When Words Aren't Enough

by MemoryLane

Ch. 2: Wheels

Why?

Why was his skull beginning to throb again? He was certain that he was just starting to get over the pain from the last headache. Even though his entire world was near black, he could feel a bruise welling up on the back of his dome. That stupid potato sack was still over his head, cutting him off from the outside world and preventing him from anything that might ease the fire that burned underneath it.

The outside world.

He could feel a sensation from beneath him. His seat would occasionally rock and jump, causing his body to sway and jolt in various directions involuntarily. He could hear gravel from somewhere, and the sound of wooden wheels turning. The sounds matched that of a horse-drawn carriage. Wyatt wasn’t entirely sure. He’d never ridden on one prior. Never had he really had a desire to.

He still didn’t.

He could hear the sounds of hooves, and they came from directions all around him. The sound was a rusty nail being driven deeper and deeper into his forehead. Perhaps it was just in spite of his last encounter with the horse-like monsters in the first place.

He felt himself grow more and more restless as time went on. He kept replaying the scene prior in his head, like he was fast forwarding and rewinding a movie. Wyatt kept analyzing every single thing, and played out different scenarios in his head. He pondered what would have happened if he just picked his pathetic self up and bolted, or if he could have just fought them off. While Wyatt wasn’t skilled, he felt like a few well-placed punches would do the trick. He wasn’t sure—since he was on the ground the entire time—but it looked like the monsters were only half his size, with the larger one only coming up to what he guessed was his chest.

Luckily for him, his grogginess was beginning to wane. He felt rested, strangely enough. He felt much stronger than earlier. Perhaps that blow to the head was just what he needed. At least he could think clearly. In a situation like this, Wyatt was glad that he at least had his thoughts to keep him sane.

His hands were tied behind his back. That long fact didn’t take Wyatt very long to figure out.They rested behind him, making him feel like he was next in line for execution. He could feel a small chill slither its way down his back.

Where were they taking him? Were they going to kill him?

Those five words. Those five words put together was enough to put a major jolt into Wyatt’s mindset. He could see into the future—his wide, wet eyes pleading for mercy on their own as his head was placed in some kind of guillotine. He had no idea what these creatures were capable of, and at this point he didn’t want to know. He did tuck and roll, back in that field. He did end up getting one of those monsters hurt, albeit it was nothing more than a healable cut. Though he felt little remorse, he wondered if he was going to get his comeuppance for it sometime in the future.

Probably.

More likely than not, actually.

Every so often, the vehicle jerked him, causing him to sway to his left or right. Occasionally, he would end up bumping into something next to him. Wyatt didn’t exactly think twice about it.

“Ugh…” he groaned. Oddly enough, his throat was no longer scratchy and dry, giving him an almost false sense of security. “W-where--?”

From somewhere to his right, he heard an exasperated sigh. “Great, one of ‘em’s awake.” The voice was young, and male. Wyatt hung his head, letting it shake and swing with the movements of the carriage. The last thing he wanted to do was to piss any of them off. He tried to play it off like he was still unconscious, even though he knew it was a stupid idea.

Another voice, this one a little bit older and gravelly than the one before it. “Just let ‘em be, Star. We’re almost there.”

The bruise on the back of Wyatt’s head pulsated. He innately moved his bound wrists around, rubbing his wrists against the ropey material. He tried to slip one of his hands out, but it was to no avail. They were just too tight. He only ended up with sore, red wrists. Well, it was worth a shot. Even if his restraints were loose—which was unlikely in itself—it wasn’t as if he had a plan after that.

His only option was to sit there, and wait to see what the future held for him.

The questions that formed in his head had been slowly sorting themselves out as time went on, though the possibility of asking them were almost next to nil. The silent trepidation was growing inside of him, forming some kind of palpable mush inside of his chest that churned with each and every heartbeat. He let out a small, shaky breath, and pushed the feeling away.

The five minutes that passed felt like a year. Every movement that he made was pure agony, as his unease only managed to increase. His leg bounced up and down like a pogo stick, and his head continued to towards the bottom of the carriage. The sack over his face was quickly becoming just another one of his enemies.

It was weird. The hardly noticeable light that filtered through the very small cracks in Wyatt’s sack had vanished, leaving him in a darkness worse than what he was experiencing earlier. It was almost as if someone had simply turned out the lights. He could no longer feel the wind sliding along his dirt-ridden face. The road underneath the carriage was no longer gravelly, but more so metallic and dull. Wyatt swallowed his spit, and slightly lifted his head up

Near seconds later, his sack was forcibly ripped off from his head.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but it was much easier considering that he was no longer outside. A few locks of his hair had been shifted, placing themselves right in the midst of his view. Blinking and lightly shaking his head, Wyatt coerced his eyes to listen to him, and focus.

