Sentinel

Chapter 1

Footsteps could be heard coming down the hall. "Were they there for her?" She wondered. She trembled in the darkness, coldness surrounding her and possessing her in every way. She had come to welcome it after all the time she spent in her reclusive cell. She kneeled, her head bowed and her feet and hands shackled to the wall as she had been since she had arrived there. The only comfort being the light spilling into the room from the bottom of the door. The footsteps were getting closer and louder. Louder than the thoughts that roamed her mind every minute that she spent in the empty darkness. "What would be their choice of torture for today?" She asked herself. There was nothing new they could introduce to her; at least in her opinion. How could they torture someone wo had come to understand and embrace the pain that they sustained for so many years? Her thoughts left her as soon as she heard the door creak open. It didn't always make that sound when it opened; it made her wonder how long she had been trapped in the dungeon.

"Good morning #2" the deep, baritone voice stated as light began to pour into the black room. Her eyes stung at the sudden sunlight that attacked her. The warmth felt like stabs on her skin. The cold had infiltrated her body long ago and it was not welcoming to warmth after so long. She gritted her teeth in pain and reluctantly clenched her fists. She was sure to be gentle, otherwise her hand might cramp and seize like it had before when she tried. She did not lift her head to greet him. She didn't have enough strength to do so. Instead her head remained bowed, and her eyes followed his shoes through her blurry vision as he came towards her. He stopped in front of her; the fuzziness and the pain in her eyes were almost unbearable but she could still make out the outline of his black, leather shoes against the concrete floor that still held stains of her blood.

"How did you sleep #2?" his voice filled the room more than the light did, bouncing off the grey stone walls and agonizingly vibrating through every bone in her body. She didn't answer. Whenever she tried to speak, her throat would burn and feel raw, so she refrained from making that mistake again. After a long moment of silence, he knelt to eye level. She didn't notice until the last minute; his hand reaching up to grab her chin. She expected him to yank her head as they had done before, but instead he gently lifted her face so that her eyes could meet his. Salty tears spilled from her eyes as the light painfully infiltrated her eyes. The the strain of lifting her head felt unbearable but she would not dare turn away from him- there could be dire consequences if she did. She blinked away the tears, trying her best to focus on the man in front of her, but sadly, all she could see was a dark and blurry outline of him. She could feel his body warmth against her and his intense gaze analyzing her face. She slightly fidgeted under his scrutiny, as her palms began to sweat in anxious anticipation for his next move. An abrupt chuckle from him startled her, which only made him laugh more.

"Ah.... Number 2, you've always been easy to read. I feel like I've raised you myself after all these years we've spent together. I'm sad to see it end" he whispered. Her breathe immediately caught in her throat. End? What is the end? Was this the moment she had been waiting for? Release from the torture, the pain, her tragic life that she had been cursed to live? She had to know. She opened her mouth to speak but no words would come out. It felt impossible to speak after being silent for so long. When she pursed her lips to try to speak again, he shook his head no. She needed no other commands. She closed her mouth and dismissed the thought of ever trying to speak again. He smiled at her once more.

"Still obedient. It is a disservice to the Human Nation to see you go Number #2" he stood up and loomed over her. "The civil war has ended Number 2. Your barbaric species actually won" he said with a chuckle. "My species?" She thought. Her mind was racing. More thoughts ran through her mind in those 5 seconds than in all the years she had spent in that dungeon. She had not even known there a civil war between vampires and humans. Was that why she was here? She remembered nothing from her childhood. She closed her eyes, trying to focus on how she had gotten to this point but everything was a blur. The only thing she received from trying to recall her memories was an intense headache. "Who would've thought vampires could unite long enough to fight a war civilly". He paused for a moment before going to her chains and unlocking them from the wall. "Do you know what that means?" he asked as he continued to take the shackles off her. Her heart was racing. Adrenaline rushed through her entire body. It almost scared her how much energy she had gained. It had been so long since she felt a hint of life inside of her. "It means you can go home Number 2" he said with resolve. "Home? Where is home?" she thought to herself. The last shackle was removed from her, yet she still felt reluctant to move. She remained on the floor, wary that it was a trick or a test of some kind for her obedience. "What is this?" She thought to herself. After all the time spent in there, she was sure she would die there. She had accepted that fate long ago, and yet here she was, being unchained for the first time in what felt like centuries.

"Why are you still kneeling Number 2? Didn't you hear me?" he came to stand in front of her again, this time choosing to remain standing. "You're free now Number 2. Won't you at least stand up?" she could hear the teasing tone in his voice. It was a game to him, like it had always been. He laughed once again. "I know what you're thinking my dear girl but I assure you, it isn't a trick this time". He paused. Suddenly, he jerked her to her feet. She cried out in pain, tears once again running down her cheek. Her limbs were so stiff; as rigid as the concrete that she had just been kneeling on. She heard her voice for the first time in ages through her whimpering and sobs. Such a negative welcome to hearing her own voice again. Her body ached in every way possible at the sudden movement. Her legs had been numb for days and feeling the blood rushing back into her limbs was excruciating.

"I told you it wasn't a trick this time" he whispered, as her cries slowly died down as she adjusted to her standing position. "You're really free this time" he whispered once more as he slowly led her out of the dreary, gloomy dungeon, into the blinding sunlight.