Kick, Punch, Dance?

Chapter 20-Over

~Declan~

I can not describe to the scene before me. Carter, a man who I had hoped to never see again, was front and center stage. Tied up against the wall, on her knees, head bent, was my poor Tess. Her once shining curly blonde hair lay limp, dirty and blood covered. 

Her exposed skin was covered in reddish liquid, and I prayed for Carter's sake that it wasn't hers. Yet ,God didn't seem to be on my side. 

"Ah, my boy Declan. How good of you to join us. Your lovely Tess here, has graciously consented for me to take her life. You're welcome to watch as I take her life." Carter smiled at me, like we were talking about a horse race.

"If you lay another finger on her, I will destroy you." I growled taking a step forward, not noticing anything but Tess, who was eerily still. I couldn't see her face from they way her head was bent and from the curtain of  matted hair that blocked her from sight. 

"Ah, ah ah." Carter said, and then motioned down to where I was standing. 

That's when I noticed the pressure pad I was now standing on. I followed the wires all the way to a center ring that snaked around Carter and Tess. That's also when I noticed that attached to her ankle was a device of some kind. 

"If you take even a slight step forward, you'll trigger my new invention. You remember how I was all ways fond of creating new gadgets of torture. Well, Tess here has been such a good little girl and has allowed me to try out some of my new toys. The one hooked to her ankle is a tranquilizer of sorts." Carter explained and I fumed.

"It's connected to the pressure pad that you are standing on, so i would be still if i were you. But I'm sure you're more concerned with how it will effect our dear Tess, no? Well, you see the device has three needles connected to a serum filled with poison.

"The needles are currently in her skin, directly into the blood stream. The poison will then have a direct route into her system." my vision was red, my hands were clenched and my focused was zeroed. 

"But the best part, is the poison it's self. Of my own design of course. Once entered into the system, it turns the blood into acid, immediately burning everything it touches. It literally eats the victim from the inside out. I'm dying to see it in action aren't you?" Carter's condescending voice echoed through out the room and into my head. 

"Take one step and you'll find out." He sneered at me. 

~Tess~

Well SHIT! I thought to my self. I had been awake fro the whole conversation. Once Declan had burst through the doors it's like my body had a recharge. I was now fully  functional, well to the best of my ability. Yet, I needed to play it cool, or Carter might do something stupid, like kill me in front of Declan. 

So i played dead. I kept my head down, and I most certainly didn't let on that I had small razor blade in my fingers. Now that I had feeling in my hands, I remember that I pulled the blade from my skin after one of Carter's goons was attacking me. It was sticking out of my wrist just slightly under the rope holding me, but far enough that I could reach it. 

Now, as Carter tauted Declan I slowly moved the blade back and fourth against the rope. I suddenly felt something hit my for head.

Groaning for show, I rolled my head back slightly. Enough for me to see above me and small enough to make Carter think  I was still slightly unconscious. 

I looked up to see Tatum. His head was sticking out of the vent and he was holding something that looked like pliers. It was then that I noticed the wire that snaked out of the vent and down the wall towards me. 

While Tatum worked on cutting the power to the device, I worked on cutting the rope. 

Carter was still talking and Declan at this point was radiating enough hatred that I could feel it across the room. 

Suddenly, my bond was loosened and my hands were free. I fell to the ground on my hands and prayed that carter wouldn't turn around or that Declan would say something to alert him. 

Taking a deep breath to steady my self and taking hold of my chest I flipped over so I could reach my ankle.

At this particular moment I was so glad that Carter was easily distracted. Something I learned as he beat me. He was like a first grader, his attention span was no longer than a toothpick. 

With one more burst of energy I pulled the device out of my skin and I threw it away from me. 

It's over I thought. 

And the last thing I saw before I succumbed to blackness was Tatum falling out of the vent with a rope tied around his waist.