Empty Eyes: Book 1

Chapter 30

The moment Orochimaru's serpentine eyes landed on mine, my blood ran cold and I felt myself losing consciousness. I turned to push Naruto toward the door, but lost the battle too quickly and felt myself falling toward the ground before I could manage a warning.

When I came to, I was laying on my side on a concrete floor. A groan slid past my lips as I reached up and rubbed the side of my throbbing head and looked around. The air was cold.

I was in a small room with stone walls on three sides and a metallic barred door on the fourth: a cell. My limbs felt heavy as I got to my feet to confirm that the door was locked tight. Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked out past the bars. I'm a prisoner now.

A dark hallway led away on either side and an empty cell that looked just like mine lay across it. I took a few deep breaths to try and ease the steadily rising panic in my blood. Everything will be fine. Sasuke will come rescue me and we'll escape this awful town.

My hands shook with emotion and my chest burned as though my heart was trying to burst right out of it. We should've known better than to follow Kabuto into a building like this without an escape plan. We were fools and now we're going to have to pay the price for it.

I heard footsteps echoing throughout the long hallways suddenly and perked up, only to panic once more as two of those masked guards from before dragged a beaten and bloody looking Naruto in the direction of my cell, only to toss him into the one across from mine and lock it up tight.

Anger turned my vision red and I couldn't stop myself from trying to grab one of the guards through the bars, "What the hell did you do to him? Let me out!"

My best friend was unconscious, but I could tell he was still breathing. That fact did little to satiate my rage, though.

To my shock, the guards did unlock my cell and open the door. I lunged at the nearest one, intent to do anything I could to enact revenge on Naruto's behalf, only to be expertly knocked to the ground. Something clamped tightly around my neck. My hands shot up to try and pry it off, but it was so tight against my skin that I couldn't wrap my fingers around it.

They pulled me to my feet by the tool and I staggered as I fought to turn around and attack them again, "Let me go!"

One of my fists made contact with one of them and suddenly a jolt of electricity shot through me from the tool they'd gotten around my neck. A choked sound of pain left my lips and I crumpled to the floor in a shaking mess.

The two guards didn't give me even a moment to catch my breath before forcing me back to my feet and pushing me down the winding hall in the direction they'd come. My mind danced and reeled in confusion as I tried to recover from the electrocution and by the time I did, we'd arrived in a room very similar to the one we'd been introduced to Orochimaru in. The village leader himself stood waiting and watched with a small grin as they strapped my ankles and wrists down to the wooden table with leather belts.

He patiently waited until they were out of the room to speak, "I understand your name is "Sakura", correct? I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."

I glared at him, tempted to spit in his direction but deciding against it, "Where are my friends?"

The man's eyes danced slowly over my body, making me want to be sick. He replied as though I hadn't asked him a question at all, "Kabuto told me you have an interesting scent, so I simply had to bring you here for closer inspection."

My mouth clamped shut and my brow furrowed as he took a few steps closer and leaned forward to sniff in my direction, just a few feet away. His grin widened and a look of intrigue rose to his face, "He wasn't lying. You smell wonderful."