LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 7: Caught again
We walk slowly along the beach, the soft night breeze touching our skin, the sunset light blending with the darkness that is slowly approaching. The sound of the waves gently crashing against the rocks in the background, like a melody that seems to calm the nerves, all creating a tranquil, almost surreal scene for the situation we just lived through.
You hold my hand, and the walk, unhurried, leads us toward the Camaro, which now seems to be the only point of normalcy amidst all this chaos. Your touch brings an unexpected comfort, and I, despite our recent tension, feel safer, as if now nothing could bring us down.
As we walk, your words begin to awaken fragments of memory in my mind. I speak, trying to understand what is happening. "I remember something," I say, more to myself than to you. "I worked in the field, dealing with specimens, with research... It was all so different, yet familiar. I also had a laboratory. And you... you were my student. How could I have forgotten that?"
The question comes out unintentionally. "Is that why you sometimes call me master?" I wonder aloud, another attempt to piece together the puzzle forming in my mind. The doubt still hangs over everything, but the memory, even in fragments, seems to begin to make sense.
I look at you, waiting for your response, trying to understand what happened between us.
We reach the Camaro, but the sight of the flat tires quickly makes me realize we won't be able to continue our journey. The emptiness of the night becomes even heavier when I see that we can't leave here. Frustration tries to take over, but soon you, with your usual calm, reassure me.
"Don't worry," your serene voice seems to cut through the tension in the air, as if you already knew what was going through my mind. "I don't believe anyone will come after us. And if they do, as you've probably noticed, I can handle it."
Your words bring some relief, but the reality of our situation still bothers me. "We'll spend the night here," you continue, with a quiet determination. "Tomorrow we'll look for shelter or help. We're not going to walk around at night. We're far from any civilization, the nearest house or establishment is maybe 30 or 40 kilometers away. It's safer to stay here."
You look at me with confidence, and although I'm reluctant to spend the night here, I end up agreeing. I look at you and, not knowing whether I should feel relieved or anxious, I say with a slight smile: "Alright, let's go." Then I give a brief smile, knowing you'll protect me, and I know I'll be okay.
We settle in there, in the car, where all we can do is wait until dawn. The silence of the night seems to envelop us, but somehow, with you by my side, the fear diminishes.
Still confused, I begin to sit in the Camaro seat, trying to process everything that has happened so far. My body still feels the effects of the assault and the drugs, but my mind begins to clear little by little. I look at you, and your eyes are fixed on me, as if trying to find something in my expression, as if you wanted me to remember something.
You slowly approach, with a serene look, and say, in your soft but firm voice: "My master, try to remember. I know you can."
I try to focus, but the mental fog still prevents me from fully understanding what's happening. You, with your calmness, place a delicate hand on my head, your fingers gently caressing my hair as your lips softly touch mine. It's not a passionate kiss, but a soft touch, almost like a lever to bring to the surface what's trapped inside me.
"That... that will help you," you whisper.
I close my eyes for a moment, letting the comforting touch and sense of security spread through my body. A light kiss, unhurried, without urgency. I caress your arm in response, but I'm still hesitant. Doubt still lingers in my mind, but the strength of your presence starts to calm me.
I breathe deeply and try to speak, but the words seem to slip away from me. What happened? Why am I here? What are you doing here? Then, your soft voice guides me once again, slowly, with patience.
"You were in charge of a project. An important project, master. I was your student. But..." Your voice falters for a second. "But things didn't go as planned, did they?"
My head starts to spin, a wave of fragmented memories begins to take shape. Images, sounds, names, but everything still blurry. I try to concentrate, but there's so much to process. "The project..." I murmur, trying to remember, trying to piece things together.
I look at you, but your features are so serene that it's hard to believe you have all the answers, but at the same time, I know you're the only one who can help me understand.
"What happened? What was this project? I don't... I don't remember everything."
With a light sigh, you get closer, your eyes shining with a mixture of sadness and compassion.
"You don't remember, but you were working on something that, maybe, was never meant to succeed. And I... I was the guinea pig, wasn't I?"
You seem to know more about this than I do. I'm forced to face the shadows of my past that, until that moment, had been well hidden. A lump forms in my throat as I begin to realize that the answers I seek might be much closer than I imagine.
"Master, my dear, you're not alone. I'll help you remember. We'll find the answers together."
Those words, spoken with such certainty, begin to break down the barrier of my resistance. Doubt still persists, but my trust in you grows. I begin to understand that you've always been by my side, even when everything seemed to go wrong.
The heavy silence hung in the air, broken only by the distant sound of muffled footsteps. Luna's eyes were focused on me, her face serious, but her presence brought a comforting feeling. Yet, the tension was about to rise.
Suddenly, the door slammed open, and the One-Armed Crow appeared, accompanied by his thugs. He looked at us with a wicked smile, his sharp words cutting through the silence:
"Ah, so the lovebirds think they'll have some peace, huh?"
Before we could react, he slammed the door shut behind us, and outside the car, his thugs surrounded us, their cold and threatening expressions. Once again, we were trapped, but this time, we weren't being taken to the cave.
The sound of dragging chains and the smell of muffled metal indicated that we were in an even more oppressive place, a dark, windowless van. The coldness in that vehicle was palpable, with equipment we couldn't even identify.
"We're going to the city," one of the thugs said, with a sadistic grin. "We need to take a little tour."
Before I could react, a sharp blow was delivered to the side of my head, and the world around me faded into implacable darkness. The last thought I had was of Luna, trying to protect me once again.
But she wasn't in her full senses either. Sedation slowly took over her, and her consciousness began to disperse as the van's lights became a blur. The destination was now uncertain, but a new chapter was about to begin. And with it, the promise of an even fiercer struggle to try to escape this nightmare.
And as the thugs laughed, thinking they were in control, I, already awake, kept quiet in the corner, pretending to be unconscious and hoping our situation wouldn't get worse and that Luna wouldn't be punished for my resistance.