The Red Doves

Chapter X

     Alan stopped the car far from the street, in a road of dirt further. Once this was done, he got out of the ca, Suziky following on her side. They walked together to the bus station where the only weak light was on. They sat on the bench and waited there. Suziky took a look at Alan. He was as serious as lately. It was starting to scare her honestly.

They waited there for a long moment. Maybe 5 minutes or 10, completely silent. The cold wind of the night was blowing slowly. The sun was gone for a while. Suziky wasn't shivering of cold : she was shivering of fear. Meeting the kidnappers of Alan wasn't just a game. It was dangerous and she might risk her life. At least, if she died, she would be ok with it.
Suziky took a look to her phone. 21:04. They could come at any moment. She was breathing normally, trying to act normal near Alan. He didn't look to notice something, luckily. She was about to ask him something but a breaking branch was heard behind them.
Suziky was about to turn around to see who was coming even though she had an idea and hands grabbed, covering her mouth. A tissue was being placed on her eyes. A dark black one. She couldn't see a thing. The hands made her stand and pushed her somewhere. She didn't know where Alan was or where we were leading her. But from the texture under her boots, they were on a field, like Alan mentioned before. The field behind the bus station, all made of long grass.
They walked for a long moment or maybe was it short but Suziky felt like it was an eternity. After some time, the grass on the ground transformed into a hard floor. Around her, the footsteps of the people joining her was echoing. « We're probably in a tunnel or something », thought Suziky.
Suddenly, the hands pushed her and, instead of falling on the ground, she landed on a wooden object. We took her hands and tied them both around something also made of wood. They tied them so tight that is was hurting her wrists and arms. As she was about to try to escape, the blindfold got taken away.
In front of her, Alan was looking at her, the black tissue in his hands. Suziky took a look around her. It was a big place all made of rocks. The floor at her feet was nothing but grey cement. It was all cracked and she even saw some insects coming out of there. It was also wet at some places due to the drops falling from the roof, also made of rocks. They were under some kind of bridge.
On the walls, some torches were hanging, lighted on with fire. There was nothing else in the room for furniture. She was sitting on an old wooden chair, probably the only one in there. She could see some nail marks and blood spots on it. When she noticed that, she looked away, scared that it was on this chair that she would die. She looked back at Alan.
He was looking at her, completely indecipherable. But she knew how he was feeling. By the way he was standing, he was stressed. And by the pressure of his eyes on her, he was mad. Angry. She understood his feelings, she would have felt the same way if she were at his place and he was at hers. She travelled her eyes around the room, seeing 4 other people only. One of them looked older.
Alan moved from Suziky's view and let the place to another guy. He had short light brown hair with some greyish parts, probably due to his age or something. His eyes were blue, a light blue, and his face was marked with many old scars. He was wearing a black robe, the same that everyone was wearing in the room, except her and Alan. She also noticed the tattoo on his neck, the drawing of a bird. It looked more like a black scar more than a tattoo though.
She opened her mouth to say something but the man slapped her one time. Suziky was now looking at the ground to her left, totally paralyzed of surprised.

- Look at me, young girl, she heard next to her ear.

Suziky slowly turned her face back to the man and he slapped her once again, screaming she was too slow. She took her look back to the guy, faster this time, and held her tears, trying to keep a confident face. Her right cheek was burning more than when her mom was slapping her.

- Are you ready to listen, you who followed one of mines? he continued, still screaming.

- Yes... Suziky answered.

- I didn't here you!

- Yes!

The man slapped her a third time and this time Alan intervened. He approached the oldest one and whispered something to his ear, prudent to not share the same consequence. The angry eyes of the boss opened a little more. He made a hand movement and Alan backed off from him, looking at the ground like a peasant in front of his king.

- You saw him trying to steal you and you asked to come here with him even so?

- Yes I did, sir, answered Suziky, now looking at him normally.

- And you came without knowing who we are and what we could do to you.

- I had some thoughts but yes, I came, thinking of the consequences all the way here.

He looked at Alan for a quick moment. The friend answered with a brief nod. The man looked back at Suziky and took her chin between his fingers. They were all covered of rings, all different to each others.

- Do you think we'll kill you tonight? he said lowly.

- Depending on my attitude or my gests, you could, she answered the most normally possible.

- So you think you might have a chance to live here from what you did for now? he continued with the same low voice.

- Yes, sir, she answered once again with no mistake in hers.

The intense look of the guy on her, she kept looking into his eyes, courageous outside, afraid to bones deep inside. In truth, she just wanted to run away, hide and stay until they disappear for good. But she couldn't and she didn't want to leave Alan behind. He wasn't going to stay alone here with this.
The man changed his serious face with a big smile which gave a sight on his teeth, strangely white, to Suziky. He let her chin go and turned around. He took another quick look to Alan who was still looking slightly to the wet ground. The boss walked to the back of the dark chamber and opened a weird box on the floor.
From it, he took out a sharpened knife reflecting the light of the torches. He walked back to the young woman, handing the knife to Alan.

- Young apprentice, would you give me the honor? he said out loud.

Alan looked at the knife and turned pale. What was coming wasn't going to be beautiful for him. Seeing this scene, Suziky knew what was going to happen to her. Somehow, Alan would use the knife on her. Why? No idea.
The young man took the knife with a trembly hand and slowly walked to his friend sitting on the chair. Alan looked at Suziky and she could read fear in his eyes. He unzipped with his other hand the coat she was wearing. Suziky didn't move a bit. She was trusting Alan even if she was scared to death for what was coming.
Lifting the bottom of her shirt, Alan calmed himself down a little more and looked back at her brown eyes with his blue eyes.

- It won't hurt if you don't think of it, he whispered in a breath.

- I know, you taught me that, said Suziky with a tiny smile to encourage him.

Alan didn't smile to her back. He looked at the blade, then to her pale skin. Applying the knife on her stomach, he started tracing the first lines, his tears falling on the ground one by one, as Suziky was screaming in the night of terrible pain.