Blood and Snow

Chapter Eleven

"That was easy," Mason stated in a monotone voice. He lowered his shoulders, looking to the right in thought, "I'd almost think she was lying, if she didn't have that knife to her throat."

He looked at the hunting knife sitting on his desk and picked it up, noticing a small, red smear on the blade. He began to examine the knife when someone knocked on his door. "Enter." He called to the person on the other side. The door opened and Baron stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He looked at Mason, "So, how'd it go?"

Mason looked at Baron, twirling the knife in his hands, "It went well, she answered most of my questions."

Baron nodded, then raised an eyebrow as he took notice of the red smear on the blade, "You actually cut her?"

Mason hummed, "I didn't entirely intend to cut her, so it has to be a small wound. I think she didn't even notice."

"If she did, you'd probably get yelled at by Happy." the taller of the two rolled their eyes, "I told her not to get attached to that lawyer, but she didn't listen."

Mason grinned, "What did you expect, Baron? This is the first female hostage we have, and Happy saw a chance to make a friend. You should know by now that common sense doesn't stop her."

"Still," Baron said darkly, "Happy should know how to save her feelings when the person she's befriending will only leave this place with a bullet in her head."

Baron turned to walk out of the room when Mason called to him, "Wait."

"Yes?" He asked, turning around. Mason looked him in the eye, "Miss Dance said that the police might know where we are. It's highly unlikely that they do, but just in case, I was you to tell the others to prepare for an evacuation."

Baron raised another eyebrow, "Estimated time of evac?"

"Four-to-Five days is when the S.W.A.T. will arrive, so make it four. Like I said, it's highly unlikely that they found us, so tell them it's a minor precaution. I also want you to break into a police department and find out where they think we are. Shouldn't be hard, considering that you've done it before."

Baron nodded, "Consider it done."

Mason nodded back, "Thank you, Baron. You may leave now."

Baron nodded again and walked out the door.

}—————{

[Day Four]

It was lunchtime, and Belle was sitting in the far corner of the room. Myckenzie set a bowl of sliced fruit on the bed and huffed, "Come on, you have to eat something. Mason couldn't have scared you that bad."

Belle shook her head, muttering a small "I'm not hungry" as she pulled herself together, hiding her face behind her knees. Myckenzie rolled her eyes, "Look, I'm not someone who can empathize with you, but I might understand that you're scared. Probably terrified."

Belle looked up at her as she went on, "But let me reassure you that, at the moment, we still want you alive. If we didn't need you anymore, Mason or Baron would have murdered you by now. So eat the fruit right now, or I'll get Baron to force-feed you with a knife."

Belle nodded quickly as Myckenzie passed her the bowl. As Belle started eating, Myckenzie pinched the bridge of her nose, 'I feel like I'm babysitting a child. Why can't Happy do this? She's better with other people than I am.'

The pink-and-blonde-haired woman sighed, "Just set the bowl by the door when you're done, I have to go do something, I'll be back to take it later."

"Okay." Belle said, watching her leave. Myckenzie closed the door, leaving Belle with her thoughts. 'I hope she doesn't mean it when she says she'll get Baron.' She thought, wincing as she brushed a finger over the small cut on the left side of the base of her neck. She didn't realize it was there until this morning, when she was changing into another outfit. It was a black, long-sleeved shirt with jeans that were an odd shade of red ('Please tell me that's just a manufacturer's choice and not blood'). After she had put on the shirt, she saw something red on her neck and (thinking that it's probably just a string from the jeans) went to brush it off. When it didn't, she felt over it for a moment, then realized that it was dried blood.

Belle shook her head, then finished off the fruit. She got up and walked over to the door, setting the bowl down, then walked to the center of the room. Belle sighed, then had a small idea. It might be a bad idea, considering that it'll look like she tried to escape, but as long as she felt secure, she didn't care. Belle gathered the journal, the crayons, the wooden slab, and the coloring book that were given to her, as well as her coat and a pillow from the bed, and sat on the floor by the side of the bed. She set everything down beside her, then lifted up a part of the quilt. 'Thank you...'

Underneath the bed was (barely) enough space for her to fit in comfortably. She lifted the quilt higher and crawled under the bed, then turned and pulled the rest of the objects in with her. She moved over to the corner, then put everything in front of her. Belle pulled the pillow towards her and covered herself with her coat, like she had done the past few nights.

Belle looked around the underside of the bed as she resisted old memories from taking over her thoughts. 'How many times in my life have I hidden under beds to escape a monster or two?' She thought with a familiar unease, reaching a hand behind her to brush over her back. She shivered at the feeling. Belle brought her hand back and wrapped her arms around the pillow as she, regrettably, became engulfed in a memory.

One that she would rather forget.

}—————{

"Well? What did you find out?" Mason asked Baron as he walked into the warehouse. The big man was covered in snow and his coat had a considerable amount of blood on the stomach and sleeves. Baron pulled the bandana away from his mouth and took off his coat, revealing a black shirt with white stripes and dark blue jeans. "They haven't found us." His voice rumbled clear, "And I had to kill a pig."

Mason raised a brow, "Did you really have to, or did you just want to?"

Baron looked at his boss, "Does it matter?"

"Not really. Try not to make a mess with that coat of yours, alright?"

Baron muttered a "sure" and walked away, carrying his coat in his arms.