#tw chains

Handcuffs closed around my wrists, which Dani had pulled behind my back. I shut my eyes and tried to even out my breathing. Being chained up had never been easy. She connected the chains to a clamp attached to the wall, and tugged it to make sure it was secure, when she was satisfied, they turned towards Jaiden, who wouldn’t look at either of us. He bit his lip nervously, crossing his arms over his chest, and Dani wasted no time in crossing the room and stepping behind Jaiden to grab her bat.

“Alright, let’s get this show on the road!” She said enthusiastically as she picked it up. It was navy blue, and quite heavy, it showed signs of wear and tear and there was a bit of dried blood on the tip that she had never bothered to clean off. She stood behind Jaiden and smirked.

“Y’know Dani,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady “It’s not too late to-“

*Thwack*

The bat connected with Jaiden’s back, causing him to stumble, though he managed to regain his footing. He kept his eyes fixed to the floor, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of seeing him afraid.

My eyes went wide and I watched in terror as she hit him in the stomach, causing him to double over and gasp for air, then striking the back of his knee, so he fell awkwardly to the right. I wanted to shut my eyes, but I didn’t want to leave Jaiden alone. I tried to catch his eyes. Just to remind him that I was there, to comfort him, but he wouldn’t look at me. He focused his eyes on her from his spot on the floor, finally looking up at her, and they smacked his head, then his torso in order to knock him to the ground. Jaiden attempted to sit up, but she just hit him again. Then she put her knee on his chest and smacked his head again, much harder this time.

I screamed without being able to stop myself. His head was one place where damage could cause more long lasting issues up here. Most could heal quickly, head injuries didn’t.

“Do you think head injuries are funny, Jaiden?” He shook his head, not hiding the fear in his eyes. “Do you think shooting people in the head is funny?” Jaiden shook his head again, more desperately this time. “Really?” Dani said, and they took a second to pause, as if they were really thinking about his answer. “So why’d you do it.” Jaiden opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn’t think of anything to say before she stood up and her bat connected with the bottom of his jaw, causing him to bite his tongue. He yelped, and she hit him again in the head, over and over and over. I lost track of how many times I screamed, and I had to bite my lip to stop it.

“Now Jaiden, are you sorry for shooting me?” She asked, looking at him with raised eyebrows and using a derogatory tone. He nodded, tears forming in his eyes. The only sounds that came out of his mouth were pathetic sounding groans and whines. Dani smirked, and pulled out a gun, pointing it down at his skull. I barely had time to react before-

*Bang*

“no no no…” I strained against the chains binding me, the handcuffs leaving indents in my wrists “Jaiden? Please be ok, please!” He lay motionless, but I was sure I could tell whether he was alive or not if I could just see better. Things worked differently up here, he might be ok. I barely noticed when Dani walked towards me and disconnected the handcuffs on my wrists, leaving my hands free. The only thing I could focus on was Jaiden. I rushed over and knelt next to him, looking in his eyes for any signs of life. “Jaiden…?” I choked out, barely able to breathe. I noticed his eyes look up at me, and relief flooded my entire body. He opened his mouth as if to try to speak, but instead a pained expression crossed his face, as if not strong enough to make any noise.

*Bang bang bang*

That last remaining bit of consciousness in Jaiden’s eyes faded along with my relief. I grabbed his body and held it tightly. He’ll be back, I knew, but I’d never seen Dani actually ‘kill’ anyone up here before. Dani’s the only person who’s ever ‘died’. What if this time it was permanent? Dani roughly yanked his body away from me and dragged him out the door. I didn’t fight her, I just collapsed to the floor. After a moment, they came back and sat down next to me, and I felt her rubbing my back in mock comfort.

“I wish you would make noises like he did, you just go quiet all the time.” She said. I barely paid the comment any attention, and I hid my face in their chest and hugged her, looking for some sort of comfort. “Aw, it’s ok.” She said, “You’re not that bad, I still like torturing you anyway.” As if that were what I was upset about. I sighed into her chest, which they found adorable, then I rubbed my face against the material of their shirt, looking for something to comfort me. At least it was over.

I’m so tired.