Free B. E. V. by Arthur Butt

periods became longer, the walking shorter. Finally I admitted, "Can't take it Kat. No more."
    I could see panic growing in Kat each time we'd stopped, her eyes darting from my face to my leg. She said, "You rest. I'll go scout ahead, it can't be but a couple more miles anyway. No sense knocking ourselves out to get there, just to learn Morgan's destroyed the place and have to walk somewhere else, right?"
    I hated to admit it, but she had a point. "Yeah, go – no wait." I fished around in my pocket. "Here, take the key. If the lab's destroyed you may still be able to enter through the garage and use the freight elevator."
    "Thanks," she tucked it away. "Well –"
    "Be careful, will ya?"
    She flashed me a smirk and stood, hitching her backpack farther up her shoulders. "Of course. See you – I'll be right back."
    After Kat left I fell into a stupor. I kept repeating under my breath, "Lousy leg – lousy Black Morgan – lousy Greys for what you did to me!" until it became a chant.
    I fell asleep, dreaming Greys kept chasing me in a spaceship, shooting lasers at my leg. Black Morgan laughed in the background while I screamed in pain. Kat was shaking me saying, "Wake up, Hunter – wake up! You're having a nightmare."
    I bolted upright. "Huh?"
    A dark figure shoved a laser rifle in my face. The tip moved down and he jabbed the muzzle into the pit of my stomach.
    "I said, up on your feet, kid!" The gun bobbed up and down.
    "Uh, Yeah. Sure." I pushed myself erect and shoved my hands in the air. "What do you want with me? I didn't do anything."
    Another man in camouflage elbowed his way through the bushes and stood next to him. "Haven't done anything for us yet, kid," he said, "but you're going to fetch us a small bounty once we bring you in."
    The first soldier motioned with his rifle. "Start moving, keep your hands up."
    They prodded me to an old Humvee and forced me inside. "Sit tight, son," advised the gun-toting soldier, slipping in beside me. He pushed his rifle against my side. "We'll take you back to camp, tie you up, and hand you over to our CO tomorrow. Afterwards, you’re his business."
    "You're part of Morgan's army?" I asked.
    "Correct, received orders to pick up stragglers, this is you buddy."
    I felt sick. It meant the labor gangs. I'd heard stories about what happen once you were caught.
    "Morgan doesn't want me," I pleaded, trying to act as scared as I felt. "I'm a kid. Why don't you let me go?"
    We hit a bump and his laser dug deeper into my side. "It's nothing personal, kid," he said. "We have our orders, and we get a bounty for each one of you we bring in. Relax," he advised, "there's nothing ya can do about it."
    We veered off the main road onto a dirt path where a burnt out campfire and small tent stood. Both soldiers jumped out of the Humvee and hauled me after them. "Face the other way," one ordered, "and put yer hands behind you."
    I felt ropes tied around my wrists. "I'm heading out," announced the laserman, "see if I can scare up anyone else."
    The second soldier nodded. "I'll watch the pup," he gestured to me, "and start the fire going. Have some rations hot when you come back."
    As the Humvee drove off my guard said, "Get into the tent and stay there. Make any noise or poke your nose out and you lose it, understand?"
    This was harder than it sounded. I had to deal with tied hands and my bum leg. "I don't think –"
    "Here, I'll give you a start." My guard grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and shoved me forward, adding a kick in my pants for good measure. I flew into the tent, landing on my face. "And stay there." The tent flap closed.
    I took a deep breath, alone, tied, and captured.

 
    Chapter Five
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    I lay on my stomach and caught my breath, and then started kicking with my good leg until I flipped myself over. I did the hardest sit-up I'd ever done and peered around.
    The tent was dark, empty, and hot. Between my struggles and the heat, sweat trickled down my