Atrocious

- Chapter 27 -

It felt like a slap in the face.
Fiery pain ran through her whole body.
She could breathe again.

Gasping loudly, she caught her breath.
"That was the last time," said a deep voice.
"What was that? The two of them were supposed to come with me and she looked more dangerous than him - what was I supposed to do?" a lighter male voice replied.
"Maybe not almost kill her?"
"...She's cute," said a third female voice, moaning with delight,"...a bit too much of everything but cute. And pretty...".
Anna tried to open her eyes but saw nothing but black.
It took her a moment to realize that a blindfold adorned her head.
A cramped smile came over her.
'What a shit.
"She's waaahhaaaccchh," the female voice spoke and she heard footsteps.
"Don't touch her - who knows what she's got".
"She's not an animal, weirdo," said the female voice.
"More like you, you lizard," laughed another male voice spitefully.
She couldn't see anything, but she could hear how many were talking and how many were moving. She had the feeling there were more in the room, but of course she could just be imagining it.
"Let it come off...I want to see her. Her frightened eyes and the blood all over her!" she sang excitedly and Anna felt fingers stroking her cheeks.
She turned her head away abruptly, but would rather not have done so as she felt dizzy.
Who was this woman to be so happy about her suffering? Why was she wearing a blindfold and, above all, who were they all?
A kick to her left side startled her and blood pooled in her mouth. She turned to the side and spat it out. It almost made her so sick that she threw up.
As she turned, she noticed her ribs aching and she was breathing heavily.
"Take it off, take it off, take it off!!!" the woman screamed and Anna heard her jump.
The floorboards under her head shook with every jump the woman made.
There was silence for a moment.
Then the floorboards began to creak again and a warm hand stroked her cheeks up to the blindfold. Then it was pulled down and Anna was blinded.
Dull light pressed on her eyes and she tried to make out the shadowy figures bending over her.
The tallest figure was crouched to her right and had probably pulled the blindfold off her face.
She was startled and horrified to see scarred, burnt and indefinable shreds of skin on a man, stapled into the healthy skin that remained. Nausea crept up her throat, but she swallowed it down and caught herself.

Fear spread, anger and confusion. The only thing she wanted these people to know about her was anger. Pure anger.
"Where am I and who are you? Where did you leave BloodKing?" she screamed, spitting on the scarred face's chest.
He smiled and carefully wiped the bloody saliva off his face.
"Enthusiastic, even motivated. I like that," he said and Anna didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Answer-" she said, trying to breathe away the pain in her ribs.
"Your hero colleague is behind you. We had to do something to him to make him rest," the scarred face said, pointing backwards. She tried to turn, unfortunately also in pain. With difficulty, she slapped the other side and swallowed.
Vlad lay tied up like her, without a blindfold but with a bloody cloth over his mouth in a pool of blood. Sweat was pouring down his forehead and he was breathing heavily. She crawled to him, in pain.
Her cries, loud and strong as she tried, were weak and broken.
How much blood he had lost, she did not know. 'Did it come from the needles in his suit? Did he have an injury that made him bleed like that?
Can he get back on his feet?
When she finally reached him, she gently pressed her head against his cheek.
"Vlad, please. Please wake up. Please wake up. Please...' she breathed into his ear and pressed against his cheek again, harder this time.
There was no response.
"Please Vlad, please...please. Please....."
Again she pressed her head against his cheek.

She didn't know if he had heard or felt her, but indeed one of his eyes opened and searched for a fixed point. It was her pain-filled and frightened eyes that he had before him.
It lasted a moment.
She could hear him speak, but couldn't understand through the linen cloth.
He was tired.
"Please stay awake, please....", tears streamed down her cheeks and she longed to feel his hand. The way he patted her shoulders and said that it was easy after all. No matter what
She did.
It was only when she saw him that she realized the situation they were in.
'Jinji...'