Zade could only make muffled, angry grunting sounds. He bit down hard on the rag, tears of pure frustration and helplessness streaming down his bruised face. Austin, tied to his back, sobbed quietly into the darkness.
The leader smiled a wide, ugly smile. He rubbed his large, dirty hands together in eager anticipation. He was going to have a very good time.
He turned away from the tied-up boys and walked slowly toward the small, dark doorway of the inner room.
Inside the inner room, the air was thick and smelled strongly of mold and cheap candle wax. The room was very small. There was no window, only a single, flickering oil lamp sitting on a broken wooden crate.
The only piece of furniture in the room was a small, dirty bed pushed against the far wall. The mattress was thin and stained, covered with a rough, grey woolen blanket.
