"Words are seeds
They do more
Than blow around
They land in our hearts
And not the ground.

Be careful what you plant
And careful what you say.
You might have
To eat what you
Planted one day." -- Anonymous.

- - - - -

The next few days were tougher than before. Unlike the past week, they had to be extremely cautious with where they were going and who sees them. Sam was very particular about it and often lost her cool.

She's been more stressed as of lately, weighed down. Her friends didn't make it any easier on her, though, as they were just as bad. She became jittery at the slightest of things -- which was highly unusual of her -- and tried her best to carry on and not to give up. Their food had also being running short since there weren't any places for food around this area and she hadn't slept properly for a fortnight.

After following various clues that led them in circles -- Sam wanted to pull her hair out at this point --, Reece had finally managed to follow a track that lead them correctly.

She knew that they had finally reached the area in which these people were in. And she couldn't help but to feel nervous, afraid and -- once again -- unsure about her plan. It started sounding silly to her, as if she wasn't thinking properly when she decided on it, and thought it rather stupid now. She kept it to herself, however, because she knew that her friends wouldn't take a second of hesitation to turn around and head the other way.

The area they were in put them all in a grumpy mood. It was a small place, not big enough to be called a town. It could be an abandoned village, she had thought when they first arrived here.

It had old, broken homes scattered here and there. The dirt roads were covered in litter and jagged rocks were in the way. Everything was covered in dirt and stained an ugly brown. Sam despised the place; it made her feel sick. However, she carried on further in as her friends trailed behind her slowly, regretting the decision of coming here in the first place.

Sam was pleased to find that they had finally found their hiding spot -- it was sensible since no one would think of coming here; maybe they didn't even know it existed, yet she still couldn't shake off the feeling of not wanting to be here at all. Not a soul was seen around here -- it was a lifeless area.

At last, Sam came across an area that looked like it was used not too long ago. A once beautiful fountain stood in the middle with beer bottles carelessly thrown around it. There was still beer in some of the bottles, and others leaked out onto the dirty ground.

The fountain had big, empty bottles in it that were probably used for water. A garbage can overflowing with waste was placed not too far away from it with bags dumped beside it. Some muddy footprints could be seen, leading to an old, old structure.

A faded sign was above it, peeling and half falling off. The windows were dirty and stained, shattered in some places, too. The door looked as if it would fall off its hinges any time soon and the structure itself looked like a wrecking ball smashed against it one too many times.
As far as she could see, there was no roof, maybe a few pieces here and there.

Sam sighed heavily and slowly swung around on her heel to face her gloomy friends. She removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes before placing them back on.

After adjusting the straps of the backpack, she carefully chose her words before saying in a soft, cautious voice, "Guys . . . we're here."

"Here?" Reece asked, disdain clear as day on his face.

"Yes, Reece, here," Sam replied.

Reece rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything in response.

The rest kept quiet, studying either Sam or the structure.

She could tell that they weren't themselves lately; she didn't like that. She had this nasty feeling clawing at her back that this was only going to get much, much more worse. It felt like the calm before a storm.

Any more reassuring she did for herself didn't help. Not anymore, it didn't.

George sighed, and instantly she knew she was going to say something Sam wouldn't like.

Then, in a quiet, defeated voice, she asked, "Sam, are you really sure about this? It's not too late to back out now. Not yet."

Catching Sam by surprise, as she was always the most supportive of all her friends, it took a while for Sam to answer.

By the time she found a response, Chris spoke before she did.

"She's right, you know," then muttering the last part under his breath, he said, "I'm not even sure about this anymore."

At a loss for words, the only things that came out of her mouth then was, "Guys . . . ," she trailed off, pleading with them by using her eyes.

George gave her a tired look. "Sam . . . I can't anymore, this is just . . . just too much now. It's like reality hit me in the face with a brick and this sounds like the most ridiculous thing in the world. I'm just -- it," she sighed again. "I'm sorry . . . but I'm out."

