Read Online The Hole by Aaron Ross Powell - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Aaron Ross Powell
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help? How could he keep her safe if he couldn’t even get out of the grasp of these four insane men and this one insane woman?
The others came in closer now, wanting to see him up close, like kids jostling for a view of blood on the playground. Elliot hissed at them, still kicking out with his legs and jerking his arms, and a couple backed up. But the rest only stepped nearer and one of the suits had to shout for them to back up. Their pace improved then and Elliot lost track of the distance. It seemed a very long way.
Eventually he gave up his struggle. This wasn’t defeat, he told himself, but rather a conservation of energy, preparing himself to fight his way free again when a better opportunity arose.
Some time later, they set him down on hard earth. With so many of the crazies walking along side, he’d had little opportunity to see any of the journey except glimpses of night sky and the tops of trees. He figured they’d gone a quarter mile at least, and maybe as many as two. What that meant, he realized with sudden depression, was that, even if he manage to get away, he was now completely lost in the mountains, after dark, with no compass or GPS or cellphone. Since Callie had been so young when they’d moved out here and the constant pressures of raising her and working on their marriage had been overwhelming, the family hadn’t ever gotten around to spending much time in the high country. Elliot didn’t know how many roads went through here, whether finding water would be a problem, or even if it got terribly cold late into the night. His wilderness survival chances were, in short, not the kind you’d want to bet on.
He looked around, lifting his head up the moment the men let go of him. The cave was small but still comfortably fit him, the four crazies who’d ported him through the forest, and woman in red. She was near the back, poking at a burned down fire, the embers giving off a glow that intensified the color of her dress, making her seem almost spiritual or god like. She wasn’t paying any attention to him, but the four men were, and Elliot didn’t feel the time was right to make his break for the cave’s mouth.
It was this he studied now, and was dismayed to see that it was nearly covered over completely with a line of more crazies, some facing into the cave, others with their backs to it, a line of soldiers keeping careful watch in all directions. Unlike the woman in red and her immediate companions, these crazies had that glazed over look he and Evajean has seen in the swarm on the road, the blank stares and faces slack except for the occasional twitching of mouths as they muttered and gibbered. Elliot found he was less scared of them than the ones in the cave. Their emptiness meant he could likely outsmart them by moving quickly enough, but the woman in red and the men in suits were coherent and thinking.
Elliot turned his head back to the fire when he heard the woman say something. She was talking to the shorter suit, who’d walked over to her, the two of them close. The taller suit saw Elliot watching and nudged his leg with his foot, shaking his head. Elliot, not knowing what the two were saying anyway, obeyed and focused his attention elsewhere, this time at the ceiling of the cave. He hadn’t seen them before, because his eyes weren’t adjusted to the dull glow of the nearly dead fire, but now he could make out symbols drawn on the rough rock, lines and squiggles in ash and chalk. He recognized them immediately as the same symbols drawn in the circles on the trees. Had the crazies done that? Or were they merely copying the work of others?
20
He wasn’t tied down and that was good. Did they sleep? he wondered. He rolled onto his side and no one protested. When he sat up, the crazies watching him only glared, giving him “don’t try anything funny” looks. Slowly, keeping his movements as unthreatening as he could manage, Elliot stood up.
The tall suit put a hand on his shoulder
The others came in closer now, wanting to see him up close, like kids jostling for a view of blood on the playground. Elliot hissed at them, still kicking out with his legs and jerking his arms, and a couple backed up. But the rest only stepped nearer and one of the suits had to shout for them to back up. Their pace improved then and Elliot lost track of the distance. It seemed a very long way.
Eventually he gave up his struggle. This wasn’t defeat, he told himself, but rather a conservation of energy, preparing himself to fight his way free again when a better opportunity arose.
Some time later, they set him down on hard earth. With so many of the crazies walking along side, he’d had little opportunity to see any of the journey except glimpses of night sky and the tops of trees. He figured they’d gone a quarter mile at least, and maybe as many as two. What that meant, he realized with sudden depression, was that, even if he manage to get away, he was now completely lost in the mountains, after dark, with no compass or GPS or cellphone. Since Callie had been so young when they’d moved out here and the constant pressures of raising her and working on their marriage had been overwhelming, the family hadn’t ever gotten around to spending much time in the high country. Elliot didn’t know how many roads went through here, whether finding water would be a problem, or even if it got terribly cold late into the night. His wilderness survival chances were, in short, not the kind you’d want to bet on.
He looked around, lifting his head up the moment the men let go of him. The cave was small but still comfortably fit him, the four crazies who’d ported him through the forest, and woman in red. She was near the back, poking at a burned down fire, the embers giving off a glow that intensified the color of her dress, making her seem almost spiritual or god like. She wasn’t paying any attention to him, but the four men were, and Elliot didn’t feel the time was right to make his break for the cave’s mouth.
It was this he studied now, and was dismayed to see that it was nearly covered over completely with a line of more crazies, some facing into the cave, others with their backs to it, a line of soldiers keeping careful watch in all directions. Unlike the woman in red and her immediate companions, these crazies had that glazed over look he and Evajean has seen in the swarm on the road, the blank stares and faces slack except for the occasional twitching of mouths as they muttered and gibbered. Elliot found he was less scared of them than the ones in the cave. Their emptiness meant he could likely outsmart them by moving quickly enough, but the woman in red and the men in suits were coherent and thinking.
Elliot turned his head back to the fire when he heard the woman say something. She was talking to the shorter suit, who’d walked over to her, the two of them close. The taller suit saw Elliot watching and nudged his leg with his foot, shaking his head. Elliot, not knowing what the two were saying anyway, obeyed and focused his attention elsewhere, this time at the ceiling of the cave. He hadn’t seen them before, because his eyes weren’t adjusted to the dull glow of the nearly dead fire, but now he could make out symbols drawn on the rough rock, lines and squiggles in ash and chalk. He recognized them immediately as the same symbols drawn in the circles on the trees. Had the crazies done that? Or were they merely copying the work of others?
20
He wasn’t tied down and that was good. Did they sleep? he wondered. He rolled onto his side and no one protested. When he sat up, the crazies watching him only glared, giving him “don’t try anything funny” looks. Slowly, keeping his movements as unthreatening as he could manage, Elliot stood up.
The tall suit put a hand on his shoulder
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