The Rancher's Sons

The Cortez brothers were bound at the elbows and wrists with a strong nylon rope behind their backs.  A knotted bandanna gagged them.  Duct tape covered their eyes and mouths.

They lay on their arms in the back of a pick up truck.

They had been forced to strip to the waist, empty their pockets into their shirts, and leave them in the barn to prove they had been abducted.

One of their abductors stood guard over the boys.  He kept tracing the butt of his rifle over their chests and abs and jutting it into their navels.  Every now and then he would fire a shot into the air, terrifying the brothers  -shivering   -breaking out into a cold sweat even though the hot sun beat down on their bound torsos.

They drove the bound boys through all the back roads for some 80 miles until the reached their destination....   an abandoned ranch.

Inside was an old coal pit.

The dragged me out of the truck.
They ripped the tape off of my eyes and showed me the coal
pit.  I began to shiver again.  They roped up my biceps
and lashed my arms into my back with ropes surrounding
my torso
Taking a lighter, the melted the knots that tied me up
They tied my feet and kicked me to the ground.

Using a long rope tied to me feet that dropped me
down into the pit, head first.

I lay there, chocking on the coal dust.

I looked down and saw my younger brother
staring up at me -- his eyes wide with terror.

I tried to resist only to be gut punched into
submission and they roped my upper amrs
and body.

Melting the knots scorched the hairs on my arms
and burned my skin.

They lowered me down and I collapsed on top of my younger brother.


We looked at the terror in each other eyes as the lowered down the last of us.

  So the three of us were in the coal pit, bound and gagged.

They took photos of us -- a pile of brothers completely helpless.

Then the put the cover of the pit.

We were plunged into darkness left to gag scream knowing that nobody could hear us.