Chapter 16: what lies hidden

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As Jess's screaming dwindled down Slim's chest heaved sweat glistening on his bare torso as he tried to control himself. Jess was getting God knew what being done to him and Slim was helpless to save Jess until he had a plan. Slim calmed slightly down then his body started to quiver with pure adrenaline coursing through his veins and examined the chains which bound him to the soft mattress upon which he currently lay.

Slim's body protested the movement and made it ten times harder for him to move even an inch. His body had had it with everything that had happened to it. It had been beaten, basically starved, whipped, tormented and the list went on. Slim's body wasn't going to move an inch but Slim's utter determination to save Jess out ruled Slim's body. Slim found a small amount of his strength renewed as he continued to search the metal cuff for any signs of weakness that he could exploit.

The metal creaked and Slim smiled in victory. The chain connecting the metal cuff on his left arm to the bed had a weak spot. It felt like to Slim that the metal ring in the links of chain had not been firmly fused together, much to Slim's pleasure. He pulled his left arm as hard as he could wrenching the metal chain stiff as he heard the slight metal groan indicating the give that the weak spot in the metal was having.

Slim did it again and again biting into his lip as the cuff dug deeper and rooted itself into Slim's cracked skin, drawing blood from his already bloody and black wrist. Slim gasped for air as his lungs declared their pain and sweat dripped blisteringly off of Slim's brow and fell silently to the bed below. Slim was almost ready to give up and try something else when he felt and heard the metal chain fracture and come apart.

The momentum from the yank throwing Slim over onto his stomach with mixed tears of rejoicing and injury bathing his swelling black and purple face. Sim lay there forcing scraggly breathes to enter and leave his lungs. Slim struggled to make his tired muscles work and hoisted himself onto his knees then leaned back sitting his butt onto the bottom of his only upturned boot and almost liking the sharp bite that stung from his heel poking into his behind.

It was a sting of victory, Slim had gotten half free and that was something to celebrate. Slim was sitting on one heeled boot as he had lost his other boot while he had been escaping. Sure, was a damn shame Slim thought they were his best boots too. Slim's eyes started to droop and his body was slipping sideways. Slim's body twitched at the prospect of sleep and Slim was almost asleep before his eyes splayed wide open and he jerked his body back into a sitting position.

Slim almost cursed at himself as his body started to fail him and craved soothing sleep. Slim didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to put off the inevitable collapse of his body. He had been through too much and his body knew it. Hell, Slim could feel it in his bones and in every inch of skin making him feel that much heavier every time he tried to move.

Slim started to yank haltingly on the chain connecting the cuff on his right hand to the bed, as his arm now felt on fire as muscle after muscle strained to do Slim's bidding. Slim squeezed the tears of torment out of his eyes and sobbed quietly chest heaving with each pull of the chain. The chain didn't have a weak spot and Slim was at the end of his rope. So, to speak.

He just wanted to collapse and go to sleep it was all he wanted to do. Slim was only able to scrunch half of his face up as the tears came harder. The other half was so puffed up Slim was surprised his eye hadn't been swollen shut yet. Slim just sat there crying once again it seemed for the hundredth time.

All he wanted was Jess, his best friend. Slim had to save Jess and in order to do that he had to get free from the remaining chain which bound him to the infernally soft and sleep inviting bed. He had to have strength to pull at the chain and Slim was out of strength. He was out of patience, dang tired of the pain which constantly ravaged his body. Slim wasn't even going to get started on the whip marks littering his body.

He hadn't noticed it earlier he had been too pumped to form a plan and save Jess but now it stuck out like a sore thumb at Slim. The whip marks hurt almost as much as they did when he had received them. The sweat, which was currently running down his chest courtesy of a fever which made Slim start to see double, made his whip marks sting like he had just been singed with fire.

Aw hell Slim thought in sever pain as he stopped yanking on the chain and just sat there in complete agony as new sweat rolled down the old sweat tracks and met up with his numerous whip marks. Slim gasped as the perspiration rolled onto his side and hit his branding mark. It was on pure pain instinct as Slim let out a screeching howl of torment as his side burned with the unwanted transudation.

Slim was about to scream again in agony when he heard a thump in the room. Slim clamped his jaws together tight and listened quietly for the noise. There it was again a thump, it sounded like something hitting wood like a door or something. Slim had been so focused on getting free and worrying about Jess he hadn't even looked around the room.

It was a small room Slim now noticed with a window high in the far wall. T must have been getting early cause there was light streaming out of the window and illuminating the room. Slim hadn't even noticed that there was light in the room before. Slim shook his head as the small room spun dizzily and threatened Slim's sight with double vision.

Slim heard the thumping sound again and hoarsely whispered asking who he was there as waited for the room to finish spinning. He heard a muffled sound like someone was gagged and was trying to say something. Slim looked around the room slowly for a door or a hatch. No, there it was a closet.

It was just to the right of Slim about 3 feet away. Slim haltingly moved to the side of the bed wincing at as every bruise, cut, and strained muscle seemed to scream at him all at once. He put his booted foot down first then his unbooted foot followed. Slim winced as the coldness of the wooden floor touched the skin on his damaged, bare foot and made all the little cuts, scrapes, and bruises come agonizingly alive.

Slim raised his body up and stood wobbly on his uneven and unsteady feet. He put his hand against the wall for support cringing at as the metal on his wrist spoke in volumes that he still wasn't free. Slim waked to the closet which was straight ahead of him hand trailing on the wall keeping him upright.

Slim was almost at the door when his right hand was jerked back towards the bed telling him that was as far as his chain would go. Slim reached his free left hand and with ease opened the closets handle which was just a few inches away. Slim mentally thanked God that he had arms long enough to reach the closet handle.

If his arms had been an inch shorter like Jess's were then he wouldn't have been able to turn the closet door handle and open it up. What Slim saw made his eyes bulge out of his head in surprise and knock him onto the floor sitting on his butt staring open mouthed at the spectacle which his eyes beheld.

Slim opened his mouth then closed it then opened it again in utter astonishment. He just couldn't believe his tired eyes. Slim put both hands to his face and rubbed it tiredly. Slim thought he was surely hallucinating and seeing things why else Mort Cory would be sitting in front of him trussed up like a calf with a gag in his mouth staring just as dumbfounded at Slim. Slim dropped his hands but the image of Mort in front of him did not fade.

But with Mort he was also staring in horror as Mort saw the abuse that Slim had been through. When Mort's eyes fell upon Slim's bloody red and burning black branding mark his eyes filled with hate for the man that had done it to Slim. Mort looked into Slim's fever glazed and Slim stared in wonder into Mort's and both asked a silent question.

What happened to you?