Daniel was half carrying half dragging me down these steep stairs and through another two doors. I had no idea what part of the city I was in, we had been moving around alleyways and back streets (I think we even crossed our own path a couple of times.)
He dumped me on the floor. It was cold, stone; as was the rest of the room we were in, by the looks of it the entire place was made of stone. It looked like a bunker maybe, there were a few big chests in the corner, a large table, a door and what I can only assume was a horribly uncomfortable bed, off to one side.
Once he’d dropped me on the floor he just walked away, as if I was a piece of luggage he had to put down. He walked over to the thin door at the other side of the room and pushed it open to reveal a small toilet and shower room. “You’re not leaving here until all evidence of my assistance as been disposed of.” He moved towards the chests in the corner and I watched him in confused silence before he stopped and still not looking at me said, “The blood Friday.”
I looked at myself and realised that my dress and skin and even my hair was covered in blood. Daniel (still not looking at me… prick) pointed back towards the bathroom and continued rifling around one of the larger chests before getting impatient and marching over, grabbing my arm and pushing me through the door. “This is soap!” He pointed at a bar of soap in the shower, then turning on the shower he pointed again, “This is water! When you combine the two a strange and mysterious process occurs whereby you can clean yourself!” He turned and left the little room slamming the door behind him.
Once I was done with the shower I found a stack of towels (which were mysteriously able to soak up excess water… prick.) when suddenly (and without bloody knocking!) the door swung open and Daniel marched in holding a stack of clothes. I shouted at him, as I urgently made sure I was covered up. He just sniggered at me and pushed the clothes into my hands saying, “Oh don’t be shy Friday. I’ve already seen everything you have to offer and I wasn’t impressed.” He turned and walked out, the door slamming behind him again.
I finished getting dry and put on the (exceptionally flattering) slate grey, cotton, pyjama looking things he’d given me before going back into the main room. He started talking before I had even closed the door behind me, “You have no recollection of what happened, you failed in your objective, you were caught and the last thing you remember is…” This was the point at which my confusion had reached critical mass. I interrupted him with a tirade of questions, including me asking more than once why he saved me.
He stood there looking pissed off that I had interrupted him, then took a couple of steps towards me, “Why don’t you stop asking ridiculous questions and just be grateful that, at this particular moment, you are worth more to me alive than dead.” He was right in front of me with that aggressively smug look on his face. I thought about what he had just said for a second and a thought occurred to me, I said, “I’m nobody.” He reacted by smiling broadly and replying, “An accurate observation.” (prick!)
I let the insult sink in and make me feel like rubbish for a moment but then I remembered my point. “No I mean I am nobody, I’m not worth anything to you.” I only realised after I said it that I was essentially arguing in favour of my own untimely death but hey, I’ve never been that bright. He looked me right in the eye and said something that made me feel like I had been punched.
He said, “Depends what you value.”
To Be Continued...
