【Ａｓｈｅｓ Ｔｏ Ａｓｈｅｓ】

-𝔹𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕕𝕪 𝔸𝕟𝕕 𝔹𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕-

Darkness.

A flash of amber light accompanied by the low creak of the rusted chain it hung from.

Drip

Drip

Drip

The sound of blood, her blood, as it rolled down bruised skin through fat crimson droplets of scorching cells. Through the tar-black nothingness that lay beneath paper-thin eyelids, she clings to the sound in a pitiful attempt to stay conscious or, at the very least, distract herself from the agonizing throb of her head that only grew in tortuous intensity with every staggering breath she was able to take in. However, not much could be done to rid herself of the pain when calloused fingers suddenly snaked their way through her tangled (h/c) locks, clawed fingers scraping against her scalp as they violently yanked her head up towards the ceiling by a fistful of hair.

"Didn't think we forgot about you, did ya?"

It's him. The vampire who conducted her capture. Judging by the sudden odor of human flesh that wafts through the stale air that surrounds them, the others, his little goons, must have been here as well. Back from a hunt, she thinks bitterly.

"Went out to get a bite and, of course, add to our little collection." He continues gleefully, puppeteering her head with his hand, "Had any fun while we were gone?"

She doesn't answer, jaw clenching tightly as she tries to focus on that pittering sound of her blood when it falls to the concrete beneath her.

Drip

Drip

Dri-

"Oh come on, Reaper..." the vampire darkly coos, blocking the nearly hypnotic rhythm with his lips when he presses them against the shell of her ear. "I know there's still some fight in you. Give us a show"

"It's been weeks." She can barely recognize her own voice when she finally responds, throat aching as she forces the words passed broken teeth. "Aren't you parasites bored yet?"

"Bored?" he scoffs, moving his hand down to dig his fingernails into the fleshy skin of her cheeks to force her to meet his poisonous glare. "What's boring about being able to see the look on your face when I do something like this?"

He spits. It's a spray of foul-smelling slobber that coats her mangled features with a slight sheen. (y/n) has to force down the urge to vomit right onto his leather boots, eyes squeezed shut as she tries to concentrate on anything else other than the globs of saliva carving rivers of clean skin across the bridge of her nose. He laughs at this twist in her expression, they all do, and it isn't long until the entire room is suffocating in a cacophony of voices that muddle together to create shrill hisses of excitement.

"See?" the vampire cackles out once his group of hyenas calms, (y/n) cautiously meeting his gaze as he continues mockingly, "Now that is what I call prime entertainment, sweetheart!"

Lips pulled back into a weak snarl, mutilated hands straining against the iron chains carving blistering bracelets across her wrists, (y/n) chuckles darkly through blood-stained teeth. "Take off these bindings and I'll show you how entertaining I can be, sweetheart"

"A threat?" he questions in faux surprise, his group of growling subordinates slowly circling the woman who keeps her intense glare steady upon him. "And here I thought you had turned over a new leaf, Reaper. At least, that's what we've all been hearing."

She laughs, it's a hoarse sound filled with a potent venom that raises the hair of every vampire in the room. "I'll consider repentance after I've skinned you. If I'm going to be honest though, I doubt I'll regret a single second of it."

He tries to hide it beneath that bravado of his, pupil-less eyes narrowed to compliment the scowl that overtakes his stubbled features, however, the shiver of fear down his spine is enough to bring a cruel smile curling at the edges of (y/n) bloodied lips. It was as if, at that exact moment, the power he held over her spilled between his trembling fingers like grains of sand.

In a helpless attempt to grasp onto the few coarse granules still clinging to his calloused palms, the vampire retrieves a rusted baseball bat from the edge of the room. "Feeling tough now, are we? Maybe we ought to beat that out of you."

As if on cue, his goons of fanged monsters are quick to mirror his every action. Knives, chains, bats, and claws, (y/n) watches through a sneer as the blood-sucking creatures step forward with their weapons gripped tightly within whitened knuckles. Sighing tiredly to herself, brutalized shoulders rolling back to rest against the chair she was bound to, the woman offers a cocky invitation to the leader standing above her.

"Give it your all."