55. VANYA: PANICKED

My head was pounding.
A constant ache that just wouldn’t go away, but the headache wasn’t the only pain I suffered from. Every single part of my body ached. The pounding headache was the worst because it made me feel sick.
The pain wasn’t the only thing I felt as I became more conscious.
I felt the stifling heat next, followed by my hair sticking to my temple and cheek.
But when I tried to move, I realized that I couldn’t.
My eyes shot open but only darkness surrounded me.
I moved my arms again and slowly became aware of the thick chains wrapped around my wrists.
It took all but three seconds to realize that I was suspended a few inches above the floor.
“Vanya.”
My eyes snapped open again. “O-Obsidian?”
“I’m here. What do you see?”
I swallowed. “N-nothing. It’s t-too dark.”
“Okay. It’s okay.”
Tears filled my eyes and slowly spilled over, rolling down my cheeks.
I moved my feet, but the tip of my toes barely brushed the floor. The movement of my legs had my whole body moving—swinging back and forth—and bumping into something behind me.
It definitely wasn’t a wall.
I screamed and started trashing as my panic increased. Something brushed my legs and a second later what felt like legs wrapped around my upper thighs.
Warm breath fanned my neck.
“Calm, sweets. Close your eyes and breath,” Obsidian whispered. “That’s it. In and out slowly.”
“I’m scared,” I cried once I had my breathing under control.
“I know. I’m here with you, okay?”
But for how long? What if the man decided to kill him?
Obsidian’s legs slipped and then dropped away, making our bodies swing back and forth again. We bumped into each other a few times before we lost momentum and stilled.
Deadly silence filled my ears.
“You were unconscious w-when I found you,” I whispered, know he’d hear me.
Obsidian growled. “Bastard hit me over the head.”
“You had a dart sticking out of your leg.”
Before he could answer, there was a soft click followed by the sound of something scraping across the floor.
Obsidian suddenly roared, making me ears ring.
I felt the pinch of a needle penetrating my skin seconds before numbness started to spread throughout my body.
“What are you doing?” Obsidian hissed. “Let her go!”
An arm wrapped around my waist and lifted me a few inches, taking the straining weight off my arms and shoulders.
My head dropped forward onto a firm shoulder and then backwards when the man suddenly moved. It was a man alright—that much I could tell by the smell of his expensive cologne.
“Hey! I’m talking to you! Where are you taking her you bastard?”
“Shut up! You’ll see her soon enough.”
Obsidian’s words were cut off by a loud bang.
The man chuckled as he carried me off to god knows where. Why did he sound so familiar?
“Wonder if your animal will still feel so protective when he finds out about those cameras you’re hiding in your closet?” He chuckled again. “I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks, Vanya. My son fucked up and so did that bastard, but I’m doing everything myself this time.”
My lips parted but no words escaped. All I could do was breathe and listen to him as he gave me detailed reports of his struggle to transport us.
There was a brief flash of light, and the warmth of the sun on my skin, but it was gone too quickly to even catch a glimpse of our surroundings.
The man had fallen silent, but I could feel his excitement. He was one of those monsters Obsidian had mentioned.
A whimper fell from my lips when the man suddenly dropped me. I hit the ground hard enough to knock the air from my lungs.
“You’ll be the end of all those animals.” He leaned down until his breath fanned my cheek. “This time I won’t make the same mistake. You know why, Vanya? Because this time that fucking animal is going to kill you himself.”

***

My head felt stuffy and my limps heavy. My mouth was as dry as the Sahara desert and my stomach growling in hunger.
I knew I was suspended in the air again but in a different room.
A sound drifted towards me and penetrated my hazy mind.
Prying my eyelids apart was a challenge, but I managed and instantly wished I hadn’t. Bright light filled the room, making my eyes burn and tear up. I opened my eyes a second time and blinked until I got used to the sudden light.
But I wish I hadn’t.
My eyes landed on a puddle of blood and followed it to the source. Two bodies lay a few feet away—a man and a woman—ripped to pieces similar to the way Christy Carmichael had been killed. Their organs littered the floor around their bodies.
Bile rose.
“Look at me.”
My eyes snapped over to his.
Obsidian wasn’t hanging from the chains like I was. He stood against a wall with his arms stretched out and thick metal cuffs locked around his wrist and ankles.
“Breathe, Vanya.”
I sucked in a breath, followed by another and another. I realized that I was mimicking Obsidian.
Swallowing, I allowed my eyes to trail over him. He looked unarmed but the look in his eyes was a bit alarming.
“Are you okay?”
Obsidian didn’t answer me. His eyes darted over to a sport over my shoulder and stayed there as the minutes passed.
I glanced around but made sure to avoid looking at the bodies. Wherever we were reminded me of those shipping containers my father used for his imports. Were we close to the port?
I couldn’t hear anything. The steel walls were too thick to hear a thing, but I could tell that wherever we were, was somewhere in the sun. If it was a shipping container it must be some they never used anymore. The ‘old ones’ I called them when I was little.
Back then they were fun to play in, until I accidently got trapped in one, but it wasn’t for that long. Somehow the door had opened during my self-pity episode.
My eyes shot over to Obsidian. “I think I know where we are.”