He was correct in deducing that he was in some kind of carriage. It was wooden. The entire thing appeared very rickety and unstable, like it might fall apart at any minute. Wyatt immediately felt at risk for injury. In some places, including the floor or the carriage, he could see small cracks in the wood, indicating use and wear.

Upon further inspection, Wyatt deduced that a hippopotamus could have easily rested inside of it, and still have space to roll about. There were two of the monsters in front of the cart. They sported some kind of meticulous silver helmet with emblems that Wyatt couldn’t make out. The creatures pulled the cart along with little to no effort. Neither of them bore horns like the pink female earlier. Perhaps it was just that one? he pondered.

Wyatt turned his attention back to the beings in front of him. Not only did the creatures have horns, but they could fly as well. A yellow monster with small, feathery wings and another silver helmet, was sitting making his way around the cart, taking sacks off of other beings seated all around him. It’d snatch the sacks away before moving to the next one, as if it was slightly afraid.

Upon shifting his gaze and taking in the rest of his surroundings, Wyatt eyes grew wide.

The ceilings rose up higher than any building he’d ever been inside of before, seemingly piercing the heavens and giving Wyatt a slight sense of vertigo. He felt like he was inside some kind of futuristic castle. He could look up and see the different open floors above him. There appeared to be a million of them, and they wrapped around him in a large circle. Almost every inch of the mile-high walls were covered in steel bars that created a strange pattern, similar to that on the helmets of the other carriage pullers were wearing. The spots that weren’t covered in bars were starch white, similar to a hospital. The entire circular room had a radius of about 250 feet, if Wyatt had to take a poor estimate.

He was in a jail.

A prison.

There was only one other thing that surprised him more so than that lone fact.

Inside of the cart, he was not alone. Lumps of varying sizes littered the seats around him.

Other humans.

There were roughly fifteen other seated in the cart with him. All shapes, colors, sizes, genders. Their wrists were all bound together, much like Wyatt’s. A few of them squinted, just waking up from their groggy stupor. A girl a little older than Wyatt had tears freely falling down her face, smearing what little bit of makeup she had left. She mimicked a racoon, now. A teenager next to Wyatt was actively struggling with his restraints, grunting and shuffling his body in a desperate effort to free himself. He bumped into Wyatt fairly often, resulting in him shoving the other teen away, gently.

Most of the humans were just as confused as he was, taking in the sights of both the architecture that hung high and the monsters that surrounded them.

“Rise and shine,” said the yellow monster after he removed the last person’s mask. Wyatt stared at him, as if the creature would set him free with a well placed, sorrowful glance. He wasn’t surprised when it didn’t work, and the being turned around to speak to the other things that pulled the carriage itself.

He had to stop and think. The amount of strength that it takes to pull something this big, as well as all these people was astounding. Wyatt was suddenly very glad that that small fight back there hadn’t escalated.

Anyways, his hindsight was the least of his worries. Wyatt was dumbfounded. He simply stared at the other people with astonishment, as well as a deep feeling of dread. We’ve been kidnapped? he screamed to himself. Is that what this is? His wide eyes frantically shifted from person to person, searching for something that he wasn’t even sure of. He opened his mouth, and let loose the question that everyone in that cart was thinking. “W-What’s going on here? Where are you taking us?”

Only about half of the group looked. It was odd that the ones that didn’t turn towards the monster were those who bore bruises and scratches around their arms and faces, like they had gotten into a fight with an enraged cat. Wyatt couldn’t help but wonder if all these other people had been jumped like he had, but had put up more of a fight than him.

The dark skinned young man next to Wyatt was growing more and more frustrated, especially upon finally realizing that he wasn’t going to be able to free his wrists anytime soon. When he didn’t hear a response from the yellow monster with wings, he began to holler. “Answer ‘im, man!” His voice ripped through the silence that Wyatt had already begun to know so well.

The horse-creature barely gave the young man a glance, before turning back to his friends. The young man’s upper lip peeled back. Wyatt could hear him seething, but luckily he kept his mouth shut. If the monster was truly afraid of all of them, then Wyatt was glad that it wasn’t looking at the person next to him. Even Wyatt felt a little uneasy.

The rest of the cart went back to minding their own, mainly sitting in their seats waiting for whatever harm was about to come upon them. The cart approached a large jail cell. From where Wyatt was sitting, it looked absolutely massive—the gate itself was ten feet across.

