+ marks the grave {Completed}

Chapter 43

"Damn you!"
"Stop it!"
"Sit damn it!"
Who is that? And why were they so loud? What time is it? Where am I?
What is this throbbing pain I feel in my neck? Where did this migraine come from? Who's dog is that barking?
Wait. A dog? The only dog I know is Ly.
I opened my eyes rapidly and closed them in the same speed as the bright light shocked them shut.
I settled for calling out her name.
She would surely answer.
"Ly?"
"Wait don't run over there!"
Shortly after his outburst I felt something clawing at my feet. I tried to shake it off but it was the sound of rattling chains that managed to scare it away. I heard tiny little taps recede.
Followed by a growl of displeasure.
"Good and stay there."
It sounded as if he chained her up too by the slow dragging of chains that accompanied his footsteps.
"Amber are you awake?"
I didn't open my eyes.
This voice brought back the memories of our last encounter. I couldn't recall if a day had passed, or some hours or even minutes. My grasp on time was slipping away.
What I did know however, was that I was in pain, and my clothes was no longer the same.
I recalled my last argument. Something about this stranger bathing me.
"You knocked me out."
It wasn't really an accusation. I was stating a fact.
"Don't take the wrong way...you were smelling of sweat and other bodily fluids."
I took that time sniff myself. Point taken. Then I decided to quench my curiosity.
"Where am I?"
"In the basement."
Straight forward answer, I like it.
"What day is it?"
"Wednesday."
I've been gone for an entire day?
"What time is it?"
"Around 5:09pm."
Kent must be worried sick. But I doubt I'll be able to contact him. I don't even know if this boys' information is reliable.
He spoke again before I could ask another question.
"I know I'm late but happy belated birthday..."
I sent him a nod.
"I was going through your bag, you know, to get you clean clothes... and I came across a gift, that you didn't seem to have opened...would you like it?"
A gift? But Claire only put Luke's note in there...Come to think of it, I didn't see her put spare clothes either.
Could Claire have been aware that I'd be kidnapped? Is that why she suddenly become so close to me?
I had nothing else to believe.
Why else would everything that she had done led me up to this point.
Was our entire friendship fake?
Was Jeremy in on this?
Did Luke know?
"Hey...if you're mad that I went through your stuff I'm sorry....."
I had forgotten he was there.
I couldn't trust him. But there chances that he was lying was slim.
So I spoke.
"I'd like the gift."
He appeared to be startled at first.
Shortly after, he nodded and left the room. I took that opportunity to survey my surroundings.
The room was huge and rectangular.
The walls were solid concete, littered with iron chain attachments and the marble granite floor was drenched in stale blood.
The room was clearly a torture chamber.
There were no beds. No walls separated the room into restrooms or bedrooms.
There were no windows. No noise could be heard from outside.
The only light came from the two industrial size flood lamps. They were probably used so that the electricity output could be controlled as much as possible.
I was in the furthest corner to the right.
To the front of me, Ly was chained to a protruding iron rod.
She strutted towards me, making music of captivation along the way.
However once she stopped directly in front me, the chain noise continued.
Following the sound, I looked to my left. There, in the opposite corner, a girl was chained to the wall.
Her clothes was tattered and stained red. Her hair was matted and dirty.
Her skin was bruised and her body laid limp hanging from the wall.
It appeared at Ly's movement happened to stir her conscious.
She moved for a bit, but then stopped.
It seemed that she had fallen asleep again. Maybe it was fatigue or hunger.
I didn't know what caused it but I know it wasn't healthy. She capped out in 0.3seconds but before I could question it or her for that matter, I heard keys shaking. Shortly after, the door opened.
"Here it is!"
He sounded excited. If I hadn't know better I would've believed that the gift was for him.
In his hands had a lilac gift bag, white and purple kite paper peeping through the top.
He was about to hand it to me but abruptly stopped when he realized I couldn't take the bag from his hands.
"Um...I'll loosen the shackles on your hands..."
He dipped in his pockets and retrieved a bundle of keys. The key to the door was mostly likely on that bunch.
Which indirectly meant that to escape, I would have to acquire his keys.
As he stepped closer, I unintentionally sniffed him. He smelt like wild flowers.
A faint scent that someone unfamiliar to it would've not recognized.
"What's your name?"
He giggled.
"You have bad memory huh?"
He wasn't really asking me, he was stating a humorous fact.
As the shackles loosened, my body fell limp to the ground. I hadn't realized how much I was depending the the wall and chains to keep me upright.
"Oh damn my bad..."
He crunched down to my level.
It was clear to see that he was inexperienced in this field of work.
Maybe I could use that to my advantage. I tried to answer, but my lips were chapped and dry.
"My name is Roberto."
Giving up on vocal communication, I settled on a nod.
"As I said before, I'm your guardian.
I'm tasked to feed, bathe and watch over you entirely."
Speaking of food, I was starving.
But I didn't need to say it, my belly said it for me in an extremely loud grumble, which received a hearty round of laughter.
"I was originally supposed to bring you food...but I wasn't sure what you ate and was allergic too...so I came to find out but you happened to need a bath and it slipped my mind entirely..."
He bowed his head for judgment.
But I could do no such thing.
He considered me even though I was a prisoner. That earned him a bit of trust.
"A sandwich would be enough, I'm not allergic to anything, just lactose intolerant."
"Also...how often are you to take your medication?..."
How did he know about my medication?
"How do you know about my medication?"
"I found them in your bag...should I bring them with the food?"
I nodded. At first I thought he was informed of my condition. At first I thought Luke gave him information about me. At this point, anything was possible. There was nobody I could actually trust. Even Kent continues to hold secrets from me.
The thought made my teeth grit.
I heard him close the door behind himself, then the keys softly rattled.
How was I to escape?
That would be what I was supposed to be thinking about, but instead I found myself opening the gift bag and retrieving a little purple box.
On it had the inscription, "always have hope, the time will come,".
In it had a slick, smooth, shiny watch.
Instantly I knew who it was from.
The time keeper himself.