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The halls are empty and silent, the library the same when I walk inside of it. The fireplace is still lit and I walk to the bookcase by Dante's hallway and pretend to search for something to read in case somebody walks in.
The hallway stretches and I notice a set of doors at the end of it. I look around to make sure no one is coming, and I walk quickly and quietly down the hall. Once I hit the set of doors, I notice a small hall to my left with another set of doors. To my right is what piques my interest.
There is a longer hallway with only a few candles lighting the way. I walk down and the closer I get, the better my vision can make out the sight before me. A stone archway lines the wall and behind it is complete darkness.
I know I shouldn't go through there. I know I shouldn't even be in this wing of the house, but I'm tired of being in the dark and I need to know what kind of monster I'm really living with.
I grab a candle from its place on the wall and wrap the end of my sleeve around the bottom of it, wax slowly dripping onto the fabric.
It's mine anyways, right?
I scoff in disgust and walk through the archway, the soft light of the candle revealing the rest of the path. Stone walls are met with stone floors and to my left is a staircase that winds down into more darkness.
This is the scene in most scary movies that every unsensible woman gets killed in because she chooses to walk into the unknown. I may be unsensible, but this is real life and my fate lies in a monster's hands right now.
I walk the staircase and realize it must be at least two or three flights, the winding of it making the stairs narrow and easy to fall.
Once I'm at the bottom, I realize that this could either be a wine cellar or a place that holds dead bodies because the temperature is extremely cold. I take a deep breath and decide to walk further.
It's quiet except for a steady drip of water somewhere down here. My hairs are standing on every inch of my body, but I keep walking. The light of the candle illuminates nothing but endless walls of stone. It's only a couple steps more that I hear a man's voice and I jump back in horror.
"Hola? Hay alguien? Por favor, ayúdame!"Hello, is someone there? Please help me!
I begin to walk further and the light stretches to reveal a man that is tied to the wall. His hands and feet are tied to stakes like Jesus on the cross and my hand covers my mouth in horror.
"Oh, gracias a Dios! Señorita, tiene que ayudarme, le juro que soy inocente!"Oh, thank god! Miss, you have to help me, I swear I'm innocent!
I'm horrified by the sight of this man and rendered speechless because of it. He is naked except for white underwear and blood is dripping from his nose. His face is battered beyond recognition, purple and swollen.
"Hablas español? Por favor, ayúdame a salir de aquí!"Do you speak Spanish? Please just help me out of here!
I step closer and the smell of blood is so strong that I'm instantly nauseous.
"Sí, hablo español. Quién te hizo esto y por qué?"Yes, I speak Spanish. Who did this to you and why?
He sighs in audible relief and nods his head up and down, blood splattering all over the concrete floor.
"El bastardo que posee este lugar. Te juro que no he hecho nada, soy un hombre inocente! Ayúdame a encontrar una salida de aquí!"The bastard that owns this place. I swear I've done nothing, I'm an innocent man! Please help me find a way out of here!
Of course it was Dante. This was the same man who drugged me and had men go through my belongings while my mother was passed out on our couch. I have no doubt that this is his handiwork, however was this man really innocent? I've been held here against my will and am wearing designer shoes because of it.
Then again, this was El Oscuro, a dark man who I knew only caused terror.
I step forward and hold the candle near his face. His eyes meet mine in fear.
"Demuéstrame por qué debo arriesgar mi propia libertad por la tuya."Prove to me why I should risk my own freedom for the sake of yours?
My voice is barely a hiss, but he acts as if I've slapped him with it.
"Porque soy un hombre inocente que no merece morir! Por favor, tengo una esposa que se preocupa por mí!"Because I'm an innocent man who doesn't deserve to die! Please, I have a wife worrying about me!
I take a longer look at him, his worry twisting his bruised features. If he has a wife, he could have children. Little babies wondering where their father was. Something I've felt my entire childhood. No child deserves to worry if their parents were to ever return. No child deserves to be left in horror.
I set the candle down in a hole of a crate near the wall and step back, looking at the rope that's holding him in place. This decision could kill me, but it could save a family in return. Something I've never had. I bite my lip and begin to untie him. His grateful sobs echoing on the walls, and I tell him to keep quiet so that we aren't caught.
It's late and if we make it out of a window in the library, he could have a chance at escaping. I untie the last piece of rope and grab his hand tightly before I pick up the candle.
"Sígueme y no hagas ningún ruido si quieres salir vivo. Comprender?"You follow me and don't make a sound if you want to make it out alive. Understand?
