One Last Chance

Chapter 25

He was flying...

He was lighter than air, king of the winds...

He was crashing towards the ground...

Daniel awoke abruptly, as if someone had shouted in his ear. His eyes snapped open, and he immdiately shut them tight to avoid being blinded by the harsh fluoroscent lights. Behind his eyelids he saw a galaxy of swirling starry circles, and he groaned as he felt his head pound.

He moved, and to his surprise felt as though he was swinging in mid air.

Which he was.

Daniel opened his eyes, squinting and found himself looking down at the floor below him, then glanced up. He was hanging from the ceiling, suspended in mid air by a thick rope bound to his chest. His hands were tied up too, his legs dangling in mid-air.

As the fog in his head cleared he took in his surroundings. Plain white walls, concrete floor, blue metal door to his left. One iron bracket attached to the ceiling, where he was tied to.

What the-

The fluoroscent light above the door threw a harsh, uneven glow around the room. The result was that the room looked post-apocalyptic, like a forgotten underground bunker. It was as every bit creepy as any horror/ zombie apocalypse movie Daniel had ever seen and was likely to never forget.

How the hell am I supposed to get down from this?

Daniel snapped his leg out, swinging his body back and forth. The iron bracket creaked but held firm, the rope still as sturdy as ever.

He felt nauseous as he rocked back and forth. The side effects of what Lionel had done to him were still there.

Closing his eyes, Daniel used his fingers to explore the rope wrapped around his wrists. The knots were expertly bound, tight enough to make sure he wouldn't escape, but loose enough to ensure proper blood circulation.

He opened his eyes and looked down, then up. The rope he was suspended from ran from the iron bracket to three rounds around his chest and down his back to his hands.

Clever. I haven't seen anything like this before.

The light over the door began to flicker menancingly and snapped off moments later. In the total darkness Daniel heard the turn of a key in the lock and the squeak as the door opened. The door thumped close and he could hear scraping sounds on the concrete floor.

"Who's that?" Daniel waited for an answer but none came. After a minute or two there were more scraping sounds and the door open and shut again.

"Hey!"

The light flickered on again, but this time, he saw something that hadn't been there before.

Actually, two somethings.

One, Lionel was standing in front of him.

Two, the box.

The one on the table that had been covered with cloth.

Lionel glared at him. "Where is your father, Daniel?" His eyes betrayed no emotion as he spoke, unerving Daniel.

"I don't know."

"Tell me where he is or you'll get hurt."

"I don't know where he is!"

"TELL ME WHERE YOUR FATHER IS!"

"I DON'T KNOW! I ran out of the house, remember?!"

Lionel slammed his foot into Daniel, sending the boy swinging wildly like a pendulum. Lionel reached up and out and jerked the rope straight, causing Daniel to cry out in pain.

"I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS!  WHY DON'T YOU GO FIND HIM YOURSELF!"

Lionel bunched his fist and held it up in front of Daniel. The boy glared back at Lionel, challenging his steady gaze.

"One last chance, Daniel. Where is your father?"

Daniel felt a surge of anger rise in him. No matter what... his father was still his father. He had a vague idea of where he might be, but no way he wasn't going to spill the beans.

"Find him yourself, you useless bastard." Daniel spat at Lionel.

Lionel held his glare at Daniel for a few seconds before turning away.

"Very well then, Daniel."

Lionel pivoted on his left foot and slammed his fist into Daniel's stomach, waiting for his captivee to swing back and forward to him to land another blow.

Instinctively, Daniel lashed out with his foot, catching Lionel's shoulder and causing him to stumble back. His momentum carried him forward and he followed through with his kick. Lionel crashed awkwardly to the floor and swore loudly.

"Son of a bitch! "

Lionel crawled over to the box and yanked the cloth off. Daniel's self preservation took over and he found himself screaming.

"NO! DON'T!  PLEASE!"

"Not so cocky now, eh?"

The whine filled the room and the last thing Daniel saw was Lionel laughing manically before he fell into darkness.

A/N

Hey guys! Thank you for waiting sooooo long for the next chapter. I'm sorry I took so long over this, but once you start procrastinating there's really no end to it, is there? Haha.

I hope I haven't lost any OLC fans in the four months since my last chapter. From now on I'll try to update more frequently, because the school holidays are here! Heh heh.

On another note, I'm so glad I survived the end of year exams and drama. Plus, I'm really improving in softball now. Just... gotta work on grounders. -.-'''

Keep calm and wait for Chapter 26!

●phoebechew7600●

P.S. Check out my latest story, Four Words!