I've been late a couple times so consider this a gift. I kind of went on a limb last chapter but I'm glad the feedback was all positive. Thanks to reviewers KazzieLegran, TakeThePRNDL, Michi-chii and FinchandtheFoxes!

~ CHAPTER 25 ~

Imprisoned by the Ruffianihilator Crew

"So you're Dwayne..." it was hours later and he could see her shadowy outline through the bars. A rattle and click and then a door opened so she could come in. Dwayne blinked through the tears and sniffled. He couldn't move the fingers of his right hand very well. The entire arm had swollen without treatment and it was paining a lot. The highblood stepped closer much like a looming predator examining a wounded gazelle. "Your blood is green." she stated and observed him quietly. Dwayne tried looking at her but it was too dark here, she was just a silhouette.

"Please..." It took a few attempts for him to get his voice working "My arm is broken, I need to go to a hospital before I die."

"Can you walk?"

"No," Dwayne confessed after a moment.

"Neither can the other boy. You seem more subdued than the others so maybe you'll answer my questions. You seem very vulnerable right now, it shouldn't be too hard to get the truth out of you."

The tears fell freely from Dwayne's eyes again now.

"Why are you doing this?" he couldn't help sobbing all of a sudden "Why? We only wanted to take you back with us and show you..."

"I wanted to observe your strengths in that fight," she crouched down to his face "it was surprising. That girl, Camila, has an interesting gift but you two appear quite useless. You wouldn't have had the strength to take me back, so I guess your plan was to control me with her."

"No. No we don't do that. Camila's powers don't work on us, or our species."

"Are you saying we're a different species?"

"Yes," Dwayne closed his eyes tight while his brain went cloudy "We're called trolls. We were given artificial bodies to blend in as humans at an early age but we have different coloured blood..."

"This is the story the others spewed but I needed to hear it from each of you." she said and Dwayne stayed quiet "When I sensed all three of you together I almost lost my mind" she muttered "The psychic drag was so strong, like an alarm inside my skull. I thought you would be like me but you're not. You're all quite soft and helpless."

"Who are you?" Dwayne tried.

"My name is Reagan," she leaned back and sat down, resting her elbows on her knees "I'm the leader of a gang, but we like to consider ourselves extremists. They're mostly involved with petty crimes, got a lot of drug addicts and psychotic disorders. We do business with a drug lord, help cart stuff around through the sewer lines. It's how we move about, the police don't come down here to bother us. I'm in charge of all those men because I convinced them I was the anti-Christ. Or at the very least they consider me some occultic emissary to the beast."

"...You're seventeen. Right? You're the same age as us so you have to be..." Dwayne tried getting a glimpse of her but it only kinked his neck and sent a searing lash through his wounded arm "Why the fuck are you involved with gangs and drugs?"

"I'm an anarchist, Satanist, and I've always had powers. I never knew what I was. But I didn't expect the reason to be so scientific. I like being here and doing this and when you came into my territory I expected you were either competition or you wanted to induct me into something else."

"Wait... does that mean you believe us?"

Her shrug was almost imperceptible in the darkness.

"You did have that ship."

"Will you let us go?" Dwayne tried.

"No. I don't think I will."

"Please just let my friends go."

"No."

"Are you going to kill me now?"

"Not now."

Dwayne swallowed "Could I... have some water?"

"I'll bring you water. And something strong for pain. I want to talk to all of you together at some point."

"Reagan..." she stood up and looked down at Dwayne "What's wrong with you? Why are you doing this to us? Do you even have a heart?"

"Absolutely not," and with that she went out the barred door and it swung closed. There was a rattle as she locked it again and Dwayne's heart started beating faster as the fear returned. He released a sound which was half-way between a sob and a moan.

The highblood left him and Dwayne cried again, although not so silently this time, sobs wracking his body. He tried praying and begging for help and it took him a while before he settled again. They were just kids... and so was she. Only she'd gotten herself wrapped up in something serious. Deadly serious. Dwayne had no idea how they could convince her. None of the mother grub's training covered this scenario. She was probably just hoping this wouldn't happen, it's not like she had any choice. She didn't have the strength to save them. No one was coming to save them. How ridiculous that this would be how their species became extinct. And in less than a week, the only one who even knew they were here would be dead.

Dwayne's consciousness became jagged at that point, he wasn't so much dazed anymore. Now he was either sharply awake by the throbbing in his head or he was within lulls of time. While he was drowsy someone came with his water, possibly the highblood. He drank quickly and swallowed the tablets he was given, hoping they weren't LSD or something sinister. When they were finished Dwayne's eyes rolled back and his neck slackened.

"Hey!" someone shouted and picked up his head "Are you concussed?" Dwayne slurred something back unintelligible. "Do you think his brain's bleeding?" someone said and Dwayne went back and the next thing he knew he was alone again. How could everything have gone so wrong so quickly? Dwayne's entire view of life had distorted. Was he really living in a place where this could happen?

He kept not understanding why he couldn't abort from this situation or undo it but he remained here in pain... Dwayne tried moving his fingers and they only twitched. His arm moved and there was... no pain. Those drugs were strong, clearly not the usual paracetamol. Dwayne had the aggravating habit of getting a quick immunity to most painkillers, but he could probably sit up now if he wanted to. For the moment he remained where he was, staring at the wall opposite blankly. This was all too much.

Then after a while Dwayne decided that no one was coming to save him and that he needed to do everything he could now. It was probably hopeless, but that didn't mean he should give up on his life. He turned off his side and then rose up, his right arm dangled limply from beside him. It was grotesque and Dwayne avoided looking at it. Instead he searched around and began studying his prison.

Some more of the highblood for you all. Is she what you were expecting? If you want to get a shout-out all you gotta do is review. If you have any suggestions/wants I may consider them, more likely if you've been shouted out a lot.