The Alchemist's Starling

Death Would Be A Kindness

Chisa's POV

"ANSWER ME, SLEIGH BEGGY! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

I was petrified, fear flashing in my eyes as I stared at his stormy orbs, shaking uncontrollably. Sure, he's been mad at me before...

But never like this...

"SPEAK! YOU HAD PLENTY TO SAY TO THAT MAGE!"

Suddenly, Joseph yanks me closer to him so that our noses are almost touching. His eyes are still blazing with fury, and I desperately tried to get away. But his other hand strikes, catching my neck and squeezing in warning. My breathing hitches and I struggle in his grip. my shaking hands clawed at his hand around my neck - I truly believed he was going to kill me.

Maybe death would be a kindness...

But Joseph releases my neck, and through my blurry vision I see him raise his hand. Then, he moves so fast I have no time to react. He backhands me across the face with so much force it sends me sprawling to the floor. Pain erupts from my cheek and I swear I can taste blood. I'm too stunned to speak, but tears fall like rain from my eyes. That really hurt...

I shriek as his foot connects with my rib cage. The force causes me to tumble across the tiled floor until my head slams into something hard and cold. I hiss at the unwanted contact. Something warm and wet trickles down the side of my face. I swallow uneasily, gingerly lifting my hand up to my head. I wince, feeling a large gash just above my right eyebrow. I groan at the pain, bringing my hand in front of me. It's red. The sight alone makes me queasy.

That's when I notice the large cage in front of me. No wonder I'm bleeding, it's rock hard. I hear whimpers coming from the cage. I look closely in the dim light, and my heart freezes. Inside the cage in the same tight, black bindings, are the dragon hatchlings, shaking in fear. Tears gathering in their terrified eyes. I grip the metal bars tightly, my knuckles turning white. Fresh tears pour down my cheeks - they just want to go home...

Unexpectedly, Joseph wraps his hand around my hair, twisting the strands roughly before yanking my head back. I yelped at the intense sting. He started dragging me away from the cage, which I immediately released. I couldn't turn around because of his grip on my hair; I stumbled, not used to walking backwards. Joseph pulled harder, my hair millimetres away from being ripped from my scalp. It hurts... He gave me no time to recover, and I scraped my knees painfully on the tiled floor as he continued to haul me along.

Abruptly, he let me go. I sigh in relief, allowing myself to fall to my knees. My relief was short lived... Joseph's hands creeped underneath my arms, lifting me effortlessly. I struggled and shrieked, but it was hopeless. I slapped his chest with my flailing arms... He growled, shoving me away from him. I fell backwards, but my back met a cold surface quicker than it should have. The impact knocked the breath out of me, a dull ache creeped up my spine.

In a flash, he was on top of me. I screamed bloody murder, thrashing beneath him as he straddled my waist, trying desperately to get away. His good hand caught my wrists, while his poor hand clamped over my mouth. I stared at him fearfully, my chest heaving.

The look he gave me could have killed me on the spot if it were possible. Again - what a kindness that would have been. His eyes burned unnaturally, a sneer etched on his face. It struck enough fear within me that I stopped moving completely. That's when I realised... I was on the same metal table where he sliced my arms... I couldn't stop the horror that showed on my face, and I started hyperventilating, my eyes widening.

What's he going to do? Please, someone help me!

At my horror-stricken state, Joseph took the opportunity to tie me to the table. I didn't even realise until it was too late. I just lay there pathetically, terrified of what is to come.