Page 6 of Haunted Prey

I just needed to bide my time now. Once I was out of here, I’d find a place to recover.

I slipped out of consciousness and dreamed of her again. Only when hands started grabbing at me did I wake.

I glared at more faces, ready to tell them not to fucking touch me. I tried to jerk away, but they held me fast.

There was the cop, a young black woman around my age, with a scarred eye. Then, an older woman in a doctor’s coat followed by three men whose faces were covered by medical masks, each wearing EMT uniforms.

One man with white-blond hair gripped my left shoulder, pushing me down. “Hold him still.”

“I’m trying. Motherfucker is a tank,” said another on my right, his sharp green eyes flashing at me.

The man on my left gave the one on my right a death glare, and he shut up. The doctor’s face came into my view, blocking them, her graying sandy blonde hair falling over her shoulders, hazel eyes regarding me carefully. “It’s okay,” she told me. “You have to calm down or you'll tear your wounds open, got it?”

I didn’t know them, didn’t trust them. Unfortunately, the drugs made it hard to fight their grip. Still, I didn’t make it easy for them as they moved me onto a carrier and strapped me down—a little too good—and rolled me out of the room.

The hallways were emptier than others. They took me out a side entrance and, parked right out front, was an old white van, dented, with 'Detroit Medical' on the side.

I wasn’t one to complain about medical amenities, but this did not look certified to transport a guy with several bullet holes in his body. The only legitimacy this group gave me was the cop car parked right behind, lights flashing and all.

As they rolled me out, the carrier shook and that hurt like a bitch, but I gritted my teeth. I considered if I should try to just escape now and leave these five on the pavement. But the cop would definitely have a gun, and I wouldn’t get far, not in my current state. I forced myself to bear it and let them lift me inside, into the back of the van, which was windowless and empty.

This wasn’t right.

I started to jerk against the straps. The two men who’d kept me down got in the front while the doctor and third EMT got in the back. The cop shut the doors on us and the pair gripped the carrier. The car roared to life, then sprung forward.

Strapped down…in the dark…a bad memory. Bad.Bad.

Need to get out.

Only the movement of the car kept me from snapping.

The doctor cursed beside me as I pushed against the straps. She placed a trembling hand on me, and I glared at her.

Finally, I found my voice, grating and scratchy. “Where are you taking me?”

“To Detroit.”

I heard a little giggle in my right ear.“She’s lying,”my sister whispered.

Why? What the fuck did they want?

For a second, I wondered if they were the feds in disguise and they were taking me somewhere secluded, to question me like the cop had said.

“If you don’t let me go, you’ll really regret it.” I wished I could sound more intimidating but the swerving of the car made my stomach tighten, and the pain made it hard to concentrate.

The guy on my other side gripped my arm.

“Just wait, Emery,” said the woman. “We’ll be there soon.”

Who the fuck were they?

Now, I was certain we weren’t going to a hospital. I could hear dogs barking and the roar of cars flying by. Then things got quiet, real quiet.

They turned one last time before the car jerked to a halt. A loud sliding sound signaled the opening of a garage door. The car pulled forward, dipped slightly, and stopped again before the engine shut off.

They pulled me out as the cop car idled nearby, and I heard the garage door closing behind us. They rolled me across the garage, past several parked cars, including one that looked like it was being worked on. Then, they took me through a door on the right and into a dark hallway. I was sure I had seen this horror movie somewhere and I couldn’t stop the little laugh escaping from me because I thought I was done playing the role of the victim. But some things just come full circle like that.

“You fucked up big time, brother,”my sister said from behind.“You deserve this.”

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