We had huddled together next to pillar we were tied to.

There was a brazier containing glowing embers which filled the hall with a dim red light. The walls were lined with cells made from iron grates.

Next to the brazier stood a sturdy wooden table. The rim was covered with metal bolts. Iron manacles were dangling from some of them. I gulped.

I could literally feel fear crawling up my spine.

The robed man raised behind his desk. He pointed at us and then at the table.

The two masked men approached us. Trying to back off, rope ended our retreat quickly.

I noticed the robed man moving to the brazier. He put something down into the burning embers.

We were screaming in terror as we desperately tried to evade the masked men.

After a few seconds they left with the struggling and shrieking Gordon, pulling her to the bolted table.

Gordon was lifted on the table still struggling. First they quickly cuffed her ankles.

Alessia went bonkers and started to yell at the two masked men in a unknown language. It sounded like Italian. After a few seconds I joined in. They attached the manacles to the bolts and cut the sack with a knife. With practiced moves they attached Gordon’s arms with a set of other manacles over her head. Gordon was trashing around her head until they fixed it down to the table a well. Finally his screams were muted by a gag.

The robed man still stood calmly beside the brazier. The two masked men looked at each other ang got something up from a box. With practiced moves the put a gag into Alessia’s and my mouth as well.

We stopped screaming after a few moments

We looked in each others eyes. I could the sheer panic in her eyes. Tears were running down her face. I was crying as well utterly terrified.

After a while the robed man picked up something from the brazier. It was a short metal rod, with runes glowing in a dim white light.

The end which was in the brazier was glowing red!

He twiddled around with the cool end which started to glow in a bright orange light a few moments later while he was mumbling something and made strange gestures with his hands.

After that he went over to the table. Gordon was still laying on the table motionless. I wanted to avert my eyes but they were glued to the scene with a morbid fascination.

The robed man stabbed at Gordon’s chest with the red glowing end of the metal rod. It was immediately followed by a continuous blood-curdling muffled scream.

I froze in fear. The robed man however was unfazed and continued to press the rod down. A a few moments the screaming stopped.

After a while the robed terror took away the rod, examined Gordon’s chest and put the rod back in the brazier. I looked at Alessia. She looked back at me. Her eyes were wide open while tears still ran down her face.

The two masked men then started to rummage at the table again. One man put a sleeveless, simple shirt over Gordon’s head, which barely covered her hips.

The other attached metal manacles to her wrist and ankles thereafter.

Finally one of them picked her up and laid her down in one of the cells by the wall.

As the two walked to the pillar again, Alissa an me exchanged desperate looks.

“We are fucked!” I tried to say.

“Mmmmm!” Alessia started thrashing.

Struggling all the way Alessia was strapped to the table in no time. She stopped moving at some point, all I could see was her chest going up and down quickly.

Tears were still running down my cheeks.

The next few minutes I lost myself in trying to find a way out of this room. The situation was hopeless and my whole body was covered with sweat. My heart beat like a drum.

I was jerked back to the presence by another blood-curdling muffled scream.

Again I was totally captured watching the scene, unable to avert my eyes. I would be the next. No!

Then I realized the the two masked men were approaching me. It was hopeless. With these ropes on my ankles I couldn’t even kick. They were much stronger as well. I gave all I had, but in the end they tied me to that damned table.

The time slowed down to crawl again while I waited for the inevitable to happen.

Suddenly the robed man loomed over me. He stabbed at my chest with the glowing metal rod. My chest exploded in pain! Too much pain and then after an eternity , darkness.

***

Gordon woke up with a numb pain in his chest. The surrounding were covered in a dim red light.

Slowly her memories reassembled.

She felt something hard and cold at her ankles and her wrist. As she started to move her hands she heard metallic clanks. Something was stuffed in her mouth. She lifted her arms and noticed metal manacle attached to her wrist. They were connected by a length of chain.

After a few tries she managed to sit up. Her chest was the worst, but all the concussions from falling down the stairs were not gone. There were manacles at her ankles as well, connected by a short chain.

Alessia and Michael were laying beside her on the floor. They seemed to be breathing, chained up and gagged as well. They were in one of the cells at the wall. Someone had put them in short, tight sleeveless shirts.

The robed man sat at his desk. She couldn’t see the two masked men.

Was there a part of her body that wasn’t hurting? She groaned into her gag. She was a girl, something she had dreamed of often as she grew up.

But was it worth it considering the events of the last day? How long had she been unconscious? There was no way to know that without a watch or a wall clock.

Do clocks even exist here? Futile questions for now.

Her chest still hurt like hell. After a while she pulled at the shirt tentatively. The cloth wasn’t flexible but she managed a glimpse at the hurting spot. Right at the upper end of her sternum was a faintly glowing circle, with about an inch diameter, enclosing an eight-pointed star.

After a while Alessia began to stir. Finally she sat up with a groan. After brief check of the situation, she skittered next to Gordon. They both felt a bit comfort from the touch.

***

Eventually the pain came back again. Dulled and mixed up with all the other concussions. I opened my eyes.

Alessia and Gordon sat huddled together a bit away. After checking my surroundings and noticing all the gifts I got, I finally sat up. I tried to ignore the pain it caused.

I drooped as I looked at the others.

“Mmmm” Alessia gestured me to come over. I skidded closer. She pointed right beside her. As I sat beside her she pulled me in.

“Mmmm” she moaned and gave me a comforting hug.

So we sat next to each other waiting for something to happen.

A long time nothing happened.

Then there was a knock at the door.

The robed man didn’t react at all. One of the masked men appeared from behind the pillar and opened the door.