Page 33 of Heart of the Hunted
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Taredd
Taredd didn't waste any time in climbing to the bottom of the ladder. He didn't know what to expect when he reached the bottom, but it certainly wasn't a small room the shape of a tin can.
How anybody in their right mind managed to stay down here without going stir crazy was beyond him. No air flowed through, and there was very little natural light that reached this far down. Luckily enough he found a light switch just inside the room, but the tunnel between the entrance at the top of the ladder and this room there was nothing except what shone through the open grate.
There was hardly any furniture in this room, which was a good thing since it wasn't the largest of spaces. What passed as their kitchen area, was just three cupboards and a work top, that was it. The only other items in the room, was a small table with a couple of chairs dotted round it and a ratty looking sofa and arm chair.
What caught Taredd's attention the most though, was the bowl of water on the floor just under the table next to one of the chairs. He wondered why someone would feel the need to put a bowl of water there, they must have a good reason for it, but he couldn't think of a single thing.
There was another door at the opposite end of the room from the stairs. Intrigued to know what was on the other side of the door, Taredd didn't hesitate to open it and find out.
This room wasn't much better than the other. It was a similar size and shape, but the only things in here were beds... and not very large ones at that. Taredd would have a hard time fitting on one of these beds, they looked more suited to children than adults. He had to admit though, that Humans were shorter than any of the other species.
Taredd didn't know how many Humans stayed down here at any given time, but there were only eight beds, stacked in twos on either side of the room. If there were any more than that, did that mean they slept on the floor?
To be honest, Taredd wouldn't want to stay down here with just two people, let alone eight or more. It was probably because he was a good foot and a half taller than most of the Humans he has come across, but it was way too small in here for his liking. Even if he was shorter, he wouldn't want to stay down here for any longer than necessary.
It was cold and dirty down here, plus it made him feel as if he was in a can of food. Why on earth anyone would want to live in these conditions was beyond him.
Taredd wondered if the Human female was in fact down here. She wasn't in either of the rooms as far as he could see, and there weren’t many other places she could hide. There was only one other door in the place that he hadn't look inside of yet, but he wasn't holding his breath that she was in there either.
As soon as he opened the door, he knew for sure that he had assumed right. The size of a small cupboard, the only things in this room were a toilet and sink. Definitely not a hiding space. So, unless there was a secret passage that he hasn't found, then there was no place down here to hide. Which meant he has spent nearly two days hanging around for nothing when he could have been looking elsewhere.
No, she had to be here somewhere, there was nowhere else she could have gone. He knew that for sure because he had searched the area and the only footprints, he had found of hers were right next to the entrance to this place. He hadn't found any other tracks than the ones that lead him to here, so she must be around here somewhere. There had to be something he was missing, but what was it?
Taredd walked back into the other room and followed his footsteps back to the ladder so he could check that there wasn't anything he had missed, but there was nothing. No secret hatch, latch, or anything.
Going back into the bedroom, he moved further into the room this time and was about to check under the beds. As he neared the far end of the room, he heard the slightest sound of movement coming from under one of the beds. If he hadn't been listening intently, he could have easily missed it, but luckily enough he had been.
"Hmm, looks like there’s nobody home," he said aloud. "I suppose I best get going, there's no point in wasting any more time here."
Taredd had no intention of leaving the underground hovel, but he wanted the person under the bed to think he was. So, turning on his heels he quickly vacated the room, remembering to shut the door again as he left.
As he made his way over to the ladder, he didn't try to be quiet because he wanted her to hear him and think he was leaving. When he reached the ladder, he noisily climbed up the steps. Half way up he changed direction, but he made it appear as if he was still leaving.
By the time he reached the bottom again he was barely making any sound at all. As far as the female was concerned, she would think he was no longer down here with her.
Sneaking back over to the bedroom door, he stood to one side and waited patiently for the female to crawl out from under the bed and exit the room.
It didn't take as long as he expected before he could hear movement coming from the room. It was only a matter of time before she was going to step out of there to see if the coast was clear. He was ready to pounce when she did.
The door slowly crept open, and as he had assumed, the female from the day before stepped out. Without hesitating, Taredd pounced. Grabbing her by the shirt, he swiftly pulled her off her feet and threw her to the ground. Using his body to pin her in place so she couldn't escape, not that she would get very far with him chasing after her, but still, he wasn't willing to risk her disappearing on him again.
Unlike last time though, she only had one place she could go and he was more than capable of stopping her before she even came close to reaching the ladder.
"I have you now, little Human," he told her.
"Get off me, you monster!" She shouted as she squirmed underneath him.
"Fight as much as you like, you're not getting away from me again," he told her.
"Of course not with you laying on top of me, you great fucking lump," she snapped. "Do you weigh a ton, or what?"
Taredd laughed. He couldn't help it, because she had a lot of fire for a Human.
"I'm not that heavy," he said. "You would know about it if I was."
