Chapter 10.

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"What about her?" Vaas still sounded calmed and relaxed. Hoyt stopped, and looked back.

"I don't give a fuck. Do whatever you want with her, just don't let it interfere with your job." Hoyt left after that. I still sat on the table, trying to absorb everything. I started to piece it together. I smiled very faintly. Hoyt was Vaas' boss, or at least that's what is seemed like. I now began getting a soft laugh. All this time.. I thought Vaas was the most disgusting, worthless human being iv ever come across, but in reality, he was just controlled by someone much, much worse. Now. I wasn't laughing because it was funny, I was laughing because it hurt. I didn't know what to do anymore.. One was enough, but two? Vaas and Hoyt? That was a deadly combination. I could just tell. Vaas looked at me, but didn't speak. He forced me to my feet, and pushed me forward. We went out the door, and Hoyt had already vanished by now. The sky only had a little light left, and the cool air chilled my skin. Vaas pulled me along as he lead me back to the cage. Riley was sitting still when we came around the corner. When we got closer, he moved, and lifted his head. He watched as Vaas unlocked the door, and then pretty much tossed me in. He locked the door back, and quickly headed off. I heard him yelling and giving out orders. Probably going to look for Jason. I focused for a moment, and looked down at Riley. I only had a little time now before they figured out I lied. I pulled at the cuffs for a moment, but they seemed to cut into my wrist worst than the ropes did. They were extremely tight, and I barely had any room to move in them at all, which I think was the intention when he put them on.

"What happened?" Riley asked. I stepped over, and slid down to the ground beside him.

"They think they're going after Jason, and we don't have long before they figure out I lied my ass off in there."

"So, what do we do?"

"Do you still have that needle?" I asked. He lifted his leg, and there they were. The necklace and needle. Okay.. I could do this. I moved myself over, and turned around. I felt for the needle, and finely got a hold of it. Slowly, I used both hands, and removed the slim needle from its place, and dropped the syringe.

"What are you doing?" Riley asked.

"Just watch." I said, hope in my voice. I used my right hand, and found the key hole on the cuffs. Carefully, I put the needle in, and started on it.

"Trying to pick handcuffs?"

"Yeah.. My dad taught me a long time ago how to do this kind of shit..." A minute went by of silence. I continued out the cuffs. This took time.. It wasn't something you could just fly through.

"Shit." Riley said quietly.

"What?"

"Sit down! Sit down! Some of those guys are coming!" He said quietly. I snapped my head up, and instantly sat back against the cage, dropping the needle down beside the bottom pole of the cage. I looked over my shoulder, and sure enough, two pirates were staggering and falling our way.

"Good god.. They look drunk off their asses." I laughed faintly, but then it quickly faded, knowing that could be a very bad thing.

"Eh! You got the key?" One mumbled as they got closer.

"Yeah! Shut the fuck up!" The other growled.

"Uh oh..." Riley said quietly. I watched as the two stumbled in front of the cage, and one took out a key.

"This isn't going to be good.." I whispered, sinking back against the cage. When they finely got the lock open with a lot of fumbling, one entered, making a lot of small, evil type laughs. I was sitting right next to Riley, my shoulder touching his, and my now, I was trying to push myself back further into the cage's side, even though I couldn't go any further. The pirate hesitated in front of me, and looked over at the other. "

"You sure she isn't the one?" He asked.

"Yeah! Just grab the bitch, and lets go!" I felt my eyes widen as the man reached for me. I lashed out with my leg now. I caught the man in the stomach with my foot, sending him back to the other side of the cage, which was only a couple of feet.

"Stay away from me." I said through clenched teeth, bringing my knees back up, almost touching my chest. The man coughed, holding his stomach, and held onto the bars for support.

"Damn it! I thought you said she wasn't the one!" He yelled over his shoulder.

"Shes not! Probably just still has a little kick in her.. Stop being such a fucking pussy." The man outside the cage demanded.

