‘…Yuki…’ Saki stepped forward towards the man unfling. She hoped some answers would e out of this madness. ‘I have to get Hitomi out of this…’ When the cell door opened and the vines came to grab Saki she stepped forward letting them around her arm and waist. Uomi, he didn’t cover her in vines. Saki walked out of the cell on her leash and stood o him waiting for him to move. She felt like maybe she gained a bit of respect from him.

  As they walked, she saw fear and fusion iher prisoners. ‘…I’ll e back for you…’

  Chapter 18 – Waking the Ce

  The creaking sound she learo be a heavy steel door at the far end of the warehouse. The man of vines pulled the door open giving Saki the lead for the moment. He followed behind her bringing the door to a tight close and pg the thick log meism into pce.

  The room behind the door was bright from an exposed bulb hanging from the ceiling by only the electrical wiring. It was apanied by several other bulbs attached at the walls of the room dowsing all of the surfaces in a bleached white. The amount of light made it difficult to see details or judge the scale of the room.

  At the ter of the room, there were two chairs. One of the chairs had straps at the armrest and back of the chair as well as where the legs would y. The other was a simple metal chair just offset out of the main light.

  Heavy metal scrapping snapped her attention back to the door as it locked. She tried to look around the room in the short moments that she had, but it proved to be futile. ‘It looks like an interrogation with all of the lights and the chair. I thought he was a kidnapper.’

  The man passed by her, keeping the vines ed around her. He went to the chair that would be for Saki. He arrahe straps attached to the chair, getting it prepared for use. Once readied, the vines pulled on Saki f her to walk towards the chair.

  She didn’t he o know where she should go. Cooperatiht her so far, no seopping. Even so, it gave her a moment of pause. ‘What’s he pnning to ask me?’ She sat down in the chair allowing him to tie her down. It felt a little unnecessary for a questioning.

  He released the vines from Saki when he was finished with her. Afterwards, the man walked over to the sed chair sitting down. The straared through the void of the bck gaps in the vi Saki.

  A minute of silence passed before a light shined betweeurning into form. Out of the ground came a regur box that slowly morphed into a rounded smooth surface that attached itself with a bolted leg to the t ground. The still ging form soon became a monitor s and panel with several holes along the back pointing towards Saki. It had a semi-anic appearan the strange object that was made from pstid metal.

  The man leaned forg his hands on the panel. It lit up upon his tact glowing from beh. In front of him, a static filled s shined in his face awaiting an image. His fiapped across the panel making a series of low noises before a final louder beep. The st signaled firmation.

  Out of the holes came wires with a life of their own flying towards Saki. Staring at the animated wires, she withdrew as much as the chair allowed. The wires expa the end into ft circles that attached themselves to Saki’s forehead and face.

  ‘What’s going on? What’s he going to do to me?’ Saki did not feel any pain from the wires, but the strange sehat something was about to happen. She heard beeping sounds from out of the thick light that surrounded her. The light prevented her from seeing beyond her immediate surroundings. Uainty grew to fill her entire body, weighing her down and makiart to sweat. ‘I hahis…’

  The stati the monitor ed for a moment and cycled starting to warm up in preparation. The final ands were input into the mae by the man. The s sharply so an image of Saki along with data and vitals running across the bottom. A jolt from the mae sparked through into Saki shaking her body. Her eyes widening in shock suddenly as she felt like a needle stabbed in her eye. The stabbing pain pierced through scrapping along her mind. Each twist and tear made her pull and turn iraps trying to get through the pain. ‘It feels…like…something is…invading me…I ’t…stop it…’

  The first wave of pain came to a stop giving Saki a moment to breathe. She leaned against her bindings panting heavily trying to recover herself knowing that it would not be the end. ‘What was that? What is he doing to me?’ Saki could feel the sweat over her body soaking into her clothes. It had only been a few seds, but it was the most excruciating pain she had ever felt before. ‘I feel it returning…’

  Saki grounded her teeth together making them whine uhe pressure and drip blood. The wave was like dozens of needles all stabbing into her from different sides. Each probed deeper into her brain and twisted ung through each er ripping up everything as it passed. She tried to hold back her voice, but the pain was overihreshold to withstand.

