Chapter Thirty-nine: What Makes You Different
The minutes passed slowly, timing moving at a snail's pace. There was a little window near the ceiling of their room that allowed Speed to tell when the sun set and night took hold. That first day, when the sun finally gave 'way to the darkness, he felt hope draining from him. No sooner had the light faded from the sky then their captors returned. He braced himself for whatever punishment it was that they planned to dish out to him but instead he had to lay there completely useless as he watched them drag Jesup out of the room. Had the officer not predicted that something awful would happen to him now that they had Speed? He wasn't sure how long the beating or whatever would take place but he made use of the time he had. Having his hands cuffed painfully behind his back made it a little harder than it should have been to move around the room. By all rights the small place should have been as dark as the night outside but the captures, strange as they were, left a battery powdered lantern burning atop another crate. The light wasn't enough, not by far, to illuminate the whole room but it was enough to give him a general idea of the place. He rolled onto his back and onto his other side, looking for…something, anything, to help him get out of this situation. At the moment he was the only one capable of getting help. And then he thought he saw something, a shaft of light, a small glimmer of hope. He wanted to scoot closer, get a better look but before he could the door opened again. Jesup was returned to his small corner of the room by Hagen, who hadn't opened his eyes since Speed's arrival.
The door closing made barely any sound but what little noise it did make sounded deafening to Speed. Locked away again. He rolled once again onto his back and onto his other side so that he could look upon Jesup. The officer looked awful, blood running downing his bruised cheek from a cut somewhere by his hairline. His uniform had been torn more, making visible an array of bruises that Speed had not been able to see before. And judging by the way that Jesup wheezed when he breathed there was little doubt in Speed's mind that they'd broken one of the younger officer's ribs. He didn't even want to think about that pain. Fortunately the officer was not awake, probably having blacked out from the pain of his beating. Had he not mentioned something like this happening?
The next night wasn't any better. Like clockwork when the sun vanished from the sky his captors returned and once again dragged Jesup out of the room. The officer had no fight left in him, allowing them to pull him along like a limp rag doll. It made Speed realize that things were getting desperate. Before long it would him that they dragged out of the room. What sort of things would they do to him? He tried not to let his mind focus on such horrible thoughts. Instead he chose instead to think about Horatio and Calleigh and Delko. They would be working like hell to make sure that he got back to them in one piece. But what if all their work just wasn't enough to pay off in the long run? Hagen looked paler and paler as the days stretched on. His breathing had grown shallower and in two days he had not once opened his eyes. Speed worried that by the time help came it would be too late for the detective. The police radio would crackle to life every now and then with reports of robberies and carjacking, amongst other crimes. He hated hearing the voice of the dispatchers knowing that he should have been out doing his job, not stuck in a room waiting for the inevitable.
This time when they brought Jesup back the officer was still in the land of the living, his eyes wide with the intensity of pain. Speed waited until the door was closed before he spoke. "Are you okay?"
Jesup slowly shook his head. "No…I think…." He tried to speak through the pain. "My arm…I think it's broken."
"Shit," Speed cursed.
"Why are you so special?" Jesup asked out of the blue. "What makes Timothy Speedle so special that you've been here for two days and they haven't touched you?"
He didn't have an answer for that. There wasn't anything special about him. As far as he was concerned he wasn't even that great a person. Why would they take him in the first place? Why not find someone with more power, someone more important to the police force. They struck a direct blow when the managed to get their hands on Hagen, a detective. What was he but a mere lab rat? "There's nothing special about me," he finally said.
And no truer words were ever spoken because when the third night fell it was him they were dragging out the door.
--
The sound of someone screaming drew him from the depths of the blissful darkness. As soon as he opened his eyes all the pain came rushing back and he gritted his teeth to keep from crying out in pain. Another scream soared through the air, driving away the last of the darkness that clung around him. Fully awake he looked around the room and saw that Jesup was once again missing. He didn't even want to think of what they could be doing to the officer to make him scream in such pain. He hazarded a look at Hagen to see that the detective was still hanging on, but barely. Speed knew that it was now or never, despite the pain he was in. He had to get the hell out of the building and find them help. He was the only one still capable of walking. Trying to find a level beyond the pain he rolled onto his back. A shot of pain run up the length of his body. He bit down on his bottom lip. Another jolt of pain tore through him as he rolled onto his other side. He worked through the pain, rolling across the floor until he reached the far corner. By the time he got there he'd broken out into a sweat and he could feel every bruise, every mark they'd made upon him the night before. But none of that mattered now. The glimmer of light he'd seen from his spot near the door was a small opening in the wall, the siding peeling away from the old building after all this time. It took some maneuvering and a whole lot more pain but he managed to kick away enough of the siding that he could fit through the hole. At first wiggling through the hole was harder than he figured it would be. But once he got outside he realized how much the pain was worth it.
A cool breeze washed over him, ruffled his hair. He could smell the tangy dampness of the everglades. Of course, should he have expected anything less? Where else would a group of mad men be able to hold three officers captive, be able to make them scream without worry of being heard?
He tried not to linger on those thoughts. He was outside, one half of the battle already won. Now he had to manage to climb to his feet and get out of the everglades without being eaten by an alligator. One daunting task after another. But he could do it. He would do it. He owed it to Hagen and Jesup to bring them help.