Post by gvb on Jun 10, 2022 14:02:26 GMT -6
The worst part of this wasn’t the physical abuse they put her through what she assumed was once a day. It wasn’t the scarce and unflavored food they provided them.
It was the nothing in between. Those long hours spent alone in her dark cell, with only that drip marking the passing of time. The fucking annoying trickle of water that kept her awake the first couple of nights/days here and even now, 13 days later according to how many meals she had been fed, was still driving her insane.
Perhaps that was part of whatever Nine was trying to do with her. They didn’t take her to make her join the cult, they didn’t even ask her to. This was a punishment for her defiance, for standing in their way and trying to be the wrench in their plan. They just wanted to break her, to see how much she could take before crumbling and begging for mercy. She wasn’t going to let them see that.
Soon, someone will come to find her. Her sister, Tiana.. They MUST be doing something. Her father… He didn’t abandon her, not again. There’s no way he watched his daughter disappear on national TV and just moved on with his life, right? Not now that they’re a family again, not after everything they have been through.
Until today, she had always been able to push those dark thoughts away, hanging on that hope. that her friends and family will come to rescue her. Day after day, that light grew dimmer, now reduced to a flicker. That darkness, instead, creeped in, replacing hope with desperation.Why had nobody come yet? Did they forget about her? Had everybody moved on with their lives without her? Did she matter so little to them?
“We are a nation.” She heard Nine say once.
And Trinity was alone
Perhaps, she had actually been alone her whole life.
At first, the thumping coming from outside her cell was covered by the sound of her own head tapping against the wall. And even when it grew louder and closer, she thought it was just a lapse of her brain, and she didn’t make a thing of it. But then it was followed by that familiar sound she heard twice a day, the clanging of the rusty keys against the lock of her cell door. Trinity quickly stood up and adjusted the raggedy clothes she was wearing, the Jinx outfit she was so proud of, by far her best creation now torn to shreds. With the back of her dirty hand, she wiped those tears that began streaming down her face.
“They can’t see me like this. They can’t see me like this. They can’t…”
She kept mumbling to herself, a hushed litany she repeated to give herself courage and piece herself together.
The door swung open and there they stood. Even though they had the mask on, she could tell this wasn’t her usual warden, the one who took her to the torture room and brought her food. They were taller, better built. And now that she thought about it, she already went through her daily dose of punishment and she already ate.
“Follow me, Trinity. Let’s get out of here.” She didn’t recognize the voice, they weren’t anyone she knew. Who were they? What did they want? Was this another one of Nine’s tricks? “Quick, we don’t have much time. I promise I’ll explain everything.” The only thing she could tell was that they were a male, with a marked European accent. Not enough to trust them, but did she really have any choice?
He saw her hesitation, he understood. He extended his hand and she took it. She was shaking, he tried to imagine what she had been through and gave her a light, reassuring squeeze.
They ran through the narrow hallways of the detention block of the compound. Trinity counted half a dozen cultists laying down, motionless. If this was a set-up, they truly put a lot of effort in it.
One last door, and her savior kicked it open. They were out. Two cultists ran in their direction but the man quickly got rid of them. Perhaps it was that superhero aura he earned with this rescue, but she found his movements so gracious, so effortless. He made it look more like a dance than a fight.
With the last two guards laid down at his feet, the mysterious man turned around and finally removed his mask and dropped the Cult Of Nine robe. His hair was short, black and combed backwards. A well trimmed beard adorned his chin, if she had to assume his age, she’d assume he was in his late thirties..
“You’re free.”
He said as he walked away in the night. Having no way to contact her friends and family and not even knowing where she was, Trinity had no choice but to, once again, follow him.
“Wait….”