章 21: Enter Tartarus
"Again? Don't you people get tired of this?" Logan mumbled, struggling against their grip.
"Quiet!" one guard yelled.
The next moment, a cloth was thrown over Logan's head, blocking his vision. He tried to resist, but the guards held him firmly and even smacked him for misbehaving.
"Stop struggling," the voice snapped. "Unless you want to get hurt."
It wasn't long before Logan could hear the other's voice. It was all a jumbled mess, but he could make out Izna's voice. The guards gathered them somewhere and then kicked their knees, forcing them onto the hot sand.
Logan focused on listening to anything, but all he could hear was his breathing and the occasional movement around him. Then he heard it. The roar of an engine. A car, no, there was more than one heading their way.
"Congratulations," a deep, authoritative voice said. "It's hard to believe you guys survived till the end. But oh well, you survived one hell to be thrown into another."
Logan recognized it as the man from before the trials started, only this time, he was there in person.
"What you criminals have gone through before is nothing compared to what's coming next," the warden retorted, leaning towards Logan. "But spoilers are no fun, are they? Without further ado, let's head inside the place where you will spend the rest of your miserable life."
The voice continued, "Your rewards await you in the Pit."
Logan frowned. He didn't like the sound of whatever this pit was supposed to be. Also, judging by the voices of others, they didn't have any clue either.
But Logan's train of thought was halted when a sharp pain shot through his side. He barely had time to register the sensation before his entire body began convulsing.
He had been tased but at a higher voltage than before. The shock was intense, paralyzing him instantly. His muscles tensed involuntarily, his breath felt trapped in his throat, and then everything went black.
***
Logan woke up with a groan. He could feel his back had turned stiff, probably from leaning against something hard. His head throbbed in pain, still reeling from the effects of being tased. Other than that, he could feel the movement beneath him—the unmistakable rumble of a vehicle on the road.
"Hey you, you're finally awake," a feminine voice echoed while Logan blinked to clear his blurry vision. "You sure took your sweet ass time."
Logan opened his eyes and saw Izna sitting in front.
"Where are they taking us?" he asked.
"The pit..." Snake hissed.
"Whatever that place is," Izna rolled her eyes.
Logan looked around and realized only the three of them were in the armored vehicle. They had no clue what happened to the rest.
After a while, the car halted, and the doors opened. Expecting a blast of sunlight, Logan covered his eyes, but all he saw was darkness.
How long have I been out for?
Soon a guard appeared, pointing his gun at them. "Stand up when I call your names."
"Izna Petrova!"
Izna stood up, her chains clanking on the metal floor. He then gestured for her to walk forward. As she got close to the gates, the officer turned his gun and hit Izna in the stomach.
"Ack--" Izna groaned and fell to the ground.
The guard smiled and retorted, "I told you to stand, not to move."
Snake immediately stood up, and so did Logan. But as they did, both of them got tased again. It wasn't strong enough to knock them out, but enough to make them realize the consequences of disobeying orders.
But the guard didn't stop there. Lifting his gun's butt, he hit Logan and Snake across the chest and kept hitting until groaning was all they could do.
"Fucking filth," the guard spat at them. "This is no place for you to act as heroes. Learn to bow if you want to survive here."
Logan could only stare at the man. After all, they weren't inside the game anymore, and in real life, he was a pathetic loser, nothing more.
Meanwhile, the guard grabbed Snake and dragged him out before closing the gate, leaving Logan alone inside. The car's engine roared once again, heading to an unknown location.
After a while, the car stopped again and this time, several masked and heavily geared people entered the truck. Before Logan knew what was happening, they forced him into a straight jacket before dragging him out.
It was then Logan got his first look at the Pit. It was the entrance to the underground prison. The Pit, or the massive, steel-reinforced door, was the only way into Tartarus.
The surrounding area was barren, with nothing but jagged rocks and dirt as far as the eye could see. Towering above the entrance were thick concrete walls, lined with barbed wire and watchtowers.
Armed guards stood at every corner, their faces hidden behind dark visors, holding rifles ready for any sign of trouble. For now, they aimed all of their weapons at him.
The door itself looked like it could withstand a bomb, with heavy bolts and a security panel that required multiple levels of clearance just to unlock.
There were no windows, no signs of life, just the cold, oppressive feeling that this was a place no one could escape from. This was the place where Logan would spend the rest of his life.
Before Logan could see anything more, someone covered his eyes again. They pushed him inside the gates and then stripped off his clothes. The next thing he felt was hands all over his body... all over, like they were carrying some medical examination.
Logan felt dirty and tried to protest, but they had forced a gag into his mouth so he couldn't make any noises, even if he wanted to.
"Clear. No sign of contamination," an electronic voice said before Logan was pushed through another set of doors.
He felt a blast of cold air on his bare skin. But there was nothing else—no sound, nothing. Then he heard something click, and suddenly the visor covering his eyes and the gag in his mouth came off.
Logan slowly opened his eyes and found himself in a massive...
"Sauna!?"
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