Free The Fall (Book 2): Dead Will Rise by Joshua Guess Page A

captured. The trees along that part of the trail were unusually dense, the underbrush thick and probably bolstered by the people living there. They'd chosen the spot wisely. Close to water, screened from casual view, and, as Kell saw once they emerged from the narrow trail leading to it, defensible.
    The man and the two young men with him were not alone; eight or nine other people milled about the space, preparing food, cleaning weapons, one person even planing a length of wood. None of them gave him more than a glance.
    His captors had taken his weapons, only searching his bag long enough to be certain he wasn't hiding anything dangerous in there. His arms were loosely bound behind his back, the rope tight at the wrists but long enough that he didn't have to keep his limbs at an unnatural angle.
    Kell was led to the far side of the camp, where they stopped at a tree abutting the woods beyond. The older man put a hand on his shoulder, gentle but firm.
    “Now look, son,” he said, looking Kell in the eyes. “I don't know what you've been through. Must've been bad for you to assume I was just gonna kill you. Had you drawn on my boys or me, I would have. As it is, I don't know you, so we're going to compromise. I'm going to give you a chance to prove you're not one of those crazies going around the country raping and murdering, and you're going to let me restrain you until I'm sure you aren't.”
    Kell chewed on that for a few seconds. “What's the other option?”
    The other man ran a hand over his stubbly chin. “Ten feet past this tree, the woods drop off. It's a good fifty feet. Some kinda landslide ages ago. If you don't want to talk, we lower you down there and send you on your way. We keep your weapons. If we see you again, we assume you're an enemy.”
    “Well, when you put it that way, sir, I can't help but accept whatever hospitality you're willing to offer.”
    “I'm no 'sir',” the other man said with the shadow of a smile. “My name's Gary, but most people call me Grim.”
    “Nice to meet you. My name is Kevin, but everyone calls me K.” It was a small lie, and close enough to the truth to be convincing. Why he bothered out here in the woods, where the chances of anyone knowing anything about him approached zero, he didn't know. Long habit can do strange things to a person.
    “Grim, huh? That's a strange nickname. I'd love to hear how you got it. Over some water, perhaps?”
    Grim nodded. “Sure. Danny, Pat, go get us some water if you don't mind. I'll secure mister K to the tree.”
    Kell glanced at the tree. “That might complicate my going to the bathroom. Which, I feel obligated to warn you, is going to be an issue in the near future.”
    With a smile, Grim guided him to the base of the tree. “Sit here. Please don't get up,” he said before ducking into the nearest tent. He reappeared almost instantly, a coiled length of rope in his hands. “Here, this ought to be plenty.”
    Confused, Kell watched as he was tied to the tree. At first he expected to be bound directly to the thing, but as Grim worked he began to understand. The rope was about fifteen feet long, as thick as his thumb, and made of nylon. Grim looped it around the tree and tied each end to Kell's wrists, giving him a long tether to allow him freedom of motion.
    “What's to keep me from untying the knots?” Kell asked out of sheer natural curiosity.
    Grim raised an eyebrow. “Other than your good word? This,” he said, producing a thin spool of wire from a pocket. A multi-tool followed, and the man set about weaving a complex net between the strands of rope, threading the wire through and back again before twisting the ends shut with the pliers on his tool. “There. You can probably get through that with enough time, but I reckon someone would notice before you managed the job.”
    Confused, Kell asked, “Why? Why not keep me bound tight?”
    “Aside from making less work for my people by letting you feed and care for