Time passed by excruciatingly slowly as every shadow in my mind darkened into black pits of torment. Things I should have done. Things I shouldn’t have done. The consequences of my actions and inactions. They all tormented me as I hung here. Screams of the past, screams in the present, screams from wives who lost their husbands after missions. All the noise around me was far too loud and I was unsure if they were real or if my mind was continuously pushing me into a state of madness.
One particular voice rose above the rest while I found myself lost in chaos.
“Vik you have to stay strong. We are all we have, Vik,” Inés quietly sobbed.
My arms were losing blood and I welcomed the pricks of pain that traveled down my limbs. I felt hollow with no feeling, no hope, there was nothing that could save me. I was alone.
I didn’t know how much time passed when Abyzoure-entered along with the giant vampire from the first day. Her lover. His presence brought true terror to my very existence.
His face slowly grinned while he stared at me, then Inés, with delight.
ChapterFourteen
One thinggood that came from the last torture session was the simple fact that they unrestrained us and left us with a jug of water. By my calculations, we had been captured for close to a week, much to my mind’s disagreement. Why else would they finally give us something to keep us alive?
We still didn’t know what their plans were but at this point, it didn’t matter. After feeding the water Inés and slowly drinking some for myself, we were able to ration out enough water for another day.
I removed my shirt to help clean her up as much as I could. Ripping off a piece of the fabric, I tied it around my toes to close off the wound to the elements before shoving my feet back into my boots. We huddled beside each other for long silent moments, letting the water churn in our guts as our bodies greedily took it in.
A headache was starting to form and I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to keep my mind stable enough to be there for Inés. Whatever that was worth.
“Vik, I’m glad you’re here with me. I mean, I’m not glad we’re here but you know…” Inés whispered against me.
I chuckled at the stupidity of the circumstances, but I knew exactly what she meant. I didn’t think I could have made it this long if she wasn’t here with me. “I've got you and you got me,” I told her.
She laid her head on my chest and I wrapped my arm around her.
As she drifted off to sleep, my mind ran through all the possible escape plans.
Ares whispered to me and I turned my head to look at him. Emerging from a dark corner he gave me an unhinged smile and stretched out his hand. I frowned, uncertain of what was happening.
“Trust me,” he whispered.
When turned his hand up and opened it, there were vials of what looked like blood. How did he get these?
“Drink this one,” he whispered, pointing to the smallest of the batch.
I reached out slowly, careful not to jostle Inés, and grabbed the vials. I blinked and Ares was gone. How did he do that?
A disembodied voice floated beside me. “It’s almost time for them to come back, get ready…”
How did he know that? I quickly drank the smallest vial. It tasted metallic, like blood.
“Vik?” Inés called, waking up at that exact moment.
I hid the vials in my boots and behind me right before the door to our torture chamber opened with a creak.
Something inside of me grew, something that was uncomfortable and much more terrifying than the giant vampire that left us in the current state we were in.
It was hope.
“Get your asses up, you filthy humans!” one of the captors called out as he made his way toward us.
We didn’t move. I held onto Inés tighter as she trembled in my arms.
“How cute. Too bad you won’t live long enough,” the other one taunted and laughed.
“I said, get your asses up!” The first one lunged and grabbed my hair, pulling me up, clattering the vials behind me.
