CHAPTER 67
Tom glanced around nervously. “How do you know my name?”
Laney spoke quickly, keeping her voice low. “My name’s Laney McPhearson. I’m a friend of Jake’s. He’s been looking for you.”
Tom looked startled. “Wait. What? Jake? Jake Rogan? He’s looking for me?”
Laney nodded, taking in Tom's disheveled appearance with a heavy heart. He barely resembled the picture Jake had shown her. But his deep brown eyes, the small scar above his eyebrow, and his strong cheekbones were unmistakable.
“Your pastor called him about two days after you went missing. He’s spoken to your pastor, the members of your church, Cleo. They’re all worried about you.”
Tom stared at her for a moment and then looked away. “I thought I was on my own,” he whispered, tears gathering in his eyes.
She reached over and gently squeezed his arm before quickly pulling it away. Glancing around, she grabbed one of the brushes and started brushing the dirt from one of the symbols at the bottom of the monolith.
“No, Tom, you’re not alone.. Jake tracked you here. He’s only a few miles away. They were supposed to infiltrate this place tonight, but then Gideon grabbed me. I’m not sure what the plan is now. Whatever it is, though, Jake is not going to leave you here.” Or me either.
Tom turned to the structure and started shoveling dirt from the bottom. Tears streamed down his cheeks. “I thought this was it for me. I thought I was dead. This place, it’s just, just…”
“I know,” Laney whispered. “I saw the ditch out front and the cage where they keep you. It’s inhuman what they’re doing.”
“You don’t know the half of it. Sometimes for sport, the guards make the inmates fight each other. If both inmates are alive at the end, they’re usually in such bad shape that they’re dead within a few days.”
He glanced over at his dig partner and Laney took a good look at the poor man. It was obvious he'd been severely beaten. Bruises poked through the dirt in his face and he seemed to favor his left side. Through his tattered shirt, she could see dark splotches across his chest. He needed medical attention as soon as possible. She was amazed he was still conscious. The man dropped his tool and couldn't seem to locate it on the ground right in front of him.
Reaching over, Tom handed it to him with a gentle shoulder pat, before his eyes returned to Laney. “The guards think it’s funny to spit in our food, or drop it on the ground, and make us eat like dogs. Whatever I’ve done in this life, I’ve never done anything as bad as these guards.”
“I think there’s a special kind of hell for people like that.”
He nodded. “But for now, we’re the ones in hell.”