Cruel Fate

[Heuschrecke]

Relief.

It was him. He was here to free her. In that instant, she forgot the anger that brought her to this point, the need to locate and bruise him. Now, all's she wanted was to hug him tight and let him lead her to safety. He looked either way for a moment, before he reached into a pocket and pulled out a key. A rattle, then the soft thud as the lock clicked open and the heavy creak as the door opened. Forwards, and a big, warm embrace. Almost too warm. This she attributed to the cell and its conditions, though. She didn't want to let go, but she had to. "Thank you..."

"Don't. You aren't out of the woods yet."

His tone seemed off and she felt a shiver as he directed it to her, but she shrugged it off. The place was unsettling enough without needing to doubt her saviour. He closed and locked the door behind her, stuffing the key into his pocket as he began to guide her through the winding corridors. Occasionally the wailing cry of someone in pain could be heard echoing throughout the maze, followed by the silence once more. People suffered here. A fate she hoped to avoid.

He handed a blindfold to her, with a whisper. The light would be too bright for her with how long she had been down here. "How long...?" "Five days." She almost tripped over her own feet in shock. It had taken him that long to find her. "Where...?" "Doesn't matter now. You'll see soon enough."

A door close by in front of her opened, sounding similar to the one she was set free from. "Keep it on." She listened as though her life depended on it. The door closed behind them, unlocked. Her breath was calm and even, her usual bounce in her stride re-emerging. He smiled, though she couldn't see it, before grabbing her wrist firmly. He pulled her forwards, she stumbled into the dark. A buckle rattled, before the metal was pressed against her wrist and fastened up tight. "W-what are you doing!?" No answer. Her right arm was restrained, each attempt to break free only serving to rattle it louder than the last. Her left arm experienced the same, the feeling of betrayal not yet sinking in as her closest family member bound her to whatever it was that she was laying against. Now the panic set in. More pointless struggles, and her legs too were lashed to it, all of the restraints being right enough to mark her skin. Now there was no chance of escape.

The blindfold was tugged off from covering her eyes, to reveal his snake-like smile.