Nimrah

Deserves it

------------------------------------Chapter 17---------------------------------------

Mrs Shella loosed a vicious remark, “Get the hell away from us!” Lon rolled his eyes and stepped back. Perhaps you should take this. You haven’t shifted yet. Lon though to Max. Max nodded. He continued forward dumping the man just out of reach from the rest of the people. They shuffle back but not so fearful.

“Look, these guys are lying. They aren’t here to protect you. They’re here to harm us. Nimrah particularly… I get that you’re scared of us…but would people protecting you seriously tied you up? Knock you out?”

Mrs Shella fell silent. Contemplation crossed her face. Lon smirked in the background.

Max bent down beside Mrs Shella offering to untie her hands. She eyed him cautiously but conceded.

“Lon, you should go try and catch up with Nim. Al, try wake up Seraphine. She should go with him.”

“Why can’t I go too?” Allegro asked as Lon hustled out of the room.

“You can, just wake Seraphine first.”

Allegro nodded and bent down beside Seraphine. He cautiously shook her, ensuing a low moan.

“Yo, Sera… Wakey wakey.”

Sarah began helping Max untie people as Seraphine begun to stir.

 

The world was tilted upside down as my eyes open. White paws dangled before my eyes… Oops, still shifted. The ground rocked in rhythm to the soft thudding. Walking… Someone’s walking… and they’re carrying me. I slowly began shifting back, trying to do so subtly.

“She’s awake,” someone murmured. Bugger.

“Wait for her to finish shifting then tie her hands and ankles together,” another voice advised. I bit my lip and started squirming. No point trying to remain quiet now, may as well go out fighting. The grip around my waist, anchoring me over this man’s shoulder, tightened. I was hooked in such a way that escape was not going to be easy. Suddenly I was flopped back and tossed to the hard linoleum they’d being walking over. My arse connected with the surface with a jarring thud. Pain ricocheted up my neck. I winced as my teeth clacked together catching the interior of my lip between them. The metallic tang of blood entered my mouth, reminding me when I was kidnapped. I shuddered, trying to push the memory from my head but failing.

“Quit your squirming. Do you seriously think you’re going to get away as easily as that?” The first thing I noticed about the man was his forehead. Large and prominent, it shaded his eyes making them appear darker and more foreboding than they should’ve been. His dark hair was receding, his ears stuck out the side of his head. But the scariest feature was the tick white scar that ran down his neck. Unlike those on Lon’s cheek his were still ugly and puckered like silk jammed in a sowing machine. This man hadn’t been in the room with everyone before… where was I? The man bowed down, reaching a hand briefly behind him. His stature loomed over me as his hand returned. In it was a thick yellow rope. I felt I should be more scared, but actually found myself sighing in annoyance.

He wrapped the rope tightly about my wrists, the coarse fibres of the rope grating and biting into my skin. I sawed my teeth back and forth. I knew there was no point trying to struggle. It wouldn’t get me anywhere. Better to save my energy and get my bearings. Nothing about this place was familiar. I’d never been here before.

Nimrah had been missing for over an hour now and nobody had the slightest clue where to start looking. They’d hustled to the Determiners’ main base, but she hadn’t been there, and after barging three of the smaller bases with still no luck, and looking significantly worse for wear, hope began to wane.