Prologue

I’m alive.

That revelation surprises me. I don’t move, laboring to keep my breathing slow and steady and calm while I strain to listen. I’d passed out at one point and I’m just coming around. Tonight’s lesson had been brutal, but it lacked finesse. It’s still dark out. I’m not sure what time it was because my hosts hadn’t been gracious enough to provide me with a clock.

I finally determine I’m alone and raise my head slowly, working my jaw painfully. I can feel some swelling in my cheeks and jaw and run my tongue over my teeth to see if they’re all still there. It feels like a couple are a little looser than they should be, but otherwise, I don’t think I have any broken bones. My concussion is certainly still making things interesting. The night’s entertainment hadn’t done me any favors.

I look around and the barn looks mostly like it had the last time I woke up. The door is shut back up and I’m alone except for the rats. I’m a little apprehensive about the rats. I’ve read that they’ll eat a man alive once they smell blood. ‘There’s certainly blood to smell, ‘ I think, probing my split lip with my tongue. I look over and the bravest of the bunch is sniffing through the straw where I’d spat a mouthful of it earlier.

I sit and take stock of what had happened after the doors had opened and was surprised with what hadn’t happened. The beating was the opening shot in a war we were fighting for my life. I wonder if they’ll be back before dawn or if I’m going to sit here for the day while they prepare their next surprise for me.

I sit and watch my new roommate nibble at bits of blood-stained straw and chuckle, making him start and look at me. “Plenty more where that came from,” I assure him. I try to keep my tone light, but I know that it’s only a matter of a day or two and he’s going to be chewing on me. I really only hope I’m not still alive when he works up the nerve.

I take a deep breath and try to focus. ‘I’m not dead yet, ‘ I think to myself and shake my head to clear some of the cobwebs. I groan and it almost feels like my brain is sloshing around in my skull. I laugh as I remember the old ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ shirts that the religious kids would wear in school.

“That’s easy,” I mumble to myself, my split lip bleeding again as I grin crookedly. “He’d get cross.” I wheeze in laughter, the joke striking me as hilarious. I imagine some of the looks I’d get for that joke from those kids.

It cheers me up a little and I lean forward, rocking to my feet in a crouch, shuffling around as I look for something to help me make my escape. I don’t spot much that I could use until I got free of the ropes and that was the real first test. I had an idea, but it was ... ridiculous. If it worked though...

I smiled, thinking of the look on her face if I told her it worked. I’ll need to keep working at it, but I think it has a good chance of working. I start shrugging my shoulders a little, working things as loose as I can for now. I try what I have in mind and at first, it doesn’t work, but I feel like I’m making progress. I smile and think I might even be able to turn the tables on my hosts when they come back. THAT would be a fitting way to end the day. I work doggedly, my body aching and my mind weary.

“This is nothing,” I tell my roommate rat. “Let me tell you a story about some of the shittiest shit to ever shit.” The rat squeaked in response, more certain that I wasn’t going to attack it. It scurried around, scrounging for food and watching me.

“Tonight, I’m gonna tell you about my first semester in high school and let me tell you, Mr. Rat, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, it started like this...”

Chapter 1 »