He awoke disorientated and in pain, aching all over. He was in the back of a military style truck, where the back section was covered by a green tarp like material rather than metal; which allowed him to see out of the open back. His head ached terribly, he didn't dare try to lift it in fear of intensifying the pain. The track was beaten and the vehicle swayed over bumps and mounds as the journey continued. The man deduced that they were moving into the countryside.
With this realisation he swallowed hard, knowing he had blown his one chance to escape.
They had first picked him up in LA almost four days ago, their armed guards had herded him into a van instantly. Straight from the van he was shuffled onto a big ship full of cargo; the journey lasted three long and endless days.
He'd been taken into the underbelly of the ship and pushed into a small room. Two men followed him inside and took guard on each side of the door, their cold stares never leaving him. A third man had thrown a black long sleeved tee and a new pair of trousers at him before telling him to change. They were cautious of trackers and had probably thrown his clothes off of the ship.
After the ship reached its destination he'd been ushered out onto a loading dock; the few bystanders who'd been there in the dead of the night had gawped at him and the Chinese soldiers as they had waited. For what, he hadn't know, and probably never would.
The journey had been terrible. He had been left undisturbed even through sleep; the men had even let him keep his watch. But then on the second day, he'd thrown up due to the lack of food and the guards had advanced and made him pay for his crime.
He decided he wasn't going to willingly let them take him somewhere else where the treatment would only decline.
One of the men watching him had been sloppy, as he leaned over to retie his shoe Jack took a gamble, knowing it could be his only chance. He felt cowardly as he anticipated his options, had he lost his pride during the journey? No, he knew that wasn't the case at all; he'd lived a life of luxury for the past year - how could he not want to escape his cruel fate?
He'd taken off running in no particular direction, trying to navigate through the thick of the night in a panic. He was fast and had surprised the soldiers which had allowed him to get so far. Or maybe he'd not gotten very far at all; after his collision with the car his memory was blank. And now here he was.
Trying to shift into a more comfortable position on the cold floor of the truck alerted the guards of his consciousness, but he didn't care. He shifted slightly to take the weight from his shoulder which had gone numb and watched as the buildings in the distance became smaller and smaller until there was only green in sight.
Averting his eyes he saw that he was unrestrained. They knew it would be suicide for him to try anything now; not that he had the strength to even formulate an escape plan. He was still dressed in the clothes he'd been given on the ship; he smelt stale, a mix of sweat and must. He closed his eyes as the bumps in the path rocked him back to sleep knowing this was probably the best he was going to be feeling for a long time.
He was roused from his slumber suddenly when he felt strong hands shaking his shoulders and barking demands at him, words he couldn't decipher. He blinked away the sleep as he was dragged out of the truck. The strong hands left him once he was on his feet and he collapsed to the floor; his arm automatically going round his waist to protect the bruised ribs. Surprisingly no punishment came this time, they left him alone until a podgy man wearing the same green uniform as everybody else had appeared before him and conversed with one of the soldiers in their native tongue, Chinese.
The men nodded and saluted the man before climbing back into the dust covered rickety truck; it sped away seconds later kicking up a trail of dirt. A sinking sensation settled into the prisoners stomach as he watched it leave, suddenly wishing he was still a passenger on it, getting the hell away from here.
Two new soldiers advanced, there whole appearance said 'military.' They wore green camouflaged fatigues and stood with a ram rod posture, sporting identical buzz cuts.
Looking past them the man noticed the three buildings. Made of grey concrete, they were each long and low, with protective wooden fences built around the perimeter He swallowed hard again, correctly assuming this was to be his new home.
The stubby looking man who seemed to be in charge began to speak, and the two men briskly pulled him to his feet before stepping away. He understood that he was expected to stand; and managed it with some difficulty as the pain in his head became more defined with each breath he took.
This time the officer stared directly at his prisoner, who refused to look away. He began uttering something in Chinese, before switching to clear English.
"Welcome, Mr. Bauer."