My Fearless Leader | Leonardo x Reader

Extreme Measures

Your POV

The metal door closes with the loud clang that it occasionally does when Karai finally leaves like I planned. Now if I can get Scott out, too...

If I can just find out a way to get these straps even looser. I know I won't be able to take much more of this... Constantly knowing something's coming but not what, when or how. It's driving me crazy, but I don't want to think like that yet. I can't snap yet.

I don't know how she got so much information on me; how she knows drowning's always been a fear of mine since no one ever taught me how to swim. And right now I feel like how Jack must've felt hanging onto that door in the middle of the ocean... I can't even move my fingers without a lot of effort put into it I'm so stiff. I couldn't move before anyhow, but now I'm practically frozen, aside from the shaking I can't control. The metal of this chair is already cold and the temperature of this room was already freezing enough without the AC blowing right on me now.

I sneeze, once, then a second time. And the convulsions of it in my cheek, neck, stomach and limbs only make me ache more.

Ever since I and my body have woken up, I've become sore all over. The bruises that cover my body ache with an invisible pressure against them. And there's a new excruciating pain in my neck, throbbing now from whatever he did to it. What it was, I have no idea, but I felt a lot of blood when he was messing with it.

I bite down on my lip, feeling the anxiety come while trying to diminish the pain stabbing the back of my neck at the same time. But I flinch when I bite down too hard on where my bottom lip nearly split. I taste blood on my tongue and cringe at the metallic flavor.

It had hurt to start talking again. The side of my face feels like it weighs ten extra pounds now. I must've been screaming too much when I was stuck in that–

I catch my breath, the memories of being stuck in that cylindrical tube thing rushing back to me. Suddenly it feels like a weight's setting onto my chest as returning recollections torment my mind. For a moment the exact same feeling returns to my body as if I were still in there. Sensing oncoming panic, it throws me back to those times as a little kid when I would freak out if all of us foster kids had to go somewhere and couldn't be left alone at the foster home when they'd pack all of us into just two cars. Or that time when everyone just thought I was scared when we had to huddle together in a small closet during severe weather. I hardly remember anything from that time in my life and have put so many of those memories out of my mind that I had never even realized...

And somehow she knew when I had forgotten. How could she have dug that up from so long ago? How long had I been in there? If I'm back in this chair now then–

I shake my head, trying to force myself out of it. I'm outside now, strapped back into this chair I hate so much. Granted, it's not much better. But at least I feel like I can breathe a little out here. I take a moment to force myself to close my eyes and take in slow, deep breaths and pray she doesn't put me back in there.

"You sure know how to piss her off by doing the bare minimum." I look back to the tall blond dressed in black standing in front of me. "Not a smart tactic on your part."

"Why... why are y-you d-d-doing this?" He looks at me silently, raising an eyebrow. An idea comes to mind. I doubt it'll work, but it's something. "I'm an o-orphan like y-you."

"I despised my parents."

I almost laugh, muttering instead. "Yeah, s-so do I." I can't say I'm surprised. This guy looks like he hates everybody.