"Never lose hope. Never forget the power of intentions and desires."
Debasish Mridha

Chapter 23

"My name is Dmitri Baranovsky and you and I have a lot to talk about."

Makoto pulled at the chains holding her hands and gave them a little shake before sighing. "Well, go on. It's not like I'm going anywhere."

Cunningham snickered. "It's too bad we're killing her, otherwise she'd be fun to have around."

Makoto's stomach dropped and she looked the three men over.

Oh.

They were serious.

Makoto cleared her throat and silently thanked the heavens that her voice came out calm and clear, "Kill? Surely we can work something out?"

Dmitri chuckled and strode for the door before calling over his shoulder, "Bring her where everyone else is gathered. Do try to make her somewhat presentable."

And with that little comment, he disappeared around the corner until it was just the three of them.

Long, calloused fingers wrapped around her arm, and Naegi went rigid.

Cunningham's face came into view, his teeth glistening as he smiled at her. "Don't try anything. We wouldn't want to do more damage to that pretty face of yours would we?"

Naegi scowled but let herself be dragged to her feet as Christoph came to her other side and unchained her. Naegi stretched out her arms as feeling slowly came back to her arms before Christoph was in front of her with a cloth.

Naegi raised an eyebrow at him and he raised his own in return.

"Hold still." Was all he said before Naegi felt the cloth on her face and she hissed. "Sorry," he mumbled quietly. "I'll treat your wounds later so hold on until then."

Naegi didn't say anything and held as still as she could. All too soon Cunningham was dragging her towards the door and she staggered as a wave of dizziness suddenly hit her. The room spun and she would have fallen had it not been for Christoph's hand on her back stabilizing her.

Seemingly satisfied, Christoph nodded and Cunningham tugged her forward by her upper arm. The place looked like a dungeon and Naegi kept her eyes focused on the cells, looking for any signs of the twelve girls who had gone missing.

They passed six cells and just as Naegi was about to look away in disappointment, a quiet sniffle made her head whip up at the sound.

Bad move.

A wave of nausea hit her and she did her best to keep from vomiting.

Jeez, how long would it take before whatever was injected into her to fade?

There was another sniffle and Naegi focused her green eyes towards the sound. A small blonde with curly hair poked her head out from one of the cells and gripped the bars as her light green eyes settled on Naegi.

She could see other girls behind the small girl but none of them moved.

The girl looked tired and malnourished. Her skin looked pale; probably from spending too much time away from the sun.

But what stroked Naegi the most was the small spark in the girl's eyes. She hadn't given up hope yet.

Naegi sighed in relief.

Good.

She could work with this.


The small blonde watched her go until they turned a corner and Naegi looked away as a door came into view. Christoph's hand left her back as he took out a key from his pocket before he inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it.

There was a click as the door unlocked and Naegi watched as the red head turned the knob and opened the door for them.

She closed her eyes as they entered a brightly lit room and almost fell as Cunningham started pulling her along.

As her eyes began to adjust she noticed that they had entered a vast chamber upheld by pillars. It looked like a coliseum more than anything. Upon closer inspection, she noticed people sitting around the place looking down at them.

Leering faces watched as she was dragged along; none of them seemed remotely concerned or disturbed that she was in the hands of Cunningham. There were no females among the gathered crowd, only men.

Most seized their chatter upon seeing the three of them while others turned to the person next to them to whisper who knows what.

Others looked intrigued and excited as they leaned forward in their seats to get a better look.

Naegi let her eyes turn to her feet; already her boots had gotten dirty thanks to the sandy path they were taking.

Cunningham suddenly hurled her forward, and she landed on her knees on the floor. The world seemed to spin on itself before she stabilized herself and closed her eyes tight as the pounding in her ears seemed to increase in tempo.

She'd definitely skinned her knees if the throbbing was any indication.

Naegi took a few breaths to calm herself before she turned her face upward where there was a balcony overlooking the whole stadium. Dmitri Baranovsky was lounging on what could only be described as a golden throne as his emerald green eyes bore into her own set of eyes.

His black suit looked slick and polished as he crossed one leg over the other and put his gloved hand on his chin as he gazed down at her.

This was the man responsible for all those kidnapped girls. While he himself didn't seem the type to do the kidnapping, he was partially to blame for giving out the orders.

"Well?" Dmitri said, his voice amused despite the blank look in his eyes, "Do you like what I've done to the place?"

Naegi didn't answer but let her eyes roam around the room once more.

Yup, still looks like a coliseum. It even had unlit torches hanging around the place waiting to be lit. There were four sets of doors with bars on them surrounding the sandy path she was in. she almost expected lions come out through the doors like she'd seen in the Crash Bandicoot 3 game she'd played with Chiaki a few weeks back.

She must have taken too long to answer because she felt a kick on her back and Cunningham's booming voice startled her, "He asked you a question."

Naegi winced as she eased to her feet and Christoph and Cunningham placed themselves behind her in case she tried anything.

