The Hunter

[Sanguine Frozen Boy]

Samantha awoke in a dark and cold room that she did not recognize. She could barely remember anything that had gone on recently and looked around the room that she was in. There was literally nothing but dust and shackles on the wall. It seemed as though she was in a room for a crazy person only lacking the padded walls and straight jacket. She stood up and heard chains hit the floor noting that her hands had been shackled to her feet and although she could move freely it appeared to be more for something else rather than holding her. Behind her was the door where a very small amount of light fell down in upon her face. She was just a foot too short to look out of the small peephole with bars covering it. She didn't see any way of escape and she sat down in the furthest corner from the door.

Memories flashed back in her mind of the battle that had just taken place and of the ship's loss of shields followed by her imminent capture. She remembered the man who had tried to resist and felt her stomach spin feeling as though she would puke fromt he thought. Fortunately she could hear a voice in the backround seeming as though it was to her.

"Oh I see that you didn't get away huh?" She leaned closer to the wall and put her hand on it, feeling a crevice that led to a small hole in the wall. She looked through it and spotted what appeared to be a figure in the darkness.

"Who are you?"

"What? Hmmm....that you Ms. Grey?" She saw what appeared to be a pair of dark almost invisible eyes come to the hole. She watched as one of them dissapeared, the figure obviously trying to get a better look. "Yeah, it's you. I'd notice those eyes anywhere. Yep, well hey, they finnally decided to kill me, tonight."

"How do you know me?"She leaned forward toward the wall pressing her hands onto it.

"You don't remember? Well I suppose you're young, but it wasn't too long ago." The eye dissapeared and the figure went back to it's origional position.

"No, you still haven't answered my question."

"Ah, I see you don't remember. Who I am doesn't matter. Said the same thing to you about a year ago. How do I know you, met you right here in this cell."

Samantha felt her heart skip a beat. What did he mean?"I don't recall ever being here. My father must be the one you're thinking of."

"Your father? Yeah, I remember, you talked about how he'd save you one day and then one day I heard some screams and stuff and I asked what was going on and yeah, you were gone." The figure moved back over to the hole and looked through. "Did your father come to save you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Samantha never remembered any of what he said.

"Well, I do remember you saying you'd leave your mark on this station. You etched something into one of these walls saying that they'd remember you because of it. Here, you'll need this more than me now." Something was forced through the hole that landed in front of her. Again the figure returned to it's origional position. "Put your shackles into the light and search the room for it."

Samantha felt her heart beating in her fingertips. She stood and walked over to the light putting her shackles into it. She focused the light to the left where the hole was and saw a bottle of what appeared to be alcohol. She looked to the right and spotted long marks on the wall but they were nothing out of the ordinary. She focused the light directly ahead and couldn't believe what she saw. The symbol of the apocathery with dried blood still on it.

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He looked up into the dark cell and felt his body being thrown in, the sound of his body hitting the ground echoed throughout it. He rolled over onto his back and sat up watching as the four men laughed loudly and shut the door. His wounds bled freely and they had chosen his chest and back as a canvas. He had no idea what they had written but it had hurt terribly. He knew he didn't want to suffer from disease as well as torture and had managed to sneak a bottle of alchohol in when they were halling him in. He remembered them believing his right arm was broken and so when he lifted it to smack them, they didn't watch his left hand grab the bottle. He also remembed playing as though the'd knocked him unconscous and apparently they didn't realize he was holding the bottle.

"God damn, this always ****ing hurts." He scooted over to the wall, the energy drained from his body from bleeding so much. He reached over to a crevice in the wall and pulled out the bottle. He took a moment to soak one of the many bandages that hung from his body and apply it to his bloody cuts. So many times had he done it that he was used to the pain. After a moment he looked down toward the ground wishing they would just kill him already. Stealing a ship of their seemed to be one of the worst things you could do and now he'd pay for it. He felt the bandages on his face as he held his head up with his hand.

