Chapter 44 Chapter 44

Chapter 44 Chapter 44
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Dimitri's POV 

Before I could even blink, before I could think of what to do, those figures moved.

They walked through the broken window quickly, stepping over the shattered glass without making a sound.

I thought I could take them down like I did earlier with the loan sharks, my body was already preparing to fight.

But within a second, before I could even raise my fists, I felt something sharp pierce my neck.

A dart.

Someone had shot a dart at me.

Immediately, my vision started to blur, my legs felt weak beneath me, and strength drained from my body like water.

"What..." I tried to speak but my tongue felt heavy, my words came out slurred.

My legs gave out completely. I fell to the floor hard, my head hit the ground but I barely felt the impact.

The last thing I saw before everything went black were those masked figures standing over me, looking down at me with cold, and empty eyes.

Then darkness swallowed me whole.

When my eyes opened again, my whole body hurt.

My head was pounding, my body ached, my mouth was dry like I had not drank water in days.

I was sitting in a chair. I tried to move but I could not, my hands were tied behind me. The rope cut into my wrists. 

I blinked several times, trying to clear my vision, trying to understand where I was.

But everywhere was dark, so dark I could barely see anything, there was only a tiny bit of light coming from somewhere above, maybe a small window or a crack.

The air smelled like blood. Dry blood. 

My stomach turned, I felt like I was going to throw up.

"Hello?" I called out. My voice was rough and broken. "Is anyone there?"

There was no answer, just heavy silence. 

"Hello?!" I shouted louder this time. "Where am I? Why am I here?"

Still no response, no sound, no movement, just the echo of my own voice bouncing off walls I could not even see.

I pulled at the ropes binding my wrists, they were tight, too tight, and they cut deeper into my skin the more I struggled.

"Let me go!" I screamed. "Please! Someone help me!"

But no one answered, no one came.

I looked around desperately, trying to see anything in the darkness, my eyes slowly adjusted to the lack of light.

I could make out shapes now. The walls were made of concrete. There were no windows except for that small crack above. I was in some kind of basement.

How long have I been here? 

I tried to remember but my mind was foggy, the drug from the dart was still affecting me.

My stomach growled loudly from hunger. 

Time passed slowly, I had no way to know how much time had gone. Minutes felt like hours, hours felt like days.

I was getting weaker. Hunger gnawed at my stomach. Thirst made my throat burn. Exhaustion pulled at my body.

I started to drift in and out of consciousness. My head would drop forward, then I would jerk awake again.

Then finally, after what felt like forever, I heard footsteps. Heavy footsteps walking down the stairs.

Someone was coming. 

"Hello?" I called out weakly. "Please, help me."

The footsteps stopped, there was silence for a moment, then a door opened, light flooded in briefly before the door closed again.

I squinted against the sudden brightness, even though it was just a little light. My eyes had gotten used to the darkness.

A shadow walked in. A tall and imposing fugure, moving slowly towards me.

"Dimitri," the voice called out, it was deep and menacing, echoing in the small space.

My heart stopped, this person knew my name, this person knew who I was.

"Who are you?!" I roared, trying to sound strong even though I was terrified. "What do you want from me?"

"Shh," the voice echoed softly. "You are safe."

Safe? Safe?! I was tied to a chair in a dark basement that smelled like death!

"I am not safe!" I shouted. "I am trapped here! Let me go!"

The figure moved closer but stayed in the shadows where I could not see their face.

"Who are you?!" I demanded again, my voice was getting hoarse from shouting. "Tell me who you are!"

There was a pause, then a soft click. A flashlight turned on, but it was pointed at the ground, not at the person's face.

"You will not remember me even if I told you anyways," the voice said calmly.

"What?" I asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Your memory," the voice explained. "You do not remember anything, so telling you who I am would be pointless right now."

This person knew about my memory loss. How did he know that?

"Are you going to hurt me?" I asked, my voice shook slightly. "Did you bring me here to hurt me?"

"No," the voice said firmly. "I am saving you, I am keeping you safe."

"Saving me?" I repeated. "Saving me from what?"

"From whoever did this to you," the voice said. "From whoever caused your accident."

My blood ran cold. So someone really did try to kill me. Irina was right, I was in danger.

"But you will stay here," the voice continued. "Until I figure out who had the audacity to harm you, who dared to touch what is mine to protect."

"What do you mean?" I asked desperately. "Please, just tell me what is going on!"

"I need to know who orchestrated the accident. Who paid for it. Who wanted you dead."

This person seemed to be nice, at least he was not hurting me, at least he wanted to help.

"But why am I tied up?" I asked. "If you are helping me, why am I a prisoner?"

"For your own protection," the voice said. "And for mine, until I know I can trust that you will not run, that you will not do something foolish."

I wanted to argue but I was too tired, and too weak.

The figure moved back towards the door, and knocked twice.

The door opened and two guards came in, carrying things in a tray. Food, water, and a lamp.

They set the lamp down on a table I had not noticed before. It lit up the room slightly. I could see better now.

The basement was small with concrete walls. There are no windows except that small crack. And it had just one door.

One guard brought the food closer. A plate of rice and meat. It smelled good, making my stomach growl loudly.

The other guard came behind me and loosened the ropes on my wrists.

I rubbed my wrists, they were red and raw from the ropes cutting into them.

"Eat," the voice commanded. "You need your strength."

I did not need to be told twice, I grabbed the plate and started eating quickly, shoving food into my mouth.

Water came next. I drank it so fast I almost choked.

The guards worked efficiently, they fixed a proper light on the ceiling, suddenly the basement was much brighter, and I could see everything clearly now.

It was cleaner than I thought. It was not dirty or disgusting, just old and concrete.

There was a small bed in the corner, a table, and a chair.

"This is the safest place to be for now," the voice said from the doorway. 

I could see him clearly now. He was tall and had gray hairs, but he still looked dangerous.

"But I am a prisoner," I said quietly.

"You are protected," he corrected. "There is a difference."

He left without saying anything else, closing the door behind him with a heavy thud. I heard locks clicking into place.

The guards stayed. They stood by the door, watching me eat, their faces were blank, and emotionless.

I finished eating quickly then looked at them.

"Can you tell me who I am?" I asked. "Please, I do not remember anything."

They said nothing, they just stared ahead like statues.

"Please," I begged. "Just tell me something, anything, who am I? Where am I from?"

Still no word, not a gesture, they acted like I had not even spoken.

"Why will you not answer me?" I asked, frustrated. "Do you know who I am?"

One guard shifted slightly but said nothing.

I tried several more times, asking different questions, begging for information, but they never responded.

Finally, I gave up.

I lay down on the small bed. It was uncomfortable but better than the chair.

I stared at the ceiling, thinking about everything.

I was trap
ped in a place I did not know, by a person I did not know, and they said it was safe.

But it did not feel safe, it felt more dangerous than being out on the streets.

At least on the streets I was free to move, free to search for answers.

Here I was caged like an animal.

How long would they keep me here? Days? Weeks? Months?

And what would happen when they found whoever tried to kill me?

Would they let me go then? Or would something else happen?