||To you: Hi, i'm definitely taking my time between chapters due to life. Nothing wrong, just hard at work! So enjoy this one, filled with drama. Thanks for everything!.||
Cold.
The way my breath forms in the shape of a cloud after it escapes my mouth.
How it leaves sharp cuts on my skin every time i move, as punishment.
Oh how it tears away all feeling from my fingertips to the midst of my bones.
I can tell you, i would've had little to no problem with staying asleep if it wasn't for this freezing cold. I was enjoying my dreams, just a pile of darkness i could fill in myself. And he, he was there. A warm jolt trough my body, as if he was with me. It's what made my eyes open and head lift up once again. I was fully awake and my mind was clear. I knew exactly what had happened to me. Would it not have happened if i wasn't so inconsiderate?
...Most likely.
I scouted out the place surrounding me. Around me a room, small and dead. A bed, if you could call it that. And a window, small enough to make me able to see trough but the rain was all that the view was right now. Normally it brought me peace, but now only worry and chills down my spine. I tried to get up, everything in me told me to get up. You gotta move or you'll freeze to death.
But i couldn't.
My limbs were numb, glued together like in a bed of ice.
Why is it so damn cold.
I tried a different approach, not all at once but piece by piece. I should try that with more things... Gently i tried to move parts of my body, first thing that went well was my neck and turning my head. Luckily still able to look around and not roll off my shoulders. It gave me some hope.
All was still there and responding but it worried me how weak my hands felt. They seemed to be tightly tied up together by the wrist on my back. The most uncomfortable position.. With a lot of might i moved them. Trying to get more information of the situation i couldn't see. I let out a pained groan as answer the ice might have eased the pain a bit but i felt the tension. It was hard to feel exactly what kind of texture had been wrapped around my wrists but i'd take a guess and say rope.
The more i tried to move the more i felt my muscles move along finally. Getting grip back of my own body. Trying to keep them from freezing into place. But for only a bit.
As i was making friction between my wrists to make the rope less tight the times in prison shot into my head. How we met, under some dark circumstances but we still managed to think alike and escape. Would that work here? Was there a way out for me?
Even though i got a knock to the head, he never left my mind. Did i come to terms with knowing that i'll never see him again? Or any one else? Absolutely not.
I rubbed my wrists against each other, turning, twisting. Any movement i could do to make my ties just a little looser i tried. I knew it was cutting trough my skin but i didn't actually feel it, i was so numb once again. But it would be on the helping hand this time.
There was a little glimpse of hope when i felt the relief of the thick rope falling down and land on the ground with a light thud.
The beating of my heart went faster, warming me up even more. I placed one foot on the ground and supported on my other leg which was still down on my knee on the ground. Shaking but surely i got up.
Proud even daring to show a light smile i stood there, but this was not for long. The icy cold breeze was unforgiving and kicked me in the back of my knee making me restart from the first position. A swear out of annoyance and i tried to warm up my hands by blowing some air. But that is only temporary.
I wanted to try again but before i could my ears picked up a vague sound, as if a heavy door was opening. Almost like a cage, or a cell. With caution i sat back down in the sitting position i woke up in. You'll never know who or what will come find me. Hands behind my back like they were and i laid the rope on my burning wrists, it'd fool anyone i hoped.
And i was right. Heavy boots were the first thing that became louder with the minute, and slightly after came the hurried noises of heels clicking along on the floor. "Here." A voice hissed and the footsteps stopped. Not in front of me but right beside my room i held my breath to listen better. "Get. Up." A stern female voice echoed trough the place. Telling me that it wasn't very filled since nothing bounced back her shrill sound. Shortly following there was low grunting from another female. My eyes opened a little wider, so there was someone beside me all this time? It sounded like a clearl grunt of pain.
One with white hair and a limp came out of the room. She was being held tightly by her arms as if they were transferring something dangerous. But she seemed obviously in a lot of agony. No way she'd have the strength to escape or fight back. She must've felt my eyes on her because she threw her head back my way as she was being dragged off. It startled me a bit but i didn't look away. Maybe, i could help her get out. Her ice blue eyes were on me, they seemed dull. No real emotion and no cries for help. Had she given up? Her pale and bruised skin tone fitting her hair was looking rough fresh mixed and dried up blood covering what hasn't yet been attacked by scars.
She seemed calm even as she got dragged away to god knows where, unable to even stand a moment on her own. Through it all it gave me a slight bit of hope, if she was in here maybe she could help me. Or we could help each other. It got me thinking. The window. Something can be done here. But the more i thought about it the smaller the chance, the cold breeze would alert any guards outside and the warm breeze would be obvious inside. My brain was all over the place but sadly didnt give me a logical answer. So i just wait?
The rush of thoughts was interrupted by a scream. One so ear piercing and spirit breaking it put the hairs on my body up straight and just as quickly as it came it fell quiet. A nasty shiver went down my spine. What happened.
The same big doors she had been dragged trough opened "Give me the other one." An almost a panicked yell came from the same direction. And the familiar footsteps came my way once again.
Fuck. That.
|| Delirious. ||
I'd call the bar disgusting, but that would be and understatement. Vanoss was right next to me in the same shithole he invited me to. I didn't understand the connection. How will this help us find her? Is she even still..
