After the Turning [c o m p l e t e d]

Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Cage

The last thing I remembered was the burning feeling in my chest and my inability to feel anything but pain. I woke up in a dark room. So dark that I wouldn't have been able to see the walls if not for my enhanced vision. The paint on the ceilingwas starting to peel off and there was a rusty smell in the air.

My shirt was stained with blood and I couldn't comprehend why. I didn't cough up any. My head was still giddy, and I felt like throwing up.

"Finally awake?" I raised my head and glanced around the room. A man emerged from a corner. He had an unshaven beard and shaggy hair. Immediately the word 'danger' flashed in my mind. I looked for the nearest escape, before realizing that I was trapped in a cage-like structure.

I threw my body against it, but it didn't even budge.

He strolled over to a wooden table that was shoved next to me and rested his hand upon it. "I'm sorry about the blood, but I guess it's just one of the side effects of the potion. Oh, and don't bother about the cage, I put a spell on it."

Now that he was closer I had a better view of his face. He looked familiar. "Adan?" I asked. I didn't know why I said Adan's name. There was something about this guy that had to do with him.

His tone changed the minute I uttered the name. "Yes, Adan. The person that spawned me." It was easy to tell that he didn’t like Adan very much.

"You're his spawn?"

"You say it as if I'm weaker than him. I'm not. Perhaps before, but now I stand a chance. Now more than ever since I've managed to have you in my hands."

I honestly had no intention to imply that. I was hoping that since he was Adan's spawn he would treat me better. From the sounds of it, the opposite was true.

A large force hit the cage which almost sent me flying backwards. "You." The man leaned against the bars, grinning at me. "You're my little prize." There was something about his smile that made me want to throw up. I wanted to inch myself away, though I didn't because it felt dangerous to move.

He let his eyes turn into a pitch black color. It was like a dark abyss that I never wanted to come close to. The tip of his fangs escaped from below his upper lip.

The side of his mouth curved upwards. "I'll be back for lunch." The man stood up and turned around, walking toward the door.

I assumed that he would be gone, but before his fingertips rested on the door knob, I felt his body bang against the bars of the cage again. He fully released his demon form, his teeth completely lengthened with his mouth open. A coarse hiss sounded from the back of his throat.

I thought that I'd be mauled.

Just then, his face receded to its normal appearance. "Just kidding. See you later."

He walked away again, but this time it was impossible to pry my eyes away from his back until the closed door left him completely out of sight.

The floor was a rough concrete and the cage was barely large enough to fit my body.

That wasn't what made me worry.

The most troubling thing was what that man said about 'lunch'. The look in his eyes told me that he wanted to... wanted to eat me or something. I became even more conscious about my neck. It never felt more vulnerable.

I dragged out Adan's letter and looked at it. If only I had listened to his emotions. Then I wouldn't have been left in the midst of danger. If only...

I wanted to get out of here.

'Adan,' I whispered. I repeated his name in my head so many times I lost count. A burnt bedroom was nothing compared to this cold place that smelled of death. I shouldn't have pushed him away, hurting his feelings in the process.

Right across me was a pair of handcuffs--with jagged spikes projected into where the wrists should have been. Bile churned in my gut. That man wasn't going to use that device on me. Was he?

This was the first time I regretted my tantrums so much--even more than those spurts of anger I had when I was still a kid.

The letter was folded. I held it in my palm, reading the words once more and rubbing the paper with my thumb. Even the sticker was still there. Adan wasn't going to let me get hurt. Was he?

 ~

They were coming for me, Adan and Hollie.

That thought gave me hope--something that made me remain stay sane in these cramped conditions. The blood loss was starting to make my throat burn. The thirst was creeping in. Hollie didn't give me any blood for a whole day before this.

My shoulders and hips were starting to feel sore from the awkward sitting position that I was left in. But that wasn't something to complain about. Not when my kidnapper might've left me hanging with those spiked handcuffs. It was good that all I was feeling was soreness.

I was starting to lose consciousness, but I couldn't let myself--something was about  to feed on me.

A bright light escaped into the room, and quickly disappeared like a flash. A loud slamming sound accompanied the flash, as if there was lightning and thunder.

"Hello again."

I drew in a sharp breath and turned to my left. He was back.

The glint in his eyes made my heart race--and not in the romantic kind of way. "It's lunch time."

He was hungry. But so was I and starting to feel cranky. I barred my teeth at my kidnapper and thrashed myself against the bars again, wanting to knock him down.

I wanted to go home.

The man held a cocky grin on his face. "Easy there, love." I only I could tear his smile off that face. To send a warning, I growled.

As he reached for the lock of the cage, I eyed his fingers warily, my growl simmering down into a low warning. I felt like an animal. I almost thought I was one. It all felt so... instinctive.

The gate creaked open. At once I aimed for his throbbing throat. I'd take any kind of blood to feed my raging hunger. It was as if a knife was shoved down my throat and inching down my gut.  

He grabbed my right arm and turned me around, pinning and rendering me helpless. "Fiesty," he whispered closely. His hot breath warmed the back of my ear. Disgusting. "I'd say I prefer the obedient ones, but I can't have the best of both worlds can I?"

I struggled against his strong hold, but like Adan, he felt like a rock. "Let me go--"

A sharp sound echoed throughout the room. It sounded like a scream. My scream? I couldn't tell. The sole thing I knew was the sharp pain in my throat that made my vision turn into a blank white. It never hurt this much when Adan bit me. In fact, it made me feel alive.

It was nothing like this.

I thought that the pain would never end. I couldn't even tell whether I was still alive anymore. Eventually, only the numbness remained. And then weakness. The blood was draining from my face. I wasn't alive anymore...

Or so I thought. The man released me from his arms and threw me onto the ground. "Delicious. The legends were true after all." I had no strength to turn around to see his face, but I was sure it was one that would make me want to crush him and rip off that vile mouth of his.

A delighted laugh sounded from him. "It makes me want more. I need you alive though."

Apparently, I was in the cage, because I heard the slamming of the gate and the locking of it. I didn't care. The groggy sensation made it difficult to think at about anything.

"I'll be back tomorrow," the man said, "don't worry about feeding. You will have some blood later. Can't have you dying of blood loss."

The blood. It seemed brilliant yet I didn't want it. I'd rather die right now than go through the pain again tomorrow.

I didn't remember what happened after he left. I passed out.