CHAPTER 22
Danni was starting to think that she had done too good of a job. Ever since those walking tree trunks had grabbed her, they had tried to keep her tied up but, that part of their plan did not seem to work out all to well. Their main problem seemed to be the lack of any descent rope. The stuff they were using was coarse, itchy, and most important of all it was weak. It also slipped and the knots that they were using never lasted more than a few minutes. At that point, Danni found herself grabbed again, by multiple hands, and they went right back to it, always using more rope in the next round. When where they going to figure out that didn't matter?
Unfortunately, the thing they shoved in her mouth was a lot more sturdy. Danni had not actually seen it because of the bag over her head but, it felt like leather and tasted like rubbery plastic. Danni felt a little embarrassed because she could figure out what the gag reall was. She had seen several before and was seriously starting to wonder how her mother liked those things! Of course, that was a subject that Danni had no intentions of ever bringing up. She had bigger problems at the moment because, since her efforts had been largely successful, these guys had finally grown tired of it. They slammed her down on a flat surface, pulled her arms over her head, and used cold and thick metal on her wrists and ankles. They did not slip like the knots.
These guys also tended to argue with each other. Danni would have found it quite amusing had she not felt and overwhelming urge to kick their ass. Even so, she almost laughed a few times. She held back. It did not seem like the best idea to piss these guys off. Some of them already sounded that way, even if it was largely with each other. Then they took the bag off of her head and Danni lost the little amount of humor that she had left.
The guys in the robes were of no great surprise, given where she was. Danni might have even laughed at them had she not been chained down to a table, and that table had gears and wheels on each end. It did not take a Starship scientist to figure out what this contraption did. Danni was sure it even had a name but, she never really watched horror movies. Now she was kind of wishing she had because she might have been able figure out what was generating those sparks on the other side of the room. There was a grinding noise that went with it. When one of the robed guys moved she saw all of the nasty looking metal implements that hung along the back wall. Then someone else moved and she saw that great big axe. It was the source of the sparks. Someone was sharpening it on a rock wheel.
Now, Danni would admit to herself that she was scared. These guys must have noticed because one of the hooded figures leaned over her and said, “you are in the court of Saragon of Penssic. You have been brought before this court to confess to your crimes.”
Danni replied as best she could, “you're kidding right?”
Saragon, if that is what he was calling himself, looked to the others who only shrugged in confusion until one of them raised a finger and said, “maybe we should take the gag out?” Saragon was not happy with the suggestion. He acted like it was the dumbest thing he had ever heard, before he actually did it.
After a few spits and then a nasty mumble about, “I going to have a talk with Mom when I get home,” Danni then looked at the guy who was obviously in charge and asked, “you guys have never actually done this before, have you?”
It took a moment before Saragon thought of something to say, “that is none of your concern.”
“Yeah,” Danni remained less than impressed, “well this is.” She screamed as loud as she could, “HELP!”
Saragon gave a very fake sounding laugh, “no one can hear you.”
Some woman, from behind a wall, yelled back and did not sound too happy when she said, “I can! Keep it down in there!”
Saragon corrected himself, “no one that matters.”
Danni had to ask, “your mother? Right?” Another of the hooded figures laughed and was rebuked by Saragon. Danni stared back over to the stream of sparks and then took brief levity of the moment to say, “look guys, I don't know what you want but, you know I'm a government agent and there are others here. One of them is like this special forces guy and I saw him...”
“Your friends left you,” Saragon replied. “You are legally bound by the...”
Danni snapped at the guy, “no, I think I'm just bound, ass hole! Now let me go!”
Saragon ignored the outburst as he tried saying something but, finally, he snapped at the guy that was sharpening the ax, “would you go finish your pile! Do you want to listen to mama all night, again!”
The guy with the ax was not happy, “it's your turn to cut wood.” He got an evil stare, from Saragon, gave up his protest and moped away wile mumbling, “I wanted to see the confession.”
“Go,” snapped Saragon until the boy finally left the room by some door that was really nothing more than a sheet. He then turned his attention back to Danni and said, “we are here to hear your confession and you will...”
Another of the robes pointed out, “here to hear? You couldn't think of anything better?”
“Shut up!” Saragon snapped.
Danni interrupted with, “I guess it doesn't matter to you guys if I didn't actually do anything?”
“That's it!” Saragon pointed to both ends of the table and commanded that they begin turning the gears, “rack her till she talks!”
