sobbed loudly in horror. "Les enfants! Sauver les enfants! [spoili] The children! Save the children! [/spoili] " she wailed to her God.

She resorted to silent prayer and mourning of the child after that, trying to ease the pain in her heart. The man across from her made it quite clear he felt differently than she did. How such circumstances brought the worst out of humans. Sophia let his comment hang in the air for quite some time before she whispered, "Shame on you, sir. Was but a child."

 

[RiniPinja]

Through the darkness of the room, Rozalin could still manage to make out the actions of the rather nimble boy. He managed to climb the vertical pole and up to the ceiling, where it looked as though he was waiting for the intruders to come back inside. She felt a little pang of anger when he completely disregarded what she said, but she knew that he thought this was the best of options for him. She mentally sighed, hoping that he was indeed as strong as he seemed to think he was.

But her eyes then drifted away from him; there was something else in the room with them. She heard the metal scraping, and although she initially thought it was due to the young boy, she now realized it wasn't. She tried to silence her loudly thumping heart, knowing that creatures – at least that's what it seemed to look like to be – most likely have good enough hearing to make out the sounds of her beating heart. Attracting his attention was the last thing she wanted to do. When the light came in, she stared at the creature for just a second, to see if she can catch what it was. A wolf? A tiger? Some sort of savage beast that was just waiting to eat them, correct?

Her mind could barely comprehend what the creature was, even with the dimmed light. Despite the mere glance she saw of the beast, she quickly forced herself to look away, feeling her stomach tie in knots. What WAS that?! I must have saw wrong she convinced herself. My mind is playing tricks on me because of the situation.

Rozalin's eyes then looked up at the people that opened the door. She tried to steel her stomach – it won't help to throw up now – and she narrowed her eyes into a glare. Her muscles twitched lightly, but she kept her hands still. If they tried to do anything to do, she was ready. She just had to wait for the opportune moment.

Or, wait. She remembered There's a boy waiting up above. If they looked up… Once they realized one person is missing… She quickly decided to act, "Hey." She smiled up at the intruder, at the criminals who shoved her in this wretched hole. "What are you planning on doing to us? I'm quite curious." She hoped this inquiry and pleasant voice caught them off guard enough to give the boy the opening he needed.

 

[Twilight Starseeker]

As my eyes got adjusted to the darkness and a small light was emitted from a door far off to our right, I drew in more observations of our surroundings. Behind us, where the Asian boy had broken his shackles, was the faint outline of a table. I certainly wished my own shackles were removed; my curious mind was itching to find out if there was anything useful atop the table. Perhaps it would give insight as to why the scientist had wanted us here-

Breaking through my thoughts, my attention turns to the large dark figure in the left corner of the room. A metal screech can be heard in the air as it moves… was it shackled just as we were? If the fate that the scientist had in store for us included the unknown beast, I certainly didn't desire to stay here and find out.

My attentions kept shifting from one thing to the next, distracted by each new event. As I saw lights of the guards approaching from beneath the large door, I was about to suggest to the woman that we pretend to be asleep and just let the asian boy do as he saw fit. But before I could open my mouth, she questioned the guards in a pleasant voice and calm voice, providing the asian boy a distraction. I guess through our unspoken actions, this meant that we were deciding to mutually work together as a team to survive this place.

Despite the distraction of the woman's words, I doubted that the boy would be able to take out all the armed guards, even if he did find some blunt object to smash their heads with. It wasn't that I believed the boy to be physically weak. No, not at all. I wasn't an idiot. I'd witnessed how he had broken his shackles earlier and how easily scaled a vertical beam afterall.

In fact, I was sure he could take a couple of guards down despite his young age and despite these guards being full grown men. But then what? The odds were most likely against us. What if there were more guards? Then the boy would be mercilessly gunned down. And for what purpose? What cause? His death would be meaningless at this point because literally nothing had been accomplished.

Though he seemed unruly and too haughty to listen to good advice, he was still a valuable resource. It wouldn't do us any good to have him dead. Maybe more of a distraction would suffice in buying him some time... or better yet... Perhaps we could use the aid of very beast they placed in the room with us.

I glanced at the Asian boy up above in the rafters, observing his features as best I could in the dark. I hadn't seen him very well as we were being moved, but that wouldn't matter… they wouldn't realize my mistakes anyways. I returned my gaze to the beast and projected my mental image of the Asian boy in front of it. I tried to get my illusion to catch the beast's attention by having it mimic the Asian boy's movements that I had seen earlier when he was crossing the horizontal scaffolding. I also placed the projection "boy" in front of the guards' line of sight to further distract their attention. These animated illusions were always more difficult for me to do, so though I wanted to yell out to my projection "boy" to watch out for the guards, I simply couldn't. For now, all I do was keep the illusion alive and hope that what I was doing was enough.