At that last statement, everyone's heads snapped in her direction, surprise masking their features. She looked down at the floor, digging her foot into the ground and biting her lip.

Sam felt betrayed, she knew she didn't have to right to, but she just did. Out of all her friends, George was the first one to give up. Her heart fell to her feet and her face dropped. She tried to control her features best as she could and get a steady voice before speaking again.

She opened her mouth a few times, then quickly closed it, resembling a dying fish.

She gulped, trying to swallow the rock stuck in her throat, and said in a surprisingly strong voice, "Fine. Go then, it is your choice after all. I didn't force you to in the first place."

It came out much more harsh than she intended it to, and wished to take it back as soon as it came out. George's head snapped up too fast, shocked at her sudden words. Her expression then changed into something Sam couldn't decipher and her eyes flashed.

She became grim-faced and gave a sharp nod. "Fine. I'll go."

She turned around and hitched her backpack further up her shoulders, then stalked off in the direction they came in.

A few feet away, she swiftly turned and in a harsh, controlling voice asked, "Anybody else coming? Chris?"

This shocked Samantha so much that she couldn't even retaliate when Chris joined her.

This isn't George, Sam thought to herself, I don't know this girl.

Sam then scolded herself.

Who are you even? This isn't you either.

She directed her attention to her six remaining friends and saw some hesitation and nervous glances between Sam and George. She instantly knew that she was going to lose a few more friends.

Carter cast a look to his brother, then a similar one to George before joining Samantha and standing by her side.

"We didn't come all this way for nothing, guys."

Jay-Jay looked torn between the two, deciding to stand on his spot and not move an inch whatsoever.

Lucas glanced at Reece, shooting him a knowing look before going over to Sam's side. "I'm the one responsible for all this, so I'm sticking till the end."

He urged Reece with his eyes as he said this, noting that Reece hadn't moved when he did. He knew that this was going to happen in the end, and made up his mind that he wasn't going to be a coward and chicken out after all their hard work.

A suffocating tension choked them, and, slowly by slowly, the remaining five friends chose carefully and separated themselves between the two girls.

Sam could see that it was difficult for them to choose between their two friends, but they did anyway.

In the end, however, it was George wearing a victorious smile that graced her face. Jay-Jay made the first move, and not so reluctantly joined George. Brand, staying loyal to his friend, and Natt, forever loyal to his twin, both joined her. Reece seemed broke, trying to choose between his friend and the girl he mysteriously found interesting.

Eventually, he dragged his feet over to George, looking down shamefully when Lucas glared at him in disbelief.

That left Sam with Carter and Lucas by her side.

She sighed, not liking how they were breaking apart like this. She hadn't thought that it would all come down to this: choosing between their friends and shattering and painfully ripping apart unbreakable bonds.

She was thankful that Carter and Lucas were by her side, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to carry on if they all left.

She felt a void filling her chest, making her heart ache with sadness. The thought of fixing this somehow crossed her mind, but she knew it wouldn't work; she was hopeless now, she sees that with how many of her friends joined Geoge.

Carter and Chris, brothers forever -- as they always said --, were now separated.

Lucas and Reece parted ways, choosing to be with either girl instead of with their very own partner in crime.

Jay-Jay had to choose between his two favourite girl friends, hating the disappointment from the other side once he chose.

George, always the supportive side to Sam, chose defeat and gave up. And, lastly, Sam had to deal with majority of her friends leaving her through all that they have been through, suddenly giving up and turning away.

George, without another word or glance in their direction, turned around and deftly swiped her hand through the air to indicate that they were leaving.

They trudged down the dirt road and Sam watched them until they were out of sight, her chest constricting further with every step they each took further from her.

Once they were gone, Sam's shoulders slumped in defeat and she slid down. She drew her knees up to her chest and bowed her head so that it was hidden from view, cradled between her legs. She wrapped her arms around her legs as a support and sat like that for a few minutes, blinking away tears and thinking deeply.

