Mike

I stopped the car just outside the house. If Nate was as injured as I thought he was, I didn't want to walk far carrying him.

I wanted Marley to stay in the car and be our 'get-away guy,' but he insisted on coming in. Even if I did leave him in the car, he'd probably follow me as soon as I was out of sight. So best to keep where I can have an eye on him.

"Remember we want this to go as smooth as possible," I whispered to him as we stood outside the door. "We don't want to get spotted and make this more difficult. You sure you don't want to stay in the car?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. You don't have to keep repeating yourself. I know what to do." My old friend sounded really annoyed; I guess I was getting a bit paranoid.

"Alright, then. Let's go." To my surprise, the front door was unlocked, and both of us crept in.

The entire house was a mess. Empty beer bottles and cans were everywhere, along with piles of shattered glass and dirty clothes. I almost threw up at the smell.

"Okay, yep, pretty sure this is the right place," Marley muttered, holding the collar of his shirt against his nose.

"Hey, Adrian! Come 'ear!"

Both of us froze. I mouthed the word hide and we both dove behind a rotting couch. The smell was even worse, now. My eyes started to water.

We hid just in time as a young man turned the corner. He was dressed in a what-used-to-be white t-shirt, jeans, and lab coat. His sandy hair was sticking up in every direction.

"Wh-what do you w-want?" The young man, Adrian started to head down the hall, but was stopped by the other guy here calling out again.

"Actually, never mind. Why don't you go check on that brat? Make sure he's still breathing. You're the doctor here."

Adrian sighed, and said muttered something under his breath. I had a feeling it wasn't very nice.

He moved toward a door that looked almost brand new, meaning it wasn't completely covered in grime and whatever else was in here. I looked back at my friend. His eyes were wide. I crouched down lower to whisper in his ear.

"We have to follow him. He'll lead us to Nate!" Marley nodded, and we both slowly moved from our cover towards the now open door. Adrian was descending down a long set of stairs to the basement.

We followed him, and I shut the door behind us, hoping that the man in front of us didn't notice the noise. He didn't, and kept on moving.

Once all three of us were on level ground, in a short, stone corridor, I sprinted ahead and tackled Adrian, pinning him to the wall and covering his mouth with my hand, muffling the short scream. His eyes widened into a look of terror.

"Look," I growled, "We just want to save our friend and get out of here." I removed my hand. "Tell us where he is."

To my surprise, the doctor actually smiled. He looked relieved. I stepped back in surprise, no longer pinning him.

"I'll be more than happy to help you. Though, I warn you, you won't like what you see." He shivered. "I was forced here myself a few days before the kid was brought here. Since I'm a doctor, I know how to cut someone without killing them, but inflict the most pain possible."

Adrian pressed himself against the wall, and my own eyes widened. I looked at Marley. From the look on his face, he'd come to the same conclusion as I did.

"You were brought here to torture him."

My heart sunk when the young, sandy-haired man nodded, tears pooling in his eyes. "I didn't want to, trust me, but the way that guy looks at you...you don't want to disobey him."

"What guy," Marley spoke for the first time, and the new voice made Adrian jump. "I-I don't kn-know. I don't know anyone's n-name here. All I do know is that he wants that kid in as much pain as possible without killing him. And I have to do it."

I put a hand on his shoulder. 'Don't worry, we'll get you both out of here, but first, you have to lead us to our friend."

He nodded and started off down the hall again, he steps a little shaky. After many turns and passing countless doors, we stopped in front of a large, metal one. I looked at the lock. It had about five different codes.

Guess his father really doesn't want him to leave. I wonder what was behind all those other doors.

"You wouldn't happen to know the codes, would you," Marley asked the doctor. He nodded.

"Yeah, I do, just give me a second."

After watching him type in the numerous codes, a question formed in my mind.

"Why were you trusted with the codes? Aren't you a prisoner here, too?"

The lock clicked, and Adrian stepped away. He turned to face me, and, for some reason, I shuddered.

"Yes, I am," he replied. "But they didn't want to keep coming down here with me whenever I had to check on him. As far as I know, there's only the two guys here, excluding me and the kid."

I nodded, not really excepting that explanation, but choosing to go with it. I took Adrian's place in front of the door, and hesitated, hand on the handle. What was I going to find in there?

I jumped slightly when Marley appeared next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Come on, open the door. You can do it."

He stepped back and I was still for a second more before pulling on the handle. The door grated open as metal slid against stone. I looked inside first, and I felt all color drain from my face.

