So, this story idea came to me a couple of days ago and I just couldn't let it go….even though I have another story I need to finish… I promise I will finish The Long Road Home but for now, hopefully this will suffice!

Grif didn't know where he was or what was happening. All he knew was the pain in his head, the throbbing in his ribs, and the tightly-wrapped duct tape pinning his wrists behind his back.

He breathed heavily through his nose, unable to talk through the tape wrapped around his mouth, trying to clear his head to figure out what on earth was going on. As he opened his eyes, he was met with darkness. Pure black. Grif squirmed in momentary panic before realizing that duct tape covered his eyes too. Great.

Groaning through his gag, Grif felt himself be dragged along rough terrain, dirt and twigs scratching his exposed skin. He whimpered quietly as his body took even more abuse. Whoever was doing this didn't care about his well-being. The jerky movements and overly tight grip on his bound ankles said that much.

After what seemed like an eternity, Grif's legs were dropped on the ground harshly. He yelped through the tape on his mouth and received a brutal kick in the side as punishment. The orange private screamed against the duct tape, the sound muffled and distorted. A gloved hand grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head upward.

"Listen up, you little bitch. You and your friends have something that belongs to me. Until I get it back, you're going to suffer. Better hope your friends care enough about you to save your sorry ass. Otherwise…you're going to die a slow, painful death."

Grif let out a quiet sob as the deep voice echoed in his ears. He sincerely doubted his team would save him. Whatever this psycho wanted was more valuable than him. His only hope would be that his death would find him swiftly.

A loud snap startled Grif out of his thoughts. Gloved hands grabbed him; the rough grasps bruising his upper arms as he was dragged to a semi-standing position and moved. Dex started to sob through the silver tape blocking his mouth, pleading for mercy as best he could. He couldn't stop the shaking in his limbs or the weakness in his knees.

"Cry all you want. You're not getting out of this one. If I have my way, you won't be getting out alive! But first, before we say goodbye, let's get a quick picture. I'm sure your friends would love to see you like this!"

Unbeknownst to Grif, his captor snapped a photo of him using a small electronic tablet, ready to send the image to Grif's comrades. Grinning sadistically, the unknown enemy gazed at the picture of the injured private, taking in the duct tape bindings, gag, and blindfold as well as the bruises and scratches decorating his mostly tan skin. Snapping out of his reverie, the man barked, "Throw him in!"

And then Grif was falling. Not far, maybe 4 feet or so, but he landed awkwardly on his left arm and leg and pain shot through the aforementioned limbs. A warm throbbing could now be felt from the injured areas and Grif knew that they were broken.

Even though Grif was in a lot of agony, he cautiously twisted and wormed his way to what felt like a dirt wall and propped himself up as best he could. Pulling his legs up as close to his chest as he could, Grif struggled to calm himself and slow his breathing down. Trapped in total darkness, unable to escape or move hardly, Grif slowly realized where he was.

A grave. They were burying him alive. If his teammates didn't find him in time, he would suffocate. The thought of suffocating and being buried alive caused a new wave of panic to wash over Grif. Crying out to his captors through the tape on his mouth, Grif sobbed and screamed for help. All he could hear was cold laughter.

Suddenly, a loud metallic thump was heard. It came from above his head and instantly sealed Grif in his grave, deadening all outside sounds. Of course, why kill him this fast when they could prolong his suffering. Grif bowed his head as the faint sound of dirt being thrown on top of the steel cover grew harder and harder to hear.

Then…there was silence. No, not silence. Grif could easily hear his racing heart and harsh breathing. Nothing else. With only his heartbeat and breathing to comfort him, Grif curled up even tighter and sobbed pitifully, resigned to his fate.

His friends would never find him now.

Super short but it's a prologue so…yeah. Good? Bad? Leave Grif in his grave? Please give me some feedback here! I'm trying a little bit different writing style and I think I like it but I can't be sure. O_o