The Revival

03| You Have a Concussion, You Know

Spitting up blood is not something Elia ever thought she'd be used to. Now, however, after days of endless torture under Elijah, it is something she can classify as normal.

Gathering the blood to one side of her mouth, Elia all but pukes it out onto the tiled floors, watching as it spreads sickeningly by the balls of her feet. She tries to wipe off the excess from the corners of her mouth, but the chains that have been tied to her wrists from the ceiling prohibit their movements. Though the stance is uncomfortable, with her toes only just able to touch the ground, Elia is trying her hardest to stay tough.

For Nathan, and for herself.

"This can't be fun for you, Elia." Elijah's voice booms from some unknown area through the speakers in the room. "Just tell us what you know about Wyatt's replacement. We know Nathan told you who would take Wyatt's place once this movement of yours took off."

He didn't, though. Not that Elijah would believe that.

In all of the planning they'd gone through, not once had Nathan mentioned the possibility of the Rats finding a replacement for Wyatt. There wasn't really any need for that type of conversation, seeing as he and Elia never intended to kill him in the first place. If all had gone according to plan, then Wyatt would have been their tool to get to the rest of the Rats so they could take them all out in one swoop.

At the time, it seemed like a perfect idea. They hadn't planned for this mess with Elijah, not even amid their suspicions of him. There wasn't really the time to question his every move back then.

Now more than ever Elia wishes they would've carved the time out to do so.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Elijah." She spits her words out, disgusted when she sees a stray drop of blood fly from her lips. "Nathan didn't come to me with that kind of information."

All of a sudden the chains around Elia's wrists are pulled up, making it almost impossible to keep her feet planted on the ground. She cries out in pain, clenching her teeth so tight she's afraid they might chip away. If Elijah pulls up any further, her arms might snap from their efforts to support her weight.

Not that the pain could truly get any worse from here. It was like someone had just stuck spears into every nerve ending in both of her arms. Unwillingly, Elia lets a few tears fall from her eyes under the stress.

When Elijah comes back over the intercom, there's a sort of commotion going on behind him. Elia can almost make out words of protest from an unidentifiable voice, but it's muffled. She hears him address Elijah directly, though, which is a risky move in itself. Whoever it is has a lot of guts to stand up to him, especially when it regards her.

"He's dead now, Elia, you don't need to protect him anymore. You've got nothing left to lose." Elijah's words hit Elia like a punch to the gut, making her want her empty her stomach all over again. Though she goes through the motions of it, gagging and all, there is simply no more food in her system to give up. The oatmeal she was fed for breakfast had been cleaned up off the floor over an hour ago. "Just tell me a name, any name."

The urge to lie to Elijah was tempting. She almost did it countless times these past few days, but every time she tried she always chickened out. Though Elia wouldn't admit it to anyone, she was terrified of what Elijah could do to her. She's only pretending to be strong to get out of this for Nathan and the rest of the people she'd lost in such an untimely manner.

Lying to Elijah will only do Elia more harm than good. If she's caught, God only knows what the punishment will be. And while she can handle a few beatings, Elia is positive the likelihood of her surviving Elijah's direct wrath is slim. He might not be the most intelligent man on the planet, but he knows how to use his strength to his advantage.