2- A New Darkness

A New Darkness

Chapter Two

Word count: 3295

I awoke to darkness. Pure, heavy darkness. Out of instinct, I breathed deeply, only to be met by an unfamiliar sensation of stabbing pain. I gasped at the feeling, echoing throughout my body. My hand flew to my chest instantly, where I remembered a piece of my mother's pot had embedded itself through my ribs. But I didn't get even close to it, instead, I felt a sharp tug on my wrist.

I tried my other wrist, gave a sharp yank, but was only rewarded with a sharp bite of metal on my delicate skin. Panic gripped me. And I gave short pants to fill my lungs, trying to avoid that stabbing feeling that overtook my body with every panicked breath I managed to draw into my body. I shifted myself, felt that rough rope wrapping itself around my ankles, metal over each of my wrists.

I squirmed, feeling that there was a bandage wrapped over my rib cage, the only thing covering the upper half of my body. My pajama bottoms remained. And I was soaked, my hair clung uncomfortably to my face and neck. My feet bare.

I could feel cold metal under my bare arms and lower back, making me guess I was sitting on a chair. I moved my fingers. Fine. Rotating my wrists were limited from the handcuffs I supposed were gripping me.

I moved on from assessing myself and squinted into the darkness. Nothing. I was completely blind. Not a single ray of light anywhere to be found.

But I could hear. Proven by the sound of my rasping breath. I tried to quiet my breathing, but my head was pounding so loudly and I was still trying to get enough air in.

"You're not very good at following rules." The noise in my head seemed to hesitate at that voice. A deep sound resonating in what sounded like a rather large room. Every fiber of my body seemed to freeze. To focus.

"Are you?" My head whipped to the sound of his voice, coming from somewhere off to the right. But I didn't respond.

"And rather clumsy, I heard." He said from somewhere behind me. I let out a slow breath.

I grit my teeth. Sure, I had been told I was a little clumsy before, but I wasn't about to let this Stormer call me one.

"I'd rather be clumsy than murderous." It was a sad comeback, but my head wasn't thinking straight. Probably from lack of oxygen.

I could practically hear his smile. "And how would you know?" He was directly in front of me, his voice sadistic, yet somehow managing to take on an edge of amusement. "Have you ever killed before, Hayara?"

I couldn't help the stunned gasp that escaped me. How could he possibly know my name? It wasn't exactly a name you could just guess.

That deep chuckle echoes around me. But his voice was humourless as he says, "Yes, I've been watching you for quite some time, little one." Managing to make the pet name seem like an insult rather than a comforting nickname.

I didn't want to participate with him, lessons from school ringing in my head. Don't engage in conversations with strangers. But I was too curious. I had always been stupidly curious.

"Why?" Despite not being able to see, my head moved with his voice.

"I was planning. Preparing. You Environmenters are quite good at getting away." He was behind me. "Tell me, what do you know about Stormers?"

I frowned, focused on his voice, where he was. His feet were noiseless, nonexistent. As if he were nothing but a voice.

When I didn't respond, he hummed a sound of discontent. I jumped at the feeling of a hand on my face, brushing my hair out of my eyes. His touch was so precise, so gentle, and with that a realization dawned on me. That he could see me.

My heart picked up. I yanked violently at the cuffs on my wrists, shivers running down my body at the repulsive feeling of his touch. But his hands were on my arms, pinning me to the chair, his grip stronger than the metal cuffs themselves.

"Nothing? They must have taught you something in school?" I was a good daughter. A good student. My teachers always praised the work I could do as an Environmenter. The control I possessed, But something had come over me. The panic I felt or the fact that I was completely helpless, or that in front of me stood a Stormer, because, hoping that his face was somewhere in front of me, I spit at him.

And I didn't even feel bad about it.

I figured it would make his touch go away, possibly even make him leave to wipe his face, giving me enough time to find a way out...

But he didn't even flinch. Instead, his grip tightened on my forearms and he leaned in so close I could feel his hot breath on my face.

"I dare you," He growled out, his voice animalistic, "to do that again." His voice sent a violent tremor through my body and with a distant thought I realised it was fear. The thought went through my mind- to spit at him again, just to see what he would do, but something told me I most likely wouldn't survive the next few hours if I did.

I felt his gaze on me for another moment before his grip disappeared and I realised I had been holding my breath.

"Good girl." I jumped at the voice right at my ear, a sharp gasp escaping me. But he was gone as soon as he appeared.

"Now, tell me what you know about Creatters."

Creatters?

"Come on now," he prompted, "prove to me you learned something in that silly school of Enviros."

"They- they're a legend." I scolded myself for shaking of my voice. I was supposed to be stronger than that.

"Hmmm, that's what they told you? A legend?" Something clicked below me, the sound sending a small flicker of hope alighting in me and I hesitantly pulled at the cuff. It slid from the armrest easily, hanging on my raised hand. The ropes slithered away at my feet, relieving the pressure. I yanked at my other wrist but was met by that recently familiar bite. I brought my free hand over to feel the cuff, not sure exactly what I was looking for. But that hand clamped around my forearm once again and brought it back to it's armrest.

