𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 : Robin Arellano

TWELVE

Wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

His head was screaming. His heart was pounding. Yet his eyes were closed. Like there were weights pressed against his body that restrained any of his movements, even on his eyelids which struggled to flicker open. Yet, eventually, he managed to force them open. Pulling himself up on his elbows and glancing around the room he was in, only one door it seemed, a small barred window far above where he can reach.

He struggled to stand for a moment, the pain in his head throbbing as he made a sudden movement, but as always he pushed through it and forced himself onto two feet. He first tried the door, after much screaming for help and trying to force it open he was left to find something else. Checking round the corner all that was there was a toilet, a disgusting one at that. Returning to the other side he spotted the phone hanging off the wall, running immediately to pick it up and dial a number but nothing. It didn't work, so why was it in here?

He groaned and pressed his back to the wall, sliding down it with his head in his hands. Somehow, not finding a way out wasn't what hurt him the most. It was the fact that Carmen wasn't here.

He was in the wrong place, and he couldn't save her or himself.

~

Carmen had been asleep in her bed for majority of the day, too tired and exhausted to attempt a way out today. Although she was brought to her senses when more footsteps approached and the door slowly creaked open, she didn't need to open her eyes to feel his gaze on her.

"Wake up. I have a surprise, I think you'll like it." She peaked one eye open, seeing him hiding something behind his back.
"What." She spat back at him, she didn't want to play his stupid game today.
"Oh don't be like that. I went through all this effort for you." She could have sworn he was smiling behind that mask. But his words caught her attention. Effort? For her? What was it.

That was when he brought out what was behind his back. A bandana. Robin's bandana.
"W-what..." She spluttered out, refusing to believe what she was seeing, her head shaking in denial.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?! WHERE'S ROBIN." She cried out, reaching for the closest thing to her which happened to be a ceramic bunny statue, clearly painted by a child, clutching it in her hand.
"Oh he's fine, I just thought this would be a nice gift but it seems like you don't appreciate it." His words began to turn to venom, his right hand reaching to lock the door as he stepped closer, causing her to shuffle back in the bed.
"Stay away or..or..." She stuttered for a moment, trying to find a threat that could potentially buy her some time.
"You'll what, little girl." He spoke teasingly, taking another step.
"I'll throw this at your goddamn head!" She yelled trying to sound as scary as she could, holding up the ceramic tight in her hand.

Yet her threat didn't stop him as he continued to advance. Apart from the actual kidnapping, he hadn't yet laid a hand on her so she had no idea what to expect. He harshly threw the bandana onto the floor beside him and cracked his knuckles, advancing one more time before she had no choice but to launch it at him as hard as he could, it hitting his shoulder, smashing into pieces and tearing through some of his shirt.
He only momentarily paused slowly looking down at his wound before slowly looking back up at her, tilting his head and just staring.

Her heart was thumping so loud in her ears she thought the blood would come pouring out, hopefully drowning her so she wouldn't have to be a part of what was about to go down.

His movements were quick. Pouncing on her in a second and dragging her off the bed by her ankles, causing her to fall hard to the floor as he towered over her, unbuckling his belt. She screamed and cried out, trying to scurry away to the door until his foot struck down on her back, causing even more pain as he forced her back onto the ground.