Bloodstone

Chapter 7

Chaise woke up to the clanging of metal. She peeked outside of the hole to note that it was sometime in the late afternoon. She must have dozed off after eating a pitiful excuse for a lunch, a better way to pass her time and conserve energy than staying awake and driving herself crazy with worry. She had kept track of the sunsets and sunrise at the back of her mind, making today the third day of her captivity. She was not afraid of her captors, rather, they were prone to indulge her now and then if she kept her mouth shut (with the exception of that toad who had suggested to off her on the first day). But all the clean sheets and room fresheners in the world could not make her forget that she was essentially holed up in a dungeon with a magical dog leash.

And just her glowing luck, it was the toad who was descending down the stairs with clothes stuffed under his arms.

She didn't unfold herself from the curled up position she was lying in. With suspicious eyes, she watched him drop those clothes on her, and grunt, "Get up and take a shower."

When a moment passed without her moving an inch, he snarled, "Do you want me to bath you or what?"

"There's no water supply here if you hadn't noticed." Chaise snapped as she straightened.

"That's why I'm asking you get up." He made a move to snatch her up but she scampered out of his reach. Then taking her time to pop her bones and stretch her muscles, she finally got to her feet.

Chaise knew antagonizing him was not helping her case, but she couldn't help but be pissed in general. Stress did that to her. But the prospect of cleaning up was tantalizing enough to keep her from telling this guy to fuck off. Because, god knows, she stinked. She hadn't brushed or showered in three days and the cramped toilet space to do her business reeked like a public washroom. The smell had stuck to her skin.

When she climbed out of the metal barrier that had trapped her below, the change of scenery hit her as a surprise. Last time she had been outside, this was an ultra modern conference room. Now, in its place was a dingy motel room with a small bed stuffed in one corner and a study desk in another corner. And all seven of her guards, or jailers, staring at her.

One of the guys whom Chaise had pegged as the leader spoke up, "There's bathroom that way. Freshen up. You have thirty minutes to make yourself presentable. We are taking a trip."

*

Chaise came out of the bathroom to an empty room in record time, all scrubbed red and glowing skin. She had made generous use of the soap and shampoo to clean up. Not just for the sake of looking presentable but to feel energized again. Her mind was working on full force now and she was ready to formulate a plan to escape.

She made quick search of the room in hopes of finding anything useful but there was nothing but few cobwebs. Just as she was fumbling with the handles of the window, the doorknob turned and in walked one of her captors. He paused, his gaze flitting between her and the window before he raised an eyebrow.

"We are 13 floors above ground. You can not hope to escape through the window alive." He opened the door wider and gestured her to follow. "Come, it's time."

"I can always shout." she countered.

He snorted derisively. "You can try. But that'll be a waste of time. Now move."

"Where are we going?" she asked as she shuffled through the narrow corridor with her intimidating watch guard at her heels. But he did not reply. And neither did the others when they joined her.

They passed no one on the way as they reached an elevator at the end. Their troop poured into the cramped space and she did not take too much care to not trod on a couple of toes. The elevator jerked when the gates closed and Chaise had a sensation that instead of it going down or up, it was moving horizontally.