Carter and Lucas awkwardly stood around her, sharing glances and then looking at her and not knowing what to do.

A few minutes later, she straightened up and stood, brushing out all the dirt that gathered in her clothes -- well, as much as she could anyway.

"Alright, guys," her voice was slightly scratchy, so she cleared it. "Let's go."

With a sudden sense of sheer determination, she pulled out a paper in which she wrote her plan out, studied it one more time, with Carter and Lucas peering over her shoulders with difficulty. She folded it and put it back in.

Taking a sip of water, she asked, "You ready?"

"Yeah," they replied in unison.
She jerked her head in the direction and they followed her through a dark, narrow alley next to the structure. Just as the rest of the dirt roads, the alley was littered and dirty.

Sam tried her hardest not to go too close to suspicious looking things. As they neared the end of the structure -- it was surprisingly long --, they heard booming laughter, banging of what sounded like a fist against a table, and loud chatter coming from within.

No doubt, Sam thought, they're definitely in here.

She stopped so suddenly that Carter slammed right into her back, but Sam, prepared, held her ground and kept them both upright. Lucas tripped over Carter but managed to gain his footing before he fell.

"Sa --" Sam cut him short by placing her hand over his mouth and pushing him against the wall, out of sight, and grabbing Lucas' hand so that he followed.

Seconds after, a hidden door was pushed open so hard that it slammed against the wall and bounced back. A man barged out, red in the face, and pulled a young girl -- Sam guessed she was about seven or eight -- along with him.

She looked as if she had been crying. Blood was smeared across her cheeks, but Sam had an odd feeling that it wasn't her blood. Her clothes were dirty and old, tattered and torn. She felt as if she had seen this girl before, however.

"How many times do I have to tell not to touch what isn't fucking yours?" he yelled in her face.

She clamped her lips shut and pressed herself against the dirty wall, cowering away from him. He yanked her hair and pulled her towards him.

"You answer me when I fucking ask you something!" He roared.

She nodded fearfully and whimpered. "I-I'm so so-sorry."

"Next time I'll beat you, got it?" he said harshly, saliva flying out of his mouth.

The girl wrinkled her face and nodded again. Satisfied, the man let go of her greasy blonde hair and stepped away. Wearing a self-satisfied smirk, he turned around and walked back inside.

Only once the man was out of sight did she disgustedly wipe her face and huff in frustration. She glared at the door, let out a small scream and kicked at the wall multiple times before she breathed in deeply and rested her forehead against the wall. She waited until her breathing slowed down and then straightened up and turned around.

Unconsciously, Sam had moved away from Carter and further into the alley, into the sight of the little girl.

When she glanced in her direction, Sam quickly moved back and pressed herself against Carter so that the girl wouldn't see her. But it was too late, the little girl had already seen her.

Instead of screaming like Sam thought she would, she curiously took a few steps forward and gazed up at Sam, than Carter and Lucas.

It took Sam by surprise.

This girl is much too mature for her age, she thought then sarcastically added, why? Isn't today just so full of surprises.

"Yho are you?" the girl asked, "I Aliz."

Sam, finding no harm in talking to her, asked, "Your name is Alice?"

She nodded and pointed at herself. "I Aliz. Yho are you?"

Sam looked at Lucas for confirmation that she can talk, and when he nodded, she smiled and turned her attention back to Alice.

"I'm Samantha. These are my friends, Carter and Lucas," she pointed at each of them as she gave their names.

Alice nodded in understanding and gave a small smile. "No one 'omes 'ere. What are you doing 'ere?"

Sam tried to make sense of the first part, and when she did, her eyebrows pulled together. Curiously, she asked, "Why does no one come here?"

Alice shook her head, refusing to answer. After a while, she sighed and said in a small voice, "Bad peop'e."

