Alliance

Chapter Forty-Two: Windsor

Office.

Storage room.

Classroom.

We turned left into the next hall.

Bathrooms.

Gym storage room.

"Here we are," Jessie said. We stopped at the open door to the right. The two men ushered me in first. The two poles were still up from the other night. One was empty, the other was not.

Near the empty pole sat a folding table with three chairs on either side. Max sat at the chair facing us. When we entered, his gaze turned from the opposite pole where someone stood to us.

Shock rippled through me when I followed where Max looked.

The man didn't just stand near the pole. No, he was tied to it. Around his large chest, waist, and legs were ropes and leather to keep Carl strapped to it. His face looked just as bad, if not worse, than Alec's. Both eyes were nearly swollen, and dry blood caked in the corner of his mouth. His head didn't turn to me when we walked in. No, he couldn't have moved his head. A thin rope was tied around his neck and attached to the pole. The way his body was bound, he wouldn't be able to shift his weight or sit without choking himself to death.

Max stood from the little table. "Melissa, I am glad you are awake."

Jessie helped me to the table. I remained quiet. Max's blonde hair was back in a low pony. I wondered how my hair looked. With the blood caked on the back of my head, I had to pull it back in a carefully loose bun. Dirt and grease coated my scalp. My body probably reeked of having no shower in more than four days.

I couldn't remember the last time I showered. When I was in Detroit, I washed up with a washing cloth and water, but not a full shower.

"Please take a seat," Max gestured to the chair.

I did so without speaking. Jessie and Kyler stepped away from the table, but did not go too far.

Max sat down across from me. His right arm rested on the table before him. Between us were plates of dried meats and dried fruits which was not a surprise. What was a surprise was three bowls of some kind of dark soup that looked like beef stew. Beside the bowls was bread. Fresh bread from the looks of it. I wondered how they got it.

"I first want to apologize, Melissa," Max said. I looked up at him. There was a mournful look on his face. His dark brown eyes watched me. "We did not mean for you and Alec to be injured in such a brutal way. As you can see, we saw to it that Carl was punished."

"He almost killed Alec," my voice croaked. "Why not kill him?"

Max noted the crack in my voice. He pushed a clear glass of water toward me.

I took the glass.

The water was cold. How did they get it so cold without a fridge or ice? The liquid burned down my dry, sore throat. Back in our room, Alec and I only sipped the water to ration it.

"We are not killing Carl, though I would very much like to, but it is not our way," Max said. "We are part of the Peace Arrows. We don't kill because we want to or because someone deserves it. No, once we trade you and Alec for Noah, we will take Carl back to our home. He will be on trial for disobeying direct orders and for putting us all at risk. His friends will also face trial. Please help yourself to some food."

Max pushed a bowl of the stew toward me as he too took one. I waited for him to take a few big spoonfuls before I picked up the spoon.

The stew was not what I expected. It was hard to not moan at the warmth and taste. There was an explosion of spices, chunky pieces of meat, potatoes, and carrots. It had been over a week since I had a real meal that wasn't granola bars and dried foods.