Before Danni could even protest one of the hooded figures replied, “we can't, remember? I told you we haven't got it to work yet.” When Saragon lashed into this guy, he complained, “you know these things aren't as easy as they look, Jeff.”
Danni began pulling against the chains as hard as she could and was getting quite annoyed, at both the manacles and these dipshits. She was growling as hard as she could, “does it matter that I didn't do anything, ass holes!”
Then Saragon developed a wicked grin as he practically snapped right back at Danni. His eyes never left her as he reached up his sleeve. Danni was a bit nervous as she watched him slide something out. She was a little bit surprised when she saw that it was a prescription pill bottle. Saragon, aka Jeff, rattled the bottle and then asked, “recognize these?”
When Danni suddenly realized what that bottle was, she really began fighting and was quite hostile when she told this idiot, “those are mine! Give them back now!”
Yet another of the hoods stated, “dude, I think she just confessed.”
This started a round of bickering among the hoods that lasted until Jeff raised his voice enough to get their attention, “that was not a confession. She has not yet admitted to being an unholy vaxer that wishes to poison our good people with the evils of the modern world.” Jeff was a little bit less dramatic when he nodded to the door and told another of his crew, “since we can't get the rack to work, go get the branding iron.”
When that guy ran out the door, Danni gulped and then began saying, “I confess! I'm a waxer! Or whatever the hell that is! Those are my wascaly waxer tablets and I used to take money out of my mothers dresser! I stole a toy from WMD's when I was eight. I... um... I even kissed another girl once!”
Danni got their attention on the last note. One of the others dropped his hood and he had some big eyes when he asked, “really?”
Now Danni back pedaled a little and meekly said, “um, I was drinking a lot that night, ok?”
Another hood complained, “Jeff! She's not supposed to confess yet.”
The one that lowered his hood said, “I could stand to hear more.”
Danni really began struggling, almost to the point of panic when she heard the other guy returning, allegedly with a branding iron. Then she stopped when the guy spoke. It was not one of these morons. He was definitely older and sounded a bit angered and quite sullen as he told them, “get the hell out.” Jeff even tried to protest and, oddly enough, this newcomer did not even say a word in return. Jeff just gave up and left with his buddies.
As the man walked into view, he seemed to be a bit disinterested in Danni and, she was not so sure if it was bad or good. He was not dressed up like he was playing some fantasy game, even if he was wearing the kind of garb these people favored. He did not even look at Danni, even when she politely, and with and edge of uncertainty, told him, “thank you?”
The guy did reply to that, “sorry about that kid.”
When the man said nothing else, Danni decided she had to try something. He was not giving her any cues but, he left her with the impression that amateur hour was over. Danni decided to ask the obvious question, “you going to let me go?”
The man stopped what he was doing for a moment. He kind of leaned over his work bench, his back still to Danni, and when he finally answered, “I can't do that, sorry.”
Was she hearing remorse? Danni was pretty sure it was and, was not so sure it if it was good or bad. She decided to try and make it a good thing, “my name's Daniella Nguyen. What's yours?”
Again, the guy took his time replying, “I don't want to know your name.”
“It's ok,” Danni took a stab at it, “you don't have to tell me cause I can guess. You're Jim Dove, aren't you?”
For the first time the guy actually looked at her, “sorry kid. I am most definitely not that ass hole.” He looked back to his bench and seemed content to ignore Danni until she got his attention again, “can I at least know why you kidnapped me?”
He was still quite sullen when he answered, “I'm only talking to you, this much, because I kind of figure I owe you at least that. I don't like doing it, trust me. I don't like having to do any of this but, I'm out of options.” For the first time, Danni really was scared. She tensed up when he walked over to her and, oddly enough, he looked just as tense. Danni felt like crying and this guy really was.
“Whoever you are,” Danni said as she squirmed, “I can tell you're a descent man. You can let me go. You want to. I know it.”
The guy actually admitted it, “you're right kid. I don't want to do this. Like I said, wasn't my idea but, do you know what descent men have to do above all else? They have to protect their own first. That's all I'm doing.”
Danni burst out in anger, “I'm not a threat to you!”
“No you're not but,” the guy was getting choked up, “look, you just got caught up in.... so did I. I'm sorry.”
As the man began to walk off Danni started pleading, “please don't kill me! You can't! I...” The man was gone without another word.
Days as a Schizophrenic (Poem)
Decant
It's Hurting Again
