Free Ordinary (Exceptional Book 3) by Jess Petosa

were carried over shoulders. Ally spotted Big Sal in the back of the group. He looked worse for wear; with a bloody nose and several cuts on his arms and legs, but he was moving along. At one point their eyes met and he looked at the ground quickly. It was strange how quickly the same man that had used his knife to cut her arm open now seemed like a gentle giant.
    They walked for almost an hour, traveling both paved roads and through the woods. Finally the paved road gave way to small, one story buildings, and the sound of other people sprung up around them. Ally could hear hushed whispers and few gasps. She smelled smoke from fires, and heard the clang of metal on metal.
    “Big Earl,” a man called out. “What ya bring us?”
    “Nothing for you, Big Frank, you got yourself a woman,” Big Earl joked.
    Ally’s insides tumbled. She tried to shut out the voices around her, which were mostly men, and focused on the ground until their group finally came to a stop. She was set on the ground, and Sabine and Stosh were lined up next to her. The man carrying Luke set him on his feet, and Ally realized that he was awake. He didn’t look completely with it but his eyes were open and he stood next to her, swaying slightly. He peered over at her with dim eyes and she returned a grave expression. She hoped he reached full consciousness soon. If they were going to get out of this mess, they needed him. The cuffs seemed to weigh his arms down, but Ally knew that he could use his abilities with just his mind now.
    Ally took a moment to glance around the town. She spotted the transport parked down the street and a group of men were already sifting through it. The town didn’t appear to be that big, and definitely nowhere as large as even Champaign’s occupied parts. The buildings were mainly one story, and they sat in a tidy row down the main street. She couldn’t tell if there were any shops, her view was blocked by men. Ordinarys had started to gather around them. The men were all as dirty and bearded, and they wore similar clothing; dirty jeans and button up shirts. The women started to gather as well, and taking them in was more shocking for Ally. They all wore thick, brown dresses that started at their chins, covered their arms down to the wrists, and even fell over their shoes. She couldn’t tell much about their hair since they all had it covered with the same dirty rags that made up their clothes.
    Everything in this town blended together. Brown clothes, dirty faces, worn buildings, and dirt roads.
    “What goin’ on out here?” A deep voice broke through the crowd. The townspeople parted and a large man stepped into the small space in front of Ally and the others. He was bigger than Big Sal, which was saying something considering the size of all of these men.
    Everyone bowed their heads to the man, and she recognized this as a sign of respect. This man was obviously in charge.
    Big Earl stepped forward. “We found these youngins’ in the lot near the highway.”
    “Is that so?” the man in charge asked.
    “There’s two more in the transport. Sick ones,” Big Earl said.
    “Martha!” the man in charge screamed. “MARTHA!”
    An older woman scurried into the opening. She twisted her apron in her hands and looked at her feet.
    “I want ‘em all locked up, even the injured. You’ll oversee it,” he commanded. “Tomorrow I want the girls processed.”
    Martha nodded, still looking at her feet.
    “Big Earl, you mind movin’ ‘em to prison?” the man asked.
    “No problem,” Big Earl responded.
    Ally and the others were dragged between two houses and to a long, dirty building nestled up against the trees. The inside was one big room, with a dozen or so cages built haphazardly in the space. The floor was a thick layer of dirt and the air was stale. Only a few of the cages were occupied, and as they passed, one prisoner in particular growled at them, spittle clinging to his beard.
    There was one cage in the back