The gate closed behind them. No one knew what was in store for them. There was a collective sigh as people resignedly turned their heads this way and that, trying to get their bearings. All the panic and fear and questions had been exhausted on the two hour train ride to this place. Sam wasn't sure what "this place" was but he knew it was no good. He heard chains being wound on the outside of the door. Definitely no good. He heard a padlock click into place.

They'd all been rounded up the night before. Some snatched from beds, some waylaid while making their way home, and others picked from jail cells. Sam had been studying in his college library when he'd been knocked unconscious from behind. The next thing he knew, he’d woken up on some kind of transport vehicle, someone had accidentally stomped on his hand, jolting him conscious. There were no windows, just a slit between the top of the walls and the ceiling to let in air. People were screaming and pushing and banging on the walls.

Slowly, the crowd thinned out as people headed towards the only outlet in sight. It was a tight squeeze, requiring everyone to file into a single line. The walls on either side just grazed their shoulders. Those whose shoulders were too wide hunched themselves in. They walked, twisting and curving, not knowing what they would find. The walls soon opened up into a huge, freezing chamber. The ceilings were so high they were in shadow. Sam squinted his eyes. He could make out long heavy chains hung every few feet. At the end of the chains were...hooks? Sam squinted his eyes even more, trying to make out the shapes. Soon they passed out of that room and into another narrow hallway.