Wyatt looked back at the young man to his right. He didn’t look at day over nineteen. There was a small bruise underneath his left eye, a few shades darker than the color of his skin. He bore a short afro, as well permanent, ugly scowl. He had large lips, and a bulbous nose the size of a large golf ball. Wyatt couldn’t help but notice his clothes: a simple Bucks jersey—one that showed off some rather impressive muscles—and some blue jeans. He looked like a punk, the likes of which Wyatt would currently avoid. Given the circumstances, he set that lone fact aside.

“Psst!”

Even though Wyatt was right next to the guy, he didn’t seem to hear. He was lost in thought, muttering vulgar curses under his breath. After making sure that the monster was busy speaking with his friends, Wyatt turned back to the guy, and tried again.

“Psst, hey!”

This time he heard. He slowly turned his angry glower towards Wyatt. Pearly white teeth were bared, causing Wyatt to shift in his seat a little bit, awkwardly. “Huh?”

“Chill,” he coerced. “Getting angry will only scare them. I’m pretty sure that’s the last thing we wanna do right now.” Wyatt shrugged, while the black guy scoffed, and spat on the wood underneath their feet.

“Whatever. They need to be scared of me. I’ll fuck them up, if I gotta.”

Wyatt frowned, and turned back to the ground. The gentleman wasted no time going back to struggling with his restrains, desperately trying to free himself from his shackles that prevented his freedom. Wyatt looked back up at the rest of the people that were stuck in the cart with them.

Wyatt had never seen a group sadder.

He didn’t have much time to observe, before the cart came to a halt right in front of the barred doors. The yellow being broke his conversation with his friends, and wandered over to the other side of the cart, where he unlocked some kind of fallaway wall. It descended and flipped open, revealing it to be a large ramp that lead straight to the ground.

Wyatt also took note of the monsters that lingered around the exit to the ramp. All of them bore wings, golden armor, and a pointed spear that was already pointing in their direction. It was odd how they all looked exactly the same, either white or black. Wyatt gulped as any thought of escape quickly vanished into thin air. Those wings proved menacing. Getting stabbed was definitely in his bucket list.

“Last load,” the yellow creature shouted to the armored ones. They gave almost no sign that they had heard or even understood his words. They just stared at the group like they were the worst group of people that they ever laid eyes on. He quickly turned to the people on the cart.

“We don’t want any trouble, and I hope none of you of you do either. Please make your way off the cart in an orderly fashion. Let it be known that if you fight or run, you will be forcefully detained. Do not try anything. This is your only warning.”

Wyatt turned to looked at the young man again, but he was staring at the floor again. He could hear his heated breathes pouring from his nostrils. He hoped that the guy had enough sense not to try anything stupid.

The creature went around the cart, one by one, lifting people to their feet and sending them down the ramp. Wyatt was the second to last person off the carriage, with the last one being the black kid. He frowned when the child before him began crying his eyes out when they wouldn’t let him bring his teddy bear along with him. It was left in his seat, propped up like it was a person in its own.

He stepped off the cart, almost tripped over air, and made his way for the large jail cell. A loud bombardment of chattering and voices filled his ears, reminding him of a busy high school gymnasium.

He was almost right.

His eyes went wide when he saw where he was headed.

Wyatt, as well as the other humans in his carriage, were being herded into a some kind of massive, empty holding unit. Looking inside the bars, it must have been at least a hundred feet all around, with tall walls that were stained a somber grey. The only thing inside the room were people.

Dozens upon dozens of people. Humans, just like Wyatt.

The creatures with spears shoved their weapons halfway through the steel bars, evenly spread apart as if they were a makeshift barricade. The yellow one with the silver helmet opened the door, albeit just barely. The humans on the other side made sure to steer clear of the blades, fearing for their lives and what would possibly happen if they tried to make use of the open cell door. Judging from some of their bruises, Wyatt had a feeling that they already knew a bit better. Some of the people in the front even tried to shepherd the younger people away, who had wandered a little too close for comfort.

One by one—again—there were led inside. One of the monsters that held a spear was counting each person that entered. The guy that was next to Wyatt on the cart was looking from the guards, to the door, and back again, multiple times. He sighed, and looked forward again.

Against his wishes, Wyatt was thrown inside of the open cell like a used mule. He heard the one guard count “129,” as soon as the black guy followed behind him. Before anyone had a chance to bum rush to door, it clanked closed behind them. Wyatt could hear the jingle of the locks near milliseconds after.

“This is all for your own good. Every last one of you,” said the yellow abomination, before making his way back to the cart. The guards removed their spears from their positions, taking them back outside their specified holes. The black kid, infuriated, stomped away from the door and deeper into the sea of people where Wyatt quickly lost him.

