Into the Dark

Chapter 17

It was someone nudging me in the side that woke me up.

My head was spinning and my vision was still dark. A massive headache hit me when I opened my eyes but I took the time to notice Maeve sitting next to me, half naked and in her underwear and chained at her hands and her feet. No sooner did I notice I was in the same position, huddled in a ball with my knees pulled to my chest.

Maeve's usually bright green eyes seemed dull, and her crimson hair was a mess, as well as mine. We were in some kind of cell, sitting on cold stone floor and staring ahead at thick iron bars. Across from our cell was another empty one, which led me to worry about where Kade and Odis were. I leaned over only slightly since Maeve was glued to my side, shaking, and whispered the question quietly in her ear.

"Where are the guys?" She didn't seem to know the answer and shrugged.

"I don't know. I woke up in the same condition as you, confused and half naked," she answered bluntly and continued to stare ahead with frantic eyes. "The gargoyles knocked me out not too much longer after Xur took you down. To be honest, I don't even know if the guys are still alive."

Her words made my spine tingle and my blood go cold. If the two of them were dead, there wasn't much Maeve and I could do. But if they were alive, there was no telling where or what was happening to them. God, I hoped they were okay.

As if on cue, a door at the far end of the hallway opened, squeaking with presumed years of use. I wanted to rush to the bars to see who it was, but the question was answered when I heard arguing voices. It was Kade and Odis yelling at people who were keeping their mouths shut apparently. When they reached the door of our cell, their captors seemed just like normal guards in uniform... but something led me to believe that that wasn't the case.

At that time, I didn't bother to block out the feeling of relief at seeing the guys alive, even if they saw me in my underwear. But to be fair, they were almost in the same condition as me and Maeve. Their shirts were gone, and their pants replaced with black shorts that went to their knees, torn and tattered at the ends. They looked like poor sailors, chained and neglected. When they noticed us girls, their eyes widened with disbelief and shock. For some reason, I felt they were thinking we had received the bad end of the bargain. All I could do was give them a reassuring look as the guards shoved them inside the cell, sitting Kade beside me and Odis on Maeve's side.

And then there we all were, squeezed together in a squished line of four. After locking the cell door again, the guards were off through the squeaking entrance at the end of the hallway again.

Silence followed.

"Are you okay?" The guys suddenly asked in unison and kept their eyes turned, most likely out of respect. Maeve and I nodded quietly and allowed our silence to continue. I, for one, was willing to answer any questions.

"They didn't... you know," Kade said awkwardly and glanced at me from the corner of his eye.

I shook my head slowly and held his gaze. "No... at least not that I know of. Who knows what they did while we were unconscious," I answered.

"Damn... those suckers are gonna pay," Odis grumbled from his side of the line. It was then that I noticed all the bite and scratch marks covering his body, only scratches and burns on Kade's.

"What about you guys? Are you okay?" Maeve asked for me and examined them with her dull eyes. They also nodded silently. She then laid her head on Odis's shoulder and whimpered almost too low for us to hear. I did the same to Kade, just without the whimper. Almost in unison, they laid their heads on ours and breathed heavily a couple of times.