Paralyzed (Tboah!AlbeCale)

40) idk what to name this chapter but it's chaotic

"Haaa. Bud, enough. I'll just go get the vial, so all you have to do is stay put and keep them from escaping. Can you do that?"

"Ha! You underestimate me, my dear friend. Babysitting is easy, so leave them to me."

"You are near impossible to babysit, though?"

"Eh? Did you say something?"

"I said I'm leaving now, so watch them properly."

Cale silently listened to the entertaining conversation happening somewhere in front of him. His head was throbbing with new information.

If the prisoner was the crown prince, that didn't explain how Bud (Cale learned his name again thanks to the conversation) and Glenn had found him at the palace, aiming to also kidnap the crown prince.

It didn't add up, and Cale was having a hard time deciphering this new puzzle with the constant migraine and slight nausea keeping him distracted.

'He could have been lying about how the prisoner was trying to kidnap Blondie, but why?'

Whatever the case, Cale needed to confirm whether the prisoner was a threat to him or not. To do that, he would ask the man himself, but there were a few obstacles blocking him from doing that.

First of all, the scratchy bag covering his head.

"Hey, Bud."

Cale couldn't see it, but both the prisoner and Bud flinched at the sudden call. They thought Cale was unconscious, but maybe he was just good at keeping still.

"Huh? When did you wake up?"

"Just now. Anyway, could you take this bag off my head?"

A short silence fell upon the room as Bud considered his options. Cale did not have the patience.

"Bud, my friend, please take it off. It's really uncomfortable. I thought we were friends now, but maybe not..."

"I can take it off! Glenn won't mind since the other guy has his off, so this much is fine. I won't take the ropes off though, no matter how much you ask!"

Cale smiled as he listened to the quiet footsteps come closer to him. Soon after that, light flooded his vision. "Ah, thanks. It was really scratchy having that on."

Now that he could see, Cale scanned the room he was in. No windows, a single door, a few hanging lamps, and many wooden boxes could be seen. There were also large piles of white sheets similar to the one he was laying on.

It looked like a big attic but without the dust and spiderwebs.

Bud returned to his seat on a box placed in the center of the room, and the prisoner was sitting on three boxes stacked in a short L shape. Cale's position was in between the two men, but way off to the side, meaning he could see both of their faces clearly.

"..."

Nobody talked for a while, with each of them staring at a different person. Bud was staring at Cale with an expectant look, Cale was staring holes through the prisoner, who had his entire face revealed and lit up with soft lamp light, and the prisoner was choosing to look at Bud in an effort to avoid making eye contact with Cale.

The entire scene was amusing, but Cale had to work quickly before Glenn would return.

"Bud, do you have any water for this friend of yours? My throat is really dry."

Bud's expression perked up, but then hardened again. "I have some, but I can't leave this room to go get it or Glenn will hit me, sorry."

"But why? We're both tied up really well. Look, I can't even move my arms a little. You know how weak I am, right? How could I escape?"