The Lost Ones

Good intentions, bad outcomes

Good intentions never change anything. They only become a deeper and deeper rut. --Joyce Meyer

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The men were standing in a small group of five, talking in low voices. I edged along the woods edge ,getting closer to them. My heart pounded wildly against my breast bone and I was sure it would give me away. I tried to breath quietly, listening to them. I found it was ironic that as soon as I tried to breathe quietly, I couldn't.

"-- should be here soon. We can leave then." One muttered in a low voice that was ribbed with annoyance.

"We need to be back by five. I say we just leave him." Another mutters. The first one turns on him and kicks him in the groin. I suppress a a gasp at the sudden violence. The second boy falls to the floor groaning, the other three stare at the boy on the ground with indifferent stares. Devoid of all emotion, they stood like statues. It took me a moment to realise they were all young, and boys. They ranged from fifteen to twenty five.

"He's the general. We follow him, understood?" The first gruffed. The other men gave curt nods as the fallen boy stood back up, impassive once more. I frowned at the strange encounter. What was this? There was a crunch of sticks from behind me. I whipped around, facing a muscular chest. I looked up into fathomless blue eyes, faded almost to grey. They held no emotion.  My hear stuttered and froze.

"You shouldn't have tried to be a hero."  The cold boy said.

Then he grabbed my wrist snapping it with an audible crack. I screamed, writhing in agony I fell to my knees. He threw me over his shoulder before heading in the direction of the others as I moaned in pain.

I had been captured.

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I screamed and kicked the whole way back, pain lacing through my arm. The boy stopped, the others staring at me with mild interest. The one hokding meheaded towards what looked like a moving truck. I hadn't seen one in years, of course I hadn't been outside the gates of the school in just as long. The boy yanked the back door handle to the moving truck , sliding it up and open. I whimpered at the familiar faces of the kids inside. Three kids I recognized from classes, a girl who lived down the hall. Jesse's sister.

"Alright boys! In the van, we move out in two minutes!" The boy called as he turned me around and bounded my hands. He pulled the cord tight and I hissed in pain. He smiled a jagged smile. His hand trailed across my jaw, and down my neck to my shoulder. I saw something in his eyes that I hadn't seen in the others, unfeeling stares. Something human. Desire lighted his eyes as he trailed his hand down my leg. I resisted the urge to gag.

I leaned forward, and he smiled. I used his distraction to slip my foot where the bed of the truck met the door. A man came around back and coughed. The boy whipped around slamming the door closed on my foot. My foot crunched and it took all my strength not to scream or pass out. Pain radiated through my body as I listens to the voices. Darkness shrouded my tear soaked face.

"-- should have left already. You were late getting here and then you get here and instead of doing your job, you act like some spinless human, and flirt with a-" There was a strangled cry and a crack. A muted thump sounded before the front door slammed and shut. I tried to look around at the other kids before sliding my fingers in the crevice my foot made, pulling up. Light filtered in and I almost cried in relief. This suicide mission would not be for nothing. I turned to my classmates.

"Go. Hurry." I croaked as the pain crawled up my throat. The kids looked at me for a moment before following my directions.

"Lay flat in the bushes." I told them. The truck started up and I turned to come face to face with Amber.

"You need to go now. " I told her. She shook her head tears spilling down her  small, pixie like face.

" Not without you." She said, crawling beside me. I shook my head.

" My ankle is broken, and you cant carry me by yourself. You need to go. Now." I told her quickly, wiping her tears. She shook her head.

"You're like my sister. I cant-" The truck started moving. I breathed quickly.

"Tell Jesse I'm so sorry and that I love him." I said. Then I rolled on my back, and used my feet to kick her off the barely moving truck. She fell into the bushes, and I cried out as the pain from my ankle took me into the darkness.