I stared up at the darkness above me. I couldn’t quite make out the ceiling.
When the vicious pulsing in my skull calmed a little bit, I lifted my head back up and tried to get a better handle on my surroundings. I pushed myself up to my feet, testing how far my chain would allow me to move. It wasn’t far. Behind me on a table was a cup of water and a piece of thick bread. My mouth watered.
I was famished.
I took a step, reaching for it and cried out when I realized that it was just out of my reach. There was nothing I could use to grab it. With a disappointed sigh, I turned away, noticing an empty bucket. I sneered in its direction.
I wasn’t an animal. I wouldn’t stoop to that level.
There were piles of debris on the floor all around me. Most of it appeared to be old garbage. Pieces of dirty plastic. An old soda can. The six-piece ring that held a pack of beer together. A broken tequila bottle.
None of it appeared useful until I noticed an old metal pen that was sandwiched inside a filthy plastic bag. I reached for it, just able to slip my fingertip under the torn handle. I stretched as far as I could and when I had a good hold, I carefully pulled it toward me.
A footstep scuffed on a piece of metal around the corner, and I stilled, leaving the bag where it was and jerking my hand back to my chest. I glanced down, noting that I couldn’t see the pen through the plastic anymore. I sat back down and wrapped my arms around my legs, waiting as the loud clomp of a pair of boots rounded the corner.
I could see enough to recognize him. He was one of the men who had been standing to the right of the leader who had done all the talking.
“Well, look who’s finally awake,” he sneered, and his gravelly voice only exacerbated my concerns. By the hungry look in his eyes, he hadn’t come here to free me.
“Hey,” I answered weakly. My own voice sounded like I’d been chewing on a piece of tissue paper. I stopped, cleared my throat, and began again. “Will you please pass me the cup of water? I can’t reach it.”
He sighed and took a few extra steps to reach the table like it was somehow the most exhaustive journey of his life. When he took a spot in front of me, he looked down at me like I was less than the dirt beneath his shoe.
“Open your mouth,” he demanded. I stared up at him in disbelief.
“I can hold it,” I murmured uneasily.
“Open your mouth, bitch. You will have your water however I damn well please,” he replied.
“I’m still a human being,” I spat.
He tilted his hand, letting some of the water spill out onto the floor.
“Wait! Please. I’m sorry,” I shrieked and mercifully, the man stopped.
Feeling like a performance monkey, I angled my head up and opened my mouth. I hated myself in that moment, but I was so thirsty, and I didn’t know how long I’d been without water. He tilted the cup and poured a small amount into my mouth. I was grateful he didn’t dump the whole thing on my face.
He wasn’t a total monster at least. I swallowed and kept opening my mouth for him. I tried not to think about how I looked like a baby bird begging for food in its nest.
When I’d taken several gulps, he placed it down on the floor, thankfully within my reach this time. My stomach growled, but I didn’t want to force my luck any more than I already had.
“Will you tell me your name?” I asked quietly. I made sure that I kept any measure of challenge from my tone.
“Terrance,” he replied curtly. He licked his lips and my initial uneasy feeling returned tenfold.
“I’m Raiza,” I offered lamely.
“I know,” he said arrogantly.
“I didn’t do what they said,” I continued softly.
“You didn’t?” he questioned. He knelt in front of me and reached for my chin, lifting my face and examining me closely. I shook my head, wanting to make this man an ally. I had to try.
“No,” I smiled hopefully. “I’m just a prisoner. I escaped to come warn your people that the aliens are coming. They’ve found your solar banks and they started mapping out the underground with every intention of clearing your people out.”
“So, you didn’t drag the alien you tried to kill off to heal him then,” he countered.
I paused. I shook my head. I couldn’t admit something like that to him.
