The Relict (Book 1): Drawing Blood Read Online Free PDF

avoid capture that his pants no longer fit. Seeing the veteran prisoners that had come to greet them, the young man shouted out, “What’s in the grey building?”
    His inquiry triggered an immediate reaction from one of the CCC guards, who yanked the young man out of the line, delivered several baton blows, and kicked him repeatedly. The young man squirmed in the dirt moaning in pain, next to his blue jeans which he had lost during the beating.
    “It’s all right. Just do what they say…,” yelled Roque Juarez, one of the veteran prisoners in the CCC facility. He was a wiry and nimble-looking Hispanic who was moving in lockstep, fifty feet away but parallel to the newbies, as they made their way toward the grey building.
    “Just remember one thing, everything that happens in there, stays in there.”
    Another veteran prisoner shouted out to them, “You’ve made it this far. Just stay with their program, and we’ll be here when you come out.” The words of encouragement came from Cliff Barrett, a broad and muscular middle-aged man who was tossing a football nervously from one hand to the other as he kept pace right behind Juarez.
    A few feet away from the main entrance of the grey building, one of the CCC guards stopped the assembly of prisoners.
    The building’s doors opened, revealing a single, black-clad, concentration-camp guard standing in the doorway. He waved to the first prisoner in line as if he was a barker working the sidewalk in front of a strip joint.
    “Right this way. Everything is going to be great…”
     
    While all the prisoners were filing into the room, Matt had some time to assess what lay ahead. The room they were standing in was large and well lit, but Matt estimated it to be less than a fourth of the entire building. An observation room, encased entirely in dark glass, had been constructed in the rafters. No doubt it was where new arrivals could be evaluated.
    When the last of the newbies entered the grey building, a CCC guard shut the door behind him.
    Immediately a noise coming from the front of the room grabbed their attention. Another CCC guard slid open the wall, revealing an even larger area beyond where they were all standing. What lay on the other side was impossible to fathom, because the entire area was engulfed in a cloud of steam.
    A physical altercation suddenly broke out near Matt. He turned to see that one of the male prisoners was being restrained by another, as a thin, pasty-faced woman with blonde hair moved away from them.
    She moved with confidence through the group, despite the fact that a few of the prisoners shook their heads in disgust. The blonde took a place reserved for her, right next to the CCC guard who had revealed the fake wall.
    “You will strip off all of your clothes and your personal possessions and leave them in a pile beside you.”
    Matt remembered seeing her on the truck, talking to two male prisoners. She had looked emaciated, like she hadn’t eaten in days. He also noticed red scratches on her neck. Only now did he realize how he had created the blonde woman’s backstory without speaking one word to her. It was clearly what the vampires were counting on.
    “Your personal possessions will be returned to you. This is an opportunity for all of you to experience how much you can trust us when you follow our directions. However, if you choose to ignore our directives, the next stage of orientation will be very challenging. Any transgressions will result in a punishment. The penalty for your transgression might even result in your death. Now, as I have previously instructed, remove all of your clothing.”
    There was silence.
    Then four of the prisoners started to take off their clothes.
    Everyone in the room turned, some had sneers on their face; others began to cry while most just looked confused as to what they should do.
    An African-American prisoner standing in front of the four disrobing prisoners shoved his nearly naked comrade.
    A CCC guard