In My Blood- Arcane x OC (Complete)

Chapter 10- Run

TW: torture, dark topics, abuse, topics of sex work

Ezra was in one of the alleyways in the Undercity. Although crime ran through the Lanes, the edge of the city was the worst. Ezra noticed a tall shadowy figure, she ignored it, but something felt wrong. As she walked past the figure, he grabbed her wrist. "Fuck off!" Ezra punched the man in the nose and ran.

Ezra ran through the otherwise quiet alleyways. It was just her, to her knowledge. She stopped and leaned on the wall. Her breathing was heavy. She put her hands on her knees to support her. "Holy shit." She whispered through breaths.

"Ezra," a man appeared at one end of the alleyway. He had a hood and mask on so Ezra couldn't see what he looked like. She turned around to run out the other side, but two other figures appeared. Ezra panicked, she was trapped. The first man slowly walked closer to her, "Hasn't Eliza ever told you it's not nice to hit." He laughed. Ezra slowly backed away, "How do you know?-" The man chuckled, "Eliza's an old friend. It's a shame you don't recognize me." Ezra stopped and stood up straight. "Well no shit. I can't see anything under all that fabric. I figured you were just ugly." Ezra smiled, "Anywho, this has been fun but I got kids to take care of. So," Ezra whipped around and started fighting the two guys behind her.

One of them grabbed her, but she kicked her legs out to kick the other man in the face and swung her head back smacking his nose. The guy she kicked blacked out within seconds. With blood dripping down his face, the man swung at Ezra but she dodged and kicked his feet out from under him. He fell to the ground and Ezra paused for a moment to make sure he wasn't getting back up. Ezra turned back around, "Do I need to punch you too or can I just go?" She said to the first man. He stood completely still, "You won't be going anywhere."

Someone came up behind Ezra and grabbed her. They had their arm around her arms and abdomen and brought their hand with a cloth up to her mouth. She tried to squirm free but whatever she inhaled from the cloth slowly caused her to lose consciousness. She tried to fight it, but it was no use.

Ezra woke up a few hours later. She was in a completely dark room, she could only see a light lit on a table against the wall. Next to the table was a wooden, which she presumed was locked. The candle and the door had a symbol etched into them, it was a circle with a swirly pattern on the inside. She was tied to a chair, hands behind her and ankles tied to the legs of the chair. She tried to wiggle her hands free but the rope scratched her and she couldn't get free. Ezra couldn't scream either, they had tied a piece of cloth around her mouth so she couldn't speak. When she tried to scream she sounded like she was quietly groaning. Ezra also woke up with one of her headaches, the dark room helped but she was still in pain.

"Ezra." The man from before said. He was standing somewhere in the room that Ezra couldn't see. Ezra tried to scream again but she could also make the same high pitched groan. She shook her arms in another attempt to free herself. "You won't escape, darling." The voice came closer to her. Ezra stayed completely still. In nature that's how animals hide, and all Ezra wanted to do was disappear. "Good girl." Ezra was disgusted by his choice of words. The man walked out from behind Ezra, "I like you better when you don't fight." He still had his mask on, but Ezra couldn't see he smiled from his eyes. Ezra looked away from him, she didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

The man leaned into Ezra's face, "I should introduce myself, it's only polite. I'm Hale." He slowly pulled down his mask. Ezra looked at him. Hale looked familiar but Ezra couldn't figure out where she'd seen him. He had a beard that was slowly going gray and his hair was buzzed short. He clicked his tongue, "You don't recognize me?" He chuckled, "People always said me and my brother looked exactly the same. You look just like Eliza." Ezra leaned forward as if she could break free at the sound of her mother's name. Hale chuckled at Ezra's defenselessness. "I would hope you remembered my brother. His name was Hades, does that ring a bell?" Ezra looked confused. Hale grew very angry and got in Ezra's face again. "You didn't even know his name when you killed him, did you?"

Ezra's eyes widened as it all clicked in her head. This must be the brother of the man who killed her mother. "Do you remember now darling?" Hale switched his tone back to a condescendingly sweet one. But that didn't last. He stood back up and punched Ezra's cheek leaving a gash that dripped blood down her cheek. Ezra winced from pain. "Let that be the first of many." He mumbled. Ezra tried to squirm free again, she knew she couldn't get put but she panicked. The man walked to the door as he laughed. "Don't worry, you'll be back with Eliza very soon." He slammed the door behind him. Ezra's eyes filled with tears, she was scared, petrified even for what was to come.

A few hours later Hale had returned, this time he brought someone else with him. The man was tall and looked very muscular under his all black clothing. He had the same mask and hood as the other men, so Ezra couldn't see facial or defining features. "I brought a friend this time." Hale smiled as he dragged a chair across from Ezra. He sat down with one leg on top of the other knee. Ezra glanced at Hale then back to the floor. "He's like a brother to me. Not by blood but by loyalty."

Hale leaned forward, "You seem to have a lot of non-blood family. Those daughters of yours are gorgeous. Though the youngest is a little crazy." Ezra looked at Hale with panic in her eyes. If she could speak she would tell him to the girls out of it. "And Silco, he's got quite the reputation in the Lanes. He's got the money, the power, the family. Would be a shame if something happened to them." Hale leaned back in his chair with a smug smile on his face. All Ezra wanted was to punch that smile off his face.

Ezra found her heart sped up as panicked adrenaline pumped through her. She tried to lunge herself forward in an effort to break free but yet again it provided no help.

Hale broke out into manic laughter. "Oh you should see your face." He clapped his hands from enjoyment. "Good thing I have those knots real tight or who knows what you would've done." Hale collected himself and stopped laughing, "Don't worry Ez, I only have a problem with the Graves family. They'll be fine." Ezra looked pissed. That nickname didn't belong in his mouth, she didn't believe him either. "I swear on my brother's grave. Of course you caused that Grave. Maybe that's why your last name is Graves." Hale rambles on just to bother Ezra. She rolled her eyes. Hale sighed, "I promise, only you will be hurt here. Why? Because you need to suffer the consequences of your, and now Eliza's, actions. The actions of a slut, and a murderer."

Hale was referencing Eliza's old 'side work'. She would have sex with people for money. That's how she fell pregnant. Eliza did it because she needed to survive, and unfortunately that was the only way.

The words Hale used cut deep for Ezra. She knew her mom wasn't proud of everything she did, but she lived and that was all that mattered. "Now Rob," Ezra assumed that was the other man's name, "Why don't we show Ez here what we do to murderers." Hale pushed his chair back so Rob would have room.

Ezra's eyes filled with fear as Rob approached her. "This is only the start of it, Ez. It gets worse from here, darling." Hale said just seconds before Ezra took a harsh blow to the stomach. It was here that Eliza realized she wasn't going to be killed cold. She was going to be tortured to death.

Rob's beating left Ezra unconscious. He had covered her in bruises and beaten her raw in some places. Ezra tried to fight, tried to stay awake. Ezra had never felt so weak.