The Six: Complete Series (8 page)

Simon hung his head. It wasn’t worth it. The trunk slammed, and the driver walked to the front seat without so much as a look over. He grabbed the gun from the ground and stuffed it in his pants pocket and headed back to the car.

“Let’s just get out of here,” he said as he slammed the door behind him.

BOOK 2

She didn’t dare tell the others what Milo had told her. Two burly men had carried her down the hallway with their hands gripped around her waist. She barely stumbled down the hall before she was tossed inside, still dressed in the same hoodie and jeans that they’d taken her in. The clothes were splattered with blood and dirt and there were holes where they’d dragged her down the driveway of her ex-boyfriend’s home as she tried to fight back.

Milo had sat alone in the room, by himself, for four days. He was catatonic and wouldn’t look her direction, much less speak to her. Drugged up and confused, she crawled to the corner of the room and sat, in silence, for days. There were no interruptions in the infinite stretches of silence except for the few meals they delivered to them. She didn’t eat, not for days. The thought of food made her nauseous and she could barely blink without her body aching. Milo couldn’t have cared less about how she felt. Without windows, the room had a sticky darkness that suffocated her the moment she realized she was effectively alone.

They were alone for what she figured was five days. After that, the others came in one after another at a quick clip. The lawyer, the psychiatrist, the sad grocery guy and the nurse all came within two days of each other. Every few hours there would be a boom above their heads, which they learned was the door to the medical office. Each one of them had been taken in there to unwrap their bandages before being brought down. None of the doctors would say what they had been taken in for. Each one of them had gotten a different answer: you were hit by a car, you had a heart attack or your appendix burst. Under a substantial amount of drugs any story sounds plausible and she, like the others, had believed it.

The others seemed to recover faster. Benjamin hardly spoke about it and Marie hadn’t even noticed there was something amiss. Milo’s chest, however, still ached even weeks later. The first words he said to her were about how much his chest hurt. He could barely move from his spot. Every time he shifted, he winced. She tried to make him feel better but all she had was an old Midol tucked in the back pocket of her jeans. It didn’t make a difference. He still whimpered in his sleep and clutched his chest if he had to do any significant moving. He was just a kid and he was terrified. Until the others came, she made it her job to keep his mind off of things and just survive the best they could.

There was a boom above their heads, but it wasn’t the same sound. It seemed to be coming from farther away. The footsteps came quickly down the hall towards them. No one moved or even looked around to place the noise. The silence persisted.

Dennis stood, exhausted, next to the door. Hours ago, he began his guard next to it and studied it for any imperfections that he might use to pry it open. His stiff stance had weakened over time to the point that he laid his forehead against the wall with his hands held tightly against his side. The others had stopped paying attention to him long ago, but she felt for him. They were bored and exhausted but he was still scared, absolutely terrified. Even across the room, Lila could see the tops of his nails were broken and the side of his arm was bruised from continuous banging against the door.

“Dennis?” she said. Her quiet words pierced through the stagnant silence that had fallen upon them.

The lawyer looked up and ventured a slight smile her way. Dennis didn’t so much as move. He stood still, his eyes shut tight.

“Dennis?” she said a little louder.

An object flew across the room and slapped against the back of Dennis’ leg. The psychiatrist glared a Milo who sheepishly sat with just one shoe remaining. “Don’t...” she started to say.

Milo ignored her. “Eh, Dennis. Don’t be rude.” Milo’s ratty old sneaker sat against the wall.

“What? What do you want?” Dennis said with a voice barely above a growl. He rubbed his eyes but didn’t look her way.

“Why don’t you sit down? You can come over here.” She patted the ground next to her.

Dennis pulled at the handle one last time. Not a budge, like the last hundred times he had tried. Dennis hung his head and shuffled across the room. As he slid down the wall, she saw the tears swimming in his eyes and the deep bags that formed underneath. He’d aged twenty years since they’d brought him in.

“It’s no use,” he said. “There isn’t a way out.”

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Lila put her arm around his back and did her best to comfort him. Every one of his muscles was tense and pulled to the breaking point.

“We’ll find a way. There has to be one,” she said.

Dennis wiped away a tear that had lodged itself in the corner of his eye. “You know why I’m wearing these?” He tore at the frayed ends of the tattered green scrubs.

“I figured you were a doctor or something.”

He gave a little hopeless laugh. “I was in the delivery room. I just went out to call my mother-in-law and the next thing I know they had me in some bed with my arms strapped to my sides like a criminal. I was only gone for a minute. I was supposed to come right back.” He didn’t want to cry in front of her, she could see that. A well of tears coated his eyes as he gazed up at the door again.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

“I don’t even know if it was a boy or girl. It was going to be a surprise.”

She didn’t know what to say. The others seemed so powerful and important and whatever ripple their absence caused would be felt. A high-powered lawyer or a TV star gone missing would matter to people. She and Dennis were just regular people who didn’t mean much to a lot of people. But he was about to change his own life and she had just ended hers. Why would they be chosen from all the people in the world?

“We’ll get back,” she said. “I know we will.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

There was nothing for her to go back to. Sitting in this room, not hurting anyone else, was where she should be. It was what she deserved.

The light bulb above them moved back and forth like the hand on a grandfather clock. “I’m sure you’ll be a great dad,” she said. “That baby will be lucky to have you.”

Dennis managed a smile but didn’t seem to be filled with an ounce of hope. Of all people, why him?

The place was oddly beginning to feel like home. She’d been in here for at least a week. In that time she’d examined every crack, every indention in the paint, every fleck of rust on the door. The whoosh of the air conditioner became the lullaby that helped her drift off to sleep against her spot on the wall. Every so often she’d see her mom’s face or hear her dog bark and whatever comfort the room brought her vanished.

