His Hidden Treasure (Completed)

Forty

Agony seared through my body as I struggled to regain consciousness. With a sharp inhale, I lifted my head from its hunched position, wincing at the waves of pain that pulsed through me. Gradually, the world around me came into focus, a jumbled mess of blurry shapes that slowly coalesced into a grim reality.

I was in a dimly lit room with no windows, the only source of light coming from a flickering bulb dangling precariously from the ceiling. The walls were rough and cold, made of unforgiving concrete that seemed to amplify the chill in the air. As I shifted on the hard floor, small rocks and debris dug into my skin.

A sudden movement to my left caught my attention. Slowly turning my head, I let out a sigh of relief when I saw Orillia lying beside me, bound and unconscious. Despite her battered appearance, seeing her alive filled me with hope.

"Orillia," I whispered hoarsely, reaching out and shaking her gently with my bound feet. She moaned softly, her face crumpling with pain before her eyes fluttered open. With a sudden awareness of our predicament, she sat up abruptly, her gaze darting all around her.

"Nila," she gasped, struggling against the ropes that bound her wrists and ankles. "What's happened?"

"I don't know," I said, my voice trembling. "We were attacked... They took us here."

We huddled together on the rough floor, our bodies shivering from cold and fear as we tried to make sense of the situation.

"Do you think it's someone for the bounty?" Orillia asked, her voice barely above a whisper. The question sent a shiver down my spine, recalling who was behind it.

"I don't know," I confessed. "But we need to get out of here." I quickly slid my way over to her. "Here, untie my hands." And slowly, she did. The ropes were tight, biting into my skin, but Orillia's steady hands worked with a determination that did not falter. The ropes fell loose and I flexed my raw wrists gratefully, turning to work on Orillia's knots.

"No matter what happens," I found myself saying as I focused on her restraints, "we have to stay strong. We have to fight. Remember your butterfly metaphor?"

Orillia managed a small chuckle. "I never thought I'd be in a position to practice what I preach."

Our conversation was cut short as heavy footsteps echoed in the distance. Panic flared within me and my fingers fumbled but I hushed it, focusing on the ropes binding Orillia. At last, they fell away just as the door to the room opened.

Reacting quickly, I swept my feet under him, and he fell on his face. I landed a swift kick to his face knocking him unconscious.

"Let's go!" Grabbing Orillia's hand, we rushed towards the door. The world outside was awash with a sea of darkness, pierced only by the feeble yellow glow of scattered lamps. As our eyes adjusted to the blackness, we found ourselves in some kind of compound, surrounded by towering concrete walls and rusty iron gates.

We sprinted across the gravel courtyard, the stones beneath our feet crunching loudly in stark contrast to the silence of the night. My heart pounded in sync with our quickened steps. Each breath felt like inhaling shards of glass, but fear spurred us on.

Just as we neared a gate leading to freedom, a chilling cry rang out behind us. I dared not look back, but Orillia gasped, her grip on my hand tightening.

"Oh no," she murmured under her breath.

Forcing myself to glance back, my blood ran cold as I saw them – three dozen men closing in on us. "Faster Orillia!" I yelled as we reached the imposing gate. It was locked.

Frantically, I searched for a way through. Seeing a small gap beneath the gate, I dropped to the ground and started digging with my hands, desperate to make it wide enough to squeeze through.

"Hurry Nila!" Orillia cried, her voice strained with terror.

I felt the pebbles cut my skin, the iron taste of blood making me grimace. But fear and determination made me push past the pain. Finally making a sizable gap, I looked at Orillia, "We have to crawl."

With a swift nod, she got down on her belly and started to shimmy her way under the gate. Just as she was halfway through, I noticed one of our assailants close by. Before he could make a move, I lunged at him with all my might and force. We tussled on the ground but I managed to land a solid hit that left him reeling.

I knew there was no time for us both to escape. Once Orillia safely made it past the gate, she looked back at me expectedly.

"Nila, what are you doing?" I shook my head slowly.

"There's no time. Go get help Orillia. Hurry!" I commanded her. "RUN!" She gave me one last look before running towards the road.

Two men grabbed me by the arms and I felt myself being pulled backward, my feet scraping against the ground as I fought against their hold. A sharp blow struck my face, sending me crashing to my knees. The pain radiated through my jaw and throat, making it hard to breathe or even speak. But still, through gritted teeth, I glared up at my attackers with defiant eyes. There were too many of them now and I knew no amount of struggling would get me free.

Rough hands hauled me back up and dragged me back into the building. My body ached from the fight and adrenaline coursed through my veins, keeping me alert. Once inside, they threw me onto the cold concrete floor and slammed the door shut behind them. Alone in the dimly lit room once again, I slumped onto my back in exhaustion.

Sometime later - it could have been minutes or hours - I was abruptly woken by a cold splash of water hitting my face. Sputtering and blinking rapidly against the sudden brightness, I tried to make out where I was. When my vision finally adjusted, I found myself staring into the menacing eyes of Diego Gonzailez.

His face was weathered and rough, covered in scars that told stories of his violent past. His eyes gleamed with malice as he studied me like a predator sizing up its prey. A cruel smirk twisted his features as he leaned in closer, his breath reeking of stale tobacco and whisky.

"You've caused us quite a bit of trouble, haven't you, Nila?" he sneered, his voice oozing with dark amusement. Fear consumed me as I realized the true danger I was in - nothing good could come from being in the same room as Diego Gonzailez.

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Remmy