Free The Six: Complete Series by E.C. Richard Page B

Don’t let them notice you.”
    The door swung open and two large men dressed in head-to-toe black filled the entire doorway. Simon stood between them with his head bowed. Lila was taken aback at how different he looked. He had on a button down shirt and he was clean shaven. His shiny dress shoes gleamed in the fluorescent hallway light that trickled in from behind him.
    “The door’s open,” Dennis whispered.
    He eyed the small opening where Simon stood. He took up little space and there was enough room for someone to squeeze through.
    It was a suicide mission. Dennis was weak from days of barely eating and expending his energy on door pounding and shouting at the top of his lungs.
    “Let’s go!” he said. Lila didn’t move or even look his way.
    No one acknowledged Dennis. He sat in disbelief as the men walked inside the room with Simon in tow. There was a foot of empty space between them and the door. His feet slid close to his body and she saw him start to stand.
    Lila wanted to pull him back down to the floor. The more conspicuous he became, the more likely he’d be taken. He needed to have a low profile and build up his strength before they sent him out.
    She didn’t move. It was useless. Why start being a good person now?
    The door had been opened over and over again and the idea of using that as a means of escape had always seemed ridiculous. The men that stood at the door were built like linebackers and had one job, to keep the six of them in line. Even if Dennis managed to run out, they would use their remote or magic button to start that thing in his heart. He wouldn’t get ten feet. They’d win every time. There was no point in fighting back.
    With the last remnants of his energy, Dennis bolted up from the floor and ran towards the door. He went right for the smallest gap between the two men. One moment he was on his feet, barreling towards the door and the next there was a thud as his body was slammed against the floor. The men hadn’t even batted an eye as Dennis approached. One simply pushed him against the wall and let him slide to the ground.
    Lila waited for him to get back to his feet and slink back to her side, but he didn’t. Dennis just lay on the ground, the only sign of life being his little pinkie twitching against the concrete floor. She motioned to go help him but Marie shook her head. It didn’t take a lot for her to retreat. Lila didn’t really want to help him. As much pity as she had for Dennis, he was bringing attention to himself. The six of them weren’t a team. One person’s suffering was another’s salvation.
    Simon didn’t need to be pushed inside the room. He walked in and made a beeline to the corner that he had vacated. He sat down cross-legged and stared intently at the men at the door. Even though his hair was styled and his clothes were neatly pressed, his shoulders slumped and he seemed exhausted. She could see his cheeks were stained and puffy from crying. She’d wept to the point of depletion enough times to know the signs.
    After they were confident Simon was safely inside, the men backed away and shut the door. The others didn’t know where he had gone and she could feel their confusion as Simon rolled up his blood-stained sleeve. He wasn’t injured, at least not physically.
    Benjamin began to walk over to Simon. “Are you okay?”
    “I’m fine,” Simon said.
    Benjamin loomed over him. “You’ve got blood all over your shirt.”
    All eyes were on the pair against the wall.
    “Why do you have blood on your shirt, Simon?”
    No answer.
    In the silence, Dennis began to stir. He had a gash that ran down the side of his face from the blow against the floor. With blood caked around his eyes, he got to his knees and glared in Simon’s direction.
    “What did they do?” Benjamin asked.
    Simon didn’t answer. He seemed almost catatonic except for his trembling hands. Simon shivered as his chest rose and fell with nervous conviction.
    “Answer him!”