A stream of sunlight blinded me as I woke up. Damn, that's bright. I rubbed my eyes and sat up. Around me were the olive green walls with ivory trim. I was in her room, but she was nowhere to be seen. The door that was slightly ajar was pushed open, and Isa entered with her empty clothes basket. "Good morning," she warmly said. She took a seat beside me on the bed as I replied, "Morning." Those mesmerizing hazel eyes made time stop for a moment. She furrowed her brows, and that's when I heard her ask, "Well?" "What did you say," I asked. She sighed as she repeated, "I asked if you were going to go on a walk with me." "Of course, I'm coming," I replied removing the covers and getting out of the bed. As soon as my feet touched the floor, everything went dark. All I could hear was Isa exclaim, "Toby!"
***
Ugh, great.
I felt pressure in the back of my head. My brain was foggy as I opened my eyes. I immediately noticed my hands were cuffed and connected to a lengthy chain on the floor. Surveying the room, I noticed the wood flooring, lower ceiling, and the singular window on the other side of the room. Fluffy gray clouds saturated the sky, and I knew that a storm was approaching. As I shifted my weight, I heard the sound of air release and realized that I was lying on a mat. Of all places... There was a creak of the stairs in the unlit distance. I turned towards the direction of the sound but saw nothing. The familiar scent of the woman's perfume filled the room. Where is she?
"I hope you slept well, Mr. Stone," I heard her say as if she knew what I was thinking. I scanned the unlit areas around me hoping to figure out her whereabouts. "Any form of sleep is appreciated," I replied sarcastically. Silence, except for the distant scrape of a sole against the floor. So then, I asked, "Where are you?" The sound of heels clicking against the floor echoed through the room, but it wasn't coming from the direction of the window. I tried to hone in on the origin of the heel clicks. The noise was coming from everywhere. My only question was how was she able to do such a thing. Come on, Toby. You're better than this. THINK. Her chuckle echoed throughout the room. My brain jumped to hidden speakers. There was a delay in between clicks. She knew exactly what I was trying to do. "Don't be so dull, Mr.Stone. The game has only just begun," she remarked. I decided not to acknowledge her remark.
"So, tell me what do you intend to gain from our game," I asked with a head tilt as I sat up. I pinpointed her location once the heels ceased to click. Mistake or tactical blunder? She could very well be testing my skill. Like a spider, I knew that she was watching my every move to see where I might falter. It was clear that she was behind me, and I turned to face her. The scent of her perfume grew stronger as she approached from the shadows with a malicious grin and dark eyes. Always wearing a mask. What does she not want me to see? In a dark tone, she said, "Every government secret you've been privy to, Mr. Stone." Her stiletto nails trailed from my neck to my chin. It was evident that the woman was trying to detach herself by referring to me as 'mister' and that she was trying to hide something by wearing the mask. I thought about my words carefully. The woman seemed like the type that worked hard to get to where she was, and wouldn't appreciate being looked at as lazy or incompetent. In a bored tone, I replied, "Good luck. I'm sure your thugs would gladly enjoy doing the work that you clearly are incapable of." She frowned as she straightened up. My words hit their mark. Her eyes were narrowed and held a murderous glint. I could feel her rage increasing as a triumphant grin spread across my lips. I wasn't in her domain; she was in mine. "Your insolence befuddles me, Mr. Stone. It's as if you want to perish," she said with an acidic tone.
She went to take a step backward but decided not to. It seems like she's unraveling. Or, maybe that's what she wants me to think. "Would you want to be stuck in a room with a pathetic excuse of a criminal," I asked with a devilish head tilt. That's when she snapped and proceeded to lunge. At that moment, I swept her feet causing her to fall. She surprisingly took it like a champ but fell to the ground. She was stunned long enough for me to wrap the chain around her neck. The racing footsteps caused me to tighten the chains and the woman began to claw at the chains. I knew that if I stood up she'd be dead for sure, but I didn't want to kill her. I simply wanted to see who would come to her aid so I could know how many men I would need to take out when I escape. Marcos and Gustavo had burst in as the woman was nearing unconsciousness. They had been observing the entire time, but I wondered who else. "Gentlemen," I smiled as I released her. She fell to the floor gulping in the air and coughing. Red marks were evident around the flesh of her neck. Marcos headed in my direction and Gustavo rushed to the woman's side. I knew the woman would catch her breath within a minute. Marcos stood in between the woman and me. He had no interest in hitting me just yet. It took a minute before the woman composed herself.
