Darkness only lasted for a few seconds. Even though when I opened my eyes it still lingered there, the only light cast from a crack beneath the metal door behind me. The light was fuzzy, noises blurring together, creating a weird buzzing noise in my ears topped by a constant high pitched ringing noise. The haze lifted suddenly, causing my head to spin further but focusing the blackness around me.
“… understand me?”
A voice… the mumbling was voices. With a snap my eyes flew open, me bolting into a sitting position. Almost instantly I fell over again from overwhelming dizziness, not helped by an invisible hand that slammed into my shoulder blade that shoved me back down.
“Where do you think you’re going faggot?”
“Ah,” I grunted as I hit the hard cement. Sickness clawed at my stomach, deep, wrenching fear yanking at my pounding heart. Sweat lined my brow, my breath rattling noisily as I listened to faint footsteps around me. Blackness still swarmed in front of me, only increasing the pressure of terror pressing at my skull.
How many people… one? One person… I can hear one person… How do you know, there could be like six of them in the room!
“Wh- what do you want?” I stuttered uneasily, my hands trembling against the cold floor as I drew backwards to what felt like a wall. I searched the darkness frantically, trying to find a sign of my tormentor in the swallowing black. There was nothing there… only the faintest chuckle that seemed a thousand times louder in the silence.
What was that!
My head flew in that direction, my fingers quickly flying to the nape of my neck as a sharp pain ripped through my skull.
“Ow!” I muttered, still listening for movement, paranoia tickling the corners of my mind. My fingers came away wet and I shuddered at my stomach wrenched at the thought of blood.
I jumped hard, slamming myself back into the wall as something brushed through my fringe like a breeze. “Wh-who’s there!” I squeaked pathetically.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” a silky voice whispered right in my ear, hot breath breezing over my hair. The feeling was repulsive and I flew upright, only to be shoved brutally back down again, caught by invisible arms before I hit the floor. The relief was less than momentary as the same arms that caught me withdrew, letting me fall the remaining inches. My head cracked onto the pavement, hard, and a cry of pain ripped from my chest as light headedness washed over me.
What the hell!
Crashing sounded from the door, the sound of swearing and loud voices coming through.
“Andrew! AJ! Open the door!” Accel’s voice drifted through the metal, muffled, but the anger was obvious. “Open the fucking door! ANDREW!”
A sob caught in my throat at his words. I wanted to open it… I wanted so badly to let him in, but I couldn’t do it. Opening my mouth to call out to him, to at least let him know that I was okay, I cried out as a hand flew out of nowhere and punched me across the face.
“Sorry!” the voice mockingly called, “Andrew’s busy right now.”
Furious crashes and louder protests followed the person’s words.
Gasping at the pain I clutched at my face, stunned by the sudden impact.
“What do you want?” I whimpered through the burn. Another laugh followed my request.
“You really think I’m going to tell you?” it replied. “Of all people…”
What does this guy want… what does he WANT? Is it me? Or is it something else? What did I do?
Gingerly pressing my hands against my throbbing bruised jaw, I blinked away the burning tears that had forced themselves into my eyes. Blinding light flooded the room suddenly, the brightness smashing into my vision so hard my eyes felt like they burned out of my skull. Forgetting about the blow to my cheek, my arm flew upwards to shield my eyes from the light, blinking furiously I waited until the burning faded, slowly pulling my arm down.
A huge room stretched before me, rows of heavy metal lockers leading to a large open shower space. Time slowed in the moments it took me to take in the open space. Instead of focusing on the situation my mind seemed to zone out, my heavy breaths and the harsh sound of fabric scraping against the floor. The muffled feeling disappeared as a foot slammed into my stomach.
“UH!” I grunted heavily, desperately trying to breathe after being winded. I lay curled and motionless on the floor, mouth open and twisted in a silent cry for help, hands and arms buried deep in my stomach trying to protect the fragile bones of my body. Toes curled in my shoes as the foot returned, smashing into my back with a sickening thud. I arched off the floor, a strangled cry ripping out of my body as I felt something next to my spine give way with a crack.
“You want to know bitch? I’ll tell you,” the voice sneered mercilessly, almost hinting at laughter as I writhed in agony, eyes watering in sickening pain. My body went limp at his words, chest heaving as every breath grated the bones of my broken ribs together. Still I listened, desperate for some kind of explanation.
“Wh-what do you… wh-who are yo-u?” I spoke weakly through strained lips. As soon as the words left my lips the shoe slammed down again, pain blazing a fire over my entire face as I felt my lip burst under the pressure, heard my nose crunch and saw blood briefly before it blackened my eye as well.
“Shut the fuck up!”
