Kidnapped

I opened my eyes but all there is to see was darkness.

Where am I?

I was about to stand up when I felt myself tide up. I pulled my arms but no, it wouldn't budge...so were my legs. I looked down at myself and saw thick ropes binding my whole body to the chair as if I became one with it.

Isn't this overkill? All I need now were ropes to cover my face to be mummified in order to join the early Halloween.

"Hup!" I tried to jump out of the chair and the chair budged. The chair wasn't glued to the ground! OH, THANK WHOEVER KIDNAPPED ME WAS STUPID!

I squirmed in my seat, trying to free my hands, and continued playing hop-skip with the chair. If maybe I can find the edge of this room-

Ack!

That is until my face slammed dunk to the ground, rather painfully. It felt like my head cracked. My forehead was the first one to go when it hit the cold floor.

I hope I didn't lose too much brain cells. I'm already stupid as it is.

I groaned in frustration. I can barely move from this uncomfortable position. It hurts my neck, not to mention, I can barely see, dammit.

"You're awake."

A weight was pressured on me, squishing my cheeks against the ground. The deep voice came from a female.

"Who are you?!" I tried to turn my neck to see the culprit but, she only pressed her foot even more.

"You have no rights to ask questions."

I heard a wood crack…as if it was a warning. I gulped. What the hell is going on? I can't see!

I need to get out of here. But, where exactly is "here"?

Ugggh, does it even matter? I need to untie myself first.

I struggled even more. But wait… The alley! That old man, the weird wolf, the blue blood! That's all I can remember…

Or was it only just a dream?

If you think about it, none of it makes any sense at all. The old man wielding a sword, a strange rabid beast with bloody red eyes and black fur, has blue blood too—all of it sounds like a high fantasy kind of thing. What if all of it was just a hallucination…

Wait a second! That would make sense! What if I got kidnapped and they fed me some sort of substance to make my brain dream something so vivid and real? Then the last true memory would be the two shadows by the entrance…

Is it? Or am I trippin'?

I sighed. What am I even saying? I've been seeing those creatures ever since the pandemic started. They only roamed around the city and never attacked any people. Since no one could see them except me, I ignored them like how everybody else acted… Who knows what could've happened if provoked? People walking by would have thought I'm a madman, screaming my lungs out while being torn to shreds for some unknown reason like straight out of a horror movie…

You never know… I've never encountered them so there's no way knowing.

"Hey! Listen here, you little outla. You should pay attention when someone's talking to you."

Wha? Who is this woman? All I can remember was a hazy memory of that old man… Wait! Wait! Was I, perhaps, kidnapped?!

Wait, then who is this woman?! Was she part of it? Are they gonna sell my organs? Is this how I will die? I haven't even properly said goodbye to Jane—well, I did but! I promised I will come back!

I need to get out of here!

"Let me go! Let me go!" I thrashed around, trying to shake the woman off me. Instead, I looked like a worm wriggling after being touched because of my restricted movement.

"Stop moving," she growled.

Ha! As if! I wiggled even more; she clicked her tongue and pointed a sharp object at my neck.

The metal felt cool against my skin, I saw a glint travel its length in the dark threateningly. Cold sweat ran down my back as I held back my head to keep it away as much as possible. A ball was caught in my throat.

"Go on," she coaxed in my ear. "Keep doing it and I'll cut your head off."

Eek! My precious head!

My body was stone cold. My breath hitched; my hands clammy; my eyes fixated on the blade that threatened to take my head.

Just how the hell did I wind up in this position? I knew these drug dealers got their heads rigged. Unfortunately, I happen to stumble across them.

Ugh, this isn't how I imagine it to turn out. "I wanna crack someone's head open," I grumbled in frustration.

I heard a deep chortle. "You thought of that even when you're the one in peril."

She pressed the blade deeper into my skin. I felt a sharp sting and I knew, I'm bleeding. I bit my tongue, closing my eyes tight.

"Just-" I kept my voice calm, but the slight tremble gave it away, "Just what do you want?" I hissed, blindly glaring at her in the dark.

She threw her head back and snorted. The object pointed at my neck was gone and I was able to release a breath of sweet relief I didn't know I was holding. Her sudden burst of laughter bounced off the empty walls.

She was definitely mocking me.

"You- you…" she wheezed in between her laughs, "You're stupid. And strange…for a human. You? What do we need someone from you?" she pointed at me while holding her stomach, wiping away a tear. "Like you can give us a mere something."

For a human? Wait no- that's not important right now. This person! She's definitely mocking me! "My organs are still worth ten-thousands, you know!"

"Oh…?" she smiled. "Then how about we cut your body open, hmmm." She flipped me over and pointed the knife she used a while ago right at my eye.

What the heck am I even saying too?! Out of all the things I could have said! My organs are worth thousands, of course, that would only entice them to actually do it!

I traced the sharp blade's length and swallowed. The calm steady point was a contrast to my quaking pupils. I could faintly draw the woman's silhouette. She seemed to be much taller than average. I could sometimes distinguish curves that seem to be out of proportion but it's probably just the bare slimmer of light in here.

"I have a question for you," she said.

"And if I don't wanna answer?"

A whistle cut through the air. "Then I will sell your organs."

I flinched.

"Why don't you try?" Her white toothy grin stood out in the dark. She was really mocking me, huh? I felt enraged but…the hair on my nape stood on its ends and my senses told me to run, away from here, away from her.

This is… this is like the incident back in the alley.

The voice in the back of my head said to do what she told but-

"If you continue, you'll never get the answer." I challenged back with a grin.

She guffawed while I sucked my breath and hoped that I won't lose my head just because I don't wanna lose my pride. It's a big chip I'm gambling for no gain, only consequences.

She continued laughing like a madman. Is this woman okay? She sounded like she needed therapy or rehabilitation; or both.

I can barely see her faint shadow in the dark, but I saw her wipe the tear from her eye.

This woman. She's crazy.

She held my chin. I can feel her sharp nails as she forced my gaze to meet her eyes. Abnormally long nails. It's not like those claws the girls in her school call as manicure.

"Alive or not, I could care less."

Her lips broke to a grin, her eyes curving to perfect crescents. Her blue sapphires were with glee. And all that made my stomach churn.

"I could just take the answer from someone else, but you," she pointed at me, her nail digging the skin on my forehead, "you lose your life."

I glared at her while she mocked me with a laugh. She knew I had no choice but to comply.

"That's right. That's the expression," she said, squishing and pinching my cheeks as if she was playing with a child.

I furrowed my eyebrows further, expressing my great annoyance. I tried so much to pry her dirty hands off me.

Tsk. I really need to get out of here.

Once I do, I would have to report this woman to the police too. I need her details so they can track her down.

I took one good look at this person right in front of me. The only thing I could see apart from her shadow was her gleaming blue eyes.

Blue…

Blue?!