From Darkness To Light

Chapter 6 - Weakness

It'd been an entire week. A week of the endless pain that Victor and his goons thought of day after day. And we were no closer to escaping this hellhole. Star had tried all she could but there was no technology to be exploited, no secret passages to be found and absolutely no way to overpower the guards. I had stopped screaming, their tricks and methods to drive the cries of agony from my broken body soon becoming old and overused, having no effect on me anymore. Shadow had gotten tired of dealing with Victor's pathetic taunts and had refused to show any sign of his presence, meaning that my wounds were taking longer to heal each time they were inflicted. I knew that they were planning on killing me eventually, only something was stopping them from finishing the job more quickly. Victor was after something, something to do with Shadow and he seemed willing to go to the darkest of ends to achieve his goal.

I opened my eyes at the sound of Victor's footsteps approaching and slowly moved myself into a better sitting position, ready to spring up and run if the moment presented itself. Star shuffled behind me, keeping my scarred back protected from the reaches of the guards and herself protected from Victor's stare. The familiar jangle of handcuff keys reached my ears and I raised my arms out of the cage, awaiting the sharp tug that would indicate my needing to follow. However nothing occurred. Merely a snigger from Victor as I pulled my arms back down and glared at him.

"Not you today. It's your little friend's turn."

A ferocious growl snapped out of my teeth as he gestured to his guards to grab Star and I pushed her completely behind me, using my arms to shield her the best I could as I felt her small form shake violently as she realized the implications of Victor's request. Her horror filled eyes darted constantly from my healing wounds to Victor's menacing stare, looking for some way out that we both knew wasn't there. My hands shook with rage, shadows rolling off my skin like a second skin. I knew all the guards were smirking as their tactic began to work but my vision was clouded. People say you see red when you get truly angry but I didn't see that. I saw crimson. Images danced before my eyes, twisted visions of Shadow ripping these monsters limb from limb and showering in their blood as their cries of agony echoed around the empty room.

All the guards cocked their guns and I knew I had to think of a plan and fast. Shadow was dancing on the edge of my control and I didn't know how to stop him. He too had grown attached to Star over the weeks we had spent together and I knew he wanted any excuse to spill some blood. Darkness was flowing out of my bound hands like a fog of pure black as my body began to shake sporadically, dots swimming in front of my eyes. My joints were locked, physically unable to move from my defensive position and Victor knew I wasn't going to budge without a fight. His gaze moved from my blazing eyes to Star's terror stricken ones, asking a silent question to her merely through his demonic smirk. Suddenly he stepped back and gestured to his guards to lower the guns, seating himself on the floor outside my cage as he awaited something to occur. I immediately turned to Star and stared into her eyes, trying to understand what agreement she and Victor had come to without my knowledge.

"Star you can't go with him. You know what'll happen!"

"I have to Caitlin. We all know the consequences if Shadow comes out and I'd rather experience pain then see you add the burden of more deaths to your already high tally. They haunt you and I won't be responsible in any way to adding to that load. I've heard you whispering to yourself at night during your nightmares and I can only imagine the horrors that you witness night after night. This will continue no longer."

And with that she swung her right hand, clenched into a fist and slammed it into my undefended windpipe, causing my body to crumple in on itself as I gasped for oxygen in my now winded lungs. As I fought to get my breath back, I was powerless to watch as Star walked out to the edge of the cage and stuck her arms out, having her cuffs removed for the first time. I lunged forward, desperate to drag her back into the cage and talk some sense into her but the barrel of a gun was what I was met with. My gaze dragged upwards, facing one of the guards who was a keen witness of my torture who now wore a sadistic smile as his eyes dared me to act out of line for one moment longer. I locked eyes with Victor, who was grinning at me as he saw the darkness flowing out of me.