STAY (Completed)

Chapter 23

KEITH

A grunt escaped me as I rolled over. The sound of metal clinking against metal was far too loud in my sensitive ears.

Ugh what day is it?

I rubbed the back of my head feeling how sore it was from Lotor yanking out the strands and smashing my head against the floor a few times.

My head hurts. I whimpered.

I scanned my surroundings through half lidded eyes.

Lotor was away for the moment. I used the opportinity to rise and assess my injuries. I still had a broken rib that needed to be taped. My lips and cheeks were swollen from bruising. I was having a hard time seeing out of my left eye due to red splotches in my vision.

Probably a broken blood vessel.

I had scars and some open wounds that stung my back. I didn't even want to think about the pain I felt in my ass.

I looked to my bloodied fingertips. I fought off Lotor to the best of my abilities and managed to draw blood across his chest.

I thought his torture was awful before and couldn't get worse, but I was dead wrong. He was growing impatient. His people were slowly disappearing, which meant his control was diminishing.

If I could hold out just a little longer...

I knew the thought was a desperate attempt for hope. I knew that with each passing hour I was that much closer to my death.

Lotor couldn't find Shiro, and he still hadn't figured out I was his brother. It was only a matter of short time before Lotor completely lost his patience and took my life.

An image of Lance reaching out to me crossed my mind. I blinked in surprise at the thought. Lance ran through my mind every waking moment. He was what kept me going until recently.

It was getting harder and harder to picture him. I could barely remember the curves of his face. The sound of his voice when bickering with me. The way he smelled. The way his lips tasted.

It was all fading into a crimson nightmare. His screams, the pain clear on his face. The torture behind his eyes.

That was all I had left of him. That and my suffering.

I deserve this.

As I lay there staring at the mildew covered ceiling the door opened. I flinched at the sound and squeezed my eyes shut as I waited to hear Lotor's sickly sweet voice beckon me.

When it didn't come I peered through half hooded eyes to see two men enter the room. I didn't know anyone around here having been locked up since I was taken, but they didn't speak as they stepped toward me.

I was on my feet in seconds my survival instincts kicking in.

"We're just here to take you to get a bath." One of them spoke calmly while the other glared at me suspiciously.

A bath?

Maybe Lotor was sick of seeing dried blood and wanted fresh blood.

The thought made me nauseated.

This could be my one chance to escape. There's a reason he wants me cleaned up and I don't think I want to find out what it is.

I relaxed my pose but still remained on high alert.

They used handcuffs for my wrist but allowed me to walk freely between the two of them. I surveyed my surroundings trying to make sense of the building from when I had first arrived.