Sam looked around and then at Carter and Lucas. She looked down at Alice again and felt sympathy for the little girl. It must have been hard to grow up if she's like this at such a young age.

"You mut 'o or bad peop'e wi' zee you," Alice urged suddenly.

Her eyes grew wide and something passed though her eyes. She shooed them and put a finger to her lips.

Refusing to move, Sam asked, "Could you show us?"

Alice vigorously shook her head.

"Please?" Sam tried again.

"No. Bad peop'e. Hurt you," Alice said.

Sam instantly understood her. She must have seen what they do. Sam pieced together everything from the time she saw Alice until now and realised that she knew about everything that happens inside there. She's probably used in an ill manner.

Alice said again, "Bad peop'e. Hurt you. 'O ayay. I zaid too mut."

Just then, they heard a raspy, deep voice call out, "Slave!" a noise that sounded like a beer bottle clanging against a table was heard. "Beer! Now!"

Only then did Sam read fear in Alice's eyes -- fear, not for herself, but for Sam, which shocked her to her core.

She pleaded with Samantha using her eyes and quickly disappeared back into the structure. Shocked, Sam stood frozen where she was.

A slave, she thought, they use Alice as a slave.

She slowly turned around to face Carter and Lucas. She moved more away from Carter since they had space and she held her head.

Feeling dizzy, she layed a hand on the wall and got her breathing under control.

"I'm positive this is the place," she said.

"Yeah. Me, too."

They nodded in agreement. In a moment of silence, all she could think of was Alice. She concentrated on the sounds coming from the structure.

"Come on, guys, we should get a move on now. We're right here, at the end. We'll just go around and find an entrance in the back or something, where there isn't any noise. That way, we won't be caught."

Carter nodded and took a few steps forward before stopping again. He didn't turn his back, though, and stayed like that until they joined him.

"I've been here before," Lucas quietly said, "with my Mum and Dad. She loved coming to all these old places, it was one of the many odd things she enjoyed doing."

Sam didn't know how to respond to that, so she rubbed his shoulder for comfort and gave him a smile she hoped he'd understand.

Now she understood why he was oddly quiet the second they stepped foot into the village-like area.

They found an entrance on the opposite wall, being cautious and watching for anyone.

When they were a few feet away from the door, a big, oily hand suddenly wrapped around Sam's mouth and her eyes widened. The other hand found the pressure point on her neck and she was unconscious before she knew it. Darkness clouded her vision, a sack was thrown over her head and she was carried inside the structure.

Lucas, who was just behind her, was also held back and knocked out cold. But unlike Sam, he was carried away and dumped furtherer away outside the village-like area.

Carter had also being knocked out, had a sack thrown over his head and carried into another place not too far from the structure.

- - -

When Sam's eyes fluttered open, it took a few minutes for her to adjust to the darkness of the room. The only light came from a crack in the small window.

Her backpack was carelessly thrown to one side, her glasses askew on her face. Her body ached in so many different places and she felt dizzy.

Her hands and feet were tied to a chair that she was sitting on in the middle of the room.

Once her senses returned to her completely, she made out a womanly figure standing in the far corner, watching her carefully with dark -- and even though Sam couldn't see properly, she saw the madness, the craze, the raw evil -- eyes.

When she found the courage to speak, she asked in a hoarse voice, "Who are you?"

She heard her cackle, and knew that she was playing with fire and was already burnt. This woman sounded insane; mad, as if she's lost her mind ages ago.

"How could you forget me?" she asked mockingly.

"I am your mother after all."

- - - - -

Hi, everyone! How are you?

Sorry I left you there with a horrible cliff hanger, but I hope this chapter makes up for my absence the past two weeks (I kinda had an authors block, and I apologise for the wait).

I'll try my best to update next week, but I can't promise you anything. :\

Don't forget to vote comment and share the story! It'll make me unexplainably happy :)

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Peace,

Croc