She made a show of being deep in thought as she tapped her chin and did another sweep of the room before her eyes settled on Dmitri's.

"It's certainly well done. I've seen pictures of coliseums in books but this one certainly looks better than the rest."

Dmitri smiled and nodded as he leaned back in his throne. It seems that was the right thing to say; she sighed in relief.

"I want you to take a good look at this place," Dmitri continued, "This will be your final resting place after all."

A shudder went through her at the words but she willed herself to speak, "Why do you need to kill me?"

"Because our master wishes it," he said softly-consolingly.

"All the men gathered here," he gestured to the crowd sitting and watching in amusement, "All of us were saved by our master when we landed in that god forsaken island."

Naegi blinked. "Island?"

Cunningham spoke beside her, "We were as good as dead until a voice called to us," Naegi turned her weary gaze on the black haired man, "But then he told us what to do and we were able to get off the island."

"He needed more power though," Dmitri continued, "It said the one that could completely restore his power was out there somewhere in the world and so we went out to find her."

Cunningham gripped her elbow," And that someone was you."

Dmitri got to his feet as he gripped the rails on the balcony and offered her a kind smile, "It chose you. You should be very honored. With your death, you will restore our master back to his former glory and you'll make us all very rich and fortunate."

Her insides twisted; it was an effort not to turn around and flee. Not that she'd get far, she was still drugged and if that wasn't enough, she was sure any of the gathered men here would be more than willing to take her down.

She licked her dry lips before answering, "If I'm the one that your master needs, why are there other girls here? Shouldn't I be enough?"

Dmitri leaned back in her throne and crossed his legs as he shrugged, "We escaped that island when I was thirteen, I consider it my lucky number nowadays." He waved a hand in the crowds general direction, "Besides, my men want to burn something and those girls are just the perfect thing for them to burn don't you think?"

There were a few chuckles of amusement from the gathered men around her.

These people were crazy.

She angled her head upward to look up at Dmitri, "Are you sure you didn't just eat something you weren't suppose to and are just exhibiting symptoms from it?"

The sudden sting on her cheek didn't surprise her but it still hurt. She brought a hand to her cheek and turned to see Cunningham, his hand still outstretched to hit her again.

"Shut your mouth," he hissed at her, "You don't get to talk about our master like that."

She tasted blood; she knew her little comment wouldn't be taken well but she had to ask. It was quite possible that they had eaten something and were just hallucinating. Perhaps a strange fruit of some kind?

Christoph looked on without a flicker of emotion on his face on her right but she could see one of his hands clenched on his side before he shoved them inside his pockets and let out a sigh as if he was bored.

Up in the balcony, Dmitri looked down at his nails before his eyes bored into hers; there was a hint of rage in those eyes but then he blinked and the emotion was gone. Had she imagine it?

"I'd have you killed for that little statement, but lucky for you not ever has gathered yet so you'll get to live another day."

Naegi frowned and she narrowed her eyes, "Others?"

Dmitri's smile turned vicious, "Oh yes. There are quite a few other people that believe in our cause. They are true believers and they wish to witness your demise." An excited gleam took over his eyes, "Two weeks from today will be the anniversary of when we escaped the island. That's the day we will burn you and the other twelve girls at the stake." The men gathered around shouted in excitement as their leader went on, "To those who pay the most will have the option to burn one of the twelve girls."

He suddenly pointed at her and added with a smirk, "I get the honor of setting you on fire myself."

Naegi turned the words over in her head. Two weeks.

Two weeks from now she along with the other girls were going to be burned at the stake for a bunch of crazy occultists.

This wasn't good.

This wasn't good at all.

She had to find a way out before then.

Perhaps that girl she saw on the way here would be willing to help?

And…she dared a glance at Christoph. He looked bored out of his mind but Naegi could still see the slight shake his hand was giving off. Maybe she could get him to help.

"In the meantime, you shall remain in your cell or do whatever menial tasks that my men require. And before you think of using those moments to escape, don't." His smile turned grotesque, "We wouldn't want to punish those girls in your place for something you did would we?"

Naegi remained silent.

"Would we?" he asked sharply.

Naegi bit her lip but managed to shake her head.

"Good girl," he purred, "Now then, I'll let Christoph here handle you from here on out." There were a few disappointed groans from the gathered men and even Cunningham let out a whine before Dmitri held one hand up and everyone instantly shut their mouths, "If I leave her in any of your hands, I fear the poor thing might not be alive by next week."

The men chuckled in amusement but didn't deny his claim.

A warm hand wrapped around her upper arm gently and Naegi turned her head to see Christoph beside her. He tilted his head in the direction they had come from and Naegi began to move in the direction he steered her to.

The mocking laughter from the men gathered at the coliseum followed her long after they'd made it back to her cell.


As soon as Christoph and her reached her cell, or at least she thought it was, he told her to take a seat on the floor before he left the room only to come back with a medical kit in his hands.

Christoph set the medical kit on the floor before settling down in front of her with his legs crossed. "Don't attack me okay, you're already injured."

