Eugenia part 37

Read part 36 here!

I woke up on the floor of a metal box. It couldn’t have been more than five feet across, but the ceiling was high. At the very top, there was a small window. There were no bars, but the walls were so smooth it would have been impossible to make it up there. The box had nothing inside it but me, as far as I could tell. No toilet, no cot, no nothing. I couldn’t even see a door.

After ascertaining that there was nothing else of interest in my vicinity, I checked myself. I was sore from sleeping, or riding out the rest of my drug-induced coma, on the hard cement floor. There were no mysterious bruises or injection marks. I assumed they wanted me awake to inflict any real pain.

One thing that I had expected was a camera, but from what I could tell, there wasn’t one. Every wall was just as smooth as the others.

“Good. You’re awake. The drug seemed to particularly keep hold of you.” One of the walls slid smoothly open, revealing a hidden door and the familiar voice. “We meet at last, Meg Carroway.”

“Bluff.” I spit, wanting badly to back up but finding that there was no where to go. I watched him move into the room, knowing I was much stronger than him and calculating my escape.

“Charming. I hope you’re smart enough not to try anything. I have two men just beyond this door waiting for you to attempt an escape.” I didn’t say anything, mentally noting that he could be lying. But whether or not it was a lie, I couldn’t afford to try anything.

“What do you want? Why haven’t I been executed? Third time’s a charm, right?” I asked, glaring. If I was going to die here in this little cement box, I was going to die being difficult.

Bluff chuckled, a movement that caused his midsection to jiggle slightly. I forced myself not to turn and gag. “My dear, all in good time. But you will do me no good dead, at least at first. Something is going on, and I want to know what.”

“I won’t tell you anything, so you might as well off me now.” I barred my teeth, feeling feral.

“And I had a feeling you wouldn’t. Luckily, I have some friends who are very persuasive.”

Ah. So he intended to torture information out of me. Fantastic.

“Now,” Bluff continued, turning away from me. “Follow me. If you go of your own accord, my men won’t need to rough-handle you.”

I laughed hoarsely, wishing I had some water. “Because you’re not planning on rough-handling me anyways.”

Bluff didn’t chuckle in return. He simply glanced over his shoulder and smirked. “You’ll learn to take whatever breaks you get soon enough.”

Not finding a good response, I got to my feet stiffly and followed him out. Good to his word, two large men were flanking the doorway. Without giving them a second glance, I took in my surroundings. My box seemed to be at the end of a long cement hallway. There were no windows, so I guessed that the only part of this establishment that was above ground was the upper part of my cell. Instead of leaving the hallway as I expected, Bluff led the group into another room off to the right of us.

“I’m not a cruel man. A long walk back and forth every day would be unpleasant, would it not?” Bluff explained.

I said nothing.

The new room was just as windowless as the hallway, but not nearly as empty as my box. There were a myriad of little complicated devices lying around, and a chair that looked like it belonged in a dentist’s office. I assumed that was for me.

The taller of the two guards shut and locked the door behind us. Unlike my box, the door was readily discernible from the rest of the room, and it could be opened from both sides. I hoped that this would be to my advantage at some point.

Finding no other option, I bounded into the reclined chair, allowing them to strap me in. “So what first?” I asked, false cheer lacing my words.

Now Bluff did chuckle. “We’ll start with a question. If I don’t like the answer, it will be very unpleasant for you. So try not to displease me.”

I nodded, shifting my position slightly, as if getting comfortable. “Hit me.”

“Interesting choice of words.” Bluff smiled, lifting a small rectangular box with two protruding cylinders. It looked like a taser. “Who is in the city?”

“Lots of people. There’s you, and me, and that guy who runs the department store over by the reservoir…” Apparently, this was not an appropriate answer, and I learned my first bit of information. It was a taser. The electric current ran through me like a creeping handful of needles.

“I should have been clearer.” Bluff amended casually, rolling up his sleeves. “Who have you been bringing into the city?”

“Who says I’ve been bringing people into the city?” Another, stronger shock. I cringed but made no sound.

“I know about your little roadtrip.” He told me. “You and your friend Decklan.”

