Part IX

Saturday 11th November

Danny found himself waking up once again, not sure if this was his nightmare or reality anymore since they both looked the same. He tried to open his eyes, sand in the corner of his lids, as the world around him burned. He quickly shut them as they watered up, tears falling back towards his black hair as he struggled against the table. Days ago he had awoke to find himself strapped to what felt like a crude operating table, his hands and feet holding him down and a strap across his chest securing him in place on the slanted hard surface.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been attached to the table. Long enough that his hunger pains weren't as persistent anymore. Whoever had kidnapped them had thought they would only need a small amount of food and water a day. Sam seemed to be the only one doing okay on that front, when she was awake.

Whoever. Danny still didn't even know who had kidnapped them. Or why. They had the one light in the room, hanging above them and blocking out the rest of the room. They could see only each other, their tables in a triangle, and the pole that lowered down their food and water from somewhere above the light. He tried to open his eyes again, hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of the world beyond the light, but he had to quickly close his eyes again against the dry air.

"-anny?" Tucker's voice asked, cracking from lack of use and liquids.

"Yeah Tuck?"

"How long have we been here?"

"I don't know," Danny admitted.

Silence filled the room for a moment before Tucker said, "They're going to stop looking for us soon."

"We'll get out of here," Danny said, forcing optimism where he felt none.

A liquid rained down on the three, almost burning their skin. Sam screamed awake, struggling with a new strength to get free as the chemical burned holes in their clothes and left their skin raw.

They're trying to kill us the slow way, Danny realized, not sure what the liquid would do once it sat for a while. Already his shirt was showing signs that the chemical and cotton didn't mix and was disintegrating.