Tides of Time Part Two

Journal of Andy Allen (Lou Spark)

Hello to anyone who may find this. Know that I have no idea what is going on, and that this is the only way for me to get my thoughts out and keep myself at least partially sane. To whoever may find this, know that I am not lying. Know that this is all true. And please try to understand what I'm going through as I write this down.
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I remember a rare few things about what happened those next few days. Everything happened in a blur, it seems. I remember pain; I was beaten nearly every day, even though I don't remember doing anything wrong. I must have, though.

I remember finally getting food about three days later. I was starving. I hadn't eaten since I had been there, and it was starting to show. I was losing weight, and I seemed thin; thinner than I had been. I was still tied, my wrists red with rope burn from the many times I had struggled desperately to get away. The ropes were tight; they cut into my skin. I had begged the man to loosen them, but he had refused.

I still didn't know his name, and I was beginning to wonder if I ever would.

I still hadn't the slightest idea as to what was going on, but I knew it wasn't good.

Sighing, I allowed my tired eyes to close. My stomach growled and begged for food, and I could only try to silence it. I was lucky to have water in this place; he brought me water only when he felt it necessary, so I had to make it last as long as I could. But it was hard; when you're terribly thirsty you want to chug the drink down until there is nothing left. If I did that here though, I would probably die from thirst.

I glanced at the door, waiting for the day when it would open again. Sometimes I was happy to see the man; sometimes I dreaded it. Sometimes he came to hurt me, to punish me; sometimes he brought me water. Once a day he would take me to the restroom. It was usually in the morning when I woke up. Sometimes he came more than once, but usually he just came in the mornings. My bruises were healing, but there were new ones to make up for it. I was never untied; if I used the bathroom, I wasn't allowed to go alone. I was tied and someone had to help me. I had complained and struggled those first few times, but I had been beaten because of it, and now I knew not to resist their help. I turned my head and looked at the door again as it began to open.

The man entered and walked toward me, his face expressionless. I gulped and tried to scoot back even more, but I was already against the wall, in a corner of the small, dank, windowless room. He bent down in front of me and forced me to look at him. I did so, my heart racing.

He slapped me, hard, across the face, and my head whipped to the side. Shuddering, I just stayed there. "To your feet," he snarled, and grabbed the front of my shirt. He yanked me to my feet and whistled.

I frowned at him, confused.

Two more men came down into my room, and my eyes widened. What was going on? He pushed me into one of the men, and strong arms wrapped around me, lifting me up off of the ground. My eyes wide, my heart racing wildly, I struggled.

"I am Reese," he said then. I gazed at him as I struggled. Reese? He finally decided to tell me his name? Was there a reason he was only doing it now? The arms around me tightened, and I yelped, feeling as if I were being crushed.

Reese took a step forward and punched me on the left cheek. I winced and glared at him as I continued to struggled. I should have known not to, but I did it anyway. "What...are you doing?" I whispered, my eyes wide with fear. "What's going on?"

He laughed and slapped me again. I growled and glowered at him. "Stop struggling Andy," he said, and hit me hard in the head. I whimpered and clenched my eyes tightly closed as the arms holding me began to tighten once more. I was tossed to the side roughly, where I hit the wall and slid to the ground. Groaning, I just sat there, slowly testing my binds once more. They were still tight, still cutting into my wrists. "This is your punishment," Reese said calmly as he moved toward me again.

I flinched and looked up at him.

"...What?" I asked quietly. "What are you talking about? What punishment? I didn't do anything!"

In response, he kicked me hard in the gut. Doubling over, I fell sideways. "You do not question me, boy!" he snarled, and kicked me again, this time in the ribs. Unable to protect myself, the kick hit its mark. I cried out and tried to move away, but that just made him stomp down on my shoulder. I hissed in pain and stared up at him in fear.

"What are you doing? Why?" I questioned.

He knelt down next to me and grabbed the front of my shirt, pulling me into a sitting position as he pulled me toward him. Panicking, I struggled to move away.

He slapped me hard but I continued to struggle. He stood up and brought me with him, still gripping the front of my shirt.

