Hellbound

X. Deals with the Devil

I couldn't quite grasp the meaning of time in the hell hole I had found myself in. Neither could I find a way to get the routine of being interrogated, fed, and healed then put to sleep, to match up with the time of day. It was dark in my cell, at least I thought it was so because I had been blindfolded the same day the explosion happened. I don't remember much from that.

I only saw the bodies, then Daniel dragged me towards the escalators but it was too late. We were pushed and trampled by the hysterical stampede of dark hair, olive skin and frightened faces. The mass was a mob of Darwin's favorite and most famous observation, survival of the fittest. No one wasted time to get out.

However, they pushed us aside and we were sent falling four feet from the ground. Everything was so chaotic. My head had been pounding, but the beeping was consistent over all of the hysteria. It was almost as though it ran on a different frequency.

Beep-beep. Beep-beep.

That noise seemed to drown everything out and it was as though it was our impending doom. Daniel wasted no time to pull me underneath the stairs not too far from the escalators, facing away from the train within a second of everything exploding. The escalator to the left of us collasped and Daniel shielded me from the rubble, but he took a severe hit to the head. After that he was knocked unconscious and I had been facing away from the entrance which kept me secure from any injuries. Panicking and trying to shake Daniel awake when I came back with blood on my finger tips from holding his head, I yelled at him to come back.

Beep-beep. Beep-beep.

The final shrieks of that terrible noise was drowned out by the sound of bodies being vaporized and flung through the air. The remnants of the train in the station shattered and scattered with incredible agility. Whatever lights had radiated from the neon signs on the walls of the station were now out. I could detect almost nothing from the white, swirling smoke that was iluminated by the flames and sizzling lighting.

My ears were pierced with a shriek that they took from the explosion, ringing with such intensity that it was a surprise they hadn't bled. My eyes were tearing up from something that was forming in the air and my lungs began to give in when I inhaled. I was shaking with every emotion I could feel at that moment, nonetheless, I wouldn't let my flight instincts restrain me from doing what had to be done. My system was hyperactive as I dragged unconscious Daniel away from the stairs but the back of my head made impact with something very hard. I may have been hit over the head. However, my brain was too foggy to recall any more details.

Everything went pitch black after that.

I don't remember how much time had passed. Perhaps it was only a few days or weeks. Either way, I couldn't understand what those people wanted from me.

They roared at me in Chinese demanding something, but I couldn't comprehend. I was beyond confused and then to add to my humiliation of being their captive, they'd only have to exchange the punches to caresses to cause me to shriek. I'd gotten so accomodated to being handled roughly in the duration that I spent there, that gentle touches made me shiver with fear. The stream of tears that I had whimpered out had soaked through the blindfold was left damp against my lids. I don't know why I had cried.