A Guest

Indrik's Pov

Have you ever been in hell before? I don't think so. I haven't either but with what I am going through right now, I can say that I am about as close to hell on earth as anyone else. The smell of stale blood is harsh on my nose but even that fades into obscurity in the face of dried sweat that has turned my clothing into a sticky mess. And let's not even talk about human waste. I feel like a little infant who has been abandoned by his mother and has no idea what to do with himself.

It seems to be night now because the rats that had showed a measure of respect were becoming bolder now and now marching all over like they were the lords of this domain. I had found myself having to kick my leg or throw an arm to stop a particularly bold one from chewing the skin off of my limbs. But then again, they really are the lords and I, the intruder. As if that was not enough, my body seems to have only now recalled the torture it had undergone earlier in the day and was now proceeding to make its pain known. My body felt like it was being shredded inch by inch with a very dull meat blender. Now, if you ever fall into unlikeable hands and are told to choose between being tortured by a sharp object and a dull object, do yourself a favour and go for the sharp object. The sharp object will cause pain but it will be done and over with soon enough but the dull one? It would fail to puncture but will cause pain, then you would have to go again and again and again. So, you get the point.

To make matters worse, the water from above was dripping even more frequently now. Each drop was little more than the size of a tiny melon seed but this came about three times in a second. Multiply that and you would see just how bad that can be. And yeah, I did count the number of drops. These drops left me no escape because no matter where I turned, the water just landed and splattered over me. And it did not help that the ground was very slimy. There I lay, my burning back against the wall, teeth chattering and a burning headache growing by the second and for a moment, I almost regretted my decision but then, my mind went back to the reason I had done this. My master, Luna! After this was over, I would finally be able to train and unlock my wolf. This thought sent a warm feeling shooting through my body and suddenly, it was all worth it. The pain, the fear, it all became nothing more than a stepping stone to reaching my goal.

I shut my eyes and tried to relax, willing myself to forget about this damp place that smelt like a broken toilet and focus instead on something else. Something more happy and enticing. I was almost beginning to succeed at this when a sharp crack pierced the night, making the already busy rats even more excited. . My eyes snapped open as I furrowed my brows in the dark, wondering what the problem was. The noise came again and I could hear an iron grate opening somewhere in the distance. I frowned as I wondered what was going on. I didn't think anyone was allowed here at this time.

It soon became clear that I was not the only one who had heard the noise as the other prisoners who had turned a deaf ear to me the whole time suddenly started to stir, their rumblings breaking the solemnity of the night and sending the annoying rodents running. As much as I hated their presence and was gladdened by their exit, I had no time to celebrate it though because my attention was taken up by the noise among the prisoners that was growing louder by the moment. There were curses, pleas and cries all mixed into the melee of sounds. The noise grew until it was deafening and I couldn't help but wonder what was driving them so crazy as I made my way to the door and laced my fingers around it while straining my eyes to see as much as I could.

Finally, I saw what they saw. From a distance, the overwhelming darkness was being pierced by a red glow. Little by little, the glow grew larger as the bearer of the torch moved closer. My heart reached out to the flame as it mourned what it had lost. Never would I have thought that flames would look so beautiful and enticing. As the torch bearer moved closer, I realized why the prisoners were so ruffled. The person or people, whoever they were, seemed to be checking room by room for whatever and whoever they were searching for. When they reached a cell, the others would raise their voices as they claimed they were the ones the person was looking for and cried for help. As the person left the cell and moved on, the disappointed person would release a mixture of curses and pleas to be set free. That meant the closer the person got to me, the more the noise increased and I just happened to be in the very last cell. I couldn't help but worry that a riot would break out soon enough. Who was that anyway?

I focused on the glow, enjoying how it enlarged as it moved closer until it finally loomed large in my face. The torch had lit up the cave considerably as she approached but that still did not stop me from being temporarily blinded under the full glare of the fire.

"Indrik?" A voice called tentatively and I blinked wondering if this place was starting to turn me a little crazy.

"Indrik?" The voice came again, unmistakably someone I knew. Someone who was not supposed to be here.

"Blaire!"