Page 55 of Love Fire

45

BRENT

“Soak him,” the guard instructs the other one.

He pours an entire gallon of water directly on my face. I choke for a moment before panting for air. The rag they put on me is close to asphyxiating me.

The water’s filling up my lungs. The rag’s starting to smell like mildew. I’ve lost count how many times they waterboarded me.

One of the goons snatches the rag from my mouth.

“Ready to talk?” another one demands.

I spit at them. “Fuck off. I’m not saying anything.”

They curse at me.

“You piece of shit. See how long you’ll put out then, huh?”

The other goon punches me in the face before strapping me back down. They put the rag tighter against my face. As if it’s another layer of skin.

“Use the other jug!”

The water comes down colder in my throat and nose. My body’s losing its heat. The freezing water paralyzes me to shift. I’m counting the minutes until I’m struck with hyperthermia.

Perhaps they’ll even end up drowning me.

I don’t know how much time has passed since I got captured. Based on the two small and pathetic meals I got, I’m guessing it’s more than 24 hours. I’ll admit, this puts quite a damper on my pride.

I’m strapped in a metal chair with chains. It’s your typical torture scene from the movies. A single lightbulb turned on above my head. Absolutely no windows to let one know what time it is.

If that’s not the worst part, these assholes got too excited shoving me in here. They’re punches don’t do much damage to me. That fact didn’t stop them until they saw a little bit of blood.

I think I let myself get captured too easily. This is for the sale of getting more intel. However, it’s like they didn’t even break a sweat. Damn these dragon hunters.

“We’re wasting time. And water,” one of the goons says.

“What do you want to do then? We ain’t got a whole lot of stuff ‘ere except for our guns.”

“We can’t kill him either. Orders are to keep him alive.”

“Alright then. Leave it until the boss sends orders. Just leave the jackass like that. Don’t give him any more food.”

I roll my eyes internally. It’s not like I actually ate what they gave me. I rather starve than be poisoned with whatever they made the bread and brown sludge.

Erin must be worried. I lost track of her when we ran to the trees. If Nate wasn’t being such an idiot, I could’ve detected the attack.

There’s a huge banging on the bunker door. The guards get startled by the sudden noise. Fuck. That can only mean one thing.

It’s Torres Vincent. Right? The time has finally come for us to face each other. Like the final battle in each fantasy movie.

But fuck, this is real and he might actually kill me.

Before I can ask too many questions and start my regrets, the door bursts open. A flood of magical powers fill the entire room. It’s like the light from a solar eclipse. I shield my eyes and try to back up the chair I’m strapped in.

The chair’s bolted in place and I can’t free myself. The magic’s overpowering my vision and scent. I can’t feel the guards’ presence. I don’t know if they died or are currently dying.

Erin rushes in through the cloud before I’m burned alive. She kneels in front of me. The determined look on her face can bring tears to my eyes. Then again, the cloud of magic could be doing the same.

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