Page 12 of Bloody Bones
Briella
Three days. Or at least I thought it had been three days since we were taken. I couldn't be one hundred per cent sure. There were no windows, and the only time we saw anyone was when Acco came down with food that wasn’t fit for a dog. Food we had no choice but to eat.
The bodies of my two dead students were rotting, lending their stench to the filth of our own bodily functions. The air was rank with the smell of it, making it hard to breathe.
But I wouldn’t give up hope. People would have realised we were missing. The alarm would have gone up. Frantic parents would be hounding the police. Not my one living parent. I doubted he was sober enough to realise I was even missing, but I was hoping my brothers had. I needed to believe we would be rescued, otherwise I would go crazy.
I couldn't protect anyone, not from what had us. I was just one small woman. No match for the monster who seemed to have taken a liking to me.
Monster.
I giggled almost hysterically. A real-life monster. As crazy as it seemed, I knew what I had seen. The eyes, the forked tongue, not even Acco’s almost angelic face could hide those things. He wasn't human.
Or maybe he was, and I was losing my damn mind.
It didn't really matter. He was holding us hostage, and he had some weird-ass idea about making me his bride. I might have been crazy. But he was certifiable.
“Miss?”
“It's ok.” I bit back the giggles. If I lost it, it would just scare the children more. And they were already frightened enough. The slightest little thing would send them into fits of hysterics.
“You were laughing.” She didn't raise her head from my shoulder, and I would never ask her to. Everyone was scared, but she was terrified. I couldn't say I blamed her either.
“I was just thinking,” I admitted. “Nothing to worry about.”
To my left someone mumbled, “Maybe you should do your damn job and get us out of here.”
I blinked in shock. His words struck a nerve. That was my job. Protecting those children was my responsibility.
“You're right.” Gently, I moved the girl from my side and her head fell to the person on her other side. She was too weak to sit unaided. Or maybe she had just given up.
One glance around the gloomy room and I could see the utter defeat on their young faces. They were losing hope and were looking at me to make things better. I was the only adult in this room.
Struggling to my feet, I headed towards the bars. I wrapped my hands around them. “Acco.” His name echoed along the stone corridor. Behind me someone hissed.
“Miss, don't call him here, please don’t.”
Someone else sobbed.
Half turning towards them, I tried to smile. “It’s ok. I'm going to make things right.” At least, I hoped I was doing the right thing. Turning back to the bars, I raised my voice again. “Acco.”
He appeared at the end of the narrow corridor like magic. I couldn't help it, I flinched back as he stalked towards me.
“Yes, wife of Acco.” He stopped in front of me, and that forked tongue appeared between his lips.
He had such a strange way of speaking. It gave me the creeps just as much as his physical appearance did.
Gathering my nerves around me like a cloak, I made myself meet his eyes. “The children are hungry and thirsty.”
His lizard eyes narrowed, flicking towards the empty plate where a rotten apple lay untouched.
“They have food.”
“No, they don’t. They need real food and fresh water. If you aren't going to let us go, then you need to feed us. Otherwise we will die.”
My words made his blonde eyebrows knit together. “Some have already died.” He motioned with his hand to the decaying corpses. I didn’t turn. I didn’t need to look at them. Their images were imprinted in my mind already. They would haunt me forever.
“Yes, and their bodies need to be buried. Given...”