 

[True North]

"There's a chinese one Bubba." A thin haired woman with deep, pink burn scars all over her face and neck said as she entered the room with the captives and saw the "asian boy" (illusion) and let out a dry cackle. She heard the pretty red head's question and mocked her in a childish voice "What you plan to do to us?" She laughed again.

The light from the other room lit up the wall opposite of the captives and revealed a disturbing looking, human-like creature. The creature was completely naked with four arms and a fleshy tail that extended from the bottom of his boney spine. At his ankles, which had extra toes sticking from the sides of them, was a metal cuff where he too was chained. All four of his hands were up and shielding his face from the blinding light that hurt his eyes. Leakage from a wound on the creature's body was all over the floor and there was piss and feces as well. When his eyes adjusted he lowered his hands and just turned his surprisingly handsome face away from everyone in the room in shame.

A call from the other room caused the burnt woman to leave before Taka could make his move and she cracked the door. The crack of the door signaled that she would be back soon - possibly even with her "bubba". When the lady left, the creature on the ground let out a small wail.

"D-down... Get down. P-please. They will hurt me. A-all of us hurt for one - bad..." The creatures voice struggled to say with a pleading tone to the asian boy up on the pillar. He huddled in the corner and squeezed his eyes shut in fear.

---

Sound of the barrack doors screeching open was heard and a small group of black clothed men entered the torturous place. One of the men was the one who shot at the children outside. They walked over to the captives and looked them all over. "So we'll just choose a rail to spare and one to finish off." One of the men said with a sickening smile as he raised his knife to act as if he was going to cut his own tongue in mockery.

"Eenie Meenie minie moe." He tilted his knife in the direction of each rail on opposite walls and the point stopped at the rail where Sophia and John were. He took out his gun to shoot out their knee caps, but then halted in his place. Gut wrenching laughter let out within the barracks and his eyes teared up before speaking. His body turned in the direction of the other rail. "I bet you had a spark of hope in your hearts when you weren't chosen" He pulled the trigger of his gun and shot one of the women's knee caps on that rail. PAHK! There was sharp screams of pain and the group of black clothed men with jester hats began shooting out the knees on the opposite rail from Sophia and John. Screams and yells of pain filled the barrack and choking cries as the knife cut into their mouths.

When the sick job was done, and all the tongues were cut out, the men walked over to the rail with the remaining unharmed captives including John and Sophia. The man who had shot the child walked toward Sophia and examined her with a twisted smile. He ran his dirty nailed finger across her plump cheek and said, "This one looks motherly. She'll be the next caretaker." Two of the men grabbed her tightly and escorted her out of the barracks.

"Congratulations. The rest of you have been selected as tonight's sacrifices."

The captives on that rail, including John, were taken by the group and led into the outside darkness.

 

[❖iSengoku❖]

Steady the heart, erase your presence and clear your mind. I was of the personification of a shadow, a streaming shadow of the night to no end i was one with the shadows. The girl was to make a distraction, she knew what i was capable of, our minds were linked as one and thus our vision was enlined as a singular person. No portrayal of the mind could penetrate my mind set.

Dropping down behind one guard i would swing the pipe towards his hip in which i would follow with a turn of the wrist which i turned to the right allowing me to lock him in place whilst i take cover behind him while the other guard beside him began to shoot towards my direction in frightfulness, causing that guard to die i was no longer in need of the gas pipe thus i unsheathed the dead guards knife whilst he falls to the ground i spun around to cut his leg causing the other guard to jerk allowing his guard to open thus allowing me to spin the other way, slicing his neck then spinning back around in front of him to take cover behind him. The final guard opened fire in fear of his death which caused the second guard to die. Taking out the second guards pistol i roll over his shoulder then shot the final guard dead center between his eyes. This act of violence only took me a mere 30 seconds, however he knew immediately that more guards would follow due to the sound of gun shots, i had to act quickly and thus i had to do what was best.. not only for me but for the rest of the hostages. I walked around shooting the chains off of the other hostages then walked over to the beast to shoot it dead center in the head without hesitation. ''I don't normally shoot animals but due to the situation we are in it is rather more safe to cut the ties of unnecessary life'' I said almost immediately after killing the beast that was chained in the corner. ''Grab everything you can, ammo, guns, armor. You will need it'' I said with no hesitation, there was no time for questions or second thoughts the time of which more guards were to come was mere seconds to minutes. ''Aim at the door and make sure no one comes through while i look for a exit''

I was the only person able to see in the dark and thus made me more than capable to look for our exit, looking around i notice a door to the far left, however it wasn't going to be that easy i would call for a random person from the group to walk over to the direction of the door and feel for the knob and turn it, this will confirm whether or not there was a trap connected to the door.

