Some Direction (Zoro x Reader)

Chapter 18: Lost

Your body was sore and cold against the hard concrete floor. Your hands and ankles were bound skillfully – tight enough to hold fast, without being so tight as to cut off circulation. It was little comfort, you had already realized that the person who was terrorizing you meant more harm to those around you than he did to you.

The gag was unnecessary, and uncomfortable. You weren't going to scream yourself hoarse in the dark cold room. You couldn't see any windows, not from your position, but there was faint light spilling out from around the roof-less interior room you were in. Your head throbbed worse than your body, and you could only assume it was from the smoke that had filled the garden.

Nausea snaked through your stomach and you focused on willing yourself not to hurl. With the gag in place, it wouldn't have anywhere to go, except out your nose, and you would really rather not do that. You weren't sure how long you had been under, but you could tell your hair was dry, so it had been enough hours for the sun to set and rise at least once. You had showered earlier in the day, but you hadn't blown it dry, and with as thick as it was, there was no way it had dried in the few scant hours of daylight that had been left.

For three months you had dared to be happy, and now here's where you were.

Time marched by slowly, and every sound of the building settling around you had you on edge. The cold was getting worse, and you were shivering. You weren't dressed warmly enough to be in a place without any heating. It was a strange consolation that you hadn't been in this building overnight. Wherever you had been before now you had at least been kept warm enough to avoid freezing to death.

Something soft and heavy fell over top of you and you gave a small, muffled grunt of surprise. You had to wiggle to look out from under the furry blanket that had been dropped on top of you. Looking around, and finally looking up, you saw a figure crouching on the rim of the walls that surrounded you. He wore a mask, strangely angled fins jutted out from it in three directions - one of which seemed broken - and there was the reflection of round lenses over his eyes.

Tight curly hair cascaded over broad shoulders, and there was a bow slung over his back. He looked relaxed, at least in his posture, but there was a tension between you – probably because he kidnapped you. Any other details about him were lost in the dim light and your limited line of sight.

"Why?" You manage to ask clearly after a couple of attempts, even with the gag.

The silence was heavy, and you were about ready to give up on him telling you anything when he finally spoke. His voice was soft, but clear, and as the only other sound in the entire building, it was easy to hear.

"Kuro's last victim was my match." He replies flatly, and the sheer lack of emotion in his voice makes your blood run cold. "I killed him. I killed him, but none of the other survivors even tried!" Anger bursts through his voice and his words are bouncing off the concrete walls. There was so much anger and volume in his words it was making your ears ring. "Not a single one of you! In two decades! Even TRIED!"

His voice vibrates off the walls in the following silence, and his next words seemed to be back under control again.

"If someone had tried then Kaya would be alive." His voice was quieter, but there was rage and pain bubbling under the surface. "Most survivors suffered from 'the curse'." He states, dropping down into the room with you. "Most of that wasn't me, but some of it was. Sometimes I'd find a survivor and they would be happy. Happy! Can you imagine it?"

He tilts his head, and the mask exaggerated the movement and its impact. "They hadn't lost enough if they could dare to be happy. Especially since they hadn't done anything. They hadn't tried! I tried, I tried and I was successful! It wasn't so hard." The glinting round lenses held your gaze, and you tried your best to not let fear reflect in your eyes. "But... I'm a brave warrior of the sea, maybe that's why I could do it."