Run, Baby, Run

Chapter 17

3rd person. Location unknown.

Deep, deep down in the earth, in a dark, cold, damp cellar a man paces back and forth in a small somewhat damp room. His wife sits in the corner in a single wooden chair. She has a worn picture in her hands. No matter how hard the man tries he cannot get his wife to put down the photograph. Everyday She just sits on that wooden chair and Silently weeps over the photo.

The man briefly stops pacing the windowless wall and walks over to sit on the old rickety bed across the room from his wife. “Clarissa,” The man says. “Please put that damned photo down. It is not helping us get out of here.”

The woman, Clarissa, looks up at her husband with tearful emerald eyes. She need not to speak, for her husband already knows that she refuses to put it down.

The man sighs. “I know you miss them, I miss them too. Clarissa, we need to focus on getting out of here. Please.”

Clarissa shakes her head. “Daniel, I can’t.” Her voice is barely above a whisper but it always makes an impact.

Daniel stands again, having given into his wife. He walks over to his wife and places a kiss on her forehead. Then he continues his pacing.

This argument has been the same everyday for four years now. Daniel has never stopped trying to get out and Clarissa has never stopped cherishing that picture. They don’t know where they are. They aren’t even sure how they got there. But they both remember that day that everything changed vividly.

That day four long years ago. They had returned from the grocery store and for a bit everything was normal. The married couple joked together while unloading everything into their kitchen. They finally had everything they wanted. For once they had a relatively normal life with no disasters.

The house was surprisingly empty that day, but Clarissa and Daniel were thankful for the quiet for once. Clarissa had sat down to read that book she had been meaning to read. Daniel had gone to his office to make some business calls.

Unfortunately the two of them didn’t realize any thing was wrong until it was too late. All of a sudden Daniel had heard a scream from the living room. He ran to his wife’s aid, but by the time he got there she was gone, her book carelessly thrown to the ground. Frantically, he called for her. He was too worried about his wife to be on the defensive. Suddenly there was a pain in his shoulder. It was a dart containing special tranquilizer just for his kind.

Next thing he knew he was in a dark room strapped tightly to a chair with iron chains. He couldn’t see anything but he could hear heavy breathing next to him. He knew it was Clarissa.

He wished he could tell her that everything was going to be okay but he wasn’t sure himself.

That day they meet the one person they wish had never lived. This person had to be heartless. That day Daniel and his wife were tortured for information about a “Prodigy”

They were stabbed, cut, hit, and even bones broken. The person only wanted one thing, and not getting that thing made them angry. The married couple stayed strong. They refused to tell anything. This torture lasted everyday for about a year and a half before the person got bored and realized that no information was forthcoming.

Daniel and Clarissa were moved permanently into the room with the chair, and the torturing eventually stopped. There was still and occasional cut or slap, but nothing ever too serious.

Now four years later they are still held prisoners desperately wanting to be free.

Suddenly Daniel heard footsteps coming towards them from outside the room.

“Quickly!” He says to his wife, “Hide the picture!”

Clarissa moves quickly and slips the picture under the mattress of the bed. She then returns to her position of the chair staring at the blank wall.

Their capturer unlocks the door of the room. This door can only be opened from the outside with a special key.

“Hello Alpha.” The Capturer says, addressing Daniel. “I have some news for you two!” An evil smile crosses the face.

Daniel scoffs. “Just let us free already. It’s been four years. We aren’t going to tell you anything.

The person laughs. Which sounds more like a raspy cough then a laugh. “I don’t need your information anymore demon. I have someone to do my dirty work. Just a little longer and I’ll have the prodigy and my revenge.”

“What are you talking about?” Clarissa rises quickly from her chair. Her voice is filled with anger and worry.

“You’ll find out soon my dear Clarissa. Very soon.” There is another raspy chuckle. “Soon I will kill your precious son, and have revenge on you demons. I will exterminate your whole disgusting species!”

“You can’t do that!” Clarissa tried to lunge at the capturer. Daniel held her back, not wanting her to get injured.

“I would love to see you try.” With that said the Capturer flees from the room locking the door behind them.

Clarissa falls to her knees crying. Her children are in grave danger and she can’t do anything to stop it. She pulls the picture out from under the bed and holds it close to her chest. Her husband is behind holding her tight. Trying his best to soothe her, but at this point nothing he can say will make things better. So he just holds her and lets her sob until she falls asleep. He then picks up her frail body and lays her on the bed.

The picture falls out of her hand and lands on the floor. Daniel really looks at the picture for the first time in a while. The edges are worn. The ink has been smudged in a few places from tears. In the picture sits a boy the age of fourteen with dark black hair and emerald eyes. In his arms he holds a baby girl with big blue eyes. These were his kids, and this picture was the only thing keeping his wife and him alive.