"That's not how this game works, little one." My heart sank deep into my stomach. Game?

"Do you know how I got you? Got around your precious protocol?" I shook my head.

His breath was on my chin, "humour me."

I thought of the unlocked door, the unheard alarm, my safe code. "You have someone on the inside."

"Close." His voice nothing more than a murmur.

I thought of my mask that never dropped. "You overrode the system."

His hand disappeared on my wrist and a click sounded. I didn't wait. I lunged from the chair, dashing blindly ahead of me, hoping to take him by surprise.

But what I didn't think about was the pain it would cause me. I cried out, hands going to hold my side. It slowed me down enough that his bare arm slithered around my waist, pulling me back to the chair. His foot nudged behind my knee and my legs collapsed, putting me right back into that chair. His hands resumed their positions at my forearms, locking me down as securely as handcuffs.

"That's not how this game works either." He growled. "Try to move." He said, but it was not a command. It was a dare, promising penalty if I were to do so much as itch my nose.

He stood again, disappearing. My arms stayed on the armrest.

"Where do you think you are?" I didn't hesitate this time.

"In Stormer territory."

The sound of a handcuff snapping shut came and, without thinking I yanked my wrist up. But the bite came again, his hands coming down on my shoulders.

"Wrong." My other handcuff snapped.

"I didn't say anything!" I argued desperately. He could at least play his game fairly.

"And here I was thinking you were smart." He said, mildly disappointed.

"I don't get these rules."

"That's part of the game. How fun would this be if you knew all the rules?"

"It's not fun at all!" I yelled, my voice higher than I had expected, frightened.

His touch disappeared, and I felt him move behind me, "Hmm," he mused. I could feel his eyes on me, inspecting me.

I didn't move. "What do you want?" I ground out, finding that my anger was beginning to surpass my fear.

He didn't respond right away, instead he mumbled "no" over and over under his breath, coming behind me, his finger moved over my shoulders, around my back and to my collar bone. He knelt in front of me, hot air tickling my face "Where do you think you are?" he repeated.

"I don't know," as soon as I felt him kneeling down by my calves , I immediately pull my feet apart and shout, "Quakers land! Quakers land!"

It feels like he's silent forever, purposely building the suspense already heavy in the air.

That's when I realise something. The air isn't damp or heavy. It isn't difficult to breathe...

"Incorrect." I'm pulled from my train of thought by his booming voice, a moment before my ankles snap together.

I let out a groan of frustration and his echoing laughter definitely doesn't help.

"You have one last chance." I tried to focus, pulling the drifting thought back to me. The air in the stormer's pack was dense and heavy. This air was damp, but not uncomfortable so, something you would find in a rainforest. However, none of the landers had rainforests as their habitat. None except...

But that was impossible.

"You're getting close." I frowned, how would he know? Yet I found myself saying,

"But that's impossible."

"Your teachers are right about you."

"You spoke to my teachers?" I imagine him shrugging in the darkness, "Didn't have to." His words are plain and simple, but for some reason a shiver runs through me.

"Were you spying on me?" The thought makes my skin crawl.

"Answer the question, Hayara." His voice is scolding now, still coming from directly in front of me.

"I don't know." I conclude.

"Yes you do," he whispers, his voice husky.

"The only possible answer isn't possible at all." I feel his absence, as if all heat is stolen from around me and I have no idea why I suddenly feel so cold.

I sense something soft caress my face, above my eyes and I turn my head from side to side, but a hand grips my chin, securing what I assume is a blindfold.

"What are you doing?" But he doesn't answer. It bugged me not being able to see in the darkness cloaked around me, but being blindfold... For some reason that bothered me more.

Panic set in, turning in my head.

My mind was telling me to fight, to tear the blindfold off, but the invisible man standing in front of me caused me to hesitate. Something about the way this game was going, seemed to make me understand that there was nowhere I could go to get away from his reach. He had me exactly where he wanted me in this moment.

"Don't move." He growled, both my cuffs dropping from the chair, my ankles released. My body twitched with the instinct gnawing at me to make a run for it, to reach up and take off that blindfold.

His arms went under my own and lifted me up from the chair, his fingers warm on my skin. I stand with him, confused and slightly dazed.

He gives me a slight nudge forward, but I don't move, confused of what he's expecting from me. I can feel him right behind me, his warmth radiating onto my skin. I could duck and run, search the walls for a door of some kind, pick up the chair and swing it at him, hopefully knocking him out.

"It won't work," He whispers in my ear bringing a shiver from me. His voice lowers to a husky growl, "And you'd only end up regretting it." It was a promise, I realised with a start.

His hands ran down my arms, lingering at my wrists. He brought them together behind me, connecting the two handcuffs. I frown again, somehow knowing he can see my face, even though he stands behind me.

"I don't trust you." Is all he gives in response. The feeling is mutual.

