[ENG] The Exiled : Dark Stars

ลำดับตอนที่ #11 : Captive

10

The Exiled: Captive

I’m terribly lost.

Bangkok is not a huge city, but its crazy traffic, labyrinth layout, and jam-packed neighborhood made it hard to find things you want. Like three crazy kids who fell from Paradise.

Well…not literally. When Paradise exiled us, we were put into a deep sleep and did not even know how in the world we ended up here. We lost our homes, our families, our status, our comfort, and we would never get it back; that’s for certain. Well, unless I gain another ability to impersonate Zyen.

I was standing atop the Rama III Bridge, hoping the Wolves couldn’t locate my scent from this high up. The Chao Phraya River flowed calmly beneath me, seeming to stretch on endlessly into the horizon. The breeze was so strong I may topple over any minute, but I love it up here. Today is quite cloudy, and there might be a storm later on. If that happens, I could run in the rain, and the Wolves would not catch my scent.

It took forty-five minutes to get from where Zyen had abducted me to this bridge. I didn’t think anyone could follow me, but maybe the Wolves were getting better and this cat and mouse game. I could not be too careless.

Minutes later, I decide to drop down from the top of the bridge and jump on the golden slings across to the other side of Bangkok. I could still feel his touch, and his scent still lingers on my skin. I had to stay out of sight for now until I can find more modest clothing than a piece of blanket.

Then, a sudden stinging pain ran up my leg, and it went completely numb. I found myself slowly falling over like the world is in a slow motion mode. All I could see was the sky, and suddenly, my body hit the water with a loud splash. The humming of boat engines and the murmur of the water filled my hearing. The sky became a white light in a field of brown water, and my lungs felt like an invisible hand were crushing them.

I’m drowning!

Something tugs at my legs non-stop, and I could hear muffled laughter echoing all around me underwater. Their hands reached everywhere, up my thigh and my back, my stomach, and my shoulders. I could hear loud roars of engines as they circled above my head.

Then all I saw was the Wolves’ metallic masks, gazing and me with their hollow, steel eyes.

When I woke up, everything smelled musty, and the ceiling was a disgusting tint of yellow. I blinked several times, and the first thing I saw was dust particles glittering in the sunlight from the window with iron bars. My feet made a jingling sound when I moved, and I realized they were chained.

Crap. After what I did, Zyen is going to kill me without a doubt.

The door creaked, and in came a hooded Wolf. My blood froze, but when I looked carefully, I knew this wasn’t Zyen. The newcomer is smaller and less delicate. His hair was rusty, and the eyes visible from under the mask was striking green. The Wolf knelt down and threw his hood back, then removed his mask. His skin was light, creating a sharp contrast with his eyes and hair.

“…That was a smart move. I thought you ate my dust.” I mumbled and set my position into a crouch, not letting my guard down. The chain bit painfully into my ankles.

“Almost did.” His voice was not the clear bell of a boy and lacked the baritone of an adult. It was a young teenager’s voice. And he had an accent I could not pinpoint. “Zyen was right. You are careless for someone with a pack of Wolves breathing on your neck.” He grinned, almost innocently. “I’m Ilyushka Lasse, but they call me Ilya.”

“What do you plan to do with me? Keeping me alive for kicks?” I tried to sound all tough, but Ilya chuckled like a preteen boy he was. He raised his right hand up, his index and middle finger raised, his thumbs making a right angle with the two of them. It was the shape of a gun.

“You know, if I had one of these things I saw the Outside World police carrying around in TVs,” He looked at me, and at his hand. “Your head goes bang.”

He blew a soft, unsettling pew sound of a bullet flying through the air.

“Enough pleasantries now. What’s going on?” I tugged on my chains impatiently while Ilya reached for something under his cloak.

He took out a plastic squeeze bottle and played with it, light colored liquid making and arc and landed on my left leg. The smell wafted and entered my nose. My face went pale in recognition.

“Oh no, you won’t.”

In his other hand was a lighter.

“I’m setting you free. By burning your feet off. Aren’t I nice?”

“Nice your grandma’s ass!” A gust of wind blew him off his feet. His bottom hit the ground with a perfect thud, and I tried to undo the knot in the chains. Ilya regained his composure quickly and smashed the back of my head with a wooden club.