captor ❀ daniel seavey [ON HOLD]

8 ; empty

a month had passed since the last vision. the air in the room was heavy. a certain kind of sadness hung over all of us, but luckily for me, so did a small hint of hope. i had a plan. a loose one, a likely difficult one, but a plan none the less.

i was doing everything i could to keep everyone motivated. it was difficult, and eventually, i think i lost zach completely. he had gone silent. no one could get him talking. he spent every day rocking back and forth in the same spot, staring at the stream. the most he ever did was hum a small piece of a song to himself, a song i personally didn't recognize. it seemed to calm him, so none of us said anything to him about it. it hurt me to see him like this, and i promised i'd get him out of here. that was exactly what i intended to do.

without visions, i became frantic, constantly wondering when the next would be and trying to figure out how to piece them all together. they occupied every moment in my brain. i had to actively repress ideas and stressed thoughts so i could focus enough to simply talk to the others, and even when i did, my attention was half divided. it was becoming something i couldn't suppress, and i was beginning to think my visions were over, and that my entire purpose and every chance of saving my newfound friends had vanished.

one day, when the cells were quiet and the room was cold, i sat in a daze, staring at the empty slot between colleen and jack.

why is that cell empty?

"sorry?" jack says, bringing my attention to him.

"what?"

"what did you say? i swore you said something, i just didn't quite hear you clear enough." i thought i said that in my head.

i don't answer, but glance once again to the cell adjacent his. he glances over too, and he knew. he knew i was curious, confused. he knew i wondered why a worn blanket lie folded on the edge of the bed. he knew i didn't understand why a white hoodie hung on a plastic hook installed on the door in only that room, or why a flower was carved into the stream path. and he wasn't the only one that knew. they all seemed to - everyone besides zach, who stared blankly at the cell like me. at this point, i doubted he was thinking about it. i think he was just staring to stare - staring to keep his eyes open. he hadn't slept in a few days and had barely touched his food. his face was growing hollow. we all worried about him, hoped he'd find peace somehow. we all wondered how we managed to.

"his name was corbyn," katrina breaks me from my thoughts. i look at her quizzically. "the kid that was in that cell? corbyn."

"he was the best out of all of us," colleen says, reminiscent of the boy.

jack laughs, sadness lingering on his voice, "he was, wasn't he?"

katrina continues, "he always thought we'd make it out of here, one way or another. he thought we'd all team up and break out someday, that we'd overpower daniel or something. he had an imagination like no other."

"he was genius," coll smiles. "he wanted to be an author, and he used to tell stories about crazy adventures he dreamed of writing about." i smiled back at her despite being desperate to know what happened.

as if reading my mind, katrina spoke, a weak, sad smile on her face, "you want to know what happened, don't you?"

i nod. she sighs. her eyes well up, but she chokes back her tears. "like we said," her voice cracked, "he dreamed of escaping. he devised an entire plan where he'd escape, find civilization, and return to save us. he had us all inhale the gas that entered his cell through the vents that connect them so he would stay conscious, then when daniel opened the door, he'd sprint. but what we didn't know was that there was a lock on the door that leads into daniel's house. we should have consdiered that. it was dumb of us not to. he got caught. daniel dragged him upstairs, and we never saw him again."

my heart sinks, and everyone's faces drop. "corbyn besson," jack smiles, tears remaining on his cheeks, "the hero that deserved a happy ending. the cell's empty without him, but that doesn't compare to how empty we are."

❧

day turned to night, and night turned into the early morning. as we lie in our small metal cots, i turn to zach, who had remained silent all day, on the other side of the glass. there, laying almost lifeless on his back, he sat wide awake. his eyes begged to burn holes in the ceiling, but the formation of tears in his eyes kept them from succeeding. all the others had fallen asleep by now, and the clock on the wall outside our cells read 2:33am(although we never could be sure about that time. daniel would have no reason not to lie about it, at this point.).

gently, i ask, "do you sleep at all anymore, herron?"

he doesn't sigh, doesn't groan, doesn't budge. he sits there without expression, without feeling, without movement. only with tears. i turn back over and shut my eyes, until finally, he speaks.

"i don't sleep, 'cos sleep is the cousin of death."

wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? i had meant to start writing more when the school year rolled around, but honors classes have kept me distracted and busy. this one's a short one, but i promise longer ones are coming soon. i'm so sorry! i promise i'll try to write more often and get more chapters out faster. all the love, macca xx