I woke up feeling well rested and quite hungry but something was wrong, I couldn't move my hands and legs, they were tied
Panic surged through me, what the hell happened while I was asleep?
"You awake, Sleeping Beauty?"
A man, mid-twenties, smug as hell, grinned down at me. I stared at him, my brain trying to catch up.
How did they find me? I was sure I hid well
I didn't speak.
"How are you feeling?" he asked but I didn't reply
Why the hell was he acting so nice?
"Your friend fought well," he said casually. "But we couldn't get there in time to help."
My heart clenched, did that mean Vicky was... dead?
"We had to search all night to find you," he continued. "Gotta say, you hid really well, you are a lucky one, if the one in blacks had gotten to you first..." He tutted
"That would have been... bad"
I said nothing but my mind was spiraling, were they different from the one in blacks?
"Hello?" He waved a hand in front of my face.
I barely reacted.
"You hungry?" he asked, pushing a bowl of fresh soup toward me.
The smell hit me like a brick wall, my stomach growled. I hesitated… what if it was poisoned or something weird is in it but I was starving and I couldn't resist, so I gave in.
The moment I finished eating, a wave of dizziness crashed over me.
Shit
............
I woke up to darkness. My head was pounding, my stomach was queasy, and oh, fantastic, I was moving.
Not in a "cozy carriage ride" kind of way, but in a "bumpy as hell, probably on a horse" way.
I groaned, shifting to get more comfortable, only to realize something. My hands, my legs, tied, again!.
What. The. Actual. Hell.
Then it hit me, memories, Ethan, the village on fire, men in black killing everyone in their path and my escape and the... damn that soup was drugged.
A voice broke through my thoughts. "I know you're awake, Sleeping Beauty. No need to fake it, I can sense it."
Oh, great. Him.
It was only then that I noticed the blindfold covering my eyes.
"What do you want from me?" I asked, praying my voice didn't showcase how frightful I was.
"We don't want anything, just doing our job," an unfamiliar voice chimed in.
"Oh, sure, just a casual, friendly kidnapping, right? Let me guess, you were the one who killed Ethan?" my voice came out raw and probably cold, my heart felt like it was bleeding, I lost everything I cared about in what?...two fucking days
"Who the hell is Ethan?" the guy sounded genuinely confused. "We were hired to kidnap you, not murder anyone."
I frowned. If they didn't kill Ethan… then who did?
"Right. So who exactly wants me so badly?" I snorted, my voice emotionless
"Enough with the questions," the first voice muttered. "We're not the bad guys, and we don't want to hurt you, just cooperate, okay?"
Cooperate my ass
"Stop it, Muscles, you're scaring the poor thing," a softer voice piped up.
"I'm just telling her to shut up Stone," Muscles whined.
Two things:
One of my kidnappers was named Muscles
The other was called Stone.
Not exactly the most helpful information, but it was something.
Time crawled by slowly. The horse ride was torture. My wrists were raw from the ropes, my head was pounding, and I felt like throwing up on whoever was holding me
By the time we finally arrived at our oh-so-mysterious destination, I was genuinely debating whether being sold to a creep was worse than being dragged around like a sack of potatoes.
The ropes were cut from my hands and feet, but the blindfold stayed on. Someone tugged at my wrist, silently telling me to move. I refused.
Big mistake.
I was yanked forward, nearly face-planting into the dirt.
We walked for what felt like forever before coming to a stop. A voice, cold and sharp like a blade, sliced through the air.
"Take her to one of the dungeons and chain, I don't want her escaping."
"Yes, boss," they all chorused in perfect sync. Puppets. Every single one of them.
As someone whispered in my ear, I felt my blood run cold.
"Don't worry. He won't hurt you. He needs you."
That was supposed to be reassuring? Yeah, no. I wasn't buying it.
Besides, what did it even matter? Everyone I cared about was dead. If he wanted to kill me, he should just get it over with.
I was dragged forward and forced to sit. The cold seeped into my torn clothes as they chained my wrists and ankles.
Finally, someone removed my blindfold, for a second, I was blinded by the light.
When my vision adjusted, I finally got a look at the guy chaining me. Blonde hair, Striking blue eyes. Not exactly what I expected from a kidnapper.
"You don't look like you could hurt a fly," I blurted out before my brain could stop me.
He smirked. "Never judge a book by its cover. You trust people too easily." I didn't reply
He chuckled, finishing the restraints. "The name's Stone and you must be Luna."
I gave him a flat look. "What gave me away"
He shrugged, just turned and walked away leaving me alone in my new home, a damp, freezing dungeon and I sat there, alone, shivering.
But that wasn't the end of my torture, everytime I close my eyes I see Ethan's severed head haunting me, teasing my sanity