Colour Me Red

Chapter 15: Ellie

Chapter 15: Ellie

I was suffocating slowly.

The cold metal bars that surrounded me were a cruel reminder that what little hope I had left had dissipated, leaving a misty chill in the air.

Had I not been writhing in agony I would’ve had more time to appreciate the cool breeze that swept in from the tiny window on the left-hand-side of the laboratory.

Shortly after my father’s men had stuffed me into the cage, my father had jabbed me in the arm with a needle. I had no idea what he had injected me with, but I knew one thing; it was no sleeping drug.

My breath was coming in heavy pants and my hand gripped the bars of the cage.

“Help,” I whimpered, staring Harvey dead in the eyes before my own wavered shut.

The pain that originated from inside me was unbearable and I struggled to keep my eyes open. The heat that I was radiating was almost enough to warm up a sauna.

Sweat dripped into my eyes as I forced myself to open them, blinking it away as quickly as it fell. I watched my father as he observed my agony and took down notes. Why was he doing this to me?

I faintly heard noises on the other side of the solid metal door, and I thought I heard the sound of a voice that I hadn’t heard in days.

Dune.

“If you don’t let me through, I’m going to kill each and every one of you,” the voice said venomously.

My father rose, a startled look on his face.

“What the . . .” before my father could say any more, the door swung open and an angel in black strode over the threshold.  

                                                                                                   *

For a brief moment I wondered how inconceivably awful I must’ve looked considering the state I was in. My hair was tangled and streaked with sweat, sticking unattractively to my forehead. My lips were dry from the lack of hydration and my clothes were torn and rumpled. I probably looked like a drug addict gone wrong.

The panting started up again then, as my heartbeat soared erratically as I tried to smile at Dune. Although it came out more as a grimace, he seemed to understand what I was trying to do and he nodded towards me in acknowledgment.

“What did you do to her?” Dune asked my father, unsheathing a knife from underneath his jacket.

He was wearing dark jeans with a black tee, topped off with the leather jacket he hardly removed.

On the whole, he looked like an angel of death with his startling good looks and icy vehemence held in his eyes, and only a fool would cross him.

Unfortunately, it turned out that my father was that fool.

“Well, well, well. Look who it is. I didn’t know your profession involved being the knight-in-shining-armour,” my father taunted.

Dune remained passive, almost stoic even, as he stared down the villain who stood before him.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Dune returned patiently, with a deadly glint in his eyes.

On cue, I started to writhe, my body twisting at awkward angles as I tried to relieve myself of the pain.

There were seven other men in the room, excluding Harvey, and they all had their eyes fixated on Dune. From the looks on their faces, they didn’t have a single clue as to who he was, which only played to Dune’s advantage. One of them tried to jump him from behind, so he deftly twisted and flicked the edge of his blade into the man’s gut. It was a warning blow, and not exactly fatal, but it certainly gave the right message.