Tides of Time Part Three

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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Tal Cruso. I know I haven't talked much about him, and I haven't mentioned him. I do not wish to tell you too much right now, for if what I dread has happened, I don't wish to relive this. But even so, the story must be told. I must continue writing this, even though tonight may be the last night of my life.

Lee and Kastin are sleeping once more, and it's up to me to guard the camp for the next few hours. I must quicken the pace of my writing if I wish to get everything down before my shift is over. So I'll get started.

The door knob turned slowly, and I held my breath, watching it with wide, frightened eyes. I hated seeming so weak, so frightened. I was seventeen; I should be stronger than this, but I wasn't. I was terrified; I didn't want to die.

I wasn't ready.

And I didn't want Tal to die either.

As the door began to open, I was sitting on the ground, my eyes tightly closed, dreading what was going to happen next.

"Put your hands behind your back," Tal told me quietly. I opened my eyes and gazed at him for a moment, and he seemed to sense my confusion. "Do it," he said. "Then they'll think you're still a prisoner; you won't get in as much trouble."

Frowning, I did as he said. I placed my hands behind my back, holding them together. The door slowly creaked open, and I felt my heart quicken. As a figure appeared in the light of the doorway, I froze. I didn't recognize them; they must have been there for Tal. But still, I worried. I didn't want the other male to die; he'd been kind to me, and had untied me.

I watched, worried, as the figure in the doorway let their gaze wander toward Tal. Tal smirked and crossed his arms in front of his chest from where he stood in the middle of the room. "Howdy," he said casually. "That time already?"

The figure, a man, growled and stalked into the room. In the dim lighting I could see that he had blonde hair and somewhat hostile blue eyes.

Tal didn't flinch, didn't move in the slightest. He didn't seem all that worried, which kind of confused me, I have to admit.I wasn't sure what was going on.

"Just one of you?" he asked easily. I frowned at him. Was he trying to get himself killed? Was he asking for trouble? I shook my head. No, he was already going to get killed. He was already in trouble.

It didn't matter to him anymore.

"You little snot," said the figure in a gruff voice. "I can't wait to watch that smug smirk die off your face." Tal shrugged. "Now come on; it's time for you to die." the man made a grab for Tal, but surprisingly (and I do mean surprisingly, for I was amazed), Tal did a sudden backflip and landed gracefully on his feet, away from the man. The man growled, but Tal's smirk grew.

"I thought we had an understanding," said Tal casually, yawning a bit at the end. "You aren't to touch me."

"I make the rules around here!" the man yelled, getting angry. I flinched involuntarily at his tone of voice, but Tal seemed fine.

Tal gave a small chuckle, and I could only stare. How could he be so calm? How could he stay calm at a time like this? He was about to die! Surely he knew that...I shook my head. Of course he knew; he just didn't care.

"I can't wait to kill you!" he made a lunge at Tal, but he simply dodged to one side and yawned again.

"C'mon now Borris," said Tal, smirking. I found myself smiling as well. "Those are your same old moves. Challenge me, man."

The man, Borris, suddenly pulled something out of his pocket and flung it at Tal. Not expecting it, it hit him square in the chest, and his body suddenly gave a wild jolt and went down like a sack of potatoes.

I could only stare, horrified.

The man laughed and moved toward his motionless form. He nudged Tal in the side of the head, and at the lack of response I began to wonder if he was dead. Had Borris just killed him? Just like that? But then he groaned, and I heaved a breath of relief.

He was alive.

For now.

Laughing, the man roughly pulled Tal off of the ground and secured his wrists, crossing them over each other, behind his back, and then strapped them together with a length of rope. I could see that they were already cutting into his wrists, and I winced. Shaking a little, he was barely able to stand, his eyes tightly closed.

"What...the...hell was that?" I heard him whisper, and I flinched at the shakiness in his voice. His legs were wobbly, and I knew he was close to collapsing. "The hell...did that come from?"

"They gave it to me to use on you," Borris stated, roughly shoving him into the wall.

Too shaken to resist, he just stood there, facing the wall. Borris pulled out a pair of shakels for his ankles and placed them on them, snapping them shut. With his hand on Tal's back, he roughly began to shove him out of the room.

"Leave him alone!" I said from where I sat, looking like a prisoner. My eyes were wide, though, and showed my worry, my fear. Borris looked at me for a moment, as if noticing me for the first time.

Then he laughed and shook his head.

"Come on Talon," he said, pushing Tal through the doorway. "Time to die. I hope you had enough time together to say goodbye." and then they were gone. As the door was closing, though, I was jumping to my feet, racing toward it. I made it there too late, however, and slammed into the door, pounding on it.

"Tal!" I cried, as if my voice could somehow make him come back into the room. Shaking my head, I knew he was gone.

He wasn't coming back.

