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“A test,” he says, walking around me, with his hands clasped behind his back.
I see him under the torch light. His face is dark, olive colored. His beard is as charcoal black as his hair, and to the side of his neck, I notice a tattoo slithering out of the collar of his shirt. I know the reputation he boasts. I also know that I will not die an easy death. Perhaps the sooner I accept that, the better it’ll be.
“Discipline,” he starts, still walking around me, like a lion about to devour a gazelle with a broken leg, “and strength.”
I raise an eyebrow at him. He’s been speaking in philosophical terms all evening, but if I’m going to die, I’d rather it’d be sooner than later. He is just playing with me. I can see it in those dark eyes. But I won’t give him the satisfaction.
“I have both,” I growl at him.
Surprisingly he grins. “We shall see.”
At that moment, he walks up to me. He is so close I can almost feel his breath on my face. He is staring me down, and I don’t look away. I will not die a coward’s death, even though I feel my heart is beating all the way down at my heels, with my entire body trembling before this vampire whose reputation is darker than that hole behind me.
“We shall see,” he repeats, and pushes me with both hands.
I stumble backwards, falling right into the hole. I am shocked to see that I fell on something soft. I can’t see it in the darkness, so I press my palms against it.
“A mattress?” I murmur to myself, looking up.
He’s bending over the hole, looking down at me.
“You have until morning to get out,” he tells me. “If you don’t, you’re dead.”
With those words, he leaves, and I can hear the door slam shut. I widen my eyes, blinking heavily. There is a thick, long pole in the middle of the hole, with a plate like ending right at the top.
“You’re joking,” I frown. Is he expecting me to climb this?
I walk over to the side of the hole. It’s as smooth as porcelain. So, there is no way I will be climbing out that way. I notice something blinking right next to the pole. I bend down, to see two golden plates, with long cloths tied to both of them.
I still can’t figure it out.
I inhale deeply, burying my face into my hands.
“Fucking hell…” I murmur to myself, wondering what to do now. I take one of the plates and bang it against the pole. The tin, metallic sound pierces through my ears. That obviously wasn’t the way to go. I look around again. Still nothing to hold onto. Nothing to help me climb out of this hole.
I sit down onto the mattress. The softness is overwhelming. Maybe a quick nap will sharpen my senses and help me think of a way out. The moment I close my eyes, I am washed over by sleep. I dream of Jonas, of our parentless childhood, of all the vampires I’ve had to kill to keep us both safe and provide for us.
I have no idea how long I’ve been sleeping. When I open my eyes, it’s still dark. But I know exactly what to do.
