Arisen (On Hold)

Chapter 6

I awoke rather groggily and confused; to discover that I had been restrained rather tightly to an old wooden chair with stiff ropes that are rough against the sensitive skin of my wrists. 

"Ah you're awake. Wonderful." The shadow man from the alley, with no clear evidence of a physical mouth, spoke in my direction but stood across the small room from me.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?"

"Ah my dear, now those are difficult questions. And you are here to answer my questions, not the reverse." He states as he saunters over to where I am sat in the room.

"But I don't know anything." I said as I tried to plead with this strange and imposing being.

"Now how would you know that before I have even asked you anything?" He said with overflowing arrogance and a hidden motive of some kind that I could not quite decipher. "Who are you? What is your name?"

"What? Why do you want to know that? Why should I tell you?" I was completed baffled at this point by the man's intentions. Shouldn't he know who I am if he kidnapped me?

"Just answer the questions, unless you want me to inflict excruciating pain upon you to get the answers I want from you." He replies sternly, with agitation and impatience lacing his voice.

"Nyah Greene." I whimper out in response, confused as to where this is going and what he could want from me.

"Very well then. Who are your parents and family?"

"I don't know them."

"Don't lie to me Miss 'Greene'." He enforces his response with an aggressive step forward towards my chair.

Perplexed by the way that he says my name, I answer, "I'm not lying, I am an orphan and never knew my birth parents."

"What happened to them?"

"I don't remember."

"Who were your first adoptive parents?"

"I don't remember them either."

"What about any of your other foster families?"

"I don't remember any of them. I only remember a little of my most recent family."

"You are really starting to annoy me Nyah." He says as he is now mere inches away from my face.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you want me to say."

"Well, what about your friends then? What community do they each live in?"

"What are you talking about? They don't have communities, they just live wherever or with their families."

"What about your gifts? When did you first manifest?"

"What gifts? What are you talking about?"

"You are becoming very irksome Miss Greene. I want answers from you now!" I only manage to sob in response, as I am terrified but very bemused as to what this shadow man knows, wants or needs from me.

"I don't believe you. I think you know far more than you are letting on. Where did you go? What did the woman tell you?"

"What are you talking about? I don't understand!"

"Very well, perhaps some pain will make you more willing to provide me with the information I seek."

"Nooo please! Aaaahhhhh!"

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The burning sensation throughout my body was unbearable, the pain inflicted on various areas made it difficult to stay conscious, and the sound of flesh on flesh became deafening. One hour, half a dozen long cuts, and a handful of bruises, later the shadow man and his minions stopped their assault on me and left me alone to rest in the room.

Whilst I was pulled to sleep by exhaustion, for my body to rest and attempt to recover, I could hear the shadow man speaking to someone about me. I strained my ears to hear as well as I could but was only able to pick up bits and pieces of different sentences being said.

"Nothing......we were wrong....... what do we do now?.... does she know anything?..... she is nothing special......leave her for a while.....just get rid of her....."

The little snippets of what I could understand filled me with dread, made me hope this was all just a nightmare that I would soon awaken from. I waited here tied to this chair all alone in the darkness for a while, waiting for their return, but the concept of time was difficult to track or be aware of in a room with very little light and no windows.