The Dark Ones

Chapter Ten: Solace

By the time Hayden haphazardly parked his car, closed the garage, and stumbled out of the driver's seat, Georgia's mind was flooded with panic.

Oh God, what do I do?

The thought reverberated in her mind over and over. She jumped out and followed Hayden inside. He was half walking, half stumbling now, and seemed to be in a lot of pain. His face was contorted and she could sense he was in terrible anguish. The strange part about her panic was that it was all for him. She should have been more afraid for herself. The fact that he was transforming surely meant that she was in grave danger now. Yet, she had a silent calmness inside that told her she wasn't in danger. All her worry was directed at Hayden and the physical and mental torment he was experiencing.

He began to stumble again, grunting sounds and deep, panicked breaths emanating from his lips. Georgia moved beside him, put one of his arms over her shoulder and helped him walk. The house was expansive and gorgeous, full of modern minimalist décor and white tiled, open spaces. She had no time to take it all in though since Hayden's body weight was difficult to hold steady as they stumbled further inside the house after entering through the garage.

"This way," he grunted.

Down a hallway that led away from what seemed to be a massive lounge, Hayden pointed and directed her toward a door with a sensor on it. He placed his thumbprint on it and it popped open. Georgia realized it was a façade with a different door made of thick metal behind it. This door's dark color and strongroom-style design clashed horribly with the rest of the home's beautiful look. The façade door didn't and kept it hidden when closed. Hayden again scanned his print to unlock the second door and it swung open with a loud, metallic 'clang'. Both doors closed behind them and Georgia heard loud clicks as they locked again.

She struggled to hold onto Hayden who was almost on all fours now, doubled over in pain, and grunting louder than ever. With the last of her strength, she heaved him up again and they managed to hobble their way down a short hallway. At the end, the room opened up into a large, padded cellar of sorts. As they entered, fluorescent lights above them turned on and threw the room into sharp relief. There was a double bed in one corner, a mini-fridge, a table and chairs. The rest of it was bare except for the walls. They were padded in a thick, cushion-like gray material.

On one end of the room near the bed were four thick shackles made of some kind of thick, stretchy material that was attached to heavy metal chains which bolted directly into the wall. There was also a small, blank screen on the opposite end of the wall, and another wall with huge screens attached to them. These appeared to be CCTV feeds of the rest of the house, the front and back yards, and the perimeters of the property.

"Quick, we don't have much time," Hayden said through deep, huffing breaths.

His voice sounded more feral now. Georgia could tell he was already changing; she could sense it too. Her mind felt mildly connected. It was difficult to hold on because she could feel the struggle in his mind and his racing thoughts were a jumble that made it difficult for her to lock onto his mind. He managed to get over to the wall with the shackles. Georgia realized they were placed at four points on the wall that coincided with his arms and legs. With shaking hands, he kicked off his trainers and fastened the lower ones onto his legs, where they held around him, just above the ankles. Reaching up, he slid his hands into the upper shackles.

Georgia tried to help him with the arm shackles but he yelled, "No. Get back!"

She obeyed and took two steps back, unable to look away from him but riddled with fear for his safety. His eyes were flashing darkly, his skin seeming to bulge and ripple in a frightening way. He was now bound hand and foot to the contraption and forced to keep his hands up and legs apart, locked into a pose of the Vitruvian Man. Georgia stared at the spectacle, unsure of what to do next.