"ARE YOU NOT DONE!" I'm chained up against the wall, grunting, teeth bared vibrating with pure anger. I hardly remember the taste of fresh air. In 3 months, I haven't seen the sunlight, I haven't had a drink of clean water, I haven't slept, and most importantly, I haven't had a moment of fucking silence. I remember each day of this hole. Not sure the nightmares would ever let me escape. When we got here I almost died from my gut wound and passed out. But when I woke up, I was tied to the wall with fresh herbs and leaves sticking out from my wound doing nature's work in healing. Completely weak, powerless. But I was alive, and slowly on the mend. It was dark. Soundless. Tasteless. I was in a cave. The water droplets echoed through the air creating a sinister related rhythm that allowed me to keep time, but partially driving me to the edge of insanity. The lack of light that had bothered me so much at first, after a while it just became normal. The world as I now knew it was etched in burnt charcoal, the once vibrant hues of the plants were no more than a memory. Day and night just blended into one another and all the time became excess amounts of suffering. It was us, alone, with no escape. It's the damp that does it I think. No matter the weather outside the floor is always wet in here; probably an underground spring surfaces just outside the walls and soaks the muddy floor. Day in day out, she would come here and lash me, sometimes 100 hourly. She would use her magic to burn me from the inside, or pour scalding water on my chest just to watch me scream with agony until my body willed for the sweetness of death. But she wanted something from me, that I could not give. The chains never came off. I was bound here eternally. An animal. The chains are tight, I'm sure they've imprinted on my wrists cutting deep leaving a scar. My chest is bare, my hair has grown but its no longer blonde. From sleeping in the mud, it's become a dirt brown. I've hardly been getting food, but I've hardly been getting sleep. If I sleep, I dream. If I dream, I hear her. I hear Her screams for me. How she begged me to stop and stay with her. I can never forget her. If I do, the man that is here might aswell become a Beast. She is the only thing keeping me sane. It's been months. The simultaneous torture both physically and mentally has not taken a moment of rest. She never leaves me. She comes at the same time everyday, to bring me food, and 'company' as she calls it. And then her war against me begins. Sometimes I cannot tell which is in more pain. My body or my heart.
"How are you my son?" She says teeth showing all wrapped up in a warming maternal smile that makes the child in you go giddy. Not me, I fucking hated it. Her smile was sweet her words bitter. Like a rotten toffee apple. She puts bread and water in front of me.
"I've been better mother." I say returning her sarcasm.
"Oh so you want to talk today." She giggles. I usually meet her speech with silence, but today, I need information. I need to know. That they're ok. "You want to know about her I'm guessing?"
"Yes."
" -and what will you give me in return?" She says. I'm not giving her what she wants.
"How many times will we go over this!? I don't know WHERE THE FUCK IT IS!"
"I DONT BELIEVE THAT SHE NEVER MENTIONED ONCE WHERE IT IS! You either tell me or you never leave. Trust me, keeping you here is torturing her as much as it's torturing you!"
"I HATE YOU! FUCK-" it's burning-scorching. The chains start to burn, bind themselves to my skin. My blood squelches at it temperature. It's hot, I've never felt this, it's mixed with anger. But Then it stops. Punishment.
"Good..I want you to hate me. I want to make you bare, a clean slate. Not capable of any love, only hatred. I will burn everything out of you until Hatred is all that is left. I want you to bury your wife with your own hands. Without love all you will be able to focus on is revenge. Revenge for your mother. The Nightslayers took everything From me TWICE. First her bitch mother took my eyes and my power and now the daughter stole my son! I want them dead, all of them, every last one. I want To kill them and watch their children's hearts crumble."
She comes close to me. Looks deep into my eyes, she's so close I fantasise about squeezing life out of her.
"Now, tell me what I want to know. Or I will make you a vessel for my vengeance. You will feel nothing, love will become poison to you. Even the thought of your wife will make you hungry for death."
"I really don't know. I swear." I whisper. I am weak I have no energy. I can barely keep my eyes open let alone keep my mind alert.
"I hate you, I hate you." I repeat over and over out of breath. She hears me, but I want her to know, that the only person who truly loved her, will never forgive her.
"Hatred convinces us that others will come to harm those we love and the only way out is to end their lives first, for without the abuse of loving feelings, hatred is too weak to cause damage." She burns me again. And again.
"Now tell me. Where is Karina Darvos' mother buried on Haydren?"
"I'm not telling you shit because I DONT KNOW! The only people who would know that ARE the Darvos's."
"You know what, maybe you need some incentive to jog your memory. Make yourself presentable, we have a guest." She leaves the cave. Leaving me alone. Then I hear it. A scream. A woman. Please-no god -please!
"KARINA!?" I shout in a voice I don't recognise, a beast. No one replies only screams. Fear.
"Damien..." I hear her whimper, there is a small fire just enough for me to see her face....Ashley.
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She is badly bruised around her eyes but now she is also chained. She has just got here. She hasn't been here long, the blood pouring from her head is too fresh.
"Damien!" She is opposite me on the wall. She is scared. Her eyes are wide but she is squinting she isn't used to the lack of light.
"It's ok I'm here!" She looks to where the sound is coming from. And her eyes go wide. "YOU'RE ALIVE!!" She says gasping overwhelmed with joy. It makes me happy to hear her voice. It seems she was unconscious for a while. That's probably why I didn't hear her. There is a gash upon her brow, she had been hit in the head with something.
"Where are we? What does she want!?"
"I'll explain it all-I promise-just let me know..how are they?" I say.
"They?" She replies unsure.
"Karina, and my children?" I see her eyes darken, all joy fear that caked over her face, dissolved into a face of mourning.
"You don't know." Her somber tone made me quake, something was wrong.
"Don't know what!?" She was reluctant to say. No more bullshit. "ASHLEY DONT KNOW WHAT!?" My voice startled her. I saw her jump a little. Fuck that.
"Damien. Karina she is fine. But the kid, it was too late...I'm sorry."
Burning rage hissed through my body like deathly poison, screeching a demanded release in the form of unwanted violence. It was like a volcano erupting underneath my skin; fury sweeping off me like ferocious waves. The wrath consumed me, engulfing my moralities and destroying the boundaries of loyalty. Every word stung only fueling the fire that burned inside of me. my fists began to clench and my jaw rooted. Emotions had been thrown together to create..numbness. The heartache became numb. Everything. All at once. Life has been cruel. Unfair. My child was taken before I even got to say eyes on them. And that feeling, it's tearing me from the inside. How long can one take so much pain, how long until the mind snaps? I'll tell you. 3 months.