Free Forsaking Home (The Survivalist Series) by A. American Page A

all.”
    “They wouldn’t do that to you!” Kay protested.
    Aric shook his head. “You’re right, they might just kill me.” Aric could tell from the look in her eyes that Kay didn’t believe that. “These people don’t play around, Kay, believe me.”
    Kay nodded in understanding, thinking about some of the cruelty she had witnessed. “You’re probably right.”
    Without thinking about it, Aric reached out and hugged the old woman. It surprised him nearly as much as it did her. After a pause, Kay wrapped her arms around him. Aside from the girls, Kay hadn’t hugged anyone since her husband had died. And in the Before, her husband was one of few people she ever showed affection to, for that matter. Aric was the same way. He’d never been a very affectionate person. Hugs and saying
I love you
were not very common in his house growing up. But in this moment, they needed each other’s comfort.
    “Thanks, Kay,” Aric said as he turned to leave.
    “Thank you,” Kay said. “I knew you weren’t like the others.”
    Aric gave her a weak smile then left the kitchen. He was going to find a way to get to Fred, he decided. He knew what her future held and, in that moment, he decided he was going to do something about it.
     • • • 
    Calvin listened as Shane was brought in. While he couldn’t see him, hearing him yelp confirmed it. It was the same cry he’d made many times as a kid when Calvin would prank him. Calvin would creep into the bathroom quietly and stand there for a moment, then he would dump a glass of ice water over the top of the shower curtain. While that was a fond memory of Shane as he grew up, when he heard that splash he knew they’d just soaked his son. He also knew that the cold in the building would certainly lead to hypothermia. He waited for the men to leave. Once he heard the door close he called out. “Shane? Is that you, son?” The effort required to call out was incredibly painful. Calvin slumped back against the wall holding his side.
    Shane’s arms were already burning and his teeth chattered uncontrollably. “Y-yeah, I’m h-here.”
    “You okay, son?”
    “I’m c-cold. They t-took m-my clothes and threw water o-on me.”
    “Bastards,” Calvin moaned. “Let your body shiver, don’t try and stop it. It’s generating heat.”
    “N-not enough.”
    “Jess, hey, Jess!” Fred called in a loud whisper.
    Jess whispered back, “What?”
    “Is it day or night?”
    “How should I know? It’s always dark.”
    “Yeah, tell me about it. I get dizzy if I stand up too long,” Fred said, leaning against the wall.
    “That’s why I spend so much time on my ass,” Jess replied. It was a weak joke, but the first joke heard in a while. Fred’s laugh echoed through the building.
    “I-it’s daylight out,” Shane said.
    Fred looked in the direction his voice came from. “I’m so sorry they did that to you. I wish I could help.”
    “M-me too.”
    Mary was lying on the floor of her cell in a fetal position. She didn’t hear the whispers of those down the hall from her. Her head was filled with voices. Despite her best efforts she couldn’t stop them and they were driving her mad. Curled up like she was, she was able to get her hands over her ears. She clasped them tightly and rocked back and forth. In an effort to drive the voices out of her mind, she started to hum.
    “Mary, is that you?” Jess called out.
    There was no reply, and after a moment Fred called out, “I think it is. It sounds like she’s humming.”
    A key sliding into a door caused everyone to stop talking. Fred moved along the wall away from her door. The sounds of boots scuffing and grinding the concrete filled the air. At least two people were there, the faint sounds of their voices echoing down the halls.
    A key sliding into the lock of his cell caused Shane to look up. When the door opened he was immediately blinded with the light again. Closing his eyes, he tried to turn his head away. Once again,