Irradiated

Chapter 5: The One Fear

"Stay down!" I ordered and pulled out the knife from Derrick. He gave out another yelp, but I didn't want the knife to go any deeper in him. "Angeli, here!" I tossed her the knife and after she caught it, she immediately threw it at the guy in the bushes. "Nice! Now keep an eye out while I fix up Derrick." She nodded and pulled out a few more of her throwing knives from her pack.

His blood seeped through his shirt and he groaned in pain. "Hey, you'll be fine. Tell me what I need to do, Derrick. Come on," I urged him to stay awake by talking to him.

"Disinfect it with the clear white liquid in a bottle and dab it with honeydew to calm the bleeding. Then just wrap it in a bandage." He instructed quietly, as always. I rummaged through my bag until I found the objects he described. Meanwhile, I heard calls and screams surround us. It was like the Holocaust all over again.

After wrapping the bandage around his upper stomach, I helped him off the ground, but we were kicked back to it by a couple of Moderates.

"Stay down, Lankies! Ve're not putting up vit more of ya!" He had a thick German accent, which made him slightly more intimidating. Soon, Angeli joined us on the ground after being surrounded by so many of them.

"Vhat are ve going to do vit zem?" Someone asked.

"I don't know, but I bet we could use them somehow." A woman suggested.

"Zey're a lower class. Ve can just make zem vork for us." Chuckles erupted through the night.

"That would be useful. Good idea. Get the chains, they're feisty ones, I can tell." I ignored most of the conversations after that and continued glancing over at Angeli and Derrick. The three of us had worried expressions as we were dragged along with the Moderates. Apparently, now we were slaves and it would be difficult to escape with chains hanging around your wrists, ankles, and neck. So, I really had my work cut out for me.

In a matter of time, chains held me tightly against the wall, not letting me move properly. It wrapped around my wrists and held them above my head. Meanwhile, my legs were tucked underneath me, bounded together. Even my head was immovable. They held my neck tightly against the same wall.

What made matters even worse was that I had no idea where they took Angeli and Derrick. We were each separated into different rooms and I had no clue as to which ones they were put in. Thankfully, we were still in Germany. That way, if we escaped, we could continue with our travels.

The steel door of my room opened and a wealthy-looking man entered it. He wore a fur coat, even if it was at an unbearable heat outside. His hair was sleek and brown, but was dirty all the same. He was thin, but not too thin, either. The door shut behind him and he kept his golden eyes on me. He seemed to be German, from what I could tell.

"Norman Blake." He said in a monotone. "That is my name. While you are here, you will address me as either, 'Master Norman,' 'Master Blake,' or just 'Master.'"

I glared at him with hateful eyes while he walked closer to me. "You look fairly young. What is your age?" I didn't answer him. Instead, I scoffed and looked away from him. Big mistake.

He pulled out a horse's whip and struck me across the face, leaving a thin red line on my jaw. "Look at me when I am speaking to you. What is your age?" He repeated. I growled in pain as I looked back at his face, but didn't answer him. Again, he struck my face. Clearly wanting an answer, I gave him one.

"Nineteen!" I yelled, not bearing the stinging on my skin. "Nineteen." I said again, in a more calmer voice.

"Ah. I see..." Norman stashed away his whip in a pocket on the inside of his coat and continued to look at me with hard eyes. "You are now a slave to the Moderates. Whenever they ask something of you, it is your job to do as you are told. Otherwise, you will have to endure intense consequences. Understood?" I merely nodded. Not that I agreed with it. Just that I understood it.