The Boy with Words for Skin

Chapter 19: A Meeting in the Dark

A sharp jerk pulled me off my feet and I was dragged across the dirt floor. I tried to pull at the rope, but the more I struggled the tighter it dug into my throat.

"Words? Words!"

"Everything's fine," Face said. His voice was calm in a terrible way. "Go back upstairs and shut the door."

I was flipped over onto my stomach. One of them smashed my head into the ground. Lightning sizzled in and out of view. My body felt like it was spinning through starless space.

"What's happening down there?"

My head ached and my body went limp. Weight pressed into my back and my arms were pulled behind my back. I felt rope tighten around my wrists.

"Don't worry about it, Kit," Face said.

"I'm not leaving without Words!" She tried to sound brave, but you could tell she was about to cry.

"He'll be fine. We'll send him up when we're done with him." Face said. "We have things we need to talk about."

"No!" she screamed.

With my hands tied and the weight still on my back, the rope around my throat loosened. I gasped for air. Dust was sucked down my burning throat. I coughed and hacked and felt myself spinning even further into the darkness.

"You wanna come talk with us, too?" Face said. "Fine. Come down."

"No! Kit! Go back upstairs! Go upstairs!" I managed between coughs.

"Words, I'm not leaving you down there!"

"Go, Kit!" I screamed. Someone was tying my feet together.

"Words!"

"Just go!"

She hesitated. "If you guys hurt him . . ."

"We already have," Face said. "What are you going to do about it?"

Slow footsteps made their way back up the stairs. "You send him back up in an hour or you'll regret it."

"Will we? What do you think, Tang? Will we regret it?"

"One hour! And he better not be hurt!

"Just shut the door."

"One hour. Or else."

The basement door creaked shut. Wood scraped against wood. A click of metal.

Face's voice sounded like he was whispering in my ear. "Welcome to the basement. We have so much to talk about."

*      *      *

I must've passed out because the next thing I knew, I woke up sitting in a chair. I tried to move but couldn't. I was tied down. There were dots of light in front of my face. As my mind cleared, I realized there was a bag over my head. The specks of light meant only one thing—there were lights in the basement after all.

"Why'd you come down here?"

My throat burned, I was dizzy, and I was exhausted. "We," I started. I let my head hang to one side. Holding it up took too much energy. "We wanted to make . . . make sure you guys were okay."

Face let out a long appreciative sigh. "How sweet. Did you hear that, Tang? They were worried about us!"

Tang let out a muffled grunt.

"Well, we're just fine. Living like kings."

I shook my head. I had to clear it, had to get my energy back. I had to be ready. There was no telling what would happen. "Why are you doing this?" I asked.