Dark Angel // Austin Mahone *REWRITING*

Chapter 3: Chains and Cuts

The door at the top of the stairs was admitting little light through its cracks. The room had gotten colder since the sun had set, and I still had no concept of time. The taut chains on my wrists had now left temporary scars. The chains had sharp chips in the metal, probably from earlier use on who knows what, causing them to cut into my skin, the blood now down to my elbow. My stomach was full of the strange meal, but my head still pounded at the uncomforting basement in this man's house. All I had to stare at was the rogue roll of duct tape the man had left on the floor beside me and the strand of ants still following their own path.

A faint whistling played as footsteps approached the door once again. The man hopped down the steps, his eyes glowing with a sense of enthusiasm, which worried me. The glass of water jumped with his stride, nearly spilling as he moved. He made his way back over to me, kneeling down as he handed me the glass. I carefully took it from his hands and stared at him, fearfully awaiting his command on if I could drink it or not. He stood, towering over me, and cocked his head to the right. A thought seemed to run through his head before he pulled the duct tape off my mouth, grinning as my nose scrunched in pain. Finally, he stood once again, giving me a nod of approval before he retreated away to an old shelf.

I carefully pushed myself back against the even colder wall, pulling my knees to my chest and keeping a tight hold on the glass, as if he would take it away from me. My thirst was finally quenching, and I could breathe. The air was dusty, which caused my nose to burn, but it settled me for now.

The man was rearranging the few items that sat on the metal shelf, sliding the layers of dirt off them as he read the labels of bottles and shook small the boxes. He decided on a small duffel bag on the lowest shelf, pulling it off before carrying it over to me. I still sat against the wall, now chugging what was left in the glass while he seemed distracted. His eyes met mine as he crouched once more in front of me, setting the bag down and unzipping it. He pulled out many peculiar items such as a small first aid kit, a flashlight, and a small oxygen tank. The bag seemed to be for emergencies, but this didn't seem like one. My heart raced as he pulled the last item out of the bag, a large set of pliers.

My eyes widened as I starred between the tool and the man's face. His brow creased in focus as he took the glass away, setting it next to him and uncrunching my arms from my body. Carefully, he took hold of the chains on my wrist, inspecting them before clicking his tongue.

"I should have had these checked before I had my men put them on you. They seemed to be worn down. Sorry about the cuts.", he spoke diligently as he clipped the chains. Keeping a firm grip on my left arm, he helped me stand up. The weight of my body nearly causing me to collapse after sitting for such a long time, but the man caught me before I landed back on the hard concrete.

His hand stayed around my wrist as he tossed the pliers halfway into the bag, kicking it back towards the shelf and retrieving the glass from the floor. His head turned back towards me, looking me up and down before settling on the cuts coating my wrists. His tongue clicked again as he began leading me up the steps.

"We need to get you cleaned up before you go into your room. I don't want you getting blood on anything.", he said as we ascended the last step. The room that meets the basement was a large garage. My eyes wondered over the expensive vehicles that were parked in separate spots, noticing a theme of Range Rovers and the color red.

The man pulled me along through another door, walking me down a corridor before we took a sharp left turn into a bathroom. His grip loosened as he maneuvered behind me and pushed me before him, leading me to a large bathtub and gesturing for me to take a seat on the edge. He walked back to the door and shut it, turning the lock before spinning back to meet my confused gaze.

"I really did strike out this time. I've never had someone so calm.", he said with a small grin as he pulled out a first aid kit from under the sink. I don't quite know what possessed me, but my idiot mind decided to respond. "You've had others?", I stuttered out. My body shook when he jolted around at my voice, he too didn't expect me to speak.

He shook his head at me as he took my wrists in his grasp, dabbing them with a cloth soaked in alcohol. My body tensed from the stinging, and I began tugging away from him. He let me go, allowing me to breathe for a second before he continued.

"Not one for pain?" it was almost like he was asking himself. I knew by his eyes he didn't want a response, so I kept my mouth shut and tolerated the rest of the pain from the cuts in silence and stiffness.

By now I had fully accepted this scenario as my fate. I realized when we were making our way through the corridor that I was, in fact, in a large and unknown place. I would have zero fortune in escaping now, even if I tried my damned hardest. While he wrapped my wrists in bandages, I concluded that I would play along in this terrifying experience until I knew I had a full chance of an exit, that way I wouldn't get myself killed. That works, right.

I held myself back from nodding my head in agreement with myself for my own plan. His eyebrows constricted once more as he ran his eyes over my face, probably reading me like a book. Once he finished wrapping my wrists, he pulled me to my feet once more.

He led me outside, down even more corridors, and up one of the two flights of stairs in what seemed to be the main entrance way. I had a small glimpse at what looked like a massive living-room and kitchen on the left side of the house just before we ascended up the steps.

As my feet hit the dark wood of the top floor, the man pushed me in front of him. "Go ahead. Your room is down this hallway.", he said as he pointed down, yet another, corridor to the right. I made my way down, the man trailing behind me. "Fourth door on the left." He stated as he let me walk further ahead of him. I reached the door, facing it and turned to watch him as he drifted up next to me. "Go in."