Read The Participants for Free Online Page B

store. The man raised his hands to
show he wasn’t a threat. “I’m just here to give you a ride, friend.
Let’s go see Bridgette now.”
    Someone clamped a hand on his shoulder from
behind and pressed something into his back. A deep woman’s voice
whispered in his ear. “Just walk forward, Hess. We have the girl.
If you don’t come talk to us, she’s going to spend some more time
underground. You don’t want that, do you?”
    “I’m not who you think I am,” he said.
    “We’ll talk later. Now walk.” When the woman
prodded him in the back, Zack moved forward. The black man grabbed
his arm and the two escorted him to the pickup. When they opened
the passenger door, the woman jabbed something into his neck and
Zack’s entire body convulsed. When he stopped shaking, his arms
were already twisted behind his back and shackled. They loaded him
inside and were on the road before Zack managed to speak.
    “Why are you doing this to me?”
    The black man shook his head. “Playing
stupid won’t help you, Hess. We’re going to do a replay of last
Iteration. Two hundred years in a stone box just wasn’t enough
punishment for the stunt you pulled. And you didn’t learn a damned
thing. I turn on the news and see an Observer flaunting the Divine
Command and you know what I think? I think we didn’t do Hess good
enough last time. That’s what I think.”
    “I’m not Hess.”
    Zack jumped when the taser crackled in the
woman’s hand. She waved it in front of his face. “Might want to
keep your mouth shut. Once we get to the farm, the fun is going to
last for a long time. Just sit back and enjoy your last moments
without pain.”
    “Put the taser away while I’m driving,
Laura,” the black man said.
    “I have had enough of your paranoia.”
    “Have you noticed I’m a black man in a white
country? People notice minorities. If anyone gets busted when Hess
disappears, it will be me. So put the damn taser away.”
    “I’m a woman and I still have bigger balls
than you, Drake.”
    The man slammed his fist on the steering
wheel. “I’m going by Weston!”
    “Sorry, chica, but Hess will know who did
this to him. He’s Drake; I’m Erik. Griff and Ingrid are waiting for
us at the farmhouse.”
    Drake shook his head. “We should lock you up
with him, Erik.”
    The woman named Erik snickered at that.
“Don't let the tits fool you, Drake. I'm still more than you can
handle. Even if you found the balls to make a move against me, the
others wouldn't back you. No one wants me as an enemy.”
    “You are a psychopath,” Drake said.
    Erik laughed. “We're all psychopaths. When
one of us starts caring for people is when the trouble starts. Just
ask our bleeding heart here about how he wants to change the
world.”
    “What I meant to say was serial killer,”
Drake said.
    “You have no idea what kinds of things I
discover for the Creator,” Erik said. “The way people react to
extreme situations reveals a lot about them. You wouldn't believe
the things they will do to avoid a little pain. I can break the
strongest in forty-eight hours. Some people crack without a single
touch.” Erik scraped her nails over Zack's face hard enough to draw
blood. “I didn't get enough time with this one last Iteration. We
had to be quick that time. But you're a nobody in this world. I can
have all the time I want.”
    Drake shook his head. “You get twenty-four
hours and then he goes in the ground. That's it.”
    “I'm calling the shots, Mr. Minority.”
    “We've been considering an intervention for
you. Murder counts as participation if anything does.”
    Erik leaned forward to look across Zack's
body. “You want to make this personal?”
    “None of this is personal.”
    “Oh no, Drake, this is nothing but
personal.”
    Drake didn't respond. After a minute, Erik
grunted. “Just remember what I'm capable of and you won't be
tempted to do something stupid.”
    The truck pulled off the road onto a long
dirt drive. Drake spoke