His hearing wasn't too good so when he though he heard crying he wasn't sure it was real. It took a moment of scooting to the near wall and pressing his ear up against it to hear. He looked down and saw a small hole in the wall about the size of his hand. He knelt down to look through the hole and saw someone in the cell."Hey, you ok?" Dumb question since obviously anyone in a cell was propably going to die one day. There wasn't a response. "Hey, come here and talk to me. Comon should at least talk to someone if you can."

There was a small rustling followed by a small voice of a young girl."They.....they hurt me..."

"Woah! Holy **** are you a little kid?" He tried as best he could to see her and could only see a dull yellowish eye.

"I...I don't know. I can't remember.....The blood, there's so much of it."

"Hey hey, where'd they cut you?" He didn't want the girl to die, she was his only company.

"My arm...."

"Well, ****, try and put your arm through this hole and i'll make the blood stop. It's gonna hurt just so you know."

"It...can't be worse....than what they did....."

"Did they just cut you?" He could hear her pressing her arm through the hole. Her arm was very small and fit all the way through.

"No....they also...took someone...away....from me..." Her voice shook oddly, like she was about to crack or something and just start screaming and crying in pain. He wondered how old she was as he gripped her wrist tightly and carefull started to clean her wounds. He didn't like listening to the whimpering and crying, but it was for her own good. He removed the grey bandage from his head and carefully wrapped it around her arm. He could feel his hideous face touching the darkness but he didn't care. She couldn't see him.

"There, all better. Take off the bandage when you hear them coming and put it in this hole. I'll put more alcohol on your arm if you need it." He listned to the whimpering as the arm went back through the hole and he stood, the blood remaining in his body rushing to his head forcing him to breathe carefully. After a moment he replaced the alcohol and then sat back down next to the hole."So, whats your name kid?"

"Samantha....Grey...I....." She sounded as if she was going to say more but she didnt'.

"Ah well, look. I know this sucks and stuff, but you should try to be as doscile as you can. I heard that if you do, they get bored of hurting you and move you up to a slave or something."

"Q..Quiet?"

"Yeah, just be as quiet as possible. Heh, or you could just wait till they walk in and try to kill em and take their keys, but even I haven't been able to get out after doing that." His hand felt the decay on his face, remembering how he'd lured one of the gaurds who liked him in. Of course he was not really interested in sex with another man, but the other man found him to be attractive and soon found that bandages were stronger than they looked around someones kneck. He had tried to escaped by taking one of their ships and of course didnt' make it to the trade lane. When he had gotten back, they dipped his face in a barrel of acid and ever since then no one had come onto him.

"My father.....he...will come....." The words seemed kind of odd, but if she was an important person then hell yeah they'd come and they might even rescue him especially if she liked him then she'd want him to come too. For a moment he had hope again of escaping.

"Yeah? Is your father like, king or president or something?" He sat back and prayed.

"No....My father.....my father will come." He sighed but still it was a possibility.

"Yeah, he'll come for sure. Don't you lose hope." He breathed in deeply and looked at his hands where her blood was. "Who is he anyway?"

"I....don't...remember." The sentence confused him.

"What do you mean? How did you get here anyhow?"

"They said....they found me in a lifepod.....recognized me with somone....tortured me....said something about the lifepod being experimental.....then they said they didn't like the results.....said alot of other stuff I didn't understand then....."

"Ah well, probably the reason you can't remember. Some of those lifepods can last like twenty years or so with some sort of new stasis technology." he sat back and scratched his head. "Well damn, you sound really young so you couldn't have been in one that long."

"I don't....remember...."

"Ah it's ok." He decided it was enough questions for the day. He wanted to brighten her day and try to keep up her hope and maybe one day she'd be able to try and escape. Try the same way he did maybe only this time he'd be with her and be able to help."So, you ever been to Manhatten?"

"Yes...."

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Property of Sirfrozenalot.