Chapter 6: Chains
I awoke, finding myself surrounded by impenetrable darkness. I heard no sounds, and wondered ‘Am I dead?’ My question was answered when a loud, squealing noise broke the silence that filled the room like a thick soup. A rectangle of light appeared, but my eyes were so adjusted to the dark I couldn’t make out anything. Finally, after a bit, I could finally make out shapes, and realize it was someone with a food cart.
I heard someone mumble “Well, it took them long enough to get us food…”
I finally felt my arms, hanging at my side, chained to the wall. I looked down at them, and luckily there was enough light to see my skin was almost albino white.
I thought out loud, “How long was I out?”
I got an answer from my least expected source, the person with the food cart.
...Kent.
...He looked at me, smiled and said, “Glad you’re awake. You’ve been out for a long, long time…”
...“How long was I out?” I asked.
...“About month or two.”
...That surprised me. How could any human be able to survive that long?
...I glanced around, and saw my friends chained to the wall as well, their skin as white as mine.
...I looked at Kent, pure contempt in my eyes, barely keeping in my rage, and asked one question: “Why?”
...He dropped the smile, and replied, “Chaos created me. Everything I told you was a lie. I am about as human as he is, and that isn’t at all. When he’s done with me, he’ll simply end my existence. I don’t feel like dying just yet.”
...With that statement, I broke. I screamed at him, unleashing all my anger and frustration at him, screaming until my throat was raw.
...He simply stared at me, and after I was done, he chuckled “Ok, glad you are done with that. It’s time to eat now, all of you.”
...Marc grumbled head down. I could everyone else in the room, which I could tell there were plenty of people, were relatively happy at this notion. I sighed, and grimly accepted the tasteless paste he fed us. After he left, my mind began to come up with ways of escaping this hellish room. After working out many, many ideas, I realized every one of them was impossible, for one reason and one reason only: The chains bound to my wrists and legs.
...But then a thought hit me: What if I could get through using Panther? I attempted to reach my back pocket. The chains, of course, kept me from reaching. I sighed once more, and doubt of escape wormed its way into my heart. But I wouldn’t give up. I don’t know what kept me going, but I did not give up, despite the hopelessness of my situation. After hours trying, I finally got my launcher onto the floor. I grabbed it with my feet, and sat down so I could grab it. Luckily, the chains reached just far enough for me to grab the launcher. I stood up, and began working on getting Panther out, when I realized something: Panther wasn’t in my pocket!
...I cursed Kent and Chaos for removing Panther, and cursed myself for getting myself and all my friends stuck in this situation. I kicked the wall behind me, and heard a small clink. I turned to look, but I couldn’t see anything. I kicked again, and heard the same noise. I put my foot on what I thought made the noise, and brought it forward. It was a miracle.
...It was Panther.
...I stared, my mind racing. I wondered how Panther got out of my pocket, but I stopped wondering. I reached down, grabbed Panther, and launched it at the chains on my ankles. I then realized how was I going to free my wrists? The question answered itself when Panther came back to my hand, but missed. It hit the chain on my right arm, and broke right through. I almost screamed with joy, but my better judgment kept me silent. I started working on picking the lock on the chain on my other hand, and whispered to everyone else “I’ll be back. Don’t you worry.”
...I launched Panther at where I thought the door was, and it went right through. I called it back, and it landed right into my hand, luckily. I tried reaching through the hole, but it was far too small for my hand to fit through. Cursing once more, I kicked the door. It splintered, and I kicked again. The door fell outwards, right onto Kent’s food cart. He looked at me, and anger and fear flared on his face.
...He reached for Entropy, but I whispered, “Stop. I know you don’t like imprisoning people… Just let me go. Please.”
...He shook his head, and hissed at me, “Why would I ever let you go? You’re the reason Chaos might kill me!”
...I looked at him, bewildered, and asked, “Why the hell would he kill you because of me?”
...He looked at the floor, and whispered, “Because I was supposed to completely destroy you. But you… survived. I don’t know how, but you survived.”
...I shrugged, and laughed, “I seem to be surviving through many things recently.”
...Kent laughed a low, menacing laugh and his voice was like acid. “You won’t survive your next encounter with Chaos. And believe me, if you attempted to escape… you would encounter him no matter what.”
I glared at him, and jumped on and over the cart, outrunning him luckily. I heard his voice echo behind me, “You won’t survive, Mitch! You won’t survive out there!”