Mutation

Chapter 22: Kidnapped

When I finally woke up, I could feel my hands chained up to the wall behind me and my ankles were cuffed to the floor. I was in a pitch black room when I opened my eyes, exhausted. Suddenly, a door opened to my right and a person walked in. They turned around and closed the door behind them. The dark figure snapped their fingers, turning on the lights which seemed to be the brightness of the sun. I jerked my head down and shut my eyes tight. I gave my eyes a few seconds to adjust to the tremendous light change and then looked to the right where the mutant was standing. It was Queen Lucy. She had an unsettling smirk on her face. I was very weak and could barely lift my head to look at her. She was horrible to look at anyways- it was the Queen.

"It's been a while, Courtnee."

"Whatever you're going to do, just do it already. I'm sick and tired of your blabbing your mouth," I demanded. My voice was raspy and I had a hard time inhaling and exhaling.

"I'm not that evil."

Yeah right, I thought to myself.

She continued on, by saying, "Besides I need to ask you two some questions."

I was trying to figure out who else she was talking to, but once I looked straight in front of me I knew who she was talking about. In front of me, was Peter chained up the same way I was. He still had scratches and a black eye. The only thing that was different was the bag on his head was gone but in replacement to that he had a cloth wrapped and tied around his mouth so he couldn't speak.

"Peter?"

"Yep, that's his name. He's been in here for the time you and your friends were traveling here. Too bad you didn't see him get scratched and bruised. But, since you didn't see that you get to see him get shocked and killed very intensely."

I knew he wouldn't live through that. I could see that he has been through a lot and just needs time to relax and heal. Obviously, Queen Lucy and her servants beat him almost to death.

"Unless, you want to play my game for your lives," she added. "It's your choice. This is how it's going to work: I'll ask you some questions and you answer them or you don't. Every time you don't answer or say 'no', I shock your significant other. Every time I shock him, I will intensify the pain, starting at level 1. Okay?"

I had a look of worry on my face for Peter as I gazed into his eyes. Tears started to fill my eyes as she began.

"What's your full name?"

With hesitation, I softly said, "Courtnee Lynn Hanshew."

"Courtnee, do you like to be asked questions?"

I really don't like to answer questions, but I didn't want to see Peter suffer a pain that I caused. I slowly said, "yes."

"Do you want to see Peter die a slow and painful death right in front of you?"

At this point, I was ready to cry my eyes out. I knew if I said yes, she would kill him, despite what I actually wanted. With rivers rolling down my face, I said, "yes..."

"Really?"

"No!" I screamed without hesitation. I was sobbing now and it was uncontrollable. I knew what was going to happen. She immediately held up her hands and shocked Peter. Peter yelled and groaned in pain through the cloth in his mouth.

"Peter! Stop it, Lucy! Stop," I screamed at Queen Lucy. She stopped shocking him and looked back at me, slowly putting her hands down.

"Do you want me to kill him?"

"Yes," I calmly replied.

"Then shut up and let me do my work!"

I cried an ocean it seemed, as she slowly killed Peter. The extreme brightness of the lightning shock made me look away, but I could still hear him groan over the electric sound it gave off. Peter finally couldn't take it anymore and Queen Lucy, before his life was over, asked if I had anything to say to Peter.

"Yes. Peter, I love you more than you could ever imagine and more than anything in this world. In my life, you were my first priority. I love you with all my heart and that never faltered and I hope you remember that I the afterlife. I'm so sorry..."

As I said the last few words she shocked him for the last and most intense time. I tried to hold back the tears by closing my eyes, but, the longer I closed my eyes, the more my face started to feel dry. The physical feelings left my body but the emotional feelings stayed and settled inside of me.

When I woke up, I shot my eyes open and was dripping in sweat and breathing very heavily. I was sitting in a chair that was covered in the salty smelling fluid coming from my body. I didn't know what had happened. I was panicking about... a dream? I thought it was real. I was dreaming of the worst thing. But is Peter really okay? I thought to myself. I started to calm my breathing and looked around to try to find my friend... well friends. That's what I came here for. I need to get out of here and save them. The space I was in was very lite up and festive as I stared at the colorful birthday decorations. It is my birthday! I remembered. I know why she put the decorations up but why? Why did she do this for me? To try to make me forgive her for some unknown thing she did while I was asleep? I don't know for what reason but I plan to find out soon. I start but looking behind me. I see a door made of metal that was closed. When I stepped towards the door, an old cassette player turned on. I knew this would happen, I thought. Queen Lucy has recorded herself on a tape in a cassette player and put it on the floor right in front of the chair. I decided to listen to the tape to see if she actually had anything helpful to say.

"Hello, again, Courtnee! How was your little nap? I hope the dream you had last night was very dramatic. I didn't know that you and Peter were that close together. Well, I'll make you a deal. If you can escape this room before the timer to your left goes off, I will spare Peter and the rest of your friends. If the timer goes off and you're not out of the room yet, then Peter, this innocent sweet heart, will no longer be with us. And every 30 minutes after that, I will take another life of one of your friends. If you, somehow, do get out when the timer goes off, I will spare your friends."

"Hurry, Courtnee! Hurry," I hear from the tape. It's very faint but I know who it is: Peter!

"You have 30 minutes to save your friends, Courtnee. The first clue is underneath your chair. Good luck!" The tape ended with an evil laugh. I looked back at the door and sprinted over to it. It had 4 key slots and a coded lock over a chain connected to the wall. It took a four-digit code. How am going to get out of here? I thought to myself. Better start looking around, I thought. I sigh and turn around, looking at the chair.