Chapter 3
Contact
The man died before Aaron could get any information out of him. Sighing, Aaron put his gun into his pocket, and picked up the shotgun the UnSub had been carrying.
He checked the available rounds with satisfaction, and stepped over to the window.
The house lights were on and Aaron could see the hostages clearly. He counted twenty three, and they were all cuffed to their seats.
He couldn't see the UnSubs.
And couldn't see Spencer either
He guessed it wouldn't be long before the UnSubs would be looking for their colleague, who was now lying dead at Aaron's feet. He also knew that if he didn't get out of here, he was as good as dead. There was no other way out apart from the way he had come in. And so now he was faced with a choice.
Either get down the stairs and hide somewhere, and hope he didn't run into them.
Or stay put and hope that when they found him, he would be able to outgun them.
Neither was a very hopeful choice, but he had to do something. There were twenty three people down there, very likely frightened out of their wits.
And there was Spence.
Where was he? And why had they singled him out?
He glanced again out through the window.
Then he made his decision. He crouched down inn the corner behind the projection quipment and waited.
……………………………………………………………………………………………...
"Who did you come here with?"
Spencer was still standing against the wall, hands cuffed to the rail.
"I c-came alone." Spencer stammered. All his energy was going into staying calm and not showing fear. Then he spoke and sounded like a scared child.
"I will ask you again," the tall man said, " And if you lie to me again, I might have to hurt you."
He put his face inches away from Spencer's.
Spence tried to pull away, but he was against the wall. He kept eye contact with the man, and waited, unflinching.
"Who are you with?" He separated each word with a pause.
I'm sorry Aaron. I've messed up again.
"I came alone."
The punch to the side of his face was followed directly to one on the other side. He gasped as his head jerked first one way then the other. He tasted blood in his mouth where his teeth cut into his cheek. The skin on his cheekbone tore as the tall mans ring split his face. Spence stood with his legs apart to keep his balance, but his head was swimming, and he thought another one like that and he would be out.
"Ok, Kid. You are protecting someone. But you will tell me who it is, I can guarantee that."
He paused, and then, "Who did you come here with?"
"I c-came alone."
The man jerked Spencer's head round by his hair, and pulled it down and to the side so that Spencer was facing the ceiling. Spencer cried out as his neck was twisted at an angle it was never meant to be at.
The man stood to the side of Spencer, and with his hand on Spencer's head, fingers forwards, resting in his eye sockets, he asked the question again.
"Who are you with?"
"N-no-one." Spencer was terrified. He knew that this was going to hurt beyond belief. He knew he could be blinded. He couldn't move his head up or down, his neck was bent to its limit and beyond. There was no way to escape what this man was going to do to him. He shook, and he waited for the pain.
And the pain came.
The fingers pressed into his eyes. Not hard at first.
Spencer breaths came in quick fearful gasps
Then the pressure, the man's nails cutting the lids. Spencer couldn't hold back. He screamed. He took a breath and screamed again. His knees bent as he tried to get away, but there was nowhere to go. He felt blood and tears run down his cheeks, and still he screamed.
Swirling red patterns of pain as the man's fingers gouged and dug into his eye sockets.
Agony shot through from his eyes to his brain. He started to lose consciousness, when a gunshot ripped the air, and Spencer was released.
He fell to the floor, hanging from the rail, whimpering and crying in terror and pain. Tears and blood dripped from his eyes onto the floor.
But he couldn't see them.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Aaron heard a cry, and he tensed.
Spence?
Then the scream.
The scream didn't stop. It was Spence.
Sweetheart, what are they doing to you?
Aaron pushed the equipment out of the way and ran to the door, almost slipping over on the UnSubs blood. He pulled the door open, and ran down the stairs two at a time. He could still hear the screams, and it was tearing him up.
He burst through the doors into the theatre, and fired the gun into the air.
"Leave him alone!"
The screaming stopped, and Aaron heard a soft thud as Spencer fell.
The screaming was replaced by crying. Some of the hostages were sobbing, but it was the sound of Spencer's soft whimpering that stabbed into Aaron's brain.
"Drop the gun, or I kill him now."
The tall man was holding his shotgun against Spencer as he hung helplessly by his restraints.
Aaron stretched out his arm and the gun clattered to the floor. He held his hands up, palms out.
The tall man stood by Spence, the other two advanced on Aaron and held held him by his upper arms. They led him over to stand next to Spence.
Spencer was still hanging from the rail, moaning softly, rocking, dripping blood.
Aaron was searched, and the gun removed from his pocket. The tall man opened his ID.
"Ah very good. Another Fed." He smirked at Aaron.
"So you are the big boy who brought this little kitten to the pictures." He kicked Spence and looked at his two friends. "Ain't that just so sweet!"
A laugh. Aaron stared straight ahead. He longed to get onto his knees and hold Spence. He didn't know what they had done to him.
He turned his head to look at him. Whatever these were going to do, he had to speak to Spencer.
"Spencey, I'm here. Just hold…."
The tall man hit Aaron with the butt of the shotgun in the solar plexus. Aaron would have doubled up was he not held up by the two men. His head fell forward, and he let out an agonized moan as the air left his lungs.
For a moment, he couldn't breath, as his nervous system reset.
Spencer turned towards the sound.
"Aaron? Aaron…"
Aaron was gasping, trying to breath. He was pulled a little further up the ramp, and cuffed to the rail with his hands behind his back.
As they let go of him, he fell to his knees, as his lungs tried to draw air.
He was left there gasping for breath, and they left him.
The tall man picked up the bag of items confiscated from the hostages. He took a mobile phone out of the bag, and took it to the back of the theatre.
Now was the time to make contact.