ONE DROP OF BLOOD (ongoing)

CHAPTER 20: THE SHACKLES

Zariah, who is running away from the dark dungeon, where she was brought and locked up with others to become bargaining sacrifices, has now on her way to the huge town.

She found a giant tree and rest against there a bit from all the exhausting running she did.

She made it.

She was able to escape.

She thinks that maybe the prison cells only blocks destructive powers. Hers is only to allure and control hollows through the sounds that she produces from her voice. Even though it's a little bit weak, it's indeed useful.

She made a shallow breathing, a deep, torpid one to relax herself. Then, she shouted with joy.

"I did it!!! Hooooo!!! I, I did it!!" she said as she slid down against the hard trunk of the tree, down to its roots, buried on the ground. She sat there with all her sweat and exhausted body.

She touched her chest in relief, and felt her palpitating heart.

"You bloody boneheads! I was about to be a sacrifice to those cursed hollows!!! Curse you all!... Curse you all to death!..

Thank goodness! I've escaped!"

She wiped the sweat and dusts out of her face with her hands before proceeding towards the town.

She could already see the familiar traces of lights and houses there, when suddenly, many atrocious hands pulled her and covered her eyes and mouth with cloth, tightly.

She struggles to break lose and shouts for help. She pleads them for mercy, but they did not listen.

She was carried away, hands were tightly wrapped on her feet, legs and body. She keeps on wriggling, but their hands that hold her are so tight and strong.

She couldn't see them, but, she knew that they were the same guards that were chasing her. They didn't stopped until they found her.

She was carried, until she heard the familiar sounds of weeping and hoarse voices of hollows that pleads for their life again.

She already knew where she was.

Then, she felt her body was thrown down against a solid ground floor with force. She whimpered in pain.

The sound of iron bars that jammed closed echoed to her ears.

She was taken back to the dungeon, but they separated her from others, leaving her all alone in a different cell.

"The next time a hollow escaped from here, we'll be the dead meats instead! So, learn to your mistakes and never let this thing happened again!!" a man said, reprimanding those that were controlled by Zariah's powers.

"We're sorry, Daimos. We didn't know she's a Vibra!"

"We already sealed her mouth as you can see, so she could not use her powers again to control us."

They told the man.

"The bargaining will happen tomorrow night! The Council won't take that as an excuse!!" he replied angrily.

"Make sure no one will know about what happened today, or else, they'll serve our heads on large platters to the cursed hollows!!" the man replied, warning them. They expressed a great fear on their faces as they assured the man.

"We understand."

Then, they walked away leaving Zariah there.

..........