  On the monitor were dispyed grainy images to the man that poorly lit his eyes hid behind the vines. Each of the images did not st for long, but showed a young Yuki pying as well as Saki’s mother. There were pictures of a filled with elementary students. An awist in the vines rolled across his face as he began to manipute the panel. The images began to gray and blurred suddenly rapidly ging.

  Striking pain racked through her head pushing deeper fighting against Saki’s weakening resolve. The surge that struck her broke the st efforts she had to hold ba silenbsp; Tears and screams slowly dragged out of her. ‘I ’t…take this…my head is…being pulled apart…’ Saki tried to pull at the chair to get free from the invasion, but it was to for her. It was too much for her to endure anymore. It had to stop or she would die.

  The images on the s slowed down once more being clearer showing an older Yuki and from her high school. A pleased roll in the vines poured out as the monitor flipped through images into the depths of Saki’s mind reag closer to the present. The monitor went through pictures quickly. Thehing came to a stop suddenly sitting on an image that had Yuki and Ayumi walking in a school hall together.

  All of the pain came to an abrupt end. Saki slumped over with the straps being the only thing keeping her from falling over. ‘Is it over? I ’t feel…anything…’ Saki tried to pull herself together, but nothing was moving for her. She couldn’t evehe sweat that was thinly coating her entire skin. Every nerve ending on her body was raw and ringing. It was as though static was flowing through her. ‘I-I…Hitomi…’

  After a minute in silehe man stood up from his chair letting the monitor and everything with it retrato the ground. He walked to the chair that held Saki beginning to undo the straps on her. His vines surrounded her waiting until she was free to be taken away.

  Whe strap on her leg loosened Saki’s eyes came into focus and summoned her body back together. Her leg ripped through the strap, already nearly freed, striking the man in the chest knog him babsp; Saki stood up on the chair using it for height. The chair bolted to the ground gave her a perfect ptform to leap into a flying knee. Her kruck his chest following up through his . The stranger fell backwards over his chair to the ground. ‘He’s still awake… got to hurry…’

  Saki came to a nding on the floor rolling into the wall. Nothing after the knee nned. She tumbled around trying to recover. ‘Anything I use? This light is tht…’ Saki pulled herself up while she sed the ro to get a better view, but still only seeing the bleached walls.

  She ran her hands over the walls feeling out for anything that she could find until she discss. Saki rao pick up the metal chair that the man had been using and threw it. In the blinding white void, gss shattered to a pleasing tone.

  The hole breathed fresh cool air into the humid room and gave her a. Saki climbed up without a sed thought. She made it halfway through the window before her leg stopped. A vine ed around her ankle. ‘No! I gotta get out!’

  Saki struggled against the pnt. Her waist pressed against the broken gss tearing into her school uniform. She braced her arms against the outside utting all of her weight against the leg. The strai like it started to stretch slightly like it would pop out on her. She bit through the pain knowing it paled in parison to what she had already been through.

  The leverage a pushed her timeter further. A sliver of hope reinforced her strength to keep going. Through half closed eyes she saw the ground just in reabsp; The grass and dirt felt like a haven.

  Her vision came into focus. A reflective surface bounced light on her fabsp; ‘A broken shard of gss!’ It gave her an idea.

  She lowered her arm down fighting against the strain on her. Her fingers rolled over the edge bringing it a little closer trasp. A bit more stretg was all Saki needed. A tap and scrap, she snapped up the shard.

  Saki bent up to the window. Brag with her shoulder, she banced her body. She reached in with the gss shard wielding it like a knife. The outer skin of the vied her slibsp; A couple more crude tears broke through. Frantically, Saki rubbed the edge ripping through until it snapped.

  The sudden release threw her out the window. A swarm of vines burst through the window in searbsp; She rolled over and sprinted up demanding her legs not stop.

  The man pulled the vines back from the window looking out from the hole watg her disappear into the street. There seemed to be a satisfied and ung noise ing out of him as he turned away and walked to the door of the main interior.

  Saki cluded her reting for the three. “And I ran until I heard the train and got on it, taking it back here. I was trying to get to your house, Yuki. Someone I could trust with such a crazy story.” Saki leaned back against the couch, being a little tired from her story. The memories of what happeo her still were fresh and familiar. Her body still stung from the attack by that man.

  Hiroshi coughed to himself and stood up stretg his legs out. “Well that was quite the tale. All a little weird, but sounds like a serial kido me.”

