Chapter 7
Gradually gaining consciousness, Robin realizes two things right off. He can't see a thing due a blindfold placed over his eyes and his practically naked, except for his shoes and shorts. Attempting to raise a hand to the blindfold, Robin finds that his hands are securely tied behind his back.
Working on the knots, Robin begins to feel the ropes loosen. Holding his breath that no one will show up to stop him, Robin feels the ropes loosen enough to slip his hands free. Raising his hand to his face, the Boy Wonder draws the cloth for his eyes.
Blinking at the sudden light, Robin notices that he is in a small room. Getting to his feet, Robin walks over to the door. Testing the doorknob, he finds is locked. Hearing a footstep on the other side, Robin slides away from the door.
Bracing himself, Robin watches as the door opens and a shadow falls across the floor. Waiting silently, Robin observes the shadow as it moves further into the room and a man enters. Raising a fist, Robin brings it crashing down on the man where the neck and shoulders join.
"Hey!" shouts the man, as he falls forward.
"Later," replies Robin, as he runs past the fallen man and out the door.
Shutting the door from behind him, Robin takes a quick look around the place. Noticing an exit on the other side of the large room, Robin runs toward it. Hearing a cracking sound, Robin has only a second to recognize the noise of a whip before it wraps itself around his legs and drags him to the floor.
"Attempting to escape?"
Glancing over his shoulder, Robin sees the man holding the other end of the whip.
"What of it?" demands Robin, slides a hand down his legs to loosen the whip.
Jerking the whip in his hands, the man tightens the hold he has.
"I have no intention of letting you go," replies the man, before glancing over his shoulder.
Looking behind the man, Robin notices that the man he jumped in the room has left the room and is walking toward them.
"I want a piece of him," demands the man, striding toward them, while rubbing a hand on the back of his neck. "That little fucker hurt me!"
"In due time," replies the other man calmly. "But first we must bind him again."
The man holding the whip glances once more at Robin before turning his head.
"Malory! Johnson! Come here to help," calls the whip man.
Glancing around the room, Robin watches as two men walk toward them. Recognizing one of the men as the driver from earlier, Robin braces as the men stop near him.
Passing the whip to one of the men, the apparent leader walks away and toward the wall. Noticing a lever on the wall that the man is walking toward, Robin waits to see what the lever, when pulled, will do.
Forgetting about the three men standing over him, Robin is quickly reminded when one of them kicks him in his side. Grunting from the pain, Robin glares up at his attacker.
"That's only the beginning, runt," sneers the driver from earlier.
"Leave him to the boss, Malory," replies the man Robin assumes to be Johnson. "He won't be so cocky then."
Smirking down at Robin, Malory waits. Hearing a clinking sound, Robin glances back to the leader and notices that the lever has been pulled. Watching two chains descend from the ceiling, Robin has a sinking feeling about how those chains are going to be used. Glancing down, Robin then discerns two more chains locked to the floor.
"Chain him up," orders the leader.
"Right, Mr. Holdsworth," replies Johnson, bending over to yank Robin to his feet.
Jerking at hearing the name, Robin realizes that he's now a prisoner of the one man he's been trying to find all night.