I sighed heavily and moved away from the door. "Tal...I'm sorry..." I whispered to myself as I leaned against the wall, sliding to the ground. "I'm sorry...I should have done something...I'm sorry," I said quietly.

The door suddenly began to open again, and I froze, staring at it with wide, frightened eyes. 'No,' I thought to myself. 'No, please...I don't want to die...I don't want to die!'

The door opened and Reese appeared in the doorway, smirking at me. He frowned when he saw that I was free, and then shrugged his broad shoulders. "I see Tal helped you out. He's to be killed in a minute," he said, and smirked as my expression twisted. Moving toward me, he grasped my arm and yanked me to my feet.

Stumbling, I barely managed to catch myself. Slamming into the wall, he forced my hands behind my back, crossing them over each other. Strapped together with a length of different rope, it cut into my wrists. I felt a small stream of blood trail down them, and I winced.

This rope was different...it wasn't rope!

It was barbwire! I shook my head as he placed rope around the barbwire as well, and then a chain. He didn't want me getting free. A chain was tossed over my chest, secured in the back around my arms. To move them hurt, and I knew he didn't want me struggling, for he wouldn't mind breaking my arm.

A rope was placed over my head and into my mouth, tied tightly behind my head. His hand on my back, he pushed me out of the room.

I struggled. I shouldn't have, as the wire cut into me, and I felt it moving around inside me. It hurt and I winced, but I continued to struggle. Dear God, I didn't want to die. I didn't want to die!

"Please!" I tried to yell at him. "Please, don't do this! You don't have to do this, Reese! I'll be good!" But of course it was stifled by the gag, and came out as a meaningless sound to Reese. He laughed and pulled me along, ignoring my pleas and struggles. "Please!" I tried again, but he only shook his head and slapped me, hard, across the cheek.

"Stop whining," he said. "You had your chance, dog. You blew it. Now it's time to put you down." He pulled me along at a faster pace as I shook my head. "Stop struggling," he snapped. "Or I'll be forced to gut you." I froze in my walking for a moment. Gut me? I gulped as I was yanked forward, the movement making my arms move, the chains around them bending them at an odd angle. I flinched and cried out slightly, but he didn't care.

He wasn't going to change his mind. I closed my eyes as I was pulled along. I didn't want to die.
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A few hallways away, Tal was being strapped down to a table, still in a stunned state of mind. I wasn't there, personally, to witness what happened, but I do know a little of what took place there, and none of it is pleasant. I wish not to remember it at all, but I know I must, for the story must be told.

Borris was standing over him, a wicked gleam in his eye. Tal's vision was hazy, and he felt as if he were drugged. His limbs were heavy and refused to obey him and move. He couldn't put up a fight.

After Tal was secured onto the slap of concrete that served as a table, Borris shuffled everyone out of the room and locked the door, before returning to Tal with a twisted smirk on his face.

"I'm going to enjoy myself," he said, with a little laughter bubbling out in his voice. Tal focused on him, a terrible ache splitting his head. Whatever had shocked him, he hadn't quite recovered from. His index finger twitched slightly, and his hands began to shake. He couldn't stop them.

Borris stood over him with a small knife in his hand. First, he cut off Tal's shirt. Tals hands, secured tightly above his head, could not break free. His ankles were secured at the far end of the table, and there was a leather strap securing his torso to the table as well. He couldn't break free, not in this weakened state. He doubted his chances of breaking free in his strong state, either.

He was so tired. He just wanted to sleep.

Borris brought the knife down, delicately, to slice into his lower abdomen. Gasping in pain, he tried to move. He was still too stunned. Warm blood oozed from the wound, and Borris continued his delicate strokes, making some sort of artwork with the blood.

Tal couldn't think he was in so much pain. That, along with the shock of that device, left him helpless.

"This wasn't originally what I was going to do to you," Borris said conversationally, his voice casual, as if doing this to him were a normal thing that didn't require much thought. "But I changed my mind. I want you to suffer, and I want to have fun."

This was what Borris considered as 'fun'. Slicing Tal up while he lay helpless.

Tal wheezed in a breath through his teeth and let it out slowly. It whistled against the top of his mouth and for a moment Borris paused in his work.

"Do scream," he said, smiling. "It'll make it more enjoyable. It's not fun if you don't scream."

'Like hell if I'm screaming,' Tal thought, but said nothing.
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Meanwhile, I was taking a boat ride out into the center of the lake.

The air was cold, and it brought the iciness of the water along with it. I shivered. My shirt had been cut off of me a few moments before. Reese was seated next to me, glaring at me, while someone else was driving.

I was pretty sure they were going to dump me over the side of the boat to drown, but the boat didn't stop. Surely, if they were going to throw me from the boat, they would stop it first. At least, I hoped so. The bottom of this lake would make for a chilly grave.

We continued onward. I didn't know where we were going, for after a few minutes Reese stood and blindfolded me. I didn't like this one bit.

It seemed both Tal and I were going to our deaths very soon.