Page 46 of Ends of Being

He gives me a puzzled, disgusted look, his arms crossing over his chest as he eyes me suspiciously. “You really gonna try to play that one with me? You gonna act like you don’t know what this is about?”

I jerk in my chair, my arms pulling on the restraints viciously as I shriek, “I’m not putting on a fucking act. I literally have no fucking idea what you’re talking about! I keep asking questions, but everyone keeps putting me off, and now, here I am tied to a fucking chair with everyone around me assuming I know why!” I flail about in the chair a bit more, yanking my arms and legs until the chair starts sliding around beneath me. “I don’t fucking know anything!”

He gives me a pitying look, and I can tell he’s torn as he contemplates what I’ve said. Finally, he snaps his fingers, and a few moments later, a chair appears behind him. He sits down, leaning forward so he’s resting his elbows on his knees, his eyes on my face. “Well, I’ll happily tell you. I don’t feel anybody should be tortured, raped, and murdered without knowing the reason why.”

I’m panting from my little tantrum, so I gasp, “By all means.”

He leans forward a little closer and opens his mouth to speak, but then a booming bang interrupts him, and his gaze shifts behind me to the door.

All hell breaks loose.

It’s hard for me to gauge the size of this room from where I’m positioned, but when the screams start, they seem to go on endlessly. And the man who had been on the cusp of giving me all the answers I wanted didn’t waste any time. He didn’t attempt to defend anyone in the room, nor did he make any attempts to use me as a shield—instead, he just vanished.

I’m not sure if he managed to escape out a window or if there was a trap door or what happened. All I know is one minute, he was there, and the next, he was gone.

But the screaming.

The shrieks and yells get closer, people scurry around me, looking for a way out. Whatever way that one man left must not be an option for anyone else because they’re all stuck. As the screeching nears, the leering men from earlier start to move in on me until I’m surrounded, closely packed in. Eventually, they move in too close and knock the chair over completely. People fall onto me, bang into me, and then someone kicks me.

The screaming reaches a crescendo and then starts to die down, and I lay there on my side, my eyes squeezed tight, still bracing myself for more impact.

Then, just as suddenly as it started, everything is silent.

I’m not sure how long I lay there, eyes still squeezed shut, but eventually, there are footsteps and other commotion behind me. I open my eyes, turning my head in an attempt to see what’s happening, but I can’t see anything.

There is only muttering, people walking back and forth, and someone barking orders. Then I feel a strange sensation, like warmth sinking into parts of my body that is pressed against the cold concrete floor, and I jerk around, afraid to glance down.

But I can smell it.

The hot coppery metallic taste hangs in the air, and I know.

I gag as bile rises in my throat, and a strangled whimper escapes as I choke back the scream that’s churning in my guts.

Then someone is behind me. They place hands on my shoulders and a familiar voice whispers reassurances as something soft settles over my eyes, blocking my sight. I struggle a bit, and then the voice gets close to my ear, and I realize who it is. “It’s okay, Toni. We’re here. You’re safe.”

Lilith.

I don’t know how, and I don’t know why, but she’s here. And from the sound of it, she isn’t alone.

Another set of hands grip me and Tony’s voice also whispers reassurances, and they both work in tandem to remove the ropes from my arms and legs and then they’re helping me to stand on my shaky legs.

I take a step, but my boots slip in the wet there, and again, I have to hold back a gag. I reach my hand up to remove the cloth covering my eyes, but Lilith’s voice stops me. “No, no. Don’t do that. You don’t wanna see.”

I nod slightly, allowing her and Tony to take my arms, and they lead me through what I can only assume is a maze of dead bodies. I freeze, my hand grabbing onto Tony’s forearm as I choke out, “He got away.”

Tony stills beside me, then his hand closes over mine, squeezing it as he asks, “Who got away, Toni?”

I shake my head, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I…I don’t know who he was. He was talking to me when you guys showed up, and somehow, in the middle of it all, he vanished.”

At first, he doesn’t say anything, and I’m sure he’s probably looking at Lilith and whoever else who might’ve heard me like I’m a total nut job.

So, I continue, “I mean it, Tony. He was there, and then he wasn’t there. I don’t know how he got out, but he got out.”

Tony squeezes my hand again and says, “I believe you, Nettie. We’ll find him.”

I take a shaky breath and allow them to continue leading me through the room. After a few moments of slow going, we stop, and Tony leans closer to me and whispers, “I’m going to pick you up. It’ll be easier.”

He waits for me to nod in response and then picks me up and carries me through the room. I try one more time to raise my hand to remove the blindfold, and once again, I’m cautioned not to. “It’s best if you leave it on for now. At least until we get you home.”

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