Empty Echoes

Deranged

Chapter Twenty-Four:

Deranged

His mouth was dry. In the way that one could only achieve by sleeping with it wide open. It was the first thing he registered, and he ran his tongue along the sides of his mouth in an attempt to regain his saliva, before the ringing in his ears and the pulsing throb of his head took over.

He groaned, grimacing. He kept his eyes shut, afraid to open them encase he was assaulted by unpleasant light. He moved to massage his temple, hoping to relieve himself of the pain, but his arms wouldn't move. It was as though they were glued to his sides.

"Oh, look," the mocking voice pierced through his skull, hardly audible over the ringing in his ears, "The all-powerful Green Ninja has awoken."

Fingertips lightly brushed against the flesh of his cheek, colder than ice, sending a shudder up his spine.

"Don't you touch him!"

The fingers came to stop. Then, with a small chuckled, they retreated, and Lloyd began to breathe again. He hadn't even realised he'd stopped.

"Lloyd? Lloyd, are you alright?"

He tried to answer, but all that came out was another groan. He tried to open his eyes, wanting to see what was happening, but they quickly fell closed again when his head spiked, his fears having been realised. Wherever he was, it was bright.

"It appears," said the mocking voice, "That the Master of Power has a... headache. You must regret keeping your concussion from them, no?"

"Concussion?" that was Cole. What was he doing here?

A sigh. Someone else, with a mechanical ring to their voice. "I knew it."

Taking a steadying breath, Lloyd forced his eyes open, but he was hardly able to see through the blurriness of his own vision. Someone was standing in front of him, surrounded by a green hue. Someone he knew. It took him a moment to recognise who it was.

"Clouse," Lloyd sighed, his voice hoarse, the ringing in his ears slowly dulling, "Of course."

"Aren't you glad to see me?" asked Clouse, a smirk dancing on his lips. He didn't wait for an answer. "You've gotten yourself into quite the pickle, haven't you?"

"Lloyd," the voice was desperate and relieved at the same time. He turned his head slowly, locking eyes with Jay, who was tied up to a pole a little ways to his right, "Lloyd, are you okay?"

He blinked slowly, wishing he could raise his hand to rub his forehead, "Yeah," he croaked, "Yeah, I'm fine."

He took a better look at his surroundings. They were in a large room- no, a hall. Like an entrance hall in a mansion. Doors branched off to gods knows where, and ladders vanished into the darkness far above them, propped against the walls. Vengestone chains kept Lloyd's arms at his sides, rattling and clanking against each other with every move he made.

Black Rags surrounded them, taunting grins and snickers beneath their ragged shawls. Some were perched on the ladders, others tables or chairs or on top of each other. One hung upside down from a low beam, giggling and pointing and singing something in their unknown language. A taunting song.

The only word Lloyd could think of to describe the scenario was deranged.

They all looked deranged.

Jay and Cole were tied up to poles to his right, said poles having been bolted to the wall. Nya and Zane were in the same position, except to his left. Lloyd's back was pressed against a fourth pole, but he wasn't tied to it, leaving him sitting on in a puddle on the floor. He wondered if that was on purpose.