Chains

Hope woke up slowly, her head hurt a lot and felt dizzy. It took her to feel that her body was suspended by her wrists that were wrapped in a cloth, she pulled her arms and heard a clinking of chains and realized she was exhausted, powerless. He felt that his body weighed ten times more than he remembered, the burning of the open cuts recently shook his entire skin.

When she regained her senses and opened her eyes only what she found was complete darkness, the blindfold on her face and the situation in which she was acclaimed her reality, she swallowed the cry and squirmed, feeling that the skin surrounding his wrists was in living flesh from trying to free itself in vain. It couldn’t be more pathetic; he thought.

She, who never submitted to breaking rules and laws, was now being tortured because according to her kidnappers, Hope was part of Castiel’s team who was infiltrated in the newspaper to cover up her slips—the girl laughed in indignation, That’s what she gets for kissing a mobster.

No matter how many times she said it had nothing to do with Reed, it was a vain effort. With every blow he received, he believed he deserved it for going to that interview, for not listening to his fears and saying a big no to Armin.

I didn’t know how many hours I was in that same position and I didn’t want to imagine where your sister was. The girl gagged with her tearful face is the memory that haunts him with this darkness that covered her eyes. And it was what owed him strength not to surrender pain and anguish, she had to save her sister. 

Noises of footsteps were echoed throughout the room and soon the door, which thought to be from a small room, opened. A small and soft hand stroked her battered and naked abdomen, Hope felt her body caught, her skin should be bathed in blood and sweat, nor time to get sick of it she had because she soon received a blow to her face.

”Come on, kitten. I can’t stay here long, I have things to do.” The woman said in a melodic voice that made the girl nauseous ”What was your job? Alibi, distraction or Castiel put a mistress on the scene to humiliate the Harris?”

Hope kept her lips glued with glue, was tired of this same game, had to find a single chance to escape from there alive, the anger growing in his bowels was so strong that he did not know where it came from, but spread throughout his cells. 

”You know, you guys are tougher than I thought... the little girl said nothing either.” The woman surrounded the girl’s body and passed something cold and sharp on her back ”She only screamed when I cut her.” 

The journalist felt her eyes wet by the woman’s speech. He did not care more about the knife cutting his skin, it was already hanging like a piece of meat in a butcher shop for hours, what hurt him more was the feeling of inability, of impotence hit him deeper than anything else, hurt in his soul. After her parents’ accident, she swore that she would take very good care of what was left of her family, Julie was all she had.

”I thought you heard the scandal she made. Tsc, Tsc, I’ll have to work harder next time.”

She felt another deeper cut on her shoulder, the burning was already like a friend to muffle the pain coming from within. She took a deep breath, couldn’t make any more sounds, just failed murmurs sometimes slipped out of her mouth. Not only that, but she had to play their game; she thought.

”Where did Reed find you, huh? I want one of these for myself, too.” She said as if she and her sister were limited edition toys ”How many he is paying, maybe can double the value, loyal people so we have to preserve. It would be too much waste to finish you and the actress little down there.”

Hope was a good investigative reporter, she just had to put the pieces together and focus on the main subject, her head worked very well when she relaxed and let her paranoid side dominate her, so she could see things more clearly, that’s what he did in his work. Hope counted to five and loosened her muscles and felt a thicker fillet of blood flowing down her back.

”My patience is limited, Hope Carter, if that’s even your real name. If you don’t tell me anything” she took a few steps back and grabbed something on the table and then quickly returned ”Okay, I didn’t want to do that” she unlocked the gun ”I’ll finish you now and then I’ll finish the other little bitch down there”!

The barrel of the revolver touched Hope’s sweaty forehead that went into despair, she could no longer reason, her expression changed. She would not die. Not in a place like this and for reasons like this.

”I’ll talk to you if you untie me and tell you all about Mr Reed’s plan to bring the girl into this room.” Her voice sounded so quiet that it seemed to be true, even she was frightened by the seriousness she took, but if there was anything that Hope was good at, it was to please people. I was going to say exactly what the other one wanted to hear.

”What do we have here? A negotiation?” the gun was still in contact with her warm skin and she put pressure on his forehead making him tilt his head back, leaving his neck to show it. She felt the woman come closer to her and she smelled her collarbone hard as if she was excited by the idea ”I really thought I would have to bury you in some ditch somewhere...” 

”Let me go now.” The journalist said loudly and with a slightly lower voice, she tried to maintain the redeeming pose, but inside she was freaking out. His rationality went up, he had everything to lose if he only made a scene begging them not to kill them, his brain returned to function under pressure.

”Hm, I’ll be right back.” The woman spoke simplistically and removed the revolver from the girl’s head, heard the woman walking away and the room becoming empty again.

By reflexes the girl forced her arms again, her feet almost did not reach the ground and she swung from side to side seeking balance, a cold breeze hugged her half-naked body and now alone with her mind, needed to come up with some reasonable plan, the most outrageous headline to save your skin in a few minutes.