"What are you doing?" I all but shouted as he began to lift me up off of the ground. I struggled to free my hands, but my struggling only made the ropes cut into my wrists even more.

"I've been kind to you, Andrew," he said as he looked into my eyes. Twitching, I looked away, glaring at the ground. "I was supposed to have started in on you a long time ago. But I'm just now starting."

My eyes widened. "What?"

"From this day on, your life is going to be hell," he laughed, and chills ran throughout my body. "Like I said before, Andy, you're a dog. You have to earn everything, and punishing you is the way to train you. Beating you makes you think straight. You are a dog; do you understand? You are lower than dirt; you are nothing!"

I looked away again, taking a shaky breath to keep myself calm. "...I...I am too..." I argued, and flinched as his fist connected to my jaw. I groaned and moved my mouth, trying to get the pain to ease. He shook me hard as he held me up in the air by the front of my shirt. I couldn't look at him; I glared at the ground, my feet dangling in the air.

"You are nothing," he hissed. "Nothing! You are lower than dirt; you are pathetic! You are nothing! You are a dog. Say it Andrew," he growled, and shook me again. I shook my head, my eyes tightly closed as tears welled up behind my eyelids. "Say it! Or so help me God, I'll kill you now! Say. It."

"I...I..." I trailed off.

He threw me into the far wall when I didn't continue. The back of my head hit it hard, and as I slid to the ground I felt my vision start to go. "Say it!" he snarled, and began moving toward me once more. "Say it Andy. You are a dog. You are nothing. Say it." He bent down in front of me and slammed my head back into the wall. I yelped and clenched my eyes closed once more, feeling a tear trail down my cheek. My head was killing me. "Say it!" He slapped me again. "Say it."

"I...I..." I choked back tears as I spoke in a hushed whisper. "I...I'm a...I'm a dog...I...I'm nothing..." I shook my head, taking shaky breaths. "I...I'm nothing...I'm a dog..."

He laughed and hit me hard in the chest with a fist. I felt my air leave me in a rush, and I struggled to regain it. Coughing, I finally managed to. "Good job," he said. "And you are worthless. You are pathetic. Say it, dog." he slapped me again when I shook my head. "Say it."

"I...I am...worthless..." I choked out between silent sobs. Tears raced down my cheeks, though I hate to admit that I cried. I was showing so much fear, so much weakness, but I couldn't help it. I was scared out of my mind. "I...I am worthless," I repeated in a shaky voice. "I am...I'm pathetic..."

"Good," he said, and then grabbed me by my hair. I opened my eyes and glared at him. "Good night," he said, and slammed my head back, hard, against the wall. A blistering pain roared through my body, and my body gave a jolt. I opened my eyes and my vision was fading quickly. I saw Reese and the two men leave the room, shutting the door behind them.

"B...B...Bastard..." I barely managed to whisper. And then everything went black.
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I awoke sometime later. I wasn't sure how long I had been out; time meant nothing to me. To me, it was just a word. Even if I had cared, I had no way to tell time anyway. I wasn't even sure how long I had been there. When I blinked my eyes open, I couldn't see anything at first. I thought that maybe I had brain damage, and mentally cursed Reese. But gradually, my vision started to come back. My eyes grew adjusted to the darkness, and I found myself glancing around the room.

The door stood closed to my left. For a moment I glared at it, wondering when it would open and reveal Reese.

I tested my binds again, but of course they hadn't loosened. I didn't know why I kept trying to loosen them, because there was no hope of getting away. I shook my head. I had to stop thinking like that. Just because things hopeless didn't mean that they were. There was still a chance at escaping so long as I was still breathing. Frowning, I began to wonder how much longer that would be.

Were my breaths currently numbered?

Was I going to die soon?

I closed my eyes, taking in deep breaths. I had to stop thinking like that. If Reese wanted me dead, he would have done away with me already.

The door opened, and I flinched, my eyes clenching closed even tighter. I didn't want to know what was going to happened. I felt a had grip the front of my shirt and lift me to my feet. I cautiously opened my eyes and peered around. Reese had his hand on my back, leading me out of the room. Slowly, shakily, I allowed myself to be led. I didn't want to give him another reason to hurt me again. That was the last thing I wanted. But I couldn't help but ask, "Where are we going?"

