Necromancer For Hire- Arc 8

Arc 8, Chapter 31

The Captive

Victor felt like he was underwater, his senses muddled and vague as he struggled to regain consciousness. He had faint memories of being moved around and shaken, but they felt like he had dreamed it. He hovered the line between awake and asleep, his mind functioning but his body inert.

The first thing he noticed was a cold, hard floor pressed into his cheek. Victor groaned, his fingers scraping across concrete. His wrists were bound, limiting the movement of his arms. He drearily opened his eyes, the sight before him confirming his fears: he was no longer in Morena’s house. He was in a small, plain, windowless room, pinned to the floor by whatever drug Morena had slipped him.

“Are you awake?” a voice asked.

Victor awkwardly craned his head upwards, struggling to identify the speaker. Immediately, his eyes widened, the color draining from his cheeks.

In the corner of the room, a dark skinned man sat, a curly mop of brown hair splayed across his face. He was somewhat heavyset, a gentle smile on his lips.

He was the man from Morena’s photo album, her husband.

Victor stared at him with wide eyes, his bottom lip trembling. He had no idea what was even happening.

The man crouched down in front of Victor, shaking his head. “I can't believe they dragged a little kid in here. Disgusting,” he muttered, reaching out to pat Victor’s head, “But I'm thankful for the company. I thought I was going to go crazy here all by myself.”

Victor moved his hands to his pocket, realizing his phone was gone. He gasped, the man’s words hammering in just how serious the situation was. He pulled his knees to his chest, choked sobs making his torso quiver.

The man blinked, scrambling to console Victor. “Hey, kid, don't cry! It's gonna be okay! I know you're scared, but I'm going to protect you, alright?” He placed Victor’s head in his lap, smoothing down his hair.

Victor forced himself to take a deep breath, struggling to regain his composure. The man gave off a friendly, comforting air, luring him out of his panic.

“That's right,” the man murmured, wiping a tear from Victor's cheek, “It's okay, you're gonna be okay. My name’s Salvador Muerte, what about you?”

Victor frowned, looking up at Salvador blankly.

Salvador squinted. “Do you, um, speak English, kid? You kinda look like a Slav.”

Victor nodded frantically, attempting to touch his forehead to Salvador’s hoping to form a telepathic connection. Salvador dodged his movement, simply hugging him instead, completely misinterpreting what Victor was aiming for.

“It's fine if you're not that much of a talker,” he said, laughing.

Victor’s eyes traveled to Salvador’s right hand, his stomach churning. A bloody bandage was wrapped around where his index finger should have been, the wound obviously still fresh. Victor squirmed to get out of his grip, heart pounding in his chest.

Salvador gave him a lopsided smile. “You saw the finger, huh? You don't have to worry about that happening to you. The punishments aren't that strict around here.” A shadow passed over his face, “But I really don't know why they cut of my finger. They didn't even give me a reason.”

Salvador reclined against the concrete wall, stretching out his arms. “I suppose they brought you in for necromancy work, right? It's hard, draining work, but you get a couple days to recover after the seance. Don't even bother wondering what we're doing, because I don't even know. The boss wipes my memory directly after it happens. But I obviously haven't completed the job yet.”

He winked at Victor, laying a hand on his shoulder. “You can have all the food rations they give us, okay? You're too skinny.”

A cold sweat soaked his back. Necromancy work? He was here because of his powers? Did Salvador know Morena had brought him here? His mind was buzzing with too many questions, and he was still sleepy.

Weak and defeated, he cradled his head between his knees, leaning against Salvador.

He could only hope his promises that everything was going to be okay was true.

Author's Note- does this guy sound familiar? ;)