Luka
That damn nail.
The moment I felt it under my fingers, a little bit of hope appeared inside me. Maybe if I tried hard enough, I might have a chance to get the hell out of here.
However, no matter how hard I tried, no matter how persistently I rubbed these ropes that bound my hands against that stupid nail, they wouldn't give way.
I had no idea if the material was just insanely strong or if this nail was completely useless and too damn rusty to do anything.
Either way, nothing changed.
I was still tied up.
At the same time, I tried getting rid of the tape over my mouth, but that failed too.
I pushed and twisted around, tried opening my mouth wider, tried using my tongue to loosen it.
Nothing worked.
The only thing I managed to do was get a mouthful of that damn glue or whatever the hell was on it, and now I felt a little sick.
Maybe it was because I hadn't eaten in who knows how many hours. Honestly, though, that was the least of my worries.
Thankfully, those idiots hadn't checked on me even once.
And because of that, they hadn't noticed that I was trying to do something.
But I did manage to figure out a few things while I was stuck here.
Thanks to my beastfolk ancestors, my hearing and sense of smell were pretty damn good. This helped me realize that I was, without a doubt, in a warehouse, next to something that sounded like a river.
After spending a long time trying to understand every smell and sound around me, while also recalling the city map, I came to the conclusion that I was most likely at the docks.
That meant I hadn't been taken too far away from the city, so if I found a way out of here, maybe I could make it home on my own.
Then I could figure out what to do next.
That thought gave me a little bit of motivation, so I started moving again, feeling around the nearby boxes, hoping to find something.
Something sharper than that damn nail.
Suddenly, the door creaked.
I froze.
Footsteps.
Someone whispered, "You sure about this? What if they notice we're gone?"
"Relax. Don't be such a damn pussy," said a high-pitched voice, the very same one that wanted to make me an example for the other hybrids.
My whole body tensed the moment I heard him.
"But the boss said not to touch him until his buddies showed up," his partner protested, sounding unsure.
"Oh, come on. We ain't gonna do anything. Just gonna have a little chat. Nothing's gonna happen. Don't freak out."
Their footsteps came closer.
"Besides, they've already decided that hybrid freak's fate. What's a couple of bruises gonna change? Leaving him alone ain't gonna save him from what's coming."
They kept getting closer and closer.
At some point, I felt one of them stop right in front of me.
"If you're that worried, go keep watch," the guy with the high voice said.
He crouched down, bringing his face closer to mine, and I felt his disgusting breath against my skin.
"Me and this little cutie need to have a little talk, privately."
Judging by the footsteps, the other guy silently followed the order and left.
What the hell did this bastard want from me?
"Hm? What's wrong, little fox?"
His hand grabbed my hair and yanked my head back.
"I bet you thought you were gonna get some happy ending, didn't you? That showing up in all those stupid newspapers, having your face plastered everywhere, was gonna make you famous?" He laughed, then his voice turned colder. "No... Not happening. The dumbest thing you managed to do was become popular."
His grip tightened.
"You think that because everyone knows what you look like now, that makes you untouchable? You really thought you'd be able to live in peace, believing that no one would come after you anymore? Nobody would ever lay a hand on you as long as that wolf is by your side?"
He sneered.
"You little piece of shit!"
His face moved even closer, and a wave of disgust ran through me.
I hated how close he was.
My scalp hurt from the way he pulled my hair, and his breath made my stomach twist even more.
Fuck.
Did this bastard even know how to brush his teeth?
"Mmm," I tried to pull away.
"What? Got something to say?" He laughed again. "Nope. I'm not taking that tape off."
Disgusting. Disgusting, disgusting bastard!
I moved again, trying one more time to pull his hand away from my hair.
The next second, he slapped me so hard that my ears rang.
"What, you really thought you could get out of here? You think your stupid friends are gonna come running in and save you? Yeah, don't even dream about it."
His grip tightened even more.
"Damn freak. What are you supposed to be anyway? Half fox? White one? What, they ran out of colors when they made you?"
He laughed.
"Or maybe your slut of a mother was screwing around with one guy after another so much that all your genes got completely mixed up. Yeah, I bet even those damn beastfolk don't see you as one of their own.
He moved closer, so close that our faces were almost touching. I had to hold my breath, so I wouldn't breathe in that nauseating smell.
"Oh, wait. Maybe it was the other way around. Maybe you just got stuck with one hell of a horny fox dad who couldn't keep it in his pants and went after some human woman."
I heard him spit.
"God, she must've been disgusted. First, having to deal with that hairy bastard, then giving birth to something like you. Gross! No wonder all you freaks ended up hiding in that filthy bar. Should've burned that place down a long time ago."