Quick Detour

Chapter 9- Quick Detour

Swinging like a pendulum, Aeshua felt her head throbbed as it rocked back and forth, banging what seemed to be a bumpy and hard futon causing her to feel dizzy and nauseous. She tried to use her hands and feet but to no avail, both of them were tied tightly and no matter how hard she wiggled, her strength is not enough to cause her carrier to lose his balance. A cloth was stuffed inside her mouth but she still tried to heave and luckily she was able to push the cloth out using her tongue. With the last energy she has, she tried to take a bite on the back of her carrier.

He screamed in pain and threw Aeshua on the spring bed in front of her. He grunted.

“Carlos! What are you doing?” Czarita exclaimed angrily.

“The b**ch bit me!” His hand trying to reach his bitten back while pointing at Aeshua.

“Argh! Why can’t you guys do your jobs properly?” Czarita groaned as her hands fidgeted while she walked to and fro of the room. “She is just a kid! Do you need to use this much force? Are you even men?” Clenching her fist, she swung her arm almost hitting Tian on the face. Tian could feel the gust of wind passing his cheeks to his ears. If that punch landed on his face, it could break his nose. 

Czarita huffed heavily. “Call the medic and be quick or you won’t get lucky next time” She whispered.

Carlos picked up the cloth that fell from Aeshua’s mouth and shoved it back. 

“Is she still breathing?” Czarita asked sarcastically.

Carlos placed the back of his hand near Aeshua’s nose until a puff of air touched it. “Yes, still breathing.”

“Ah thank God she still is!” Czarita clasped her hands and smirked at Carlos, slowly shortening the distance between them. Carlos, feeling unsure, stepped back until his back was leaning on the wall with Czarita’s face near his. 

“Or else I would have to kill you, you know?” Her eyes looked sharply at him and her teeth were grinding. “Now, what I want you to do is gently.” She paused for a while and spoke again but this time with strong emphasis on the word gently. “Again. Let me repeat it. GENT-LY turn her on dorsal facing on the bed.”

Carlos nodded quickly. Czarita backed off and dragged a chair across the room. She stationed herself near the door. Just a few more minutes, the medic came with Tian and as soon as they arrived, they started tending to Aeshua’s head injury. They removed the gauze that temporarily stopped the wound from bleeding. The cut was deeper than quarter an inch, requiring stitching to close it. They started with shaving around the part of the cut for better access to the wound. Next, they sprayed disinfectant on the area before they started stitching her up.

On their stitch, they felt Aeshua twitched so they immediately alarmed Carlos that she was waking up. Carlos stood up, pressed his knee on Aeshua’s back and pinned her head sideways till the medic was able to finish stitching her up.

Aeshua felt the pressure on her back and no matter how much  she tried to wiggle her way out of it, her body did not have enough strength. She heaved as much as she could and tried to mumble but the cloth in her mouth was suppressing her words.

“She’ll need fluids.” The medic said to Czarita. Czarita responded with a nod and hand gestured them to leave. Carlos lifted his knee and hand off of her and Aeshua managed to turn on her side. Aeshua tried once more to spit the cloth out of her mouth through her tongue and again was successful.

“What the hell is this all for?!?” Aeshua screamed.

“I’m sorry hun. This wasn’t part of the plan, These retards can’t follow simple orders.” Czarita replied calmly.

“Untie me! Now!”Aeshua screamed again. She could feel the tie rubbing and tearing the skin of her wrist as she tried to twist her way out of the ties.

“I would stop doing that if I were you. You are just hurting yourself. We will untie you under three conditions. First, you will have to listen carefully to what I am gonna tell you and you cannot show any signs of resistance. Second, you should agree to join us whether you like it or not.” Czarita said

“And the third condition?” Aeshua asked.

“If any case you want to oppose, refer to the first condition.” Czarita continued.

Aeshua waggled vigorously, kicking both her feet in the air. When she was nearing the edge of the bed, Carlos stepped in and pinned her down on the bed.

“Aeshua, I know you are smart. You joined the infiltration team in exchange for the safety of the rest of your friends. That is the same spirit Carmilla had when we had our last operation together.” Czarita stood up from her seat and signaled Carlos to remove Aeshua’s blindfold.

Unable to quickly adjust to the light, Aeshua squinted her eyes and turned her head away from it.  Squinting, she could see the table near the filing cabinets. She could also see a cloud vision of a woman. Probably, she thought, that’s Czarita. Why is she bringing Carmilla up?

Aeshua stopped resisting for a while as Carlos dragged her to the table she saw earlier and sat her on the chair, her hands and feet still tied. On top of the table was nothing but an old thick folder with a few pages sticking out.

“What is this all about?” Aeshua asked.

“Carmilla, Reign, and I were the team that investigated what happened to the people who went missing during those times. We managed to gather enough evidence where they brought them but unluckily, Carmilla was caught by Corporal Callos on her way out. Reign was going to come back for her but as soon as Carmilla spotted Reign, she aggravated Corporal Callos by throwing dust on his eyes and ran the opposite direction. She sacrificed herself in order to save us.” For a couple of seconds, no one spoke nor moved. Aeshua stared at the folder in front of her. She wanted to open it but she also felt cold feet to know what really happened.

