𝔅𝔬𝔫𝔡: ℌ𝔢𝔞𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔚𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔡𝔰

Chapter Thirty-two: The Hunt

Amber

It hasn’t gotten better since the night slowly faded. My body shuddered under each movement I tried to my limbs. It was like poor circulation in my blood. Maybe it’s from the lack of food or water. My head hit the mossy stone wall of this prison, the odor not so much more pleasant as my senses started kicking in more. With enough strength I pulled myself up more. Hours went by with complete silence with the occasional sounds of wildlife. The smell of damp soil, then the sound of an engine humming in the distance. 

Tora and I conversed for my own sake as the scent of that bastard came to me. My wrist rubbed against the chains more as a growl built up in my throat. A hazy red glow peered through the dark. “I made a grave error my friend, and I’m truly sorry for this,” he whispered. My eyes narrowed as he came closer and crouched, meeting me at eye level. Dangerously close. “I’ll try to delay him or change his mind, but I can’t guarantee the outcome will be good.” He reached out, but I sneered. He retracted a sick smile spreading his lips. “You're a strong woman Amber. I still can’t understand why my daughter fell so deeply for you, but you're fierce,” he rambled.

The smoke filtered out as he continued to talk. So that’s it, the contract he spoke about is up. And Marcel Hill is going to try to get him to reconsider killing me. Don't make me laugh. But I could see the clear grief pestering in those eyes. The door squealed open and I gritted my teeth from the scraping. He looked back as the steel door swung open, lantern in hand and an unreadable face. “What are you doing here Hill,” he hissed. His voice is gruff and void of emotion. “We need to discuss some things,” he addressed him standing up straight. “Our terms are expired. We have nothing to discuss,” he replied. His eyes on me the whole time. It was like he was burning holes into my soul. Marcel stepped in his way and blocked my view. “Now.”

He sneered, begrudgingly agreeing to the term. Marcel stepped up first and his dark brown eyes lingered with hatred. “I hope you're ready for tonight. It will be your last,” he chimed, hanging the lantern up before closing the door. The lock didn’t click behind him, and I listened to their footsteps silently fade upstairs. I coiled my fists, getting more circulation into them. They would go numb after a few moments of idleness.

Tonight… I guess I’m dying at his hands. At least I got what I wanted. Some of the truth. A shitty way to go but I won’t be taken out alone that's for sure. “Negative thoughts aren’t what you should be thinking of right now Amber. Maybe a way to get the fuck out,” Tora chimes. “My body goes weaker by the second. What else can I do? I can’t break these bonds, and I have open wounds.”

“You're a fighter. Those poisons may have weakened us both but that doesn’t stop anything. A wounded animal is the most dangerous state it could be in. Use that mind of yours and think, while I do my best to adapt.” I sighed, glancing over the room for the seventy time. The same old battered table moved to another corner now covered with bottles, papers and knives with my dried blood. The floor, stains of blood etched, the corner where three rotten fingers lay. My eyes trialed to the lantern, the bolted steel door, then back to the chains that limited my movement. Obsidian… chains specifically crafted for breeds like me. Hell beasts… This ore was the strongest one by far from what I’ve read in dad’s book. Nothing in here could help me. Outside on the other hand. I listened closely, putting my focus to the outside.

Nothing but chirping and the result of trees rustling in the wind. I sighed, there’s nothing else. No other wildlife. Just the smell of diesel, the must of rain and wet soil and… shit. Adapt and rest Amber. I’ll need it for what he has in store for me. My head snapped to the sound of gunshots and a thud.

A knotted feeling formed in my chest as I heard footsteps coming back and the scent of blood and him mixed wafted through the door. It opened and threw something inside. I looked down and it was a sack slowly being soaked with blood. My head cocked, before leaning in to sniff the bag. “Eat. You’ll need it,” he hissed through the bars before the locks twisted again.