ZERO (Complete)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Allie and Dane refused to talk until their safety was guaranteed. The man in charge had yet to give them his name. He had bound their hands and feet, blindfolded them, and escorted them to an armoured vehicle.

Dane's blindfold had slipped low on his face, allowing him to see the vehicles. As far as he could tell, there were three large combat vehicles that were nearly the size of dump trucks. They were covered in armour plates, had anti-deflate tires, gun turrets, and narrow slots for the driver to see. A reinforced bumper adorned the front of the vehicle, giving it the appearance that it could drive through a building.

Whoever this group was, Dane was afraid. They were well-equipped with heavy artillery and trained for combat. But Dane wondered, if they weren't with the Shadow and they weren't with the men from the park, who were they, what were they doing in the middle of nowhere late at night? Perhaps most importantly, he wondered where they were planning on taking him and Allie. The last group they ran into were cannibal rapists, but this group seemed much different. They were organized and functioned with strict rules and a loose code of ethics.

Dane and Allie were led to the back of one of the vehicles and loaded up like cargo. While they searched for their footing, they walked up a ramp, struggling to maintain their balance. Both were shoved into a corner. Dane hit the solid metal floor, then felt Allie's full weight piled on top of him, which he wasn't prepared for. He winced in pain, but immediately asked Allie if she was alright.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Who are these people?"

"I have no idea, maybe PMCs."

"What's that?"

"Private Military Contractors — a private army usually hired by a wealthy individual for protection or to carry out certain missions."

"No talking!" one of the military men commanded as he smashed Dane in the face with the butt end of his rifle.

The large vehicle started up and pulled away silently.

Blindfolded with their hands and feet bound, Dane and Allie lay on their sides, bouncing around the back of a truck. The metal floor was cold, hard, and unforgiving, but despite their discomfort, Dane was actually able to get some sleep. Since nodding off, it was impossible for him to gauge an accurate estimate of how much time had passed. They had been driving for what seemed like an hour or more, but they had lost all sense of time long ago.

The vehicle came to a stop. Marching boots, the squeak from a heavy door, hands grabbing Dane and Allie— they had to rely on their other senses to orient themselves. They were hauled to their feet and led off the truck. The cool, nighttime air wafted the unmistakable smell of old, wet concrete.

Dane's mask was still slightly misaligned, which nobody noticed. He kept his head down, but on occasion was looking around to gather more intel. It appeared as though they were in some city, but not the hyper-modern one in which they were from. The city lacked the hustle and bustle in which he was used to. In fact, it was alarmingly quiet, almost as if no one lived there.

They were escorted down a dark alley, the only illumination came from the massive headlights from the three vehicles.

Ever since the war, over ninety percent of the world's population had been wiped out so it was common to find entire abandoned cities. He had heard that sometimes groups of people took residence in them and formed their own mini society, removed from the modern world, but that had yet to be confirmed.

"Move," one of the men said, forcefully shoving Dane from behind. Dane wasn't sure if he could go much faster since his feet were bound and he could barely see. Nevertheless, he picked up his pace and shuffled along.

Dane and Allie were led into a building. Suddenly, they were stopped and pressed up against a wall in a standard stop-and-frisk protocol. If these men wanted them dead, they would have done it a long time ago. Dane and Allie were both thoroughly confused. Just then, both of their masks were taken off and the ties that bound their hands and feet were released.

"Turn around. Slowly."

Dane and Allie followed the instruction. For a brief moment, they faced each other. Dane wanted to ask Allie how she was doing, but didn't want to risk another blow to the face. Besides, given the circumstance, he could pretty much guess how she was doing.

It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the light. Dane looked around and saw that he was in a hallway of some kind. It was an older building with peeling paint and a funky smell. In the distance he could hear the thumping sounds of base.

Looking straight ahead, he was now staring at one of the men, who had since removed all his combat gear. Dane could tell it was the same man because of his piercing blue eyes.

"Follow us," the man said. "Don't look at anyone, don't talk to anyone, and whatever you do, don't try and run. Understood?"

Both Dane and Allie nodded.

"Good. Let's go."

Three men walked in front of them and three men trailed behind as they were led in a single-file line down the hallway and toward a door. The music became louder with each step and with that, both Dane and Allie's curiosity and confusion grew. They both wondered where they were and what was in store for them.

The first thought that entered Dane's head was that they were about to become sacrifices in some dark and twisted cannibalistic ritual. Allie was a warrior and kept thinking of the perfect plan of attack to create an act of subterfuge and escape. However, Dane was with her, which presented more challenges than if she had been alone.

Now standing in front of the door, the main soldier turned around one last time and gave them each a look to ensure compliance. Then he opened the door. The loud music hit them like a punch in the face. At first sight, it appeared to be a seedy nightclub. Several hundred people were packed into a room, drinking and dancing. The three soldiers, now plainly dressed, entered. The crowd parted as they walked their captives through the club like a couple of celebrities.

Neon lights, costumed dancers, a magnificent bar, there was plenty to look at. Among the inebriated crowd, two strippers on stage caught Dane's eye before his attention averted to a beautiful women who passed by with a suggestive glance. As a man who was known to give in to temptation, Dane wished he was there under difference circumstances.

When the convoy of people reached the other end of the club, they passed by two large security guards who stood in front of a solid metal door. The door opened with a scan from one of the guard's badges, and they were brought inside yet another room. Dane rubbernecked one last time to soak in all the excitement.

In front of them was a flight of stairs, which lead to another solid door with even more security. Dane took notice of the cameras mounted in the ceiling. The door opened and they entered cautiously. They were instructed to stand in front of a large desk with a tall chair. The chair was facing the opposite way so they couldn't see the person sitting behind it — an unscrupulous club owner no doubt. Standing at the edge of the desk, the anticipation grew with each passing second.