Naegi scowled but nodded.

Satisfied, Christoph took and ice pack from the kit and handed it to her. "For your cheek," he murmured.

Silently Naegi brought the ice pack to her cheek and winced as Christoph dabbed some alcohol on a cotton ball before patting her temple.

For a while, neither of them spoke as Christoph treated her wounds in silence. Naegi was never one to keep quiet for long though and she quietly asked, "Why are you here Christoph?"

For a minute it looked like he wouldn't answer her but then he let out a sigh as he put a bandage on her temple before starting on her left side. "It's a long story." He mumbled.

She snorted. "I have time."

His green eyes met her own and he managed a small smile as he shook his head, "Yes, I suppose you do."

And so he told her.

About his wife.

About the man who had murdered her.

On how he found and killed the man who had killed his wife.

About his little girl who had cancer and just when he'd given up on getting a job, Dmitri had shown up in his life and offered him a job.

The man had said it would only be simple tasks and Christoph had been desperate and he'd said yes.

At first it had started out with simple jobs. Things like delivering packages to certain people or keeping Dmitri safe when he went on a business trip.

But then things had started to change and the jobs that were asked of him started becoming more and more dangerous. He didn't go off and kidnap the girls but he did drive the get away car so he was still to blame.

"I wanted to get out," Christoph said leaning back on his arms as he glanced at the ceiling, "I was ready to go the police but then that bastard put guards outside my daughters room in the hospital," he sighed in frustration, "And so I have no choice but to stay and follow orders."

Naegi put a comforting hand on his shoulder and he startled, "I understand. But you can't lose hope." Her voice took a determined edge as she gazed at him with a soft smile, "It's not over yet. I'm sure my friends are coming to save me and I bet if you asked them they'd be willing to save your daughter too." She shook her head, "In fact I'm positive that they'll find a way to save her!"

Christoph blinked at her in surprise before he ruffled her hair and Naegi pouted. "I already told one of your friends that I'm on their side. I'm sure he already told the rest of your friends about it too."

Naegi's eyes sparkled and she leaned forward, "Really? You'll help them out?"

Christoph nodded and leaned back, "I do have a few demands though. My family's safety comes first though. I'll try to make contact in the next few days."

Naegi nodded eagerly and Christoph began to gather the bloody cotton balls before she spoke up again, "Can you do me a favor?"

He gave her a weary look, "What is it?"

"Could you find a way for me to get close to the other girls in the cell? They might be able to help."

Christoph ran a hand through his red hair and glanced over his shoulder before looking back at her, "I'll see what I can do." He glanced at her tattered maid outfit and grimaced, "I'll try to find something else for you to wear, that doesn't look very comfortable."

Naegi smiled at him in gratitude and Christoph glanced over his shoulder, checking the door. "The guards will be here soon, try not to make them angry. I'll see if I can find someone to deliver food to you."

He led her back to where there was a bed before he handcuffed her arms. At her pout he shrugged and muttered a small apology before he left the room.

Left to her own devices, she lay down on the bed and curled into a ball as two man positioned themselves outside her cell before peeking their heads in to make sure she wasn't up to anything.


She dozed on and off for who knew how long but she did notice two different men stationed outside her cell. They had only woken her up once to give her some food and water but she was pretty sure the food was drugged if the sudden dizziness that overtook her senses was any indication.

She didn't finish the meal but she did drink up the bit of water that they gave her. At least that hadn't been tampered with. Her stomach rumbled in hunger and she curled tighter into herself. They hadn't given her a blanket either and she was freezing.

The men stationed outside her cell had begun to drink and she was pretty sure they were drunk. They kept laughing and giggling like a bunch of schoolgirls whenever they glanced in her direction.

She'd tried talking to them to see if she could get them to her side but they'd just sneered in her direction and threatened to hit her if she spoke ill of their master again.

Naegi was starting to get annoyed with them.

The man on the right made a gagging sound and the other man immediately backed away from him.

The man on the right made another gagging sound and the other man cursed before turning off the lights in Naegi's cell before he started leading the other man to a restroom.

Naegi sighed in relief.

Finally she could get some decent sleep.

She closed her eyes and made herself as comfortable as she could before she started to drift off to sleep.

She was just starting to fall asleep when a static noise woke her up.

Naegi glanced around the cell in confusion, looking for the source of the sound before shrugging and laying down on the bed again.

"…gi?"

Naegi blinked and looked around again.

The static noise was back again. But from where?

"…egi?"

Wait.

The noise was close.

"Naegi?"

Ok she definitely heard something now.

"Naegi? Are you there?"

Naegi's eyes widened and she brought her handcuffed arms to her ear and touched the flower earring that Kyoko had given her during the festival.

"Naegi!"

Naegi closed her eyes as her heart started pounding in her ears. She knew this voice. Tears gathered around the corner of her eyes before they were hastily wiped away.

She glanced back at the front and once satisfied that the guards weren't back yet, she tilted her head upward towards her right ear and whispered back.

"Kyoko?"