We drove for about 90 minutes and then stopped. The van doors were opened and the three of us were unlocked and one by one dragged to the rear door of the van. Sound echoed, so I could tell we were in some kind of large room with a concrete floor. The rope around our feet and knees was removed and we were pushed out. I was second. After my feet were freed I was stood up and waited for the last of us to be removed from the van. Then, with gun in my back, I was marched down a hallway and into a room. My brothers were not brought into this room.
"Put skater boy and the wigger in the bedrooms. We'll put this guy in here," the leader said.
I was pushed forward and the ropes around my chest were removed. My hands were kept tied and I was roughly seated in a metal chair. My ankles were tied to the back rungs of the chair and the rope around my chest was replaced, securely binding me to the chair. Rope was also tied across my lap, forcing me into the chair with no room to move. I was completely immobile.
The bandana around my eyes was removed. As my eyes readjusted to the light I saw I was being held in a small room, probably what was once the office of a warehouse. I couldn't see my brothers, or the "bedrooms" that were spoken of.
The leader was in the room with me holding a bottle of water. He removed my gag and gave me a drink.
"What are you going to do with us?" I asked.
"Well, that depends," he responded. "If your parents pay what we ask in the letter we left them, then you get to go home in a few days. If they don't, I know a guy who runs a farm in South America that would pay top dollar for three strong workers like you."
He gave me another sip of water. "Either way, you three are going to remain here - tied up and gagged, of course - until we get an answer."
"What about my brothers?" I asked. "Where are they?"
"We only had two rooms with beds. They're in those," he answered, replacing my gag. "You will be fed twice a day, given water four times a day and brought to the bathroom twice a day. This can go easy or hard, but it all depends on you."
He walked over to the door and turned off the overhead light. When he closed the door, all light disappeared from the room. After an hour I fell asleep.
Next chapter