Just like his name, I understood he was bluffing. He was hoping, with his suspicions of Decklan and his knowledge of Decklan’s family visit, that I would let something slip. “Decklan?” I asked, confused. “Who is- oh. Oh.” I paused, watching the senator’s face. “Do you mean the kid who works at the supermarket? The one who’s too stupid to keep track of me as I rob him blind?” I laughed. “I don’t know what this kid has done to piss you off, but trust me. It’s got nothing to do with me.”

Bluff considered this, then sent another electric current down my body. “Lies.” He whispered. I felt the tears as they threatened to escape my eyes. Then he leaned back. “Let’s try a new set of questions, give you a little break. Why did you kidnap your sister?”

This time, I knew what he wanted. “I needed leverage over my parents. I thought that if I kidnapped Emma, they would be forced to do me favors.”

No shock this time, as Bluff had expected this answer. “And did they ever do you favors?”

I spat off the side of the chair in disgust. “Of course not. Why should they? I failed them again. I will… I will always be a failure to them.” I let my voice tremble slightly, letting my arrogant mask slip a bit.

“Where have you been living?”

“The streets.”

“What streets?”

“All of them. We never stayed in the same place twice.”

“Where is Julie Sherman?”

“Running to Canada, if she’s smart.” I got a shock this time.

“Where is Julie Sherman?” Bluff asked again.

“I’m not her keeper!” I gasped, feeling the residual effects of the electricity. “I don’t know! She ran off a week ago!”

“Ran off, did she? And pray tell, where did tiny Julie go? Where would she go?” Another shock, which in the back of my mind I found unfair, seeing as I hadn’t got the chance to lie yet.

“I…don’t…know.” I closed my eyes and concentrated on steadying my breathing.

I heard Bluff put down the taser. “Seems like this instrument doesn’t have the… motivation you need. Let’s try something simpler.” I didn’t even try to look. “So. Meg. Who are you working with?”

“Working with? I’ve been alone since you shot Daniel Gruber.” That’s when I screamed, a sharp wooden stake shoved underneath a nail.

“Who are you working with?” Bluff moved onto another fingernail, but I was prepared this time and refused to even squeak.

“You’ll never find them.” I hissed.

“What was that?” He finished off the fingernails on my right hand.

“You. Will. Never. Find them.” It wasn’t worth pretending any more.

“That so?” Bluff moved on to the left hand. “We’ll see about that.”

And so it went on. After a few hours, Bluff led me back, stumbling, to my box. Someone brought me a roll and some water, which I devoured immediately. They still hadn’t provided me with a bucket, and I was forced to relieve myself in a corner of my box. After brief consideration. I chose the corner by the secret door.

The next day it was much the same, although I was taken to a different room. This time, I was allowed a trip to a bathroom first. Then came the water torture.

First, Bluff dripped a steady stream of water onto my forearm. As the bruise formed, he asked me more questions. I was past being able to answer sarcastically, so I kept my mouth shut.

Then he moved on to submerging me in water for twenty seconds at a time, letting me up for five, and dunking me again.

“Who are you working with?” He bellowed.

“Strength does not come from physical capacity! It comes from an indomitable will!” I shouted back, after my third time being submerged.

That caused him to pause. “What?”

“Ghandi,” the short guard supplied when it was clear I was unable to answer.

“Interesting.” Then he submerged me again. “What are you planning?”

Andy had a big book of quotes that I’d gone through almost every day since moving in with them, so whenever I found myself able to speak, I would spout off a quote.

“Where is Julie Sherman?”

“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough!” (Og Mandino)

“Who are you working with?”

“What does not kill me makes me stronger!” (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

“What are you planning?”

“Strength is born in the deep silence of long-suffering hearts; not amid joy!” (Arthur Helps)

Time ceased to mean anything to me. I could have been in that hallway for months and it would not have mattered. I was in such constant pain that I could barely register when I was alone and when Bluff was shoving things under my fingernails.

Continued in part 38!

January 28th marked Eugenia’s 1 year anniversary! Wow! If I hadn’t kept forgetting to post… you would almost be done. Ooops. My bad.