  “O-oh dear…” Ayumi leaned in on Saki with tearing up eyes as though she was able to feel the pain that she was feeling. “You’re s, Saki… I-I-I don’t know if I could have been so brave.”

  Yuki couldn’t help but be a little impressed with the vivid itment to her absp; She painted a vingly stroion. “You should get some rest, Saki.”

  Saki looked away from Ayumi to Yuki. A distant, yet surfag iy began to take over the glow in his eyes. ‘He’s going to go…’ Worry, fear, pride, emotions stirred tightly in her heart watg him.

  Yuki stood up from the front of the couch looking around the living room for something. He stepped around everyone leaving them a little puzzled as his mind turned. A pad of paper on the shelf on the wall disappeared into his hand auro Saki’s side. “Do you remember where the warehouse is?”

  “Yuki?!” Hiroshi reached out for the pad to stop him. “You ’t be thinking that you-“

  “No…” The soft features of his face carved away into sharp narrow reliefs. It was enough to stun Hiroshi. He fought against his hand from breaking the pencil that he was holding. A low boili rolled over his body, an old familiar feeling.

  A snap of reality, he saw Hiroshi and smoothed out his face looking at Hiroshi with a smile. “You think I’m going to go try to get that guy that kidnapped and hurt Saki, right? I wouldn’t stand a ce against a criminal like that. I’m too weak to do anything directly. But I still call the polid give them dires. It’s the least that I do. Right, Saki?” Yuki looked down at her, keeping his gentle smile.

  She had seen that smile before and it would have calmed her. However, she could see past it to his eyes. ‘He’s fighting it. He’s going to go.’ Saki smiled back at him nodding in agreement. “Right, Yuki. Hitomi’s still there. She o be rescued along with all of those other people.”

  Yuki nodded back to her and took down what Saki could remember of the location of the warehouse. It was, but it would be enough. He put the pencil oable and stood up. “Thanks. I got it. I’ll give the police a call now.” Yuki walked away from the ter of the room, but stopped turning back to everyone. “Hiroshi?”

  “Yes?”

  “We don’t have enough in the first aid kit to treat all of the injuries that Saki has. Could you run down to the store a some more supplies? Ayumi, you watch Saki?”

  Hiroshi stared at Yuki for a moment in silend then nodded ba. “Alright. I’ll be back as fast as I !”

  Ayumi agreed to Yuki’s request, allowing Yuki to go into the kit. Hiroshi rushed to the front door ahe house running dowore. Once Saki had id back down, Ayumi walked into the kit catg Yuki tearing the paper out of the pad and shoving it in his pocket. “Another one of your trymen?”

  “Correct, based on her description. I don’t know what they’re thinking taking hostages.”

  “We’re a step ahead this time. But bringing is into this political game...” The warmth poured out of his features. Yuki walked bato the living room staring at Saki resting on the coubsp; He burhe image into his mind to keep as a reminder. ‘I’ll make him pay for doing this to her!’

  Yuki walked to the front door where he was greeted by Jun along with Ken at the top of the stairs. Jun g on to Yuki’s school uniform with a ed expression pinly pnted on his fabsp; “Don’t worry, Jun. I’m just going out to the store to get things for Saki. you keep an eye on her for me?”

  Jun narrowed his eyes as though he did not agree with what Yuki was doing. His small hands pulled tighter on Yuki’s clothes, wrinkling them.

  Yuki k down looking Jun in the eyes directly. “Hey…it’s alright. You don’t o worry.” He could see that Jun was still not willing to let him go. “Jun, please. I need you to watch Saki for me. This is important to me. You uand? I need you to do this for me, okay?”

  Jun fought the flict that beset his mind and voibsp; However, Ju go of Yuki looking down at the floor.

  “Thank you, Jun. I’ll be going now. Watch Saki for me.” Jun o Yuki not keeping eye tact with him. Yuki stood up as Ayumi opehe door for them. He waved to his brothers and walked outside, closing the door behind him.

  Saki id on the couch with her eyes closed with a cross frown on her face hearing Yuki leaving. “Yuki you idiot…”

  Ayumi waited for Yuki ireet. Whe her she turned looking down to the city that was visible from the hill of the road in the neighborhood. “Ready?”

  “Yeah… I’ll make him suffer for hurting Saki! This is supposed to be between him and me. He’s dragging in i people that have nothing to do with this. I ’t five him for that!”