 

[Melia]

Though she could see that speaking out could mean great injury to herself, the loss of her own tongue or even death, it didn't stop Sophia from pleading with the guards to stop their barbaric actions. "Please," she begged, her strong southern accent clear and unmistakeable. "Please don't harm them, they can not go anywhere, you've seen to it that they can't. You should be ashamed to take such pleasure hurting the helpless." She knew that she could not live with herself if she did not try to stop the guards, no matter the punishment that would befall her. Sophia was a woman who accepted her fate, and let herself flow with it instead of fighting an uphill battle. If they saw fit to cut out her tongue for speaking out, so be it. It would be a comfort to know that the last she had used of it had been to try to better the suffering of others. It was clear that they cut the tongues without reason of these people whom had said nothing at all. She was not afraid.

It was an unfortunate place to be, this place, but Sophia always felt that events in life happened for good reason and that it was always up to her to live with them the best that she could. Her father had said it so many times that the phrase was carved into her mind: It's not about the cards you've been given, but how you play them that matters. The phrase was cliche and and overused, but her father had always repeated it, whether to himself, to his daughters, or to his wife when the going got tough. When Sophia had suffered bullying in school he'd told her this: "If you have dark skin in this world, mon amour, you are automatically dealt a harder hand. There's little we can do about that but work with what we've been given. Trust God and love others, even those who you don't think deserve it, because love is always stronger than hate and fear and maybe someday they can see it too." Her father would always pull out a deck of cards then, and hand her a card. Always it was a card with hearts. "Remember this, mon amour, others may have the royal cards, but your cards are all hearts." Sophia had kept a shoebox under her bed with all of her heart cards. Even as an adult she always carried a two of hearts in her wallet, the lowest card in the deck. Of course they'd taken that from her first thing, but it didn't matter. It was the idea that mattered, and that was in her mind.

They were taking her away now, to be a 'caretaker' it seemed. She hoped she could care for the children. They so needed love and kindness in their lives. Everyone here did. She saw from the corner of her eye that they were taking the other man away too. Hopefully not to kill him. He had said unkind things, but fear could bring out unnatural thoughts and feelings that one would not normally experience and it was understandable. Fate had not brought her to a good place. And maybe that was exactly why she was here. Her hope would be tested and she would do whatever she could to make the best of the situation. But she was not afraid.

 

[neptune]

Truth be told, it was probably better for the child to have died prematurely, rather than grow up into a monster of an adult to take over where the others had left off. There was a hollow place inside of John, an ugliness that sat just beneath his heart where he was happy that the child had died, overjoyed that the little brat had gotten what was coming to it, but the logical part of him was sick over his thoughts. It was then that John realized that he was already dead, the person he once was rotting away from the inside out. He felt a few tears well in his eyes, a lump rising in his throat, but he choked it down. Even crying in the dark would have been a sign of weakness, and John wasn't going to give anyone the satisfaction.

"It was evil," he replied to the woman, not appreciating her chiding tone. "It was fucking evil just like everyone else in this place and you know it. Come down off your high horse and join the rest of us, why don't you?"

The venom in his voice was quickly gone as the doors to the barracks open, rust sickly grinding against rust as they slid back, revealing the guards. John lifted his head, watching the small group as his heart filled with fear over what was being proposed. In the time that he had been captive there, the dark-haired man had seen many people come and go, leaving with those men, only to never return. Often, screams could be heard in the distance, and John could only assume that they were dead. It was no loss to him, not really, he had never bothered to make friends with any of them, or learn their names or respective stories. However, there was real fear inside of him over meeting the same fate, his life resting in the dirty hands of these men, no longer his own to control. If he was going to die anyway, it should have been on his own terms.

They walked closer, like a pack of hyenas circling their prey and John held his breath, his dark eyes locked onto each movement of the man's knife. He didn't know what they were being selected for, but when his rail was chosen, he almost got up and tried to run. This was it, he would be one of those nameless, faceless victims, dead in a hole somewhere, buried and forgotten, used up for whatever sick purpose the cult wanted.

New gunshots and cries of pain and fear brought John back to reality, his eyes wide as he watched the hellish scene. The people on the rail across from him had been shot just for fun, their knees bleeding, the heavy, iron smell of blood mixing with the stench that already filled the barracks. Those wounds would become infected, they would die a slow and agonizing death. It was insulting and cruel that they hadn't just been shot in the head.

Ears still ringing from the piercing sound of the gunshots, John was soon hauled to his feet with the other captives, and they were being taken outside. He looked to his left, seeing the dark-skinned woman had been selected too; it worried him. "Sacrifice?" he asked, soon forgetting the plight of the woman and worrying solely about himself.

Being outside again after so long was bittersweet. The air was fresh, clean, not muddled with the fetid smell of other people, no pile of tongues decomposing in the corner. The ground beneath his feet was muddy and soft after a fresh rain, and the trees that made up a dense forest were wet and glistening, making for a rather perfect-looking night. It was ironic and sad, truly hard to comprehend that this unassuming piece of German land would be his deathbed. "Where are we going?" he asked, calling out to the men leading them away. "Where are you taking us?" He needed to know, he physically needed an answer or he was going to have some kind of out of control heart attack and die before he could even be sacrificed.