Water hits my face. I panic, gasping for air. Again, the water splashed across my face. The strength of the water knocks my head back, forcing me to take in air I no longer have access to.
Someone's hands grab a fistful of myhair and yank me forward. It's the same man from before. He looks me dead in the eyes. "Start talking."
I open my lips but I have nothing to say. Whatever I say will get me killed anyways? I was okay with that – with death. I accepted my fate...until I saw that rose.
Now I have to get out of here alive, if not for my sake then at least for hers.
He watches me. "If you don't start talking then there is a way to make you talk," he says. "Tell me where Rocky has the folders to Paul's secondary business or else," he pronounces with such fiery before signalling to the man by the door.
My heart pounds when I hear the scream. They drag her forward and drop her on her knees in front of me. Her white t-shirt is stained red. The left sleeve is hanging by a thread. She has a busted lip and a bruised right eye. Her jeans are cut where her thigh is and I can see it's because they've taken a knife to her thigh.
"Daniella," I whisper.
Her eyes open wide as she notices me. I can tell dread takes over just as it took over me. We had both given up, ready for death but suddenly seeing the other as helpless as we ourselves were suddenly burns the fire in our eyes.
"Daniella," I whisper again taking a step forward.
The man pulls me back and slaps Daniella hard. She winces from the impact and I watch a tear slide down her face.
"Don't!" I shout. "I'll tell you everything."
Daniella shakes her head. "Sky, please," she protests.
The man pulls me up onto my feet, another man holding the knife at Daniella's throat. "Speak," he says.
I know nothing. Whichever file Rocky had and held as insurance and possible evidence of Paul's crime would be locked away somewhere that no one would know, me included.
I won't let Daniella pay the price though. If Paul was in jail because of me then there is no way I could let anything happen to her.
"Third floor," I whisper.
The man pulls me forward by my hair and I almost scream from the pain, my head already throbbing from what I imagine was yesterday but lack of light and my ability to go out of consciousness has rendered me useless in figuring how long I've actually been here.
Daniella closes her eyes and the man holds me up close to Daniella.
"Third floor," he says through gritted teeth. "That helps me in no way!"
He presses the knife a little deeper into Daniella's throat, drawing blood.
"Second office," I quiver. "Down the corridor there is a second office. It's secure and only opens with fingerprint access. Only Rocky can get in."
I lied, so obviously, but it was the only way they would keep us alive. If they need to get into that office then they need Rocky's fingerprint and they'll use us to get it. The only thing is, I really haven't seen much of Rocky's office and what I have just described is not true. Who knows if the third floor has a corridor that leads to a second office.
Daniella opens her eyes and watches me. Confusion is written all over her face and before I can see it register on her face, I am pulled back and slammed against the floor.
Pain shoots up my elbow as my bone slams against the concrete. I bite my tongue to hold back the shock and the possible screaming.
"Dammit," He says watching me. "Paul won't be pleased. How on earth will we get in there."
"We can't even let them go to get in there because they'll both run to Rocky the second we do," the man next to him says.
Suddenly Daniella is dragged out of the room. One of the men grab my hands and twist them behind my back. I attempt to put up a fight but I hate that I'm so weak. I hate that I have no ability to save myself.
He pushes me forward. "Move it!" He shouts.
The other man drags the chair forward and he forces me into it. They're going to tie me up to the chair again. I try to free my arm but it's of no use. All I manage to do is take up their time as they struggle to tie my up.
Once my arms are tied with the rope, they begin with my legs. I try to kick and thrash about, hitting one of them in the face. They fall back only to get up and growl at me. It doesn't register because he is fast but my face swings to the side from the impact of his slap.
When they've securely tied me up, they exit the room. I let the tears fall. I kept brave for Daniella's sake but also because I didn't want them to think they won.
I have no idea what they plan to do to Daniella but I cannot let anything happen to her.
———————
The water across my face stings the patches of roughed up skin on my face. I crinkle my nose from the pain and force my eyes open.
Paul stands looking at me. "A game," he said. "We'll play with you two, just like you played with me."
I look to my left to see Daniella also tied to a chair.
"I didn't play the game!" I shout. "You did when you tricked my family."
Paul grins. "All is fair in love and war."
I frown looking at Daniella. She doesn't look worse than the last time I saw her. They must've let her rest.
Paul holds up the knife. "For every answer you know get right, we'll harm Daniella," he says as a matter of fact. "And for every answer you get wrong, we'll carve a little out of you."
"We're not playing, you sick bastard!" Daniella shouts.
I have expect him to stab her then and there but he merely smiles.
"First question," he says. "What is the name of Rocky's older brother?"
Rydar. I watch Paul twist the knife against the wooden table creating an indent. My heart sinks. I turn my face to Daniella. She knows I'm bleeding, she knows I'm seriously hurt and I can see in her eyes she pleading with me to say Rydar. I cannot say his name though, if I do, they hurt Daniella. She wants me to be okay, Daniella is less hurt than I am, and she wants to take the brunt of this. See I don't think I'm going to make it out of here alive, one of us may as well.
"Michael," I reply.
Paul watches me. "Are you sure?"
"No!" Daniella yells from her chair. "Sky, please."
"Yes," I reply. "It's Michael."
The men open my arms and release me from the chair. I can barely stand as is so I hold the arm of the chair as support.
Paul twist the knife once more against the table and brushes the wood dust off with his finger before walking over to me. "Did Rocky not introduce you to his family, because that is incorrect."
It takes me a second to realise but the heat travelling down my side tells me I've been stabbed. When I look down, Paul still has the knife in the side of my stomach, his hand wrapped around the handle. When he pulls the knife out, I gasp for air and fall to my knees.
I see Daniella thrash in her chair before Paul utters, "Let's leave her to die."
Blackness consumes me. My eyes blink to get a better view but it's foggy. The sound of footsteps tell me they're going but I'm not so sure.
——————
The chilling breeze takes over, forcing my helpless body to shiver uncontrollably. It's too dark to tell but I'm pretty sure I'm lying in a pool of my own blood.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five.
I count, in an attempt to stay awake. If I fade away, who knows if I'll come back. I don't have much hope for myself.
I press my cold hands into my stab wound. I need to stop the blood, I need to apply pressure.
The pain travels over my whole body, and while I want to scream in agony, I keep my lips sealed and apply pressure at the wound.
"It isn't bad," I whisper to myself. "You'll be okay, Sky."
But I don't think I will. If anything, I'm pretty sure I'm dead.
When the bolt on the door clicks, my eyes dart immediately up. I try to push myself up and as further away from the door but I can't, I'm helpless.
I close my eyes as the bright light shines in my eyes, my hand immediately going over my eyes as cover.
I hear footsteps and then suddenly someone is holding my face. "Oh my God, Sky."