Page 18 of Bound By Thorns
Logan
I had a plan, or the beginning of one. The infirmary sat just one level up from the dungeon, a detail I filed away during my last painful visit. I noted the lack of guards on the stairway leading up from the infirmary, but I couldn’t be sure what awaited at the top.
It felt like we were beneath a massive structure, maybe a sprawling mansion or an extensive warehouse. To get to the infirmary, I’d have to be in bad shape, so bad that Kaylan would insist on moving me there for treatment. And for that level of damage, I needed to provoke Tyka, strike a nerve deep enough to earn his worst.
In my head, I was counting down. For my first act, I’d have to mock an escape to understand as much as I could about the grounds. Later, I’d create a more meticulous plan to get the hell out. Once I did make my escape, I was certain they’d dismantle this place, and move their dark operation to a new location, especially knowing I could storm back with my squad. The thought of leaving the other prisoners behind gnawed at me. Having endured the brutal conditions, I knew the slow death we were all subjected to. I felt a compelling duty to rescue them.
But then, my mind veered to Kaylan. Her role here puzzled me, her alliance with Garret, her assistance in his schemes, her sharing meals, and her sleeping…
I forced my thoughts away from that unsettling trail, focusing instead on the plan of mock escape and the faint hope of salvation it brought.
The next day was the day I’d be making Tyka’s life hell with just my words, and in return, he’d give me the sweet taste of his fists or maybe a few kicks to render me broken. I just hoped Kaylan would make the decision to take me to the infirmary, otherwise all this would be for nothing.
When Tyka loomed into my cell, his smirk was less aggravating, his foul breath not as suffocating. I was oddly at peace, knowing each moment could be bringing me closer to a desperate grasp of freedom.
Once we were in the chamber, I looked around the familiar room, which always ended up blurry by the end of each session. The ragged exposed bricks, walls stripped off its plaster, the cold stone floor that dug in my back the day Tyka pushed my near-limp body to fall on my back.
The solitary bulb that hung from the ceiling, ominously. I wouldn’t miss this, definitely not.
Soon, I found myself suspended from the ceiling hook, the rope biting into my wrists, almost a part of me now. At that moment, hanging just inches off the ground, I couldn’t help but anticipate the end of this torment.
“So today…you will tell us where your base of operations was when you attacked Warehouse 67,” Tyka growled, his face inches away from me.
“New York, next question?” I croaked, my stamina wearing thin.
I knew the punch was coming, but it hurt all the same. Air thinned and I struggled to breathe after the blow to my chest.
“Don’t try to be smart, Logan Carlton. It wouldn’t bode well for you. Your five-member squad suddenly had backup,” Tyka’s voice seethed with barely contained fury.
I loaded my metaphorical gun and fired a shot, “You were always the smart one…Tyka Carlton.”
At the mention of his full legal name, his eyes, cold and gray, ignited with an infernal rage, a clear testament to the deep-seated animosity that had festered over the years.
“Don’t,”straight punch to my nose.“Fucking,”uppercut to the jaw.“CALL ME THAT!”Somewhere, I couldn’t feel anything.
The ringing in my ears was back, but it dissipated after a few seconds. I spat the pool of blood in my mouth right at his feet and he stepped backward, his face still twisting with fury.
I was on the right path, I had gotten him distracted enough that he forgot about his line of questioning. Time for the second shot.
“Sorry,” I breathed painfully, “I didn’t mean to hurt you,brother.”
An inhumane roar echoed through the room. Before I could blink, a flurry of fists rammed into me. There wasn’t an inch of my body spared.
I became so numb with the shock of trauma, that my body immediately surrendered to the sensation. Soon, everything was black. I could still hear them, but my vision was engulfed in darkness. For a moment I panicked, thinking I had been left blinded by the assault. But then I hoped that it was because my eyes were closed.
“…won’t like this,” a female voice mumbled quietly.
“I don’t care!” Tyka barked. “I will cut each and every limb off him. He only needs his mouth to talk.”
His voice was panicky, almost manic.
“Let’s take him to the infirmary,” the female whispered and I became certain it was Kaylan.
I didn’t know if I could, but I was sure my lips twitched slightly at the small victory.
???
I woke up with a frantic sigh, pain lancing through me with every breath. A wave of relief hit me when I felt the softness of a bed underneath me. I was in the infirmary.