We weren't going to the bathroom; it was in the other direction.

I'd never been down this hallway before, and it made me nervous.

When he didn't answer I became slightly frantic. I began tugging at my binds as we passed a room with blood on the door. "Where are you taking me?!" I asked, frantically pulling at the ropes that held me prisoner. Still, he didn't answer, just kept pushing me forward, even though I tried to stop. "Reese, where are you taking me?!" In response, he shoved me into a small room and shut the door behind him. He turned the lights on and knocked me to the ground.

"Shut up," he snarled, and threw a harsh kick at my ribs. I cried out and curled into a tight ball, tugging at my binds once again. "I'm getting tired of your mouth, boy!"

Walking away, he went over to the other side of the room where a small cabinet was. He pulled a few things out, but I couldn't see what it was. When he came back to me he kicked me hard in the head, and my vision spun.

Gasping in pain, I clenched my eyes closed. I felt him grab my chin and pull my head toward him.

I didn't resist, my head was too pained to do anything but what he wanted it to do.

I felt something slide into my mouth, and I opened my eyes quickly, glancing around. He gagged me with a rope and tied it tightly behind my head. Shaking my head, I struggled to break free. He rolled his eyes at me. "You know Andy," he said furiously, and I froze. "I'm getting sick of you. I think it's time to dispose of you."

My eyes widened greatly, and I shook my head, struggling to sit up. "No!" I tried to yell, but the gag stifled it and changed it into some kind of incoherent sound. I yanked at my binds, furiously trying to get away. He growled and grabbed my arm, yanking me to my feet. Shaking, I continued to struggle.

"Yes, it's definitely time to be rid of you," he said, and began to drag me out of the room. He ignored my cries, ignored my struggling, and led me down a dark hallway.

The tears quickly filled my eyes as my struggles proved futile. He met up with three other men, and they laughed when he told them that he was going to kill me.

Dear God, I didn't want to die.

I shook my head and struggled again, but they didn't even pay attention. I no longer mattered to them. "How should I do it?" he asked the three men, and I could tell by his voice that he was smirking.

"Oh there's many ways," said one of them, the tallest. He had short brown hair and hazel eyes, and he looked quite menacing, his voice full of malign. "You could feed him to the dogs, if you wish. You could leave him in his room without food or water, and he'll die that way. You could take him to the woods and let the animals eat him. You could toss him into the river, I've done that before. It's very effective." he laughed to himself, and I found myself sick to my stomach as he listed off the ways to kill me. "You could throw him in the gas chamber, but that's not very fun. You could always just shoot him. You could stab him...hmm...you could put him down in the underground chamber and wait for it to flood." out of the corner of my eye I saw him shrug. "There's many ways."

Reese nodded, still gripping my arm tightly. "So there is," he said cheerfully.

"And then there's the torture chamber," said a second man, the shortest. He had no hair and intense green eyes. "I've had a lot of fun killing them in there."

The three men all had a good laugh at that, and I found my head spinning as I struggled again. I tugged at the binds, but they never budged. With tears of frustration in my eyes, I pulled harder. They looked at me, and the first man said, "Oh look, he knows he's going to die." and then they laughed again. "So Reese, what are you going to do with this dog?"

Reese paused. "It's cold out, right?"

The second guy nodded. "Yeah, it's twelve below."

I frowned. Where were we? Back at home, it had been summer. Where the hell were we? Reese smiled as he said, "I think I have an idea. It's new, too. How cold is it supposed to get tonight?"

"Um...I don't know. About thirty below, I think, with a cold windchill," the second guy said, shivering as he said it. "It's freezing out there, man."

"Yes," said Reese. "Yes it is." he laughed and tugged me along, down another hallway and down a staircase. I struggled all the while.

"No!" I tried to scream. "Please, I swear I'll be good! Please!" but he couldn't hear any of my pleas. It was just noise to him, and I felt the tears start to leak out of my eyes. "No!" I struggled to stop, to resist, but he was strong and pulled me along, his grip starting to hurt as he tightened it on my arm.

