Mesume could not open her eyes. Her eyelids felt like they had bricks attached to them, and every muscle was sore. Her lungs ached and her throat stung. Her fingertips burned from the blood she had drawn while clawing at the cement of the basement floor. Mesume, eyes still not opening, used her other senses. She was laying in a bed; a comfy one at that. She tried to smell the air, but her nose was plugged from crying. She used her ears. Mesume could hear her own heartbeat—along with somebody else's. She was not alone. She raised her shaking arm to her eyes and rubbed them, wincing at the sudden and unexpected pain.

"I would't do that if I were you," a male voice said. "You got two black eyes. It's real swollen."

"Who are you?" Mesume managed to ask, voice scratchy and weak. "Where am I?"

"Doesn't matter who I am," the man laughed. "And you're in a room."

"The Cards," Mesume muttered, images of guts and gore flooding back into her head.

"That's right," the man said, and a sudden slapping noise indicated him clapping his hands together.

"W-where are they?" she asked. In her heart, Mesume knew they were dead. But maybe, maybe it was all just a bad dream.

"All dead," he said. The bed shifted, and Mesume guessed the man had sat down. "You're Mesume, right? Mesume Hanakurai?"

"Doesn't matter who I am," Mesume said, mocking the mysterious man's words.

"Matters to the Boss I guess."

"The Boss?"

"Yup!" the man said gleefully. "If it weren't for him, you'd be dead."

"What happened?" Mesume asked, trying in vain to open her eyes.

"Well," the man said, sounding thoughtful. "One of our lookouts said that the Cards place had been raided and that all the ghouls were gettin' torn apart. So the Boss, me, and the rest of the gang crashed the whole thing. I found you in the basement. You were barely alive."

"Gang?" Mesume inquired. "What gang are you from?"

"Doesn't matter. You'll probably figure it out."

Mesume's already overworked mind chugged. There was so many gangs, how could she ever figure that out?

"It's rather odd actually," the man continued. "I don't even know why Boss had tabs on the Cards. Probably wanted your territory."

"Who's your Boss?" Mesume croaked.

"A powerful and noble man," the man said. "Dangerous to."

"May I speak to him?"

"Nope. Boss can't come see you. He's got a huge target on his back you know."

"What's gonna happen to me?" Mesume said, voice shaking in fear.

"Don't worry," the man cooed. "I'm gonna take care of you for the next couple weeks or so."

"Weeks?" Mesume said, panicking.

"Hey now, don't say it like that. You owe me. I saved your life."

"I'd rather be dead," Mesume muttered.

The man clicked his tongue. "Now now, don't say such things. The Boss wants you alive. For now anyway."

"For now?"

"Just don't worry about it. Here, I got you something."

"I don't want it, whatever it is," Mesume snapped. "I've got places to be."

Mesume heard the man let out a huff. The pressure on the bed went away, indicating that her captor, or caregiver, had gotten up.

"Mesume, Mesume. You are feisty."

"That's Hanakurai to you," she snapped.

He sighed again, and used more pillows to prop up Mesume's head. His footsteps traveled to the other side of the room, and the way the sounds resonated told Mesume that the room was about the size of the guest bedroom. There was some faint clanking noises, and the man returned to her side.

"Open up," he said.

Mesume opened her mouth to say 'no', but the smell of blood and meat wafted into her nose. Her stomach growled, and she hesitantly opened her mouth. The man sat down beside her and gently inserted a ground meat filled spoon into her mouth. The flesh was already ground to a pulp, so Mesume didn't have to use her sore mouth to chew. She swallowed the food and greedily opened up for more. The servant could have sworn she heard the man chuckle, and she was fed another spoonful of meat. She ate slowly, trying to keep everything down. The mysterious man was patient with her, spoon feeding her for about an hour.

"That should help you heal at least a bit faster," he said when the bottom of the bowl was scraped.

"Am I allowed to leave?" she asked, not thanking him.

"No," he said. "Besides, you can't even see."

"So you're my captor?"

"I suppose," he said, standing up again.

Mesume heard the sound of a sink running, and then the man returned. Something cool and wet brushed against her face, and she lurched.

"Relax," he said. "It's a washcloth. It will help the eyes."

Mesume scowled and allowed her caregiver to lay a cool washcloth across her eyes. He pulled out the excess pillows so that the servant could lay comfortable.

"I'm going to go to the store and buy you some bandages and medicine and stuff," he said. "Get some rest. I will see you in a little bit."

With that, Mesume heard the door close. And she was left alone with her bruises and guilt.

Notes

The name of this Chapter the name of a song by FrnkIero AndThe Celebration, having to do with something Mesume says and one of the song lyrics

Lyric: I hope I die before they save my soul