Nate was shivering on the floor, curled into a ball. I walked slowly into the freezing room. Nate didn't move. I crouched down in front of him, and he started to shake violently, making small whimpering noises. I lifted his head from the protective ball. His eyes were shut tightly, and he didn't acknowledge I was even there.

"He must be asleep," I muttered to myself. I scanned his body, looking for any injuries. I didn't see any, but he was still curled up and I didn't want to move right away. I did spot the chain around his ankle. Before we could do anything, that would have to go.

Suddenly, Nate screamed, unfolding himself, and arching his back. I got a good look at the front of him, but all I could see was his bloodstained t-shirt. And it was still damp, too.

I started to shake his shoulder, willing him to wake up. He groaned, but still didn't open his eyes.

"Hey, Nate," I whispered, in another attempt to wake him, "It's alright, you can wake up. We won't hurt you."

He didn't open eyes, but his posture relaxed. He looked...peaceful, now. I decided Nate wasn't going to wake anytime soon, so I picked him up, carrying him bridal-style.

"Come on," I said, looking Marley in the eye. "Let's go."

I took a couple steps forward, but then Nate was nearly yanked from my arms. I looked back, confused. Oh, right. The chain.

I turned back to the others. "Uh, do either of you happen to know how to pick a lock?"

Marley grinned. "I do. My parents taught me. In case of emergency. I think this qualifies. All I need is a hairpin or something and I'll be good."

I set Nate down gently and fished through my pockets. Perfect.

I produced one of Clarissa's hairpins. It had gotten stuck on my jacket earlier as Dorado and I took her to the hospital. I just didn't get rid of it. Thank God I didn't.

My friend raised an eyebrow. "And where did that come from?"

I glared at him. "It's Clarissa's. So shut up."

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright. Doesn't matter. Just give it to me." I handed over the pin and Marley went to work. Within five minutes the shackle fell away. He handed the pin back to me with a poorly suppressed smile.

I picked the teenager back up. "Now let's go. We can't afford to be here any longer."

The three of us darted back through the halls, Adrian leading the way, Nate clutched in my arms. When we got to the stairs, I felt my heart start to speed up in my chest. This was going to be tricky. Who knows if that man was still there? What if Nate's father was there now? We needed a lot of luck on our side, now.

Adrian opened the door at the top of the stairs slowly, it creaking slightly.

"What's that noise?" The voice boomed, right in front of us. Nate twitched in my arms. That was definitely not the same voice as earlier. Adrian flinched as well.

"That's the guy who made me do what I did," he whispered, shaking slightly. "We cannot be seen by him. We'd be dead before we had a chance to run."

The door began to open more on its own, and I began to sweat. If we were caught, it was like the doctor said. We'd be dead.

"Calm down, Daniel. It's probably the kid coming back up. I sent him down to check on yours." That was the man we heard. So he was still here as well. Great.

"Hurry," I hissed at Adrian, "Move, or we'll all be caught."

In response, the young man quickly darted through the door, shutting it behind him and locking Marley and I in darkness. I pressed closer to the wood, careful not to accidentally shove it open, trying to hear what they were saying.

"How is the boy?" Nate's father's, Daniel, I guess, voice was cold and emotionless. I really shouldn't have expected more. Judging by Nate's story, this man was just that. Cold and emotionless.

"He-he-he's alright," the doctor stuttered. "He's sl-sleeping, now."

"Well then, wake him up."

My body stiffened. I could feel Marley go rigid beside me as well. We were doomed if Daniel opened that door again.

"Wh-what?"

"You heard me, Adrian. Go wake him up."

"But-but, I–"

"Never mind. If you won't do it, I will. Out of my way."

There was a soft thud as Adrian was tossed away from the door. It began to squeak again and little rays of light penetrated the darkness of the stairwell. I had a split second to decide. Make a break for it, or get caught and probably get all four of us killed. Of course, I chose the obvious one.

I made a break for it.

I kicked the door forward, slamming Nate's father square in the face with it. Pushing the stunned man aside, I raced toward the front door, shouting "Go, go, go."

Marley sprinted after me, soon passing me and holding the door open. A moment later, Adrian got over his shock and followed, but, unfortunately, so did Daniel. He grabbed the younger man and placed a knife against his throat. I froze.

"Make one wrong move," Nate's father said slowly, "And they're both dead."

Both...?

Suddenly, it clicked in my head and I spun around. Marley was being restrained by someone who could've been Daniel's brother. Instead of a blade, however, there was a gun pressed against my best friend's temple.

A cold, icy feeling gripped my heart.

What am I going to do?