"Fine! Then you come and get her if you're so fucking sure." The man turned, and slowly limped out of the cage. The now angry man shoved the other and growled

"You're useless man." He didn't even pay attention as he walked in. Riley raised one of his legs, and sent the man face first to the ground. Before he had time to let out a groan even, I lashed out once again, catching him in the side of the head with the heel of my foot as hard as I could. My sudden jerking movement caused me to sit on my hands. I winced in pain, but then soon realized what I had just done. I pulled my legs in as close as I could to my chest, and slid my hands under me. After a small struggle, I got my hands under, and over my feet, and looked at my hands, that were now in front of me. I froze for a moment. Now what? I suddenly lashed out again at the now moving man on the ground before me, giving him another hard kick to the side of his head. My heart was pounding so hard in my chest, and my thoughts were spinning. What now? I knew the man who had left the cage had wandered off, and I didn't think he was still around... Riley was yelling , but.. Everything was a bit of a blur to me right now. I felt as Riley push me with his foot lightly. I looked at him, a bit dazed.

"The knife." He said, calming his voice a bit. I looked back at the barely moving man before me, and let my eyes rest on the knife in his belt. I shook my head and cleared my thoughts. I suddenly moved, and crawled forward. I grabbed the knife, and yanked it from his belt. It was a bit difficult to keep a grip, even with my hands in front of me due to how tight the cuffs were. I struggled for a moment, but then leaned back on my legs, and turned. I reached over, and quickly cut Rileys ropes off, and got to my feet.

"Come on. Lets go." I said, my voice extremely low. Riley seemed a bit cautious of getting up, but he managed to get to his feet. It finely came to my mind he probably hadn't been able to stand up for a while.. To be honest, I had no idea how we would do this.. We could try to get up the steep, tree covered hill just beside us, but then again, I wouldn't be able to do it with these cuffs on..

"Where do we go?" Riley asked softly.

"First off.. Do me a favor and search that guy for a key... These handcuffs are killing me." They were so tight, I could barely move my hands without a lot of pain.. "Please.. Hurry." I said. Riley quickly crouched down, and began searching the body. There was no one in sight, but I could hear the other people around us in different cages trying to talk through their gags. A few moments later, Riley came back up, and took a hold of the cuffs. I watched as he inserted the key, and within a moment, I was free. I rubbed my wrists for a moment, before walking out of the cage.

"Alright. Now where do we go?" He asked again.

"Do you think you can make it up that hill?" I asked pointing. He hesitated.

"Probably not..." That was no what I wanted to hear...

"Fuck. We'll have to try and get through the camp then..." I did it once, I could do it again.. But then, I was with Jason and Grant, plus, add the fact I felt like my energy was slipping away quicker and quicker with a single step I took.

"Are you crazy? There's no way we'll get through it." Riley said, shaking his head.

"Most of the pirates are gone looking for Jason, and so is Vaas. If we take it slow, and be careful, we can." I reassured him. I was about to turn and walk, when I remembered the one other thing Riley had drug into the cage earlier. I searched the ground for a moment, and found the silver orchid cover in some dirt. I snatched it up, and quickly put it around my neck as I crouched down to the now completely still man. "Out cold." I commented softly, as I searched the rest of his body, and then stood up in frustration. "He didn't have anything besides the knife." I gave him a hard kick to the ribs, that sent him over on his back. When he didn't give a sound, I shrugged it off, and turned back around. "Come on. Lets go." I said, waving Riley to follow as I walked ahead.

I shook my head and tried to see through the dark. My vision was blurring in and out, and I was pretty much stumbling forward. I knew where we were going, it wasn't that hard to figure out. There was no entrance on the side of the camp we were on, so there had to be one on the other side, right? My only problem was trying to get there. There was no light source. Not even from the moon. Dark clouds had rolled in, and there was no let up in them. I finely stopped for a moment, to clear my head.

"Are you alright?" Riley asked softly. I could just barely make out his figure in the dark.

"No, but we need to keep going." I swallowed back, and shook my head one more time.