Fuck! My mind screamed as white pain flooded every sense in my body. Weak from trying to avoid the blows, my hands trembled as I attempted to raise them to my face, trying to stop the blood flowing over my skin. With a spluttered groan I let them fall back to my sides, coughing from blood coating my airway and whimpering as the action ground the bones in my chest together.
And he hasn’t even gotten started…
***
Steel grey eyes met my pain filled ones, a crazed and maniacal look haunting the shallow yet piercing depths. A twisted smile slashed across his face as he watched me suffer, his fingers twisted brutally in the dark blue t-shirt, forcing me upright, close to his face.
He’s not sane… this guy is wrong… fucking mental!
With a laugh verging on the sound of a cackle, he dropped me and I silently screamed as I felt my ribs crack even further. Rolling onto my back slowly I forced myself to look at him and with blurry eyes faced my tormentor.
Save me…
He wasn’t normal. This guy… he just looked insane. Piercings covered his face, dull silver and black rings and studs looped through his lips, ears, nose, eyebrows… he even had three piercing the flesh of his cheek on one side, extending his twisted sneer into some form of tormented smile. Deep scars also mottled his skin, like someone had taken forks and raked them over his face repeatedly. Yet as I looked closer, they weren’t scars… they were scratches… like he had attempted to claw his eyes out. I swallowed in horror… attempting to push myself gently backwards, towards the door, towards escape, whilst memorising his features.
Dark purple hair was cut savagely across his face, starkly contrasting his eyes, which had acquired a seemingly nervous twitch. His eyes never remained in one place, constantly raking over every surface, paranoid, nervous… watching. His fingers fidgeted, bunching into fists and then suddenly straightening, tensing, digging into his jacket pocket before withdrawing and repeating the same procedure. The worn leather jacket hung open off his shoulders, creases and tears visible even with my blurry vision. Frantically pacing the room his eyes suddenly snapped back towards me, burning with a hatred so powerful I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t even move. Frozen in shock I merely stared at the psycho in front of me, mind racing as I tried to figure out a way to escape. A window, an air vent… there had to be something… don’t leave me locked in here… not with him… oh my god. As I watched, his fingers returned to his pocket, this time withdrawing a small metal tin which he flicked open with his thumb. Tendons in his neck strained as he bared his teeth, his face a picture of loathing and murder.
He’s going to kill you… this guy… who the fuck is he! You have to get out of here Andrew… you HAVE to.
In a flash three white pills spilled into his hands, they were down his throat before I could blink.
Drugs…
“You’re fucking insane…” I whispered before I could stop. Instantly I froze, not believing the words had escaped my bloodied mouth. I could still taste the blood on my tongue, feel it oozing over my skin to drip in steady lines on the floor. My hands braced me up, barely, but enough that if I had to run, then I would, no matter how much pain I would be in. My legs still worked.
With another bark of hysterical laughter the guy approached me, kneeling down and pulling my face so close to his, his fingers wound so tightly and painfully at the back of my skull that he could have kissed me and I wouldn’t have been able to move. But he didn’t. Thank the fucking lord… I breathed heavily, struggling against his grip until he grew sick of it, jerking my head until I was forced to look into his eyes. M hands continued to slip on the polished cement floor, sliding on my own blood. I nearly gagged at the thought, my stomach swaying with a mix of terror and pain.
“Do you know who I am Andrew? No… you wouldn’t.” He spoke in cold measured tones, each word clipped and precise, so carefully balanced that one mistake, one tiny falter, could cause his fury to snap and unleash itself on me. “My name… is Seth Ryan.” He stared deep into my eyes, his face scant centimetres away. I tried to wrench away again but he yanked me back, inhaling sharply at my protests.
He smiled a grim smile, before finally releasing me, letting my head fall back to the wall behind me. In a strike of panic I forced myself upwards, grunting and groaning in indescribable agony as I finally made it to my feet, heavily leaning on the wall for support. One of my hands finally found a use for itself, with a rough swipe, wiping away some of the blood staining my face. I hunched forwards, accidentally moving the ribs at my back slightly, screwing my eyes closed when I physically heard the bones scrape.
Fucking bastard, my thoughts groaned.
Hearing another chuckle from Seth, I glanced upwards, preparing to run, when my eyes locked with the impossible.
Oh my fucking God…
Frozen, my lungs refused to move, my legs refused to cooperate and I stiffened against the wall, eyes widening in confusion, doubt and irrational fear.
Fuck… fuck… holy… oh my…
Coldness seeped through my bones, breath quickening so fast I felt like I had just run around the entire world. Every inch of my mind screamed at me to do something, to MOVE. But I couldn’t.
I simply stared into merciless steel eyes, and froze.
“I’m here to kill you.”
With the simple words, I helplessly watched as his finger tightened around the trigger.
No…