It Happened in a Stormy Night

4. Captured

If there was a moment in Bill's life where he felt really bad, then the time had come now. No sooner, he had regained consciousness than the pain almost rushed to him, as if it had been waiting for an attacking moment. The Gila Lizard drew in a sharp breath, not only because of pain, but also a queasy feeling like he had never had before. He wanted to leave his body and run away.
He breathed hard and tried to move, but the ropes that he soon felt around his hands and feet made an escape impossible. Nevertheless, he made several violent movements to free himself somehow. Like a madman he pulled and dragged on the shackles until he was nearly killed in pain and his head sank groaning on the floor. The ground was hard and rocky. A cave? The air was cold and musty. But it was impossible for him to keep a clear head. His head was pounding. If his physical torture had been worse, he would have cried. So he stayed lying down and tried to ignore the pain somehow. He listened as he heard footsteps outside. Shortly thereafter, the door was unlocked. Bill closed his eyes and pretended he would be still unconscious.
"Do you really think, they will pay the amount, which we demand from them?" a deep man's voice said.
"They have to pay," a second man's voice replied. "Unless they don't bother about how their boss is doing."
The stranger looked down at Bill with a contemptuous expression. The lizard could feel his cold eyes on his back and a shiver ran through him. But he didn't move.
"But that's only possible, as long as he doesn't take a dirt nap before," said the other stranger.
Bill felt that one of the people push the bandage aside on his stomach wound. For a moment it got uncomfortably cold there.
"If he doesn't get medical attention as soon as possible, he'll bleed to death."
"Let him bleed," said the other one and snorted contemptuously. "His people will get a corpse anyway."
"But you said ..."
"That they will get him back if they pay. But not dead or alive. "
The person next to Bill stood up indignantly. "I do not want anything to do with murder!"
"Who is talking about murder? We only had to hurt him a bit, so that he doesn't behave mischievously. Therefore, it's a regrettable accident that he might not survive. "
"But..."
"Now shut up! Whatever! If it means a lot to you, then apply a new dressing, and that was about it. Roger that?"
The other one wanted to protest first, but then he shut his mouth and nodded.
Then they left the room again and left Bill alone.
Groaning, the lizard turned on his back. His head ached terribly, but despite all he knew that he wasn't in good hands.

It was not long before Bill heard footsteps again. The lizard quickly lay down on the side and closed his eyes. Shortly thereafter, the door was opened and closed again. The person laid something down beside him on the floor and removed the old dressing from the abdominal wound. Bill felt reptile hands, but he didn't want to look at the stranger yet.
"Damn it," the person cursed softly.
Disgusted, she folded the old, blood-soaked bandage and replaced it with a new thicker bandage.
"If I had needle and thread at least," Bill heard him. "He will die off here."
He touched his leg.
"That's not an awful lot better," the stranger muttered disapprovingly. "Meh, at least there is no bullet in there. Um, better I disinfect them again. "
With these words he reached for the alcohol bottle, which stood in the wooden box.
This time, Bill could not play the unconscious man. As soon as the alcohol touched his wound, he yelled.
The stranger chuckled mockingly.
"Did you have a good nap?"
The Gila lizard hissed threateningly and moved himself on his back, what wasn't easy with tied hands and legs. Next to the stranger lay an old oil lamp. He wasn't wrong. It was a big lizard, who kneeled in front of him. Maybe a goanna or something.
Bill's lips trembled terribly. "Bastard!" he hissed.
"Call us what you will. It was a mistake to compete with us."
Bill pressed his teeth together while the other one was continuing his work. Did that dirty guy wash his hands? It didn't look like.
"I hope you have a good connection to God," the other lizard muttered darkly.
"How so?"
"Because it might be that you won't survive the next few hours."