The Basement Prisoners

The discovery of a locked basement holding naked, mutilated prisoners, a horrifying encounter.

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The Grand House

The House of Horrors The Approach They come to a grand house with white columns. The man is curious; the boy is scared. They enter and find a large pile of clothing in one room. The man is disturbed but pushes on. The Locked Hatch In the pantry, a locked hatch in the floor. The man pries it open with a shovel. The boy begs him to stop, but the man is desperate for food. The Revelation He descends the stairs and finds naked prisoners, male and female, huddled against the wall. One man has his legs cut off. They whisper, 'Help us.' The man grabs the boy and flees in horror.

The Escape

The Flight The Terror The man and boy run out of the house. They see four men and two women coming across the field. They hide in the woods. The man tells the boy that if they are found, he must put the pistol in his mouth and pull the trigger. The Night of Fear They lie in the leaves, listening to the screams from the house. The man holds the boy, trying to cover his ears. They wait until dark and then flee into the night. The Aftermath The boy is traumatized. He asks why people do such things. The man has no answer. The encounter reinforces the man's determination to protect the boy at all costs.

mid-journey

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