We made our way inside the basement from the back of the house and as we walked down the basement floor. I heard another scream, Cleo was behind me and I walked into a bloody mess. When the man first comes into view I don't recognize him, he's too far away and his gait is all wrong. He walks like a scarecrow more than a man and all lop-sided at that. As he nears Cleo's heart falls right through to his sneakers, he's more purple than brown. His left eye is swollen, he can't be seeing a thing out of that and he won't for a while yet. His face still bears congealed blood and his clothes are an utter mess. Then he tries to say my name, his cracked lips failing at the first syllable, but he doesn't need to, I didn't ask him.
" Who is he? Archard why are you doing this? You have got us in trouble." Cleo looked terrified.
My two men dragged him down on the floor. He was half conscious. They left him in front of me.
Jarrod came closer to me and said, " Sir, we have asked him about the girl but he wasn't telling us anything. "
I lift my hand in the air and gestured to him to leave us alone and they left us alone in the basement without saying anything.
" Archard! who is he? tell me, what if Uncle finds out about it." Cleo said.
" Shut up! Cleo, no one will know anything if you keep your mouth shut."
" But?" he said and I gyrate my neck only to glare at him and he becomes quiet. He sometimes gets on my nerves. My eyes travel back to the wounded human on the floor.
" So let's see, what you know about her?"
I grabbed the man by his hair and lifted his head to meet his eyes.
" Ahhhhh, please don't beat me. I don't know anything," he screams in pain. Which is quite amusing to see.
" I will ask you first and last time. And think about it before you speak. I don't want to hear a no from you. Understand."
His eyes were showing me fear of death inside of him. Humans are so weak and I know, How to use it in my favor. The human didn't move or twitch which made me even angrier. I knotted his hair into a fist and which puts him in more pain as he screams and told me to let him go.
" I will let you go but after what I need to hear from you. If you will give me the answer that I want then I will not think about taking your life."
I can see his whole body begins to tremendously shiver when I told him about not taking his life.
" Please, I am begging you I don't know anything. I have children please have mercy on me. " he begins begging me to have mercy on him but I don't know what mercy means. I have never encountered it in my life or nor I will.
" Archard! please leave him alone. He didn't do anything." Cleo interrupted us.
" Cleo, don't worry about it. I will leave him if he will answer my question."
I shifted my attention to the back of the man.
" So, tell me my friend yesterday morning, you took a girl from this house. I wanted to where you dropped her off " I asked him very clearly.
" I told you, million times I don't remember, I swear on my children. I don't remember. " he stammers and that's not what I want to hear.
" Wrong answer. " I said and stomped on his hand. He yelped in agony.
Aisling POV
I sit with my legs outstretched, on the toilet seat. The overwhelmingly varicolored pattern of the squarish and organized bathroom adds fuel to my tranquility trough. Practically new, unused towels of festive greens hugging onto pinky-purples flutter at me as though they have nothing better to do. Above the toilet, crammed onto a shelf, two towers of neatly folded towels bursting with color suffocate in the narrow enclosure. To the right, between the counter and the shower, relaxing on the glass shelf that doubles as a towel rack, a multicolored castle of fabric leans awkwardly to the left, warning of a dire fall. The shower is overflowing with an ample supply of shampoo bottles, body wash, and cleansers that are neatly fitted into baskets and bath racks of varied designs. The yellowing, scarred counter is clean of smut and displays a powder box, a crystal dish filled with cotton balls; and a bottle of lotion called, “Fresh Cream” (by the famous company Philosophy), that smells so sweet it would scare off a sugar plum fairy.
In here, near quietude envelopes me, Much to the dismay of my train of thought as well as my eardrums, I can still hear the Orcal air purifier purring in the background which is abruptly canceled out by the sound of someone violently pounding on his project in the backyard.
Nothingness lingers in the air. My nose is comforted by the soothing scent of literally nothing for each scent nullifies the next. The temperature drops significantly, my hands tremble as I touch up my essay while I numbly tuck my feet under my legs, shielding them against the frosty chill.
" I need to talk to Caden and Cassy," I said to myself and shoved my hands into my pants pocket but I couldn't find it.
" Where did my phone goes? "