Alone

Chapter 15

                                                                                             William

    It can’t be, I thought to myself, I must be dreaming!

    “Hello brother”, his voice resonated within me. I never knew I would ever hear his voice again. Tears weld up in my eyes. Even with the mind-blowing pain of the torture, my heart hurt much more. We could have looked identical except he had jet black hair, and a scar that marred his left cheek. What could have hurt him that left a mark? “We don’t have much time, I need to get you out of here.”

    “How could you be…but when did you…after all this time…” I couldn’t finish the sentence, no matter what I did. Although I knew he was James, he didn’t look so well. He looked malnourished, his cloths bagged around him, and his face was shrunken in a bit. What I didn’t notice right away were the silver cuffs around his wrists and he wore like a collar around his neck. When he moved towards me to untie my hands, I noticed dried blood where the collar met his skin. On closer inspection, I see there were needles stuck into his neck. With horror slicing through my veins, I wonder what he has gone through all these centuries. I abandoned him! I left him for dead, how could I have left him with these Hunters?

    “William snap out of it! We don’t have much time; Master will be back soon.” Master? He calls them master. What the f**k has happened to him? Out of the both of us, James had always been the strongest, the bravest out of us. When I lost him, I had become lost. To see him names these monsters his master, I couldn’t bear it. “You need to be gone by the time they come back. Now step on my knee and raise yourself up. I have the knots almost completely undone.” How he was able to touch the rope soaked in silver I can not understand it. My skin had been rubbed off from the silver, my body had begun to heal with the rope deep in my wrists. When James finally had the rope untied, he had to rip it out of my wrists, drawing a sharp cry from me. Dammit, I need to stay quiet, I chastise myself. As my hands flop down to my sides gravity catches up to me and my whole body falls against my brother. Even in his weakened form he was able to hold my weight easily.

    He drags me towards the entrance, with every step towards the door a jolt of pain rocks my body. I feel bile rising at the back of my throat, my arms are useless at my sides, my head is swimming with the poison coursing through my veins.

    We step through the door and enter into a damp, dark hallway with doors leading to other cells. I look both right and left and they seem to go forever. James turns left and half drags me for a couple of minutes. How could I have ever expected Anna to find me in a prison so big. I focus my legs to keep walking. Just when I could go no further, we reach a set of stairs. Throughout our escape I have not heard any noise. It had all been silent, too silent. I stop and turn to James.

    “Somethings not right, James.”

    “William, we do not have time for this, I need to get you out.” James continued to push us forward, even with my dead weight. As we reached the last step, we come to a stop. James looks around to make sure the coast is clear. When no one passes by he grabs a hold of me again and we make a run for it. Because we were moving so fast and in my drugged state, I could only catch glimpses of where we were at. It looked like we were in some kind of warehouse. It was full of boxes and heavy machinery. Windows lined all around the building. I could see that it was early morning. In one of the corners of the building there was a small office overlooking the warehouse. The windows were tinted black, I couldn’t smell or hear well but I hoped no one was in there.

    James guided us throughout the maze until we reached a set of double doors on the west side of the building. He puts me down to be able to slide the door open. With his back to the warehouse he doesn’t notice them sneak up on us. In my dazed state it takes me too long to call out to James.

    “We knew you would let him go. After everything I have done for you. After we have taken good care of you after all these centuries.” Anna’s father stepped into the light. His men hold James down, slamming him into the dirty filled floor. Something in James demeaner changes completely. Before he had seemed like his old self, but now he looked like someone who had been kicked and beaten too many times. Oh James, what have they done to you.

    “I’m sorry, master. Please forgive me.” He bowed his head, Anna’s father grinned and looked towards me.

    “What the hell do you think you are doing with Anna? You are a mongrel that doesn’t deserve someone like her.” My blood boils. This monster thinks I’m no good for her but he can choose for her?

    “Look who’s talking,” I say out of breath. Any moment now the poison is going to send me into oblivion again. “At least when I have a daughter, I won’t abandon her.” I say pointedly.

He losses his grin and snaps his fingers. The other hunters begin to surround me, the last thing I see is my brother sitting up and watches me in defeat. I promise, James, I will get you out. No matter what.