Horizon

Chapter 42

I immediately knew where I was once I opened my eyes. Looking downward, I could see blood staining the small square tiles at the edge of an indoor pool. I wasn't able to tell if the blood was mine, however, because I immediately heard whimpering from close by. Judging by how nice the pool looked, I assumed that I was back at the hotel that Talon had taken over.

            As I regained my senses, I took a good look around the place, scanning for anything I could use to escape my bindings. Talon was smart. There was no way in hell that he was going to use rope to keep my legs and wrists tied to a chair. I could feel metal rubbing against the fur on my wrists. Rope was on my ankles, however.

            Whimpering was coming from somewhere else in the hotel. I wasn't able to see exactly where, though. It sound like Don was being tortured.

            Suddenly, the main doors to the pool swung open. I looked over and saw Talon walk around the pool towards me. Following him were three anthros. Two of them stood by each side of the doorway, and the other was dragging Don inside. Talon smiled as I got a good look at what had happened to Don.

            Don was in very bad shape. Large patches of Don's fur were missing, and replaced with slow-bleeding gashes. Don's back was torn apart, right down to the flesh. He must have been beaten with a whip. Don was shivering uncontrollably, and looked like he was going to pass out. When he looked at me, however, he let out a heavy breath of relief.

            Talon pushed Don onto the floor next to me, and grabbed me by my muzzle. "There are plenty of things that you can torture out of a man," Talon said with gritted teeth. "But Don's loyalty to you...it's just not leaving."

            "Good," I grumbled.

            "Maybe you can help me out, here," muttered Talon. "I can't, for the life of me, figure out why you sent me that message in the first place. It's like you were begging to be captured."

            "I can assure you that getting captured wasn't part of my plan," I inserted.

            "Now, let me be frank. We already had anthros tailing you since the apartment building fiasco, but still...why the message? Do you really want to fight me that bad? What happens if you lose, Hank?" Talon asked.

            I didn't reply.

            Talon continued, "And that second message! Did you think that would save the humans? Right now they are being rounded up, for a mass execution...an execution which you caused by not giving yourself up in time. Oh, and your friends are there too. I can't decide if I want to kill them first, or last though."

            I snarled, and glared at Talon. "The only thing left is me, then."

            "You still want to fight?" Talon asked.

            "Do you not remember what happened in your office, Talon?" I snapped back. "If I remember correctly, I pushed a dagger through your entire body."

            Talon laughed, "That was my leg, Hank. Don't over exaggerate."

            "Okay, whatever. Are we going to do this, or what?" I grumbled.

            "Yes, fine! So eager to die, are we?" Talon grunted as he paced around my chair. "You'll get your fight to the death or whatever...though it'll end in your death. First, I want to know what secrets Donnie is deciding not to tell me. I don't remember him being this good at keeping his mouth shut. His face looked a little better as well...you know...before I made confetti out of it."