of blood and lies ; dystopian

4

Present

I could not move.

I woke up restrained, with my wrists and ankles bound tightly together. I was kneeling atop my bed, but my wrists were pinned in place behind my back. Due to the position, I could not move any limb besides my head.

I was already looking where I needed to.

I narrowed my eyes in Karro's direction, my teeth grinding together. I'd rather him hurt me than restrain me. He knew this.

His back was to me. I watched his muscles expand, and then tighten with every breath. If I were not restrained, I would go to him and mash his head into the bed with my foot. Stupid, stupid boy. He should never give me his back. He was smart for keeping me tied, though.

I grunted, pulling at the blankets skillfully twisted together, acting as a rope. My body ached from being in this position for however long. I looked toward the window in the ceiling. The sky was turning a shade of pink; had I been unconscious through the night?

I pulled at the blankets again, but the restraints became tighter. He was smart. This form of rigging was as The Blood had taught me. Us. Though, I hadn't learned how to escape it. They trusted I was skilled enough to not get myself into this position.

I looked back to the ceiling. Birds flew past, cawing as the sun rose. I couldn't help but smile. I hadn't seen the sun in so long. It was night in my timeless prison. Because of him.

When I looked back at Karro, my blood went hot and my eyes became ice. Above him, on the wall, were many tally marks. I couldn't see much due to the dim light, but from what I could tell there were a lot of tallies. That couldn't have been the days he had spent here. He hadn't aged a day since I last saw him.

My stomach dropped.

He hadn't aged.

Just as I hadn't aged, despite living in that horrid place for what felt like an eternity. The purgatory between Man and something greater, where the sun never rose, and the only animals I could find were bugs. A world without Man. My hell.

I looked to the bathroom, which was ajar. The ribbed black tank top Karro had worn was now hanging from the sink, dripping onto the floor. It was covered in suds at his attempt to wash it.

I wore the same as him. My breasts spilled from the tight tank top, and the sweatpants hung low on my hips.

My breath quickened. I was too enraged with him to realize the giant elephant in the room. We were trapped, in a room, with absolutely no sign of leaving. This felt too familiar to my hell; the hell Karro had found solely for me.

I intertwined my shaky hands behind my back. You will get out, I reminded myself. You have been to hell and back.

I focused on my heavy breath as I looked back to Karro. I hated to panic. I could feel it rising up my spine and tightening in my chest. Small room. Alone. Karro. The Blood. It was too much.

Why hadn't we aged? How long had I been there? I stopped counting after the third year.

Karro's bare back continued to expand at a steady pace, whereas behind him I was trying to suppress a panic attack. He looked so peaceful. He shouldn't be able to find peace. He deserves everything that comes to him. Peace was not something he deserved.

When I closed my eyes, attempting to block out this room, I went to the place I had been before this. My hell. It was a place of forest and river. The only other sign of life was the plants and animals that ran around. But, other than that, it was just my grieving being.