I brushed my hair back behind my ears, and went on. "It shouldn't be much further." I stated. So far, we had managed to stay away from any pirates. I could hear them talking on the other side of the walls, but none seemed to come out at all. The only sounds I could hear were the sounds of the nearby jungle, until a loud crack of thunder went through the air. The sudden noise made me jump with a small yelp. Riley actually cut me off in mid jump by wrapping a hand around my mouth. He waited until my muscles relaxed, and finely let go. I sighed. "Thank you." I whispered. Riley walked up beside me and looked at me.

"We should hurry.. Storm will probably start up soon." He said softly. I nodded, and we both walked forward. As we made our way silently behind buildings and shacks, thunder continued to roar above our heads. Out of habit, I clutched the orchid of my necklace in my hand and looked at the ground. The rain started to pour about a minute later. My hair clung to my bare shoulders, neck, and face after only about thirty seconds. I imagined I looked like some kind of homeless dog you would see on the side of the street once in a while. I looked over and Riley, and found him in the same condition. He looked back at me through the dark and rain, and we both cracked a smile. We were still in this nightmare, but at least we could still make room to smile. Riley looked like some kind of shaggy dog, his hair soaked. The moment was cut short when I heard more thunder, but it was short and a little faint, and then another one just like it followed, and then another...

"Was that thunder?" Riley asked, worry suddenly filled his expression. I just stared at him for a moment, and looked around me. This camp looked like it was set in a bowl... The sides were too steep to climb, and some places were bare, where others were very thick with trees, making it impossible to climb... The only way to go was forward, toward the other side of the camp, or go back.

"Didn't sound like it. We need to hurry." I grabbed his wrist, and pulled him along behind me as I ran. I put up with any pain I had, and grounded my teeth through it. Getting out of here was first priority. Riley had the knife, but I don't think a knife would be much use against a gun. My breath became short, and I felt like if I didn't stop, I might slip and fall, but I pushed myself forward. Up ahead, I could see where the buildings and shacks cut off.. I knew an exit wasn't too far off.. It couldn't be. I let go of Riley, but we were still pace for pace, somehow. I could feel the silver orchid bumping against my chest as we ran, but my hair stayed pinned down by the rain.

"I can see the jungle." Riley said, his voice a little weak. I looked up, and I could barely make out the shapes of trees and bushes... It looked like flat ground, too. I managed a small smile of relief. A loud clap of thunder made my duck my head a little. When we reached the end of the buildings, I felt a sickening hit to my rib cage.. Again. I lost my footing on the wet ground, and went to the mud.

"Christina!" I heard my name come from Riley. I felt a pair of hands grab my arm, and try to get me to my feet, but extreme pain filled my entire body. I let out a cry and bit my bottom lip. Gripping the wrist of the hands holding me, I shoved them away. I looked up at Riley, and waved him toward the jungle. There was someone here, and I had a strong feeling I knew who. "Go." I told him, struggling to my feet on my own, somehow. "I'll be right behind you." I reassured. He gave me a small glance, but then he headed for the jungle once again. I watched as he went... I could not even take a step without horrid pain. Finely, Riley vanished from my sight. I turned around, and blinked softy through the downpour of rain. It felt like something out of a movie when lightning lit up the sky above, and illuminated my surroundings very dimly. I locked eyes with Vaas within that split second, and felt my breath catch in my throat. I had been wrong when I thought Vaas had left the camp earlier, which could easily be a very deadly mistake... I completely lost Vaas' figure in the darkness. I couldn't tell if he had moved since the lightning strike or not, which brought feeling of fear into me. I wrapped an arm around my rib cage, and looked around me. I had just about no idea where I was anymore.. I took a couple of steps backwards, and felt my back lightly touch something. I froze up for a moment, but after a moment, I realized it wasn't human. Instead, it felt like some kind of metal pole. Stepping off to the side, suddenly another flash of lightning lit the ground up. I didn't catch Vaas. Maybe I imagined it in the first place? But then there was someone here. Who had hit my in the ribs? I tightened my arm around my rib cage, and continued through the pain as I limped off a few steps. "I just want to go home..." I managed a whisper to myself.

