The Relic Runner Origin Story Box Set Ernest Dempsey (top 10 books of all time txt) 📖

tone. The fact the man decided to speak today gave Jamie a cold chill that pebbled his skin.

He could hear their warden issuing plates to the other prisoners. Jamie had already counted once before, but he did it every time they were fed just to make sure none of the other captives had… he didn't want to consider it.

He'd not risked talking to the others, but he knew there were at least six, though it was unclear if the other cells had more than one person in them as did the one where he and his brother were kept.

That meant there were at least eight people down in the basement.

Were they all boys? Or were there girls mixed in?

Again, the answer was unclear.

All Jamie knew was that something different was about to happen and he didn't like the way it made his senses tingle.

The plates for him and his brother appeared at the bottom of the door. The man nudged the food deeper into the room before the opening closed again.

"I suggest you eat up today, boys," the man's voice boomed again.

A clue, Jamie thought. He called us boys. That answers that question.

"Tomorrow, you're going to have a day out in the sun."

The sun? Jamie never thought such a simple indulgence would sound so incredible, but the mere idea of the warmth of the sun touching his face filled his soul with the slightest sliver of hope. Still, he couldn't help but sense there was a catch.

"Many of you have read books or seen movies where young people are thrown into a game where they hunt each other for sport. Only the winner survives."

Oh, no. Jamie realized where this was going. At least he thought he did. He looked over at Oliver who returned the glance with one smothered in worry.

"You have been recruited to take part in a similar game, but I have good news." Their warden paused for effect. "You won't be pitted against each other. You will have only one enemy to evade."

Jamie didn't allow the statement to give the faintest trickle of relief. He knew there was more.

"That enemy is me. I will release you and give all of you a fifteen-minute head start. After that, how long you survive is up to your ability to run, hide, and adapt. One of you might even get lucky and take me down." He huffed at the latter, clearly thinking the notion unlikely. "We will begin at noon tomorrow. So eat up and get some rest. You're going to need it."

He paused again, and for a few seconds, Jamie thought his speech was over. Then the man spoke again. "This property spreads out over one hundred acres of varying terrain. There are fields, hills, meadows, forests. If you want to survive longer, you best consider all that."

Heavy footfalls clomped up the stairs and faded as they neared the top. A door closed, signaling that the prisoners were alone again.

Jamie noted how the man said "survive longer," an insinuation that their demise was only a matter of time. He looked over at his brother again to gauge his reaction, but that tidbit seemed to sail over Oliver's head. Jamie was glad for that.

How had all of this happened? How did they end up in a place like this with a monster like the man who'd taken them?

Jamie ran over the events of that fateful day in his mind for the hundredth time. He wished he could toss away the regrets. His mother told them not to go, that lunch would be ready soon. She'd suggested their father go with them, but the boys insisted they would be okay.

How wrong he'd been.

Over the course of the last 36 to 48 hours, or however long it had been, Jamie made the same promise over and over again. He swore he would never question his parents' judgment again.

Unfortunately, he didn't see a way out.

Then again, maybe there was. He got up and took the few steps over to the plates, then scooped them up.

Oliver had remained sitting in his usual spot against the wall with his arms wrapped around his knees.

"Here you go, Oli," Jamie said, doing his best to sound cheerful. "You heard the man. Eat up. We're going to get out of here tomorrow."

"That's not what he said," Oliver disputed. "He said he's going to hunt us and kill us."

Jamie's voice soured at the comment.

"He said he's going to give us fifteen minutes head start, Oli." Jamie made sure to keep his voice low. "He also said there are a hundred acres on this property. That's lots of places to hide. Or disappear," he added quickly. "We could find a good place to hide and stay there until night. Then, when it's dark, we'll sneak out and find a way back into town."

"What town?" Oliver asked, picking at the sausage on his plate. "We don't even know where we are."

"We can't be that far from Browns Ferry," Jamie insisted. "When he put us in the back of the truck, we didn't travel far. Two or three miles, maybe four or five, but I doubt that far. He took us somewhere close to the park."

Another voice entered the conversation from somewhere else in the basement. It hissed in the darkness, barely a whisper. "Be quiet," the boy warned. "He will come back and punish us."

"Yeah," a second agreed, this one stronger, gruff.

It was the first time Jamie had heard the others since being stuffed into the cell with his kid brother. A strange comfort fluttered into his soul at hearing the other kids' voices.

"Listen," Jamie ordered. "You heard the guy. He intends to let us loose in his own private game park and hunt us down like animals."

Oliver looked up from his sausage, troubled by the statement.

Jamie quickly added, "We can get out of here if we work together."

"How do you figure?" A third new voice entered the conversation. The weak tone signaled that the boy speaking must have been there