“If they take me out,” she said, “I’ll ask about you. Maybe they’ll let you see your baby.” Dennis wasn’t going to last long down here. He wasn’t eating or sleeping. His muscles had grown weak and his will to escape had decreased as the hours crept on. A photo of his baby might just be enough to get him through this.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

The room shook as the clunk of doors down the hall echoed through the building.

“They’re coming back,” Milo whispered.

“What do you mean? Why?” Lila asked.

“They’re bringing Simon back.”

Footsteps scampered down the hall and walkie-talkies mumbled in the distance. All eyes were peeled on the door as the voices got progressively louder.

“What do we do?” Lila asked.

Milo covered his head with his hood. “Just sit down and be quiet. Don’t let them notice you.”

The door swung open and two large men dressed in head-to-toe black filled the entire doorway. Simon stood between them with his head bowed. Lila was taken aback at how different he looked. He had on a button down shirt and he was clean shaven. His shiny dress shoes gleamed in the fluorescent hallway light that trickled in from behind him.

“The door’s open,” Dennis whispered.

He eyed the small opening where Simon stood. He took up little space and there was enough room for someone to squeeze through.

It was a suicide mission. Dennis was weak from days of barely eating and expending his energy on door pounding and shouting at the top of his lungs.

“Let’s go!” he said. Lila didn’t move or even look his way.

No one acknowledged Dennis. He sat in disbelief as the men walked inside the room with Simon in tow. There was a foot of empty space between them and the door. His feet slid close to his body and she saw him start to stand.

Lila wanted to pull him back down to the floor. The more conspicuous he became, the more likely he’d be taken. He needed to have a low profile and build up his strength before they sent him out.

She didn’t move. It was useless. Why start being a good person now?

The door had been opened over and over again and the idea of using that as a means of escape had always seemed ridiculous. The men that stood at the door were built like linebackers and had one job, to keep the six of them in line. Even if Dennis managed to run out, they would use their remote or magic button to start that thing in his heart. He wouldn’t get ten feet. They’d win every time. There was no point in fighting back.

With the last remnants of his energy, Dennis bolted up from the floor and ran towards the door. He went right for the smallest gap between the two men. One moment he was on his feet, barreling towards the door and the next there was a thud as his body was slammed against the floor. The men hadn’t even batted an eye as Dennis approached. One simply pushed him against the wall and let him slide to the ground.

Lila waited for him to get back to his feet and slink back to her side, but he didn’t. Dennis just lay on the ground, the only sign of life being his little pinkie twitching against the concrete floor. She motioned to go help him but Marie shook her head. It didn’t take a lot for her to retreat. Lila didn’t really want to help him. As much pity as she had for Dennis, he was bringing attention to himself. The six of them weren’t a team. One person’s suffering was another’s salvation.

Simon didn’t need to be pushed inside the room. He walked in and made a beeline to the corner that he had vacated. He sat down cross-legged and stared intently at the men at the door. Even though his hair was styled and his clothes were neatly pressed, his shoulders slumped and he seemed exhausted. She could see his cheeks were stained and puffy from crying. She’d wept to the point of depletion enough times to know the signs.

After they were confident Simon was safely inside, the men backed away and shut the door. The others didn’t know where he had gone and she could feel their confusion as Simon rolled up his blood-stained sleeve. He wasn’t injured, at least not physically.

Benjamin began to walk over to Simon. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Simon said.

Benjamin loomed over him. “You’ve got blood all over your shirt.”

All eyes were on the pair against the wall.

“Why do you have blood on your shirt, Simon?”

No answer.

In the silence, Dennis began to stir. He had a gash that ran down the side of his face from the blow against the floor. With blood caked around his eyes, he got to his knees and glared in Simon’s direction.

“What did they do?” Benjamin asked.

Simon didn’t answer. He seemed almost catatonic except for his trembling hands. Simon shivered as his chest rose and fell with nervous conviction.

“Answer him!” Dennis screamed in desperation.

Marie hadn’t talked in hours. She’d spent the last day mediating between Milo and Dennis, using whatever tools that were left in her therapist toolbox. Milo still sat in rebellious, immature silence and Dennis ached for clarity. So many times Lila wanted to speak up and tell the others what was happening. She knew it all but Milo had sworn her to secrecy. He felt that knowledge of the truth would be too difficult for the others to deal with. Even though it was terrifying, ignorance provided hope. After a few hours of calm psychiatrist speeches, Dennis pushed Marie to the ground in one of his fits, and she gave up. She had stood in the dark corner of the room ever since.

“Guys, please,” Lila said. “Can’t you just leave him alone?”

Dennis shook his head. “He might know something,” he said. “He’s been gone for hours.”

Simon shook his head. “Nothing happened.”

“Bullshit,” said Dennis. “You’re dressed in a $500 suit and you’ve shaved. Something happened and you’re going to tell us.”

Simon looked over at Milo. For a brief moment, they connected. They both knew something and they weren’t talking.

“You don’t have to talk about where you went,” Lila said, “but did you see a way out? Is there a door or something?”

Simon pulled at the cuffs of his shirt. “No. There’s no way out.”

“But there’s got to be a door out of this place somewhere. How’d you get out of the building?” Dennis said.

“I don’t know...” Simon started to say.

Dennis jumped to his feet and ran to the door. He banged and screamed with what was left of his voice, “Take me! Take me next!”

Lila hadn’t stood in days. When she finally got to her feet her legs felt unsteady but she somehow made it to Dennis. She grabbed at his sleeves and pulled him towards the wall.

He yanked her arm away. “Stop it! Let me do this!”

“Sit down. They don’t care about us. They’re not going to do anything you ask.”

His fists lay against the door. “Why would you say that?”

“Because it’s true.”

Dennis looked at her with tears in his eyes. “I can’t believe that.”