"Does Bambi miss her momma?" That evil laugh made me lock up. "What is it? Hmm? Do you not like it here? Is it the people? The food? The natives? All three?" I could hear the laugh in Vaas' voice that came from behind me. I wanted to run. Oh how badly I wanted to run, but it would be impossible now, and Riley... Oh god Riley. If I stayed here, they might not even bother going after Riley in this storm. I only hope he could find help, and not die wandering the jungle by himself. Roughly, Vaas put his arm on my shoulders, and pulled me closer. His wet skin against mine made my stomach turn. The amount of hate I had toward this man was unbelievable. "Now. Me and you, hermana, are going to have a little... fun." His cheek was pressed softly to mine, and I could see his hand as he lifted it up in front of us, and spoke. "Remember how I told you bitches like you were my favorite? We get to break you down? Oh no, You see, Bambi," He made us walk now. Locked in our positions as we made our way through the mud. "I usually leave that task up to my men.. They are pretty good at getting the job done... quickly." He laughed a little under his breath. "But this time... This time, I think it's only right, I do it myself." I suddenly tried to jerk away in a sudden thrash of my body, but Vaas only wrangled me back into a tighter grip. "Still fighting, I see." The rain was blocked from my skin as we walked through a dark door way. I could still hear the rain pounding on the roof above. When I was finely released, I was roughly sat on the edge of what felt like a table. Too scared to even move, I watched his dark figure walk behind me. A dim light was clicked on, and I looked down at the floor. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears, and I was shaking. I could of be shaking from the cold rain, but deep down I knew the real reason. There was a few minutes of silence, and I finely got the courage to lift my head. I looked over my shoulder, and found Vaas doing something on the other end of the table. I slowly looked back in front of me, and swallowed back. The door was on the wall to my right. The table was right in the middle of the room. I would never be able to make it before Vaas. I was fast, but he was faster. It wouldn't have mattered. Only a few short moments later, my hair was grabbed, and my back was slammed down onto the table. I let out a small groan and tried to clear my head for a moment. Everything was just a bit fuzzy now. I felt weaker by the second, and everything combined on my body, it was not looking good for me. Watching Vaas now, he stood by my right side, blocking the view of the door. My head rested back on the table, my eyes watching his every movement as best as I could. He picked up my arm, and I felt something wrap around my upper arm. My eyes went wide, and I tried to jump away. I listened to Vaas give a half-hearted growl when my nails made contact with his skin on his arm, by accident. He grabbed my as I sat up, and slammed me back down on the table. Within a split second, he was leaning over me, the tip of his knife grazing over my throat. A sick smile had formed on his lips now. Softly, the knifes tip was ran down to my chest, where he stopped. He didn't speak. Instead, I found his eyes studying and observing me carefully. When he finely took the knife away, he set it right next to my head, but also right next to him, and took hold of my arm again. I stayed still as something wrapped around my upper arm, and tightened sharply. I knew exactly what he was doing. He reached over above my head, and came back with a needle.

"I made a mistake." I whispered, more to myself. Vaas smiled.

"You know, Bambi, I couldn't agree more." His voice was so evil, it felt like my heart froze. Within seconds, my arm was searched, injected, and then the material on my upper arm removed. All by Vaas. As I felt the effects of the drug coming on, I caught Vaas' attention. He looked down at me, and his expression was unchanged. He looked very... insane in my opinion. I just gave a weak laugh and shook my head. I didn't speak any more. Instead, I just slowly raised my right arm, and flipped him off. This didn't seem to please him, but it didn't matter. It was only about another minute before everything fell numb, and my mind was off in it's own world until this drug subsided. Maybe... Maybe this was a good thing, actually. Maybe I would die, and not be able to feel any of it. Maybe, this was all over.. But, I didn't want it to be over... I could get out of here on my own.. I still had a chance to live.. Or did I?

Well, first of all, I have to apologize a hundred times over for how late this is... I don't know why, but I really didn't like this chapter. I re-wrote it at least four times, and I still don't like it, but hopefully it isn't too bad. I'll try not to be this late again.. Ever. From now on, feel free to check my profile for updates (Which will be located at the top) if there isn't anything new up within 1-2 weeks. Anyways. I hope you enjoyed reading it! Reviews are much appreciated, and thanks for reading, once again! ~ Viper