Awake - Book One of the Spinner's Curse

Chapter Ten: A Torturous Affair

                                Chapter Ten:

A Torturous Affair

 



            Before Ryler could say anything, Scar-face hauled me from the room, but I suspected I wouldn't have been able to hear anything he said. His jaw had looked slightly askew. When Scar-face opened the door to the outside, the sudden light blinded me. My eyes had grown used to the dimness of my cell.

           The walls were clean, scrubbed until they shone. Scar-face carried me down a maze of passageways. Some had odd corners and sudden turns, as if they were an after-thought. At first, I tried to map the path in my head, but I soon lost track of all the turns. We passed no one on our walk. I heard no footsteps coming along any of the hallways we walked. Scar-face said nothing, just walked endlessly.

          It wasn't a smooth ride. Scar-face kept jarring me, making my ribs scream in pain. I would whimper, my face right next to his ear, but I could have been murmuring a lullaby for all it seemed to matter to him. I suspected he enjoyed my cries, even taking an awkward step or two to get a reaction.

         After what seemed like a thousand years, he brought me to another set of stairs, going down. I found the strength to begin tearing at his shoulders. He merely shifted me, making my head sink lower down his back. I screamed and cried, unsure why I hadn't been before. I cried out in pain and despair. I could feel Scar-face shifting me again, lowering me down.

         He set my feet on the ground, steadying me with one hand. His other came around and punched my jaw. It wasn’t hard enough to knock me out, but it was enough to stop my screams. I swayed on my feet and he swung me around onto his shoulders again. We descended the stairs. My cries were whispers, echoing in the dark.

         These stairs were much longer than the ones leading to the first dungeon. It was much darker, colder, and there was a smell permeating the air: fear. I could feel it all around me. It was on the walls that were so close they almost scraped my face. Still we walked. Each step brought on a fresh wave of pain. Finally, after an eternity, we reached the bottom.

          My heart was beating in my chest, begging an escape from the horrid place they‘d brought my body. In the middle of the room sat a chair: a chair, surrounded by a damp, dark earth. The smell of blood was thick. Scar-face set me on the floor, facing the chair.

          I curled my knees to my chest as he walked to a table in the corner. It was so dark I didn't know how he could tell what he was selecting; but it didn't take him long. He walked back to me and jerked me up by my arm, practically throwing me into the seat. I gasped as pain spread from my chest. He took my arms roughly and strapped them tightly to the chair. I thrashed, although by this point I knew it was futile. Scar-face leered at me.

          "Easy there, Kitten," my blood went cold at the use of Ben's old pet name for me, "don't be scared." His voice was like gravel, rough and piercing. I threw my head back, away from him, terrified of what was to come next. He laughed, laughed at my pathetic movements. I refused to stop them. I refused to give into the despair that was sucking me into the depths of darkness.

            Scar-face slapped me. A loud ringing filled my ears. I rubbed my ear against my shoulder, trying to release it. Scar-face sighed, exasperated at my weakness. "Listen here, Kitten, right now, I'm under strict orders not to mess you up too bad." He chuckled as I took in a strangled breath. "That's not to say it won't happen sooner or later. It always comes down to me." He cocked his head at me, like a dog when it finds a new cat to chase. "Why does the boss have such an interest in you, Kitten? He usually keeps little treasures like you upstairs: easier to admire." He took one large hand and began caressing my hair, the sections not stained by filth, "And what a treasure you are, Kitten, what a treasure."