Chapter 47: The Convincer

The smell of pungent rot made Brad stir.

A bright white light stabbed his eyes and he blinked rapidly. A throbbing ache pounded in his head and he tried to orient himself.

He shifted his weight. The chair he was sitting in creaked and he discovered his wrists were tied behind his back. He shifted his feet and found that they were also bound to the chair's legs. He licked his lips and squinted, trying to see his surroundings.

The big room echoed as machinery hissed and worked. Concrete floors and tall wooden shelves on metal racks held wheels of cheese.

Brad wrinkled his nose as the musty odor of the aging cheese assaulted his senses. The light that strained his eyes was from an overhead free-hanging bulb.

A door banged shut somewhere and footsteps plodded in his direction. Brad squinted against the brightness. He could just make out four shapes. Three men and a woman.

Brad tried to swallow, but his dry tongue coated his sticky throat with sand.