introspective isolation! ;tanner fic;

five

epic chapter cover of  tanner and luna by HUSIOABAN
(twitter: @/KajuraYu)
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Darkness draped itself over everything in the room.

"Well, this is... unexpected."

Tanner leaned back, smiling at you, and tapped the plunger in a silent threat.

The tip had already punctured you just as the droplets that oozed out had already begun to enter your bloodstream. All Tanner had to do was press down and finish the job, but, to your disarray, he didn't.

Tanner stood, the soles of his leather shoes on both sides of your waist, and tilted his head oddly quiet.

"The breaker switch is in the cellar."

Even though it was a statement, you felt inclined to nod.

He sighed and stepped over your body, his dress shoes crunching on the tarp, sounding annoyed.

There was a yellowish light from the attic window, most likely from the street light across the street, so you knew it wasn't a neighborhood blackout.

Tanner began walking towards the staircase in silence before abruptly turning around, "ah, I almost forgot."

Making his way towards your body, you stayed deathly still, afraid he was going to push down on the plunger after all, but he instead picked up the knife, "Can't let you play with this while I'm gone, can I?"

You didn't let out any signs of relief, but deep down, you felt it.

He smiled at you, something you instantly recognized as a way for him to reinforce the insinuations of his statements, and slowly left the attic, down the stairs on to the second floor.

When he was out of earshot, you took notice of how much better you could see than when the lights were on. There was no stinging caused by the brightness of the hanging bulb or the twinkle of reflective objects in your peripheral. It was satisfying in a way. Soothing.

Sitting up, you tried moving your shoulder to get the needle out of your neck, the action proving to be harder than expected due to the amount of abuse you had received there. Accidentally pressing down on the plunger caused fear to finally make its comeback in the pit of your stomach, and you froze in panic.

Taking in a slow and ragged breath, you tilted your head and used your shoulder to turn the needle, the tip turning and successfully falling to the plastic below.

Exhaling, your mind quickly turned to the box of broken plates.

You swiftly moved your legs under your body in an attempt to stand, but the gash on your leg stung and brought you back down.

Trying again, you brought your legs in front of you, bending them despite the burn and blood on the cut, and took your tied wrists under the swell of your backside and feet.

With your hands in front of you, you started crawling on your knees to the box, the sound of the wet tarp assaulting your ears without sympathy. You shifted through the shards, trying your best to find one that was sharp enough to get through your bindings.

However, under the sound of clinking glass, the steps of the attic creaked under the weight of a slow moving body.

Your ears twitched, but you tried your best to ignore it, and you continued searching until the lights came on and a heavy boot stopped on the edge of the tarp of the floor. It was then you realized that these footsteps... were unknown to you.