One Tortured Soul

Chapter Three

"Officer, there must be a mistake," I insisted, swallowing the large lump that made it hard to breath. This couldn't be happening. How did they catch up to me so quickly? 

"Oh, I don't think so," he answered, before pushing me down into the backseat of his squad car. My eyes were instantly drawn to the bars across the windows and I tried to swallow again, feeling slightly panicked. If I were stuck in a prison somewhere, how would I find my kids? 

Then another thought hit me. What if they knew about my... hands. Then, it might not just be a prison I was placed in. It might be something far worse. 

I couldn't live with that. I couldn't barely survive as it was, knowing that my wife was dead and my two innocent children were out there somewhere, most likely scared to death. I needed to find them. And soon.

The ride through town was only a couple of minutes long before the officer drove the car into the parking lot of the police station and parked it. He pulled me from the back seat and I found it a bit difficult to get my balance when my hands were cuffed together behind my back. In fact, I honestly didn't like it one bit.

Once inside the building, I was led past a bunch of desks and down a hallway before we stopped in front of a room marked with a 'three' and the word 'interrogation.' I shivered unconsciously, suddenly aware of how uncomfortable the handcuffs were around my wrists and how sweaty my forehead seemed to be.

The officer had me sit on a chair in front of a table inside the chilly room and then he left. I looked around the room, searching for an possible way to make an escape. But for obvious reasons, there weren't any. The only thing I found was another chair across from the one I was in, a one way mirror, and a barred window letting a bit of light extra light into the room.

I was startled as the door to the room was swung open. A man in a black suit with peculiar red cuffs on the sleeves stalked in, holding a briefcase of some sort. He had a solemn face that was completely unreadable except for a slight twitch in his right eye.

The mysterious man took a seat directly across from me and scooted the briefcase onto the table. Then, he said something that completely took me by surprise.

"Would you like to see your children again?"

I was sure my mouth was a big round O right then, and barely managed to answer with a small nod. This man knew where my kids were. A seed of hope began to grow in my chest, and I did my best to contain it. Who knows what he meant or if he really knew where they were. I couldn't count on anyone, especially since he did not seem trustworthy in the slightest. But for the moment, I was going to play along so as to get as much information as I could out of him.

"Well, then you will answer all my questions honestly," he spoke matter-of-factly. "Understood?"

Again, I nodded. 

"Name," he said, taking out a manila folder and opening it.

"L-Lucas Williams."

He eyed me and once again I noticed the twitch in his eye. Then he drew his gaze back to the folder and scribbled something down on it with a pen.

Without looking up, he barked, "Age."

"Twenty-nine." 

"What is your wife's name?"

My breath caught, and I pushed back the feelings that wanted to trample me. The emotion that was bottled up. I knew I wouldn't be able to hold it in for long. I felt like an active volcano, to speak honestly. 

"Serena," I mumbled, then spoke louder, "It's Serena."

He took a break from the questions, instead writing in his folder for several minutes, leaving the room silent except for the scratch of the pen on the paper.

Finally, he broke the silence and stood up, knocking the chair over behind him. I almost jumped in my seat. Then, without another word, he grabbed his briefcase and left the room.

I didn't understand. That was it? He asked me a few questions and then expected me to just sit tight after what he said? How could I? This was madness... 

I was almost ready to stand up and demand some answers, when the door was pushed open again. This time, it was a woman who came in, followed by a man who appeared to be a doctor. At least, from what I could tell with his white lab coat and tie. But his scraggly, greying hair and unkept beard made him look more like a-

"Hold him down," the disordered doctor spoke before I could finish my thought. I opened my mouth to say something, when I was pushed forward out of my chair and onto the table, face first.

My jaw smashed painfully on the metal framed edge and I struggled out of instinct. My jaw throbbed and I knew that there would be a bruise there later.

"What is going on?" I shouted, only then realizing that the weights holding me down were men in black suits. How had they snuck in without me seeing them? What was going on?

I caught a glimpse of the doctor approaching me but my vision was caught off abruptly as something forced my head down, just above the nape of my neck. I was completely immobilized.

Seconds later, I felt something sharp pierce into my skin on the back of my neck, and a cooling sensation followed. It instantly made my limbs heavy and restricting where I could no longer struggle. The men let go of me, but I couldn't right myself, unable to barely even move my head.

They had drugged me.

That thought had just appeared in my mind when no sooner was it gone. Everything was fading. The men in suits. The woman. The strange doctor. All the pain. It was somewhat blissful. 

I couldn't even remember what I had been thinking about. Everything was calm. And then the world faded into a black abyss.

Here's the third chapter for you! I hope you are enjoying the story so far! I am certainly enjoying writing it and pushing the limits on my writing skills so far. Thank you for taking the time to read it! It means so much to me:) If you are enjoying, then please vote and leave a comment!

Ithildae