"Let's go for a walk, little one." He gives me another nudge, and this time I hesitate for only a second. I'll have another chance, I tell myself. If he's taking me out of the dark room I can yank the blindfold down and make a run for it. I was fairly fit, my parents made sure of that. You never know when you need to run, they would say. Environmenters were notorious for not being easy to capture, however escaping... most of our kind had never been in the situation. Our aim was not to get caught in the first place.

"Did you make me deaf?" I asked. Maybe If I had heard the alarms I could have made it to the safe faster, and my code would have worked.

He doesn't answer. Though I'm not sure why, I attempt to turn my body around, to face him. Maybe it was because I had the habit of looking people in the eye when I spoke to them. It comforted me. But Before I can manage to complete the task of turning around, that sharp pain returned to my side. I swore under my breath.

"Not a very Environmenter thing to say." He commented. When I didn't respond he adds, "You had a collapsed lung when we got to you, it'll hurt while it heals. You had a concussion as well." This also confuses me.

"Why heal me?" But this he didn't answer either. And for some reason, the thought of him patching me up lessens my panic. If he helped my wounds maybe he didn't plan on killing me.

Yet, at least.

He kept an almost uncomfortable grip on my arm as we walk. If I wasn't so distracted I could have realised he was nervous. Nervous that I could make a break for it. The cuffs weren't that tight after all.

"How long have I been here?" I had impaled myself with a piece of a pot and managed to puncture a lung, yet I didn't feel as horrible as I should, how long had it been since I broke protocol?

We walked for a long time, I gave up asking questions seeing as he didn't respond and instead focused on my other senses. The air was getting dryer, comfortably so as we walked down a smooth pathway that felt like polished stone under my bare feet. I heard a river a few moments ago, but the sound had quickly passed as if we had gone by a window. An open window.

Environmenters were the only landers that didn't have window panes, we liked the sun, the rain and the natural wind. We welcomed the birds that flittered through the bars and the insects that came along with them. If it were a perfect world, we wouldn't have had doors or bars either, but they were necessary to keep stormers and other landers out. Though Stormers were the only ones to bother with the helpless Environmenter.

"Where are we going?" I pushed for the third time, I didn't even bother to keep the frustration from my voice. I had gathered from the stranger that he could tell even if I did hide it. I was an open book to him. But I wasn't exactly a good liar, I had never had to lie before, it wasn't something that we practised.

But all he gave me was, "you're not very patient are you." My face heated. Not out of embarrassment, however. I was getting very annoyed with this man.

I didn't know how long we had been walking for, time wasn't something Environmenters were could at keeping. We followed the sun, but it was a little hard to do that without sight. It was irritating to be blindfolded, losing the main sense us Environmenters used.

I folded my hands into fists, digging my nails into my palms. We weren't supposed to be violent, peace was something we practised everyday... but I was seriously thinking of punching this man. I thought I could make it a little longer but when his chuckle sounded above me I immediately stopped, forcing him to halt beside me. I did my best to glare at where I thought his face was. He tugged my arm encouragingly, trying to pull me along again gently, but I yanked my arm back by spinning my entire body, careful to not hurt my side. Who knew what was holding the gash from opening and bleeding out.

"Tell me where we're going," I demanded. I was sick of this. "Or take this blindfold off." He didn't move, didn't respond right away, just moved his grip to my upper arm.

A few moments later he whispered, "Is that supposed to be a threat?" the sound was right by my ear, his breath tingling my delicate skin, warming my ear. I manage to fight the shiver. I didn't answer, hoping my face has at least some dignity, some confidence remaining.

"Take it off yourself." He says, further away. I breathe out, realising that his proximity makes my breathing halt. And not in a good way.

I process his words. He wants me to take it off myself? He's still gripping my upper arm, but I turn my head into my shoulder, trying to rub it off. I don't even care how idiotic I look, I just want it off, to size up my captor eye to eye.

When my shoulder fails, I switch to the other side with no success. I try to squat down to use my knee and his grip disappears, but the cut in my side pulls with pain.

"Dammit." My instinct was to reach for it but he won't loosen his grip. Guess that was a massive fail. I attempted to face him again, "Is this another game? Dangling something impossible in front of me?"

I felt warmth spreading onto my skin, soaking through the bandage wrapped around me. Whatever had been holding it together, wasn't anymore.

"Shit." He cursed under his breath, his grip moves to my side, pushing on me to stop the gushing of blood. I was already beginning to feel a little dizzy. How long did I have before I completely fainted?

"You're hurting me," I said in a daze, his hand was digging hard into my side and it was painful enough that I gasped when he increased the pressure.

"Stop moving." He growled. I don't know when or how I ended up on the floor but he pushed his free hand on my chest, keeping me from rising.

"I'm on the east quarter, get Talori over here fast." His words swam inside my head, barely making sense. How could I possibly pass out this quickly? Sure, it had been a large gash, but it still shouldn't have taken what felt like seconds for darkness to consume me.

Or maybe it was my inability to keep track of time.