Stockholm Syndrome

Obstruction

I moved my fingers with heightened caution, swaying them around in the air in an attempt to feel around me; any way to get a sense of where the hell I was right now. A muffled sound left my mouth, suppressed by the thick cloth that had been meticulously wrapped around my eyes and over my mouth, but a space was left for my nose to gasp for air ever so slightly.

My hands had been bound above and to the left of me with some metal concoction of sorts. My range of movement was somewhat limited; the metal short yet long enough for me to be able to hold my hands almost near to my chest. The metallic structure of it dug into my wrists and made abrasive clinking noises as I flung my fingers about in desperation, but my hands wouldn't budge. Instead, the rough surface burned into my skin, rubbing it raw and painful, a low groan escaping my throat in discomfort.

My hair hung loose, but still braided, down the back of my neck, falling in front of my clothed face as a result of my excessive number of bobby pins being discarded by, I assume, the attacker. Smart move. Although inside I felt empty and exposed, my clothes remained on, although my shoes removed, and I had been placed on top of a rough piece of material, some sad excuse for a blanket, its weak attempts at making me feel somewhat 'comfortable' were useless, disheartening even.    

My legs, however, were free and unrestrained. A strange choice for a kidnapper, I thought. Maybe I could try feeling about with my feet, I could try to get a feel for the layout of this place.
I cautiously stretched my legs out across the concrete underneath me, flinching slightly as my they met with the cold block hiding beneath the 'blanket'. Shuffling forwards slightly, my feet collided with something, it felt rough, textured.. and there were to of them. My toes crawled their way around the mysterious obstructions, my brow furrowing as I traced over some kind of tangled wormy mess, yet it was rigid and ungiving in its stature.

I bit down on the cloth that stifled any attempt at a breath I had as my foot moved up the object. It was tall, distant and... human.
I froze as my foot collided with what I now knew was someone's knee, muscular and broad and tautening under my touch, my loose lower joggers falling down past my own knee and bunching at my upper thigh, exposing me to this stranger.

I began to hastily pull my leg back towards me, only for the action to be ceased by a thick hand grabbing the width of my ankle. It wasn't gloved this time, instead now I could feel the roughness of the fingertips, the harsh contours of its palm as it nauseatingly latched itself onto my skin, its hold unforgiving and harsh.

My heart raced and my chest rose and fell in quick succession, but I daren't move any further under the careful watch of this behemoth.

It let out a profound sigh as it moved its heavy figure towards me, its grip tracing its way down my leg and resting for a moment in the pit behind my knee. My stomach churned as he held it there for a moment, one of the indecipherable fingers scraping the shape of my skin, uninvited and alien. In one swift moment, it flung my leg away from it, sending it crashing into my other as I moved myself closer to the wall I was chained to, my breath quickening as I felt the eyes burn into me.

"Make any sound and you'll regret it." Its thick voice tumbling out and around my ears, assertive in tone so I knew to obey. I heard it bend down towards me, reaching its claws around my head to loosen the cloth that suffocated me, removing it from around my teeth in one practiced movement. "You can talk," I flinched from the sound. "But anything too loud..." The voice trailed off as I moved my head up and down in obedience, the last thing I need right now is to be brutally murdered by a stranger in his bleak basement.

I couldn't make myself a number; I refused to become another one of his heaven knows how many victims, a trophy in his mind as he saunters around the world in pride over top my body, shoved deep under dirt, leaves and earth with no one above to care enough to find me. The gruesome images flashes across my cloaked eyes and I found myself welling up at the thought.
He said I could talk.

"Where am I?" My voice barely noticeable in the immeasurable air that surrounded me. "Who are you?" I made sure to keep my voice low, soft, unsure of what this individual is capable of.

"Why the hell would I tell you that?"

Shit. His voice grumbled out of a cavern deep within, bouncing off the walls with angered undertones as I listened to him stand tall once again and make purposeful strides into some other sector of the room.

Stomp stomp stomp

His boots travelled across the concrete, my spine twitching in response to the sound as I recalled the earlier incidents. I could feel myself falling apart, as each second passed I found myself care less and less about the outcome of this situation, I knew I barely stood a chance so why bother trying? He doesn't deserve my compliance.

"Why me? Why are you doing this to me?" I wailed out. It was loud, sure, but not loud enough for it to be heard from beyond the walls that enclosed this space, I knew that; I still need to be just a little careful, just for now.

Stomp, stomp, stomp

The boots moved towards me, slow and calculated in movement.

CRASH

I gasped as what I can only assume was a metal tray slammed down into the floor beside me.

"Eat." He uttered.

"I can't," I hesitated. "My hands-"

"Your own fault. Figure it out." The voice came from a far distance in front of me now, it ascended methodically over creaking old stairs and left me in silence with the click of a heavy door closing shut.
Easily irritated. Noted.

...At least he's nice enough to keep me from starving.

~

I thought about screaming. I thought about it more times than anything else for the past few hours - or however long I've been in here - but my gut told me it would only bring pain. I could be anywhere. A town, a desert, a forest. Hell, I could be in a different country. Heaven knows how long I was knocked out for.

My stomach rumbled my torso and the aroma of the stale, untouched food beside me taunted my tastebuds. It could be poisoned, I thought. But I'm so hungry...

Biting my lip in contemplation, I gave into the temptation, positioning my body somewhat towards the tray, shuffling my feet round and awkwardly contorting my figure in the process.

I had managed to move the tray round; I sat with it in front of me, between my legs with my hands still bound to the wall to the left of me. How the fuck am I supposed to do this? I tried blindly reaching my hands down towards the contents of the metal, but the wall and the metal strangling my wrists had too strong a grasp and I could barely reach my fingers past my chest. I brought my thighs down to the ground, one either side of the tray and tried lifting. Obviously, that was no use. I brought my ankles towards me, crossing my legs, lifting the tray up and propping it up into my lap, although I'm pretty sure I stuck my foot into some mushy substance in the process.

This is good, this is something... now how the hell do I get it to my mouth? My throat closed up as I struggled with the wall holding me back, my eyes beginning to well up in frustration with these pathetic circumstances I've found myself in. "What the FUCK!" A yell escapes my throat as I kick my legs up and send the tray and its soggy contents flying, spraying its soggy contents all across the floor and, although I can't see it, I'm pretty sure some would've hit the walls too. I collapsed in frustration, my chin tucked into the hollow of my collarbones as tears threaten to spill down onto my lap, the remainder of the deafening clattering of the tray still present and echoing around the room, my ears ringing as they adjust.

Stomp stomp stomp

Fuck.

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holy balls guys i wonder what's gonna happen next stay tuned 🤫🤫😛
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