Finally, Czarita clicked her tongue and sniffed. “I apologize for how we treated you earlier but the real objective why we kidnapped you and that why it was the best option was because we want you to lure Melo to come here and Phynoisse and we will hold him hostage.”

“Why?” Aeshua, although she felt confused as to why would they want to do so knowing how difficult it was to even touch a single strand of Melo’s hair, asked.

“To retrieve Reign.” Czarita replied.

“Ha. You do know this is a suicide mission, right?” Aeshua replied sarcastically.

“Of all the people, it is you who would be able to understand where I am coming from. Reign is all I have and I am willing to sign a pact with Hades  just to get her back.” Czarita walked closer to Aeshua and placed her fingers on the folder.

“The rest of the report is here. Once you open this folder, you will know the truth but for me to allow it, all I am asking is your cooperation. We need Melo to bargain in exchange for Reign's life.” Czarita’s face gradually changed. Her eyes used to be piercing but now they were wet and begging. She spoke in an emotioned choked voice, continuously tapping her fingers on the file.

“I don’t care whatevs is under that table. All I want to do is go back home or you could kill me now. You can’t manipulate me into this shit.” Aeshua looked away.

Czarita, getting even more desperate, gritted her teeth. “Well, you give me no choice. I am pretty sure no one told you about any of these details.” Czarita opened the folder in front of her and photos of Carmilla’s severed body were compiled in it. Aeshua’s jaw dropped. She felt numb seeing how they defiled her body, severing her limbs and carving on them as if they were writing on the wall. She felt her chest tightening. She breathed heavily, gradually increasing in speed as if she was preparing for a big blow. There was a whirlwind of emotions inside of her, continuously growing. Her face turned red then, she huffed a long and heavy one, her head hung low. What seemed to be a sign of submission was just the beginning of a violent eruption.

Aeshua rocked her chair, screaming and kicking both her feet in the air rapidly. Good thing the chair she was sitting on was fixed to the ground so that it did not fall down no matter how much she kicked; however, the reports flew across the room, scattering the reports and photos across the room. Her wrist and feet bleed from the continued rubbing with the cable tie tied around them. Czarita signaled Carlos to support Aeshua’s head, refraining the wound to open.

“In less than a month, Reign will suffer the same fate as Carmilla.” Czarita signaled Carlos to untie Aeshua, who was currently catatonic after her breakdown. “I’m sorry if it had to be me but I need you. I really need our help to retrieve Reign. Melo is my only hope.”

As Carlos untie Aeshua’s hands, Aeshua quickly swung her fist hitting Carlos on the cheek. With her eyes blank and desolate, she fell on the floor but managed to crawl back to Carlos. She grabbed his foot, digging her nails deep into his skin. Carlos screamed in pain. The medics came and surrounded Aeshua immediately, restraining her as one of them injected sedatives on her. When the sedative kicked in, they carried her back on the bed and untied her feet.

Before Aeshua fell unconscious, she hear Czarita’s faint voice. “You will remain here until you cooperate or else we will be compelled to get another one from your family. Let’s say, the twins. Would they suffice as incentive?”

Aeshua tried her best to shake her head but all she could mutter were the words, “no...not the twins…” then, she blacked out.

For days, Aeshua stayed confined behind the metal door, eating nothing, and attacking anybody who tried to come in her room. She was like a rabid beast. They had to always use sedatives to calm her down just to clean her wound.

Czarita, on the other hand, was growing desperate day after day.  She could not even get herself to sleep so she stayed at Aeshua’s door while watching her cry herself ‘till she passed out.

On the fifth day, Czarita noticed something unusual with Aeshua. She started gathering the pieces of paper scattered, filing them back inside the folder. She also started eating her food and she stopped trying to harm the people entering the room. She also started doing push ups and started training herself. Czarita decided to have another one on one talk with Aeshua. After dinner, she entered Aeshua’s room. Aeshua immediately welcomed her with a question that startled her,

“How do you plan to lure Melo here?” Aeshua asked.

“Befriend him.” Czarita answered.

“You know it’s not that simple.” Aeshua shook her head.

“I know. I heard from our intel that the Daetes’ family are planning on a week-long vacation in Dychophalm and it’s taking place this coming week. This is our only chance.” Czarita explained.

“And how am I supposed to get near him?” Aeshua asked.

“We have fixed your papers and disguise---” 

“Hand me the electric razor.” Aeshua asked, extending her arm.

Czarita called Carlos to fetch the electric razor from the medic. Afraid to come even an inch near Aeshua, Carlos cowered as he approached the table. As soon as he placed the razor on the table, he ran straight to the door. 

To Czarita’s surprise, Aeshua shaved off all of her hair. She even asked Czarita to help her shaved clean her head.

“Now, you need to buy me a wig and contacts. This way, they won’t recognize me.” Aeshua said.