Luckily there was obnoxious loud booming music around me to trouble my ability to focus on what nasty things could've happened to her. If you can call that lucky. Around me so many people. Gamblin, drinking. Enjoying the ladies upon the stage some even dancing along. I just kept looking back at Vanoss, making it clear to him i wasn't here to waste time. But he on the other hand seemed to look deep into his glass of alcohol.
There was the look of focus on his face but i wasn't sure if i was buying it, he seemed in his own world together with a dark colored beverage. And like with most things, this was starting to piss me off. We weren't here to sit and get drunk. "Listen man-.." i started and then he whistled. The same notes, a couple of times.
What the hell.. i thought he'd take this a bit more serious than just sit in a bar and whistle at himself like a madman.
"What are you doing..?" I hissed. He ignored my question which raised my annoyance level even more. He continued, the same goddamn whistle every 5 seconds. Sometimes i wonder how we didn't just get murdered yet.
There was a big sigh and an eye roll from me and i sank hopeless into the bar chair.
And then, a faint mimick of the same whistle came from the top floor. I thought i would go insane right about now, but it seemed like i wasn't imagining anything since me and Vanoss looked at the same place the sound originates from. He downed his drink and signed me to follow him.
Yep, we both went insane.
Once on the second floor someone that seemed like a normal guy walked up. Brown hair, styled up and he seemed to know Vanoss strangely well. There was a long silence and a lot of glares from me to the two other guys before they both laughed and shook hands.
"Hey man, how have you been?" The mysterious guy asked as they started their casual smalltalk. I almost missed the new guy's name being buried in my own thoughts, Syndicate.
Not that i was very interested either way.
He turned to me and joined my casual lean against the stair railing. I wasn't here to give him a warm welcome if thats what he was expecting. There played an angry look on my face. He obviously noticed "Hey, it's alright i'm on your side. I know how badly you want her back and i can help." I was still following him closely. I'll choose for myself if i can trust you. I nodded but gave no other answer for a while. We just stared into the busy bar, people enjoying their time. And then i turned to him.
"Get to the point. Do you know who took her?"
His eyes darted across the room as if looking for an answer and he could find it there, and back to me. "I've been looking for these people for years, i've almost made my life's work of it." There was a light bit of sadness in his voice.
He put his hands on his back "..Ever since" he started, ready to tell the story straight and right now i was actually waiting for it. But he looked at Vanoss.
I caught a glimpse of an painful expression, and it blew off story time for now. "It doesn't matter, what matters now is that i have finally been able to crack their hideout." A light bit of pride mixed with a deep line of worry. I hadn't heard the voice of worry from someone else in a long time. But nothing, nothing will stop me.
"The thing is that's its a freezer in there. They keep their little toys in an undercooled state so their shock and reaction to experiments is much greater. Plus they are incapable of fighting back, the cold sucks the life out of their body."
A little cold. How bad could it be.
"I'm serious, these people are not to fuck with, they try to break your mind and replace it in their favor" he signed to us to come stand at a round table. There was one big blueprint and a couple of pictures, describing the place from in and out in various details. It really did look like he made his life's work of it, but why. What would he have to gain from it. Nonetheless i couldn't sustain my curioscity and took it all in. The map, the disgusting pictures. It would send an icy shiver down your spine only looking at it.
"Here, here and here." Syndicate mentioned the entrances and exits that he knew of, it was like an asylum and a maze in one. He told us that the workers wear some kind of specific outfits we could get our hands on easily by knocking some guards out. It just couldn't get any better, and Sly.. she could be in any one of those cell. I slammed my fist on the table interrupting the briefing, i had enough. My mind was racing. Did he mean brainwash? What kind of experiments? I was so tired of the questions, all we do is ask questions i want answers. I couldnt help but think that Vanoss had been hiding too much. First he mentioned 'her' and now this guy?
"...So, will you come with us?" Vanoss asked putting my rage of emotions on hold once again, Syndicate looked back with those same brown eyes, a glimpse of excitement in them. "I thought you'd never ask, old friend." And he pressed a button conveniently hidden on the same table.
The walls started to move and turn around, rows of equipment, guns, armor and gadgets could be seen which were before so neatly hidden. "Damn..." i gasped. And with the press of the same button they were hidden again.
"Get some sleep, we'll leave tomorrow evening." Vanoss and i nodded it would be best for us all to get some rest. We said our goodbye's and stepped out of the door. He was already making his way to his room without daring to give me even a look.
"You have some explaining to do." I hit him in the shoulder so he finally turned to me. He knew it was coming surely.
"What more did you hide from all of us?
From Me?" Your best friend..
He let me in his room and forced myself down on the loudly protesting bed.
"Her name is Dawn." He put his elbows on his knees and looked at me. "I loved her, and she loved me." A bottle of whiskey to my left i poured out and tossed it to him. Talking was not my strongest side. "But then she turned on me, betrayed me... tried to kill me. She said that 'they' made her do it. But i didn't believe her. His face lost all its color, almost as if he was going to be sick. "She called for me." He was trembling. "She sounded like she was in pain." And there fell a dark silence.
"..But i didn't save her."