Once Gustavo helped her up, the woman rushed over and punched me right in the nose. You could hear the definitive cracking of my bones; it felt like a brick smacked me. My vision became spotty from the pain. Despite the pain, I managed to connect my fist to her temple. She groaned as she stumbled back. Marcos moved to intervene looking disappointed. Not at me but the woman. He held my arms at my side while Gustavo tended to the woman. I have to admit the man was strong. His grip felt stronger than the chains. My attention went back to the woman. After this interaction, it was clear she was an amateur. Young and reckless. She would not last long. In fact, she would prove to be a liability in the future. "You definitely are not the brains of the operations," I said. A guttural growl emerged from her mouth. It was at that moment I knew I had pushed her over the edge. Gustavo was too slow to prevent what happened next. The woman moved swiftly toward me. There was a click, and then I felt a sharp pain followed by an immense burning sensation in my abdomen. I tried to free myself from Marcos' iron grip as the woman continued stabbing me until Gustavo pulled her away. The pain from my abdomen caused a cold sweat to begin. I was just able to wriggle a hand free to land a blow to her face cracking the mask.
Marco took my hand restraining me once more. The woman's face turned red and there was a vein popping out of her neck as she broke free from Gustavo's grip with sheer animalistic rage. With a growl, the woman commanded, "Get. Out." Marco let me go as the woman pounced on top of me a began to mercilessly choke me. He and Gustavo left immediately. Her knee was pressed against my windpipe. In no way was I about to go out in that manner, so I pushed her off of me and proceeded to land a blow to the side of her head with my elbow. She was now bleeding from her nose. I was moving to snap her neck when the room began to spin, and I began to breathe heavily. My body had lost a substantial amount of blood. There were splotches of black in my view. Oxygen was not being supplied to my brain. I had minutes and knew I needed to get her DNA under my nails. She pushed me over. I was quick enough to pull her down with me. I landed on her and mustered what strength I had to choke her. She clawed and scratched at my hands until her eyes rolled back and she went limp. I didn't have it in me to kill her. My only goal was to not give her the satisfaction of watching me die.
I examined my wound which was located below my ribcage. I was sure that she had punctured my lung because my breathing was becoming labored. The time was running out. I needed to be quick, so I scratched the woman. The knife caught my eyes, and I decided to take it and push it through her chest cavity. With my heartbeat pulsating at a rapid rate and breathing becoming severely labored, I was beginning to feel tired and my limbs heavy; my vision was starting to become hazy as well. Despite my decline, I heard shouting and movement in the distance. Then, a door flew open and slammed into a wall. Gustavo was at the woman's side in seconds trying to cover her wound blood staining his hands. Marcos was right behind him along with another man. I knew there was someone else on the other side.
More people moved in swarming around the woman. A silenced shot sounded and I fell shortly after. In the sea of people, I saw a familiar face. I can't believe it was you. Darkness clouded my vision as I slipped into unconsciousness. Blood began to block my airways; I coughed several times which left me feeling so weak that I didn't have the strength to keep my eyes open. For the first time since I was captured, I felt at ease.
In my final moments, all I thought of was Isa. I wish I had more time to spend with her. Her angelic face appeared clear as day. We were in her room. A sliver of sunlight shone on her resting face. Those were always my favorite moments. She began to stir from the sunlight and soon her eyes fluttered open. Our eyes met immediately, and she began to smile at me. She said something to me, but I was unable to make out what it was. Slowly, her features began to dissipate leaving only her large, round, warm, hazel eyes.
I love you.
A tear escaped my eye as the darkness that everyone fears came soothingly like a refreshingly cool wave that made all the pain go away.