Luka
Every step echoed around me.
"How much longer are we gonna wait for that bastard to contact us? Let's just fucking finish him off already," one of them growled.
"No, let's do something more memorable," another man said. "Oh, I got it. Let's cut off his ears and send them straight to the bar." He laughed. "No, no, no. Better the tail. Look at how fluffy it is. Imagine that wolf's expression when he opens the box."
My stomach twisted.
"Let's show this wolf what happens when you mess with the wrong people. We'll make an example out of him. How about it?"
A shiver ran through my body after hearing his words. Nausea rose in my throat. I barely managed not to give away that I was awake.
"Don't touch him."
A third voice spoke. This one was different. Something in the way he spoke made it seem as if he were in charge here.
"Until he reports the decision, we do nothing."
He?
Who the fuck was he?
"Fuck! That motherfucker can never make a decision himself. He's always waiting for those old geezers to tell him what to do."
A fourth voice. This one was annoyingly higher.
"We would've had a lot more fun by now if it weren't for you. You're way too obsessed with following his orders."
THUD!
I felt the hit in my stomach.
A sharp pain shot through me, forcing my body to curl up. I wanted to scream, but the damn tape over my mouth only let out a muffled sound.
"Oh, look at this," the guy who wanted to cut off my ears said. "That little brat woke up." His voice got closer. "Good morning, sunshine."
A pause.
"Hm… Bet he's still hoping someone's gonna come save him."
I could hear the smile in his voice.
"I said enough!" The commanding voice snapped at the guy who had hit me. "I told you not to touch him until we get orders."
"Oh, screw you. Nobody said we couldn't touch him." He sounded annoyed. "You're making a big deal out of nothing."
A few of them laughed.
"If they start asking questions, we'll just say he fell." He chuckled. "That happens when someone gets kidnapped, right? Can I hit him a few more times?"
His voice became excited.
"Please. Please, please, please."
"I said enough." The cold voice cut through the room.
The way he said it made it sound like the guy who hit me was about to be the one getting hit next.
Everyone went silent.
"We're all waiting for him to contact us and give us the decision. Maybe after that, you'll get your chance to have a little fun."
At the end of his sentence, something changed in the leader's voice.
He didn't sound cold and serious anymore. It sounded like he was looking forward to something.
"Now get the hell out of here. Let him lie there. We still have things to do."
Footsteps started moving away from me, getting quieter and quieter.
Then the sound of a door closing.
The creak that followed made it sound old, like the hinges hadn't been taken care of in years.
They were gone.
They left me there alone with the pain in my stomach that slowly spread through my whole body.
I had been right.
Those were definitely the same assholes from last time—the ones who broke into my apartment.
What the hell did they want from me this time?
And whose decision were they waiting for?
Another wave of pain twisted through my body.
Kazuo had to be looking for me. He was probably freaking out right now, unable to find me.
But what could he even do?
The police definitely wouldn't be searching for me.
Why would they? Why would they waste time searching for some miserable hybrid who had already become everyone's problem?
They would probably be happy that someone finally got rid of me.
If the police don't want to do anything, Edward can help. Kazuo will call him, and then...
No.
What the hell am I thinking?
Why would he help me?
I'd already asked him once.
That night flashed through my mind.
His indifferent face.
The hope I'd had died in an instant.
I've gotta get out myself.
I needed to figure something out.
Maybe I could escape somehow. Maybe I could get somewhere I could contact Kazuo, tell him where I was, and then he could pick me up.
The problem was, where the hell was I?
I had no idea.
Think.
Think, Luka. Think, for fuck's sake.
I forced my breathing to slow down and tried to focus despite the pain.
Echo.
Right.
When they walked in, I heard the echo.
That meant I was in some big room.
And the door.
The distance from it.
Yeah… I was definitely somewhere large. Probably old too.
I moved slightly, trying to feel the floor underneath me.
Concrete. It had to be concrete.
Maybe a warehouse?
If this was a warehouse, there had to be something here.
Something I could use.
Something I could protect myself with.
Or at least something that could help me get free.
I kept breathing, trying to calm myself down. But my stupid heart was still beating like crazy.
I had to do something before those assholes came back.
I started moving, trying to get somewhere, probably looking like some damn caterpillar trying to figure out which way to go.
I was crawling across the floor until my feet bumped into something.
Judging by the sound, it was something wooden.
A box?
I kicked it a few more times.
Yeah.
Definitely a box.
I crawled closer to it and, after a lot of effort, managed to sit up.
With my hands tied behind my back, I started feeling around the edge of the wooden box.
And then I found it.
Something was sticking out of the box.
A nail.
A wave of hope rushed through me.
I tried pulling it out.
It didn't move.
Fine.
Fuck it.
It could still be useful.
I started rubbing the ropes around my wrists against the edge of the nail.
Please work.
Please.
Just break.
I needed those restraints to snap.
I needed to get out.
Because this was my only chance.