Wyatt couldn’t believe his eyes. He couldn’t accept the recent events that threatened to turn his life into a living Hell. From waking up in a deserted field, to being attacked and then jailed by monsters. His mind felt completely useless, hardly able to comprehend anything that passed through his line of sight.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Let us out of here!”

“Monsters! We did nothing to you!”

The sounds of protesting that came from the other 128 people were enough to mimic a riot. The moment a few select people took a step closer to the bars, the dozens guards took it upon themselves to jab their spears through their slots. The room was filled with horrified shrieks as those who tried to get closer fell back, nearly getting impaled by the sharp pieces of steel. They scampered away like frightened animals. The room became progressively more crowded, as people fought to get as far away from the blades as possible.

“You hurt us first! We won’t think twice to hurt you!” shouted one of the armored beings. Wyatt couldn’t exactly tell which one, however. In fact, he could barely hear over the panicked shouting. He was a little closer to the guards’ spears than he’d like. “Behave, and step back immediately!”

The guards withdrew their spears moments later. The inside of the crowded jail cell grew warm and chatty, as frightened voices tried to gain information and comfort in the others.

Wyatt turned from the guards to the other hundred or so people that shared the space with him. They looked like normal people. Everyday, average people that Wyatt would probably pass on the street. People who were just as confused and hopeless for answers just as much as he was. People who were scared and afraid for their lives. People who were angry and heated, banging on walls with demands to be set free. People who simply sat in the corners, watching the others. People who cried, unable to believe the lies that their senses were telling them.

A simple look around the room could tell anyone that Wyatt was among some of the only people who were remaining calm.

His wrists were still tied, much like everyone else. His hands were beginning to ache already, cramping and reddening and making the situation just a little bit worse for him. Part of Wyatt wondered if there would be any repercussions to taking off his restrains somehow. Probably, he mused. He didn’t wish to do anything that would spark any kind of unneeded violence. However, this didn’t stop him from hanging onto a sharpened rock that he had found chipped off the cell walls. Just in case.

The crowd slowly began to lower in volume, finally realizing that no one had any answers to their unwavering questions. A mild depression splattered itself across the room, as everyone either took a seat, stood against a wall, or just lied down entirely.

Wyatt tried to analyze it all. Who were these people that were stuck with him? What were those things that resorted to kidnapping him? Where was he, specifically? There were too many questions off the bat that he knew were unanswerable.

These people were absolutely normal, however. He hadn’t noticed a single odd thing about any of them. While Wyatt sat against a wall, organizing his thoughts, he overheard some people chatting amongst themselves. Everyone seemed to have the same story: it was as if they just… poofed, from whatever they were doing, and woke up in some random place before being abducted by the monsters.

Wyatt couldn’t help but wonder why. Why them? None of these people seemed to know each other, or so it seemed. Most of the large group just kept to themselves, and those who did speak to others only did so because they were desperate for some kind of social interaction. It just didn’t make any sense in Wyatt’s mind. There were young children here, with the youngest being the kid from his carriage who was forced to leave his teddy bear behind. Surely, he was no older than eight years old. What did a kid like that ever do to deserve something like this?

As far as Wyatt knew, he was an average individual. As a nineteen year old security guard from the Twin Cities, there was nothing that really set him apart from the rest. He’d always felt that way, frankly. The fact that he was there almost made a hidden curiosity build up inside of him.

From his position on the ground, he turned to look back at the gate. There were dozens guards that constantly watched them with readied spears, should someone make a mistake and give them a reason. Wyatt felt like a prisoner, incarcerated beyond reason. He had never been in jail before now, and so far he was despising every second of it. Not entirely because he didn’t do anything wrong, but because he wasn’t given a proper reason.

For now, there was absolutely nothing he could do except lean back, and rest his head against the cold cell walls. He let the sounds of the other people fill his ears. Wyatt let out a long sigh, and closed his bloodshot eyes.

He had no idea why they were being locked up the way they were, or if the monsters had a justifiable reason or not. All he knew was that nothing good could come out of this. Wyatt Williams was absolutely positive of it.

Comments

[Silentwoodfire]

Well, they were all gathered rather fast. You have a different premise, but I will proceed with caution seeing as its at best tenuously linked.

[Shocks]

I like it! Let us continue!

[Fictional Fanatic]

I am interested, please, continue.

[Raistlin]

You should shorten the description, so we readers can find out what´s the sitch alongside the protagonists.

[Enduring Cosmos]

I would very much like to see this continued.

[Dr_D]

Wow.
Anther great story by Cyneryk.
You seem to be just brimming with good ideas.

[GKC]

so i just saw your blog post about this story, and i would love to see this continue