War on Heiwa Book 2: At the Core of the World

At the Core of the World Chapter 6: Experiment/Methods of Torture

When I was able to regain consciousness, my eyes felt extremely heavy. Too heavy to open. But I felt my head resting on something with a soft exterior, but more plush and full in the interior. Was it somebody's lap? I squirmed a little bit, forcing my blurry eyes open. But, the first thing I could recognize was Hanako's face.

"Takuma?" She asked softly, but a bit in a panic.

"Is this a dream?" I asked her once my eyes could focus. No way in hell did I find Hanako that easy. Hell, I didn't even try to find Hanako and she's here.

"A dream? No..." She said a bit confused.

"No... This is a dream. I was in a cave... With Keira... And then she... What did she do?" I pondered my thoughts, trying to remember what had happened. "Where am I now?"

"I can't say, exactly. I don't know." She rubbed the bandages on my arms. "What happened to you?"

"It's nothing. I just fell." If I told her what Attakai did to me... Actually... I don't think I should go into detail. Or even want to go into detail. "How long was I asleep?"

"I don't know. You were asleep when they brought you in here. Since then, it's been about a day, maybe. I don't know... I don't even know what day it is."

"They?" I emphasized.

She nodded. "Demons."

I shot straight up from Hanako's lap. I was... right? It's... Izanagi...?  I turned to Hanako and looked at her appearance. What was once a beautiful long pink gown was tattered, and the ends were cut off so now the dress reached the bottom of her thighs. I saw cuts and bruises throughout her body. Her shoes and gloves were gone. Her hair was filled with dirt and grime from God knows where. She looked malnourished and exhausted, her bones creeping in from her skin.

"Oh my God, Hanako!" I threw her into an embrace. "How could they do this to you?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. They haven't said anything to me. The only time I see them is when they bring me a small bowl of soup and a cup of water once a day. And whenever I tried asking, they would just ignore me. They've just left me in this cage." She sighed wearily.

I let go of the hug looked around, and we were in a spacious cage in the middle of a cave room. So Keira is working for the demons. That... asshole! She betrayed me! "Damnit!" I yelled. Tears of defeat started to well in my eyes. I was about ready to give up fighting, with nothing going the way I wanted it to.

Hanako placed her hands onto my shoulders to comfort me, then hugged me from behind. "Oh, Takuma." She rested her head onto my back. "I missed you. I was so worried."

"I'm fine, but you... How badly the demons have treated you. All alone, suffering like this. I should have came sooner." I brought my hands to my chest, clasping my hands around Hanako's, holding them tight. "I'll get you out of here. I promise I will. Just hang on a little longer."

"I don't think I can. My body is so tired..." She moaned and I felt her bony hands weakening their grip around my hands.

"Hanako, you're not going to leave me, are you?" I asked, but there was no answer. I turned my head and turned to see she was sleeping. I still felt her faint heartbeat resonate through my back. I cringed, promising myself that the demons would get what they deserved for torturing Hanako like this.

Suddenly I heard a door open, and I turned to see a demon enter the room, bringing a tray with two bowls and two cups in it. "Order up." He joked. He walked toward the cage and slid the tray into a small compartment on the bottom of the cage. He grinned evilly. "Bon appétit"