It was getting scarier and I was losing it.
"There's nothing much to it, just swear loyalty to us" Ace whispered in my ears.
"Why me?" I couldn't help but ask
"Pfft, I don't know but who cares anyway" he replied "just do what you're told and all will be fine"
"What if...I don't want to do it?" I was close to the pots of charcoal. I was sweating. Yet I was trembling.
Not from fear alone, but from cold as well.
I couldn't tell if it was my fever or a fear reaction.
"There are only two ways to any conversation," he stopped in front of the charcoal pot and pulled something out.
Is that what I think it is? No, God no.
I tried to run, tried to break free, the chair only scraped.
"The easy way which you already denied more than twice" he walked over and stood in front of me.
The guys standing beside me immediately got into action.
One held the chair steady, while the other untied me. I knew they were going to do something to me, probably press that iron bar on me and I wasn't going to sit around and do nothing.
I felt the rope loosen.
That was enough. I shoved him into straight into Ace whose grip slipped on the ridiculously red-hot iron bar.
The iron bar fell on the guy I pushed.
He screamed and flinched hard kicking the iron bar away from himself which was unfortunately in Ace's direction.
They both fell, shouting in pain, the guy who held the chair immediately ran to help Ace. I instantly untied my legs and looked around.
It was dark but I saw another exit door which I immediately bolted towards.
"Catch that runaway!" Ace barked to the guys who had come to help him.
There was no way in hell I was gonna let that happen.
I didn't even know where I was going, I just kept running, cutting corners so I could lose them as fast as possible.
My whole existence was practically written by fear and survival instincts as my legs kept stumbling but somehow didn't trip.
I kept running around the building until I saw a distant light like that of a bus stop.
I looked behind me.
A mistake!.
My legs hit something that felt like an iron box and I fell.
I immediately rolled to the side of the box as I clenched my leg and struggled to muffle the sound from the pain.
They were still a distance away from me so I crawled frantically to the bus stop trying to ignore the pain from my leg and hoping the dark of the night could cover me.
The sound of their steps grew closer to a point I laid still on the ground and really prayed to whoever was listening that I wouldn't get found.
It was a long and terrifying wait as their steps sounded closer and closer until I was sure they were just feet away from me.
To my horror, disbelief and relief, they ran right past me.
I froze there till their steps sounded distant then I started my frantic rush to the bus stop again.
I should have been happy I was now so close to the bus stop. But when I looked over, I realized it was a completely terrible idea.
The bus stop had lights and was completely deserted.
I didn't need to think twice before changing direction.
Light meant safety but it also meant exposure.
I knew, crawling would only increase my chances of being caught, I had to ignore it.
What is a man who can't ignore pain? My brain tried to encourage me.
I sucked in a cold breath through my gritted teeth as I stood and limped in another direction.
I ran for as long as I could remember and finally collapsed in front of a diner that was still opened. I rushed inside.
I was expecting the people there to rush to my side and ask what was wrong and if I needed help but I was utterly disappointed.
What could I have expected?
They all looked at me like I was some kid who, I don't know, did drugs and got himself in trouble.
Everyone kept their distance.
I closed my eyes and fully registered the pain. I bit hard on my lips, my fingers balled and my breath held itself as I fought the urge to scream.
Then I exhaled. Hard.
My breath came in ragged, as I carefully studied my surroundings.
Okay Meffi, breathe, think, what do I do?
I looked around, sounds of footsteps haunted me, sounds of sipping.
I closed my eyes and tried to force the sounds out.
Sounds of bells chiming, voices, my own breath, my own heartbeat.
I held my head.
Dad, dad, where are you?
Cold seeped into me, I shivered and I was sure I could barely hold it together.
And suddenly.
"Kid"
My eyes burst open, everything was quiet, the only sound was my breath.
I looked to the source of the sound. It was a lady.
"We are closed, you need to leave"
"Can you take me to Vixen Street?" I asked
"I would have," she said shaking her head "but my destination is completely different"
"I could call your mum or dad if you want"
"Yes please"
She did, she tried calling but it kept going straight to voicemail
I begged to go with her but she firmly denied.
She closed the door of the diner and went her way, I tried to follow her to the bus stop but my leg couldn't keep up and I fell somewhere on the road, she stopped, turned to look at me and I clearly saw the pity and suspicion in her eyes. Then she turned and walked away.
I wanted to call out to her, I stretched my hands but my voice failed me.
I laid on the cold floor for who knows how long until I heard footsteps.
Out of desperation I pushed myself to sit up and called out to whoever was there.
To my horror, they were my captors.
I secretly cursed myself for being stupid, but what could I do.
They came to me, hit me hard and then dragged me back to the interrogation building.
They dragged me across the hard ground, but why would I go silently into doom. I started shouting for help.
"Help!! Anyone!!"
Now that I think of it, it was stupid of me to think they would let me keep screaming like that.
The next thing I felt was a boot strike hard on my tummy.
"Ugh" the sound came out involuntarily.
They held me still, placed an hanky in my mouth then taped it.
Was the hanky really necessary? I thought.
It felt like seconds, maybe minutes, I saw the fire torches.
I saw Ace.
He sat on a chair, an ice pack on his chest and he definitely didn't look friendly.
They didn't tie me to a chair like before. Instead they held me down so tight i could do nothing but breathe.
One of the guys held out my hand, spread out my fingers. I didn't struggle.
I was cold, weak and tired of all the struggle, I only saw the blur of lights and figures.
Ace stood, walked to the fire place and pulled out the iron bar again.
"As I was saying" the guy who held my hand stepped on my wrist.
It pinched, it hurt.
"There's also the hard way"
I couldn't care what he was saying, because now all I wanted was for him to do whatever he wanted and return me home.
He lowered the iron bar, I realized he was going to place it on my outstretched hand.
I could only watch.
The iron bar touched me.
I held my breath and for a second, I felt nothing.
Then suddenly, pain shot through me.
It was so hot, I screamed, tried to free myself.
The more I tried, the more the boots pressed on my wrist.
I screamed again and tears finally spilled.
I might have been holding them since the torture started but I couldn't any longer.
I was weak and I was going to admit it.