Reese shook his head. "Meh, screw that idea. I have another way to kill you." and he laughed. "Stop struggling!" he snapped, and turned, slamming me hard into the wall, my back to it, his arm across my throat, pushing at it. I coughed beneath the gag, and he laughed, his eyes bright. "I cannot wait to kill you. You have been nothing but trouble from the beginning."

I shook my head, my eyes pleading. He yanked me through the halls once more, and tossed me into a room with a sign on the door.

Glancing at the door, I knew it was hopeless.

The sign read THOSE AWAITING DEATH.

Reese had made up his mind; he was going to kill me.

I was going to die.

He knocked me to the floor, and I didn't struggle. I just lay there, struggling to keep the tears in my eyes. He pressed my legs together and tied my ankles tightly. Then he tied my legs together just below my knees and just above them. The ropes were tight, and I knew there was no way to get out of them. He frowned then, thinking. "Tal should be getting sent in here later...hmm..." he shrugged and reached for some chains.

I shook my head and sat up, trying to scoot back. He grabbed my foot and pulled me toward him, where he moved behind my back and tossed some chains around my chest, securing them in the back. He chained my wrists together too, right above the ropes.

Taking a few more chains, he placed them over the ropes on my legs. I shook my head and struggled, but it was no use. "Now Tal can't help you," he said.

I frowned at him, confused, but he only shook his head as he rose to his feet.

"In six hours you will die. Enjoy the last moments of your life, Andy." with that, he laughed and left the room, slamming the door closed behind him. I heard the lock on the outside slide shut, and I knew I wasn't getting out of here.

I was going to die here.

The tears raced down my cheeks as the cold reality of it settled in.

I was going to die. I wasn't getting out of here.

Damn it, I didn't want to die.

I didn't want to die!

And especially not here. Why couldn't I have just listened to him? Why did I have to keep asking questions and struggle? Now he was going to kill me, and he was going to enjoy it.

I was going to die. I knew it.
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The hours seemed to pass by like a blur, and I couldn't help but watch the clock in the room as it ticked my seconds away. My throat was constricted by restrained emotion, and I closed my eyes. I knew they had the clock in there to mentally torment their victims before they killed them, just like they were doing to me now.

After I had been in there for four hours, maybe more, the door opened. I froze and clenched my eyes tightly closed, my body trembling. Surely it wasn't Reese, come to take me to my death. It hadn't been six hours yet; he couldn't be here. I heard someone say angrilly, "Get in there, dog! I can't wait to kill you!" and then there was a thud as a body hit the ground, and then the door was shut again, the lock instantly closing.

I slowly opened my eyes and saw another male sitting near the door, looking at it. He didn't seem worried, though. He was tied like I had been, and gagged, but he seemed at ease.

I frowned.

He looked at me and nodded his head. He freed his hands and undid his gag. Amazed, I could only watch. He smiled at me as he crawled toward me. Undoing my gag, he said kindly, "I'm Tal."

I could only stare.

How had he been able to get free? What was going on? How did Reese know that he would be in here soon?

I was so confused.

"What's your name?" he asked as he checked my binds. He frowned at the chains, but said nothing about them. "Can you talk?" he asked softly. "Or have they taken your voice as well as your humanity?" there was a smirk in his voice, I knew, and I found myself relaxing. I shook my head, a smirk appearing on my face. "Ah, so he lives," said Tal, nodding his head. "Got a name?"

"...Andy," I said, and smiled. "Thanks for undoing the gag. It was bothering me." I felt strange with a gag on, like everything was hopeless. Things seemed a little better now. Maybe it was because the gag was off; maybe it was because I wasn't alone anymore.

"Nice to meet ya Andy," he said. "Even if it is on the road to death." he sighed. "Bout time they decided to get rid of me." He looked around for a moment.

"Huh?" I asked. "Isn't that a bad thing?"

He nodded. "Yeah sure, terrible. But I've been here so long, I don't care anymore."

I frowned. "How long have you been here?" I asked softly. For a moment he looked at me, and then he shook his head.

"Since I turned fourteen," he said, and my eyes widened. "I'm nineteen now."

"How..." I trailed off.

