Chapter 10
	“Bite me,” Gary spat. His expression was unyielding. He had zero intention of 
leaving this cell as a slave.
	Beneath his large shroud, Derrick ground his teeth together loudly. “I am starting 
to get more than a little annoyed with you, Oak.”
	“Since the feeling is mutual, you might as well just let me go,” Gary quipped; an 
edge of sarcasm in his voice.
	A pang of foreboding ricocheted in the back of Misty’s mind. 
	*Something bad is about it happen . . . *
	“Ah, naive little Oak,” Derrick shrugged with strange amusement. “You are a 
well educated young man, are you not? I initially thought you must be wealthy with 
common sense. That is why I just don’t see why we must always continue to do things 
the HARD way.”
	Gary smirked. “I’m just stubborn I guess.” 
	Derrick stiffened. He was finished with small talk.
	“Rope,” he commanded. 
	In less than a second one of Derrick’s assistants handed him a long rope -- 
identical to Misty’s.
	Derrick seized Gary furiously by the tattered remains of his shirt collar and jerked 
him to his feet. Gary hissed painfully as weight was forced upon his broken ankle.
	Despite the agony, Gary struggled against the man’s unrelenting grip. He raised 
both arms and struck the inside of Derrick’s elbow. Derrick grunted -- his pain reflex 
letting Gary drop to the ground.
	Misty gasped as a second of the men darted forward to aid Derrick in 
apprehending Gary. Instinctively, she pulled against her rope leash but could not gain 
more than a few inches of ground before her breathing was cut off.
	The second man was furious. Before Gray had a moment to prepare he was 
kicked in the stomach. Gary choked, doubling over from the force of the blow.
	Derrick raised his rope, slipped it over Gary’s head, and yanked it fervently into a 
tight noose. 
	Gary stifled, attempting to bring air into his lungs. The rope was so incredibly 
tight he was already beginning to suffocate.
	The man wrenched Gary to his feet with the rope. Gary’s eyes were blood shot, he 
seemed disoriented, and his legs went limp. He could not stand.
	The two men snapped the rope mercilessly. But each time Gary managed to crawl 
to his knees, he crashed back down.
	Misty could not witness this savage torment any longer.
	“Please stop it! You are killing him!” She was wailing now, tremors of fear 
racking her body.
	All four men turned towards her silently.
	Misty was certain they were going to strike her next. Only, at this point, she didn’t 
even care. She could not endure watching Gary be beaten to death before her eyes.
	She bit her lower lip, anticipating a powerful blow to slam her down.
	To her amazement the men relented slightly. They did not hit her, and they did 
not continue to thrash Gary. 
	“Let’s go,” Derrick commanded. 
	He bent down hastily and hoisted Gary’s limp frame over one shoulder.
	Gary squirmed slightly in objection, but was far too frail to cause a problem.
	Misty sighed quietly in relief as she was lead out of the room.