A Hero In The Dark

Chapter 28: Hope Meet Fear

I am in a small cell when I wake. It is dimly lit and contains nothing. The floor is polished but cold. My clothes are dirtied from the fight. How long has it been since I was last conscious?

There's an odd pain in my stomach. I lift my shirt to find a black mark located at my midsection. What did they do to me?

I feel dizzy. My head is spinning.

I don't know how long they plan to leave me here, but minutes feel like hours.

I'm scared.

I don't know why I'm here. I don't know why Five brought me here or what that man wants with me or even who he is. I remember when Katarina and Six got captured. I remember the horrible torments they endured on both of them; how they tortured Katarina to make Six break and how they tried to break the charm by inducing terrible acts onto her.

I don't know what happened to Henri or Six or Pixie. I can only hope they are okay.

"Please don't come for me," I think to myself alone in the cell with my arms wrapped tightly around my knees.

As scared as I am, I don't want what happened to Six and Katarina or Nine and Sandor to happen again with the others. I can't let it happen.

With my face buried in my knees, I hear a slight rummaging; can sense a light movement close by. I lift my head to see and in front of me is a rabbit. My eyes widen.

"Pixie!" I say in a loud whisper. "What are you doing here?"

If anyone finds Pixie here, she'll be in so much danger. She could be captured, killed, experimented on. I dread the possibilities.

"Pixie, you need to get out of here," I tell the rabbit urgently. Its head tilts to one side as if questioning why. "You can't be seen by anyone. It's too dangerous for you."

I have no idea where I'm being taken, but my mind can only think of the base in West Virginia or something similar. I remember Six saying that Chimæra can't go in there otherwise they will die. I remember seeing a bunch of dead animals at the entrance when we went to rescue Nine. If Pixie stays with me, and I'm taken to a place like that, she could die. I can feel tears form at the thought.

I can't let that happen.

Pixie stares at me cutely and all I can do is drop my head again in my lap.

When I look back up at her the tears have begun to flow.

"Pixie please," I plead. "I can't let anything happen to you. Please go find Henri and Six. I'll be fine."

The Chimæra does not move. She only sits in the corner innocently, curling up into a ball and lying on the floor next to me.

Disheartened and dreading the death of my Chimæra friend, I sit and cry in my arms.

After hours of sitting with no one but Pixie – who has still refused to leave – Five returns. The same terrifying man from before is not far behind. I hurry to obscure Pixie from their vision, scooching over the few required inches to sit in front of her.

They stop outside my cell with emotionless expressions on their faces. Five unlocks the cell door and he is ordered by the man to take me out.

I gather all my strength – I know I'll need it. I take a nervous deep breath in and try to fight through the pain that is within my stomach. It's a struggle, but I tell myself I'm fine.

I won't give up on Five that easily, no matter how much pain he endures on me. Plus, I need to make sure I stay rooted to this spot so they don't notice the Chimæra that followed me aboard.

Five takes a single step into my cell before I start talking in a shaky voice, "Five please. I know this isn't you. You don't belong with them. You belong with us. I can help you. I might not be Loric, but I can help protect you, train you, teach you about Lorien and your history. I can be the Cêpan you deserved to have. I'll always be there for you."

I stop because I need to cough ruggedly into my elbow. I can feel Pixie shift behind me as I do. I worry that she won't stay hidden.

When I take my elbow away, I notice black colouring on my arm; it appears similar to the mark on my stomach. It's then when I make direct eye contact with the man behind Five. He smiles and I gulp.

Five continues advancing towards me. "Don't Five. Please," I add harshly. I can see a glint of hesitation in his eyes. I know this is making him uncomfortable.

However, the man snaps him back to the order, shouting ruthlessly, "Do not listen to her Five! She is not worth your time or consideration! Do not give her the benefit of thought or sympathy. Now, bring her to me!" he states authoritatively.

Just like that, it's as if I never said anything. The hesitation is gone in an instant and he grabs me by the front of my shirt, dragging me out of the cell. Five proceeds to bind my wrists and gag me.

Before he ties a blindfold upon my head, I take one last look into the cell, searching for the bunny. She is not there.

I make a conscious effort to feel her in one of the pockets of my sweatpants, but I do not feel her at all. I do not sense her presence anywhere within close proximity to me.

That's when I notice a spider on the side wall behind the large man. I hope with everything inside me that it's Pixie and that she will do as I told her.

A dark cloth is placed over my eyes and the world disappears.

Someone grabs my tied-up wrists and begins to drag me away. All I can do is groan from the discomfort. There's nothing I can do, or think to do, to get out of this.