"How'd I live here?" he asked, and I nodded. He shrugged. "You get used to it after a while. I've been wanting them to kill me for a long time. I learned how to untied their knots and get free, so I'm guessing that's why they chained you, right?"

I frowned. "I guess," I mumbled.

He looked around, and for a moment his eyes were sad. But when I blinked the sadness was gone, and I frowned. "My friends..." he sighed. "All of them gone...waiting in this room..." he hung his head low, and took in a deep breath. He sighed and looked around again. He laughed at the clock. "To count down our seconds, right?" he asked, and then shook his head. "They call us the dogs, but they're the real dogs." he sighed. "They're the cruel ones..." he shook his head. "Sorry, I just got frustrated for a moment. Now, let's take a look at those chains." he moved behind me and began running his fingers along the chains, and then he put them under the ropes. "That hurt?" he asked, and I nodded. He growled. "Bastards. And then they wonder why our hands turn purple." he shook his head. "I'm not sure I can get you out of these chains."

I frowned. "That's...okay," I said, my head hanging low, my hopes crushed.

"But that doesn't mean I won't try," he assured me, and then pulled something from his pocket. "They really need to be careful where they put their wire, I swear." with that, he went to work on my chains. I felt a few pokes and they stung, but I didn't complain. After what seemed like ages, he said, "Ah hah! I got it," and then he slid the chains away from my wrists and chest.

"Thank you," I said, relieved. He quickly untied my hands and I brought them in front of me, rubbing them. They were red and slightly swollen, with burns on them from my struggling. He moved to my legs.

"Don't thank me yet," he said. "They open that door and see me doing this, they'll put a bullet in me faster than I could say 'Don't'. And then we'll both be in some shit." Faster than before, he undid my chains, and then untied my legs. I breahed a sigh of relief and stood up, moving around freely. "Now you can thank me," he said.

"Thank you Tal," I said. He nodded and looked at the door. I frowned. "...When are you supposed to die?"

He looked at the clock. "In two minutes," he said with a sigh, and then sat down on the ground, his back against the wall.

My eyes widened. "Two minutes?" I gasped.

He nodded. "Yeah. Oh well. I plan to put up a fight before I go down." he frowned. "Unless they decide to just shoot me. Not much I can do when there's a buttet coming at me." he shrugged. "Oh well. If they stick to their normal plan for killing me, I might be able to take a few of them down with me."

"How are you supposed to die?" I asked quietly as I sat down next to him. I was really starting to like this guy; he was cool. Anyone who can untie me in my time of need is okay by me.

At first he didn't answer. Then he said softly, "I'm to go to the torture chamber and be strapped down to a table and pulled in different directions until I die."

I winced. "And you're okay with that?" I asked, as he seemed at ease.

He shrugged. "Sure, why not? I've been here longer than anyone; it's time for me to die. I've pissed off everyone they've handed me over to. And now there's just no more to take me in. Now I die, I'm tossed out like trash. But I'll fight back. In the torture room...there's weapons. Maybe I can get some and kill a few before they kill me."

I frowned. "Isn't there a way out of it?"

He sighed. "Yeah. But I'm not sure if I can do it. There's too many of them; they have hounds. They have guns. If I tried to escape I'd die anyway." he got to his feet. "They should be here any time." he sighed and began looking around the room again. "There's supposed to be some kind of secret exit that the people who were in here before us made. They each made a little as they went along, and then the last ones finished it before they were killed. But I don't know where it is." he looked at the door. "I wish they'd get it over with; this suspense is going to kill me before they get to."

I flinched. "Maybe...if we work together, we can get away."

He looked at me. "That depends, Andy," he whispered. "It depends on how much trouble they think I'll be. If they think I'll put up a fight on the way to the torture chamber, they'll bring a lot of men. If they think I wouldn't dare try to put up a fight, they'd only bring maybe two or three men, if that many." he sighed and shook his head. "It all depends."

I was about to say something when the door knob suddenly began to turn. Gulping, I gazed at it. Damn it, I wasn't ready for this. It could either be Reese for me, as it was time, or it could be the people for Tal. Either way, I didn't want it to happen.

The door slowly opened. I held my breath.