Kataro was no fan of being hogtied after this ordeal. He shuffled slightly knocking into a paint can and cussing gently under his breath. He felt sick from the smell and mumbled to himself. "I 'hate' animals, ugh this place stinks..." he would strain his limbs probably causing more damage then good. "anyone have a knife on them? i do believe now is a good time to own up to carrying a knife up your sleeve..." He couldn't help but hide the panic in his voice with annoyance. *his hands were acing the wrong way to reach his gun and he hadn't considered being tied up in a manner he was completely incapable of movement besides wiggling like an idiot smudging his face, and clothes, across the floor. Which wasn't happening any time soon.


He angrily raised his head and smashed it against the floor with an almost sickening crack, he felt the blood trickling from his head wound. "awww. this day is just great... should have stayed home..." he let his head rest on the floor mumbling to himself in a mixture of fear, annoyance and paranoia. He then fell silent listening for footsteps or any of the others to do something.

The tragedy is that the Dawson Family was a mere five to ten minutes away from their mansion depending on how the streetlights felt like treating them. Just as Johanna Dawson reached all the way over with her left arm to grab Reginald Dawson's arm in fear, Sakura Rose caught only a glimpse of the men in ski masks approaching. Her mother buried her own face, and her daughter's entire prescence. The girl caught one final inhalation of her mother's perfume, one final moment with the soothing heartbeat before two female screams erupted at once, echoing as one. Reginald was facing the assailants and had opened his mouth to negotiate, but unfortnately for the family there would be no negotiation. For the seconds that followed, Sakura Rose did not even know if she was alive or dead until she felt her body ache when it hit the ground, and she had to stifle any noise... she could not tell if she was sucessful or not because her ears were still ringing from the shots and noise of the exploding glass.

After a moment, she sat up as if this was some horrible nightmare. "Mama." "Papa." she whispered at first. Then raising her voice "Mama! Papa! Wake up!" as she frantically attempted to feel for heartbeats that weren't there... though they were warm... her hands were covered with blood when she pulled them back. Trying again in Japanese, "Mezamenasai, okaasan, otousan!", her voice was starting to break. She looked over to the fallen figure of Gunther their driver and it was the final straw, she began to wail, cry, and scream, standing up and shouting so the heights of the heavens and the depths of hell could hear her at once:

"NNNNNOOOOOOO!!!!"

It wasn't even five minutes until a young blueblood was speeding along in his shiny new Jaguar after having an after-work drink (or two) with his buddies. He was appreciative of the green light in front of him but slammed on the brakes and hit the emergency flashers when he saw the... carnage! "Holy Shit!" Pulling out his iPhone he dialed 911 and got out of the car. The phone went into emergency mode and the only one of the four bodies making any movement at all was a child alternating between sobbing and screaming frantically in some weird language. He dared not come to closely to any of the blood or glass...

Once again it wasn't even five minutes until the all-purpose fire unit showed up, able to properly assess and begin initial preparation on what happened. The fire-medic first wrapped Sakura Rose in a clean blanket, as she was still in too much shock to answer anything coherently, herself, and instead took notes on what the young man said he happened across, and due to his obviously not having a single gun on him or in his car, the sheer bewilderment, and the fact that he could barely identify the bodies, but due to a vague familiarity of the daughter clicking in, he was told to go home but there was an information exchange in case they needed to contact him for anything else. Hell, at least he'd have a damn good excuse for explaining to his wife why he was late. The medic secured the blanket around Sakura Rose, checking back in with her as three Sheriff's vehicles shortly followed by two Ambulances from General Hospital.

Sakura Rose was beginning to answer questions between sobs, a clear river of tears and mucus ran down her face washing away residual blood. "Who did this?" Meanwhile, with gloved hands, a Paramedic named Frank was hopelessly checking the other three bodies for any signs of life, shining lights in the dead eyes of those who had eyes. "Black Masks... Men with Guns." "Can you confirm who everybody is?" "Gunther our driver, Mama, and Papa... Dawson." "Did these men say anything?" "No..." came out as a squeak. "Are you hurt?" "Mama hugged me tight... she got hurt instead of me..."

When Frank gave word to the Sheriffs and Deputies on the scene that the other three were 'DOA' Sakura Rose broke down again. It couldn't be true, but the pain was so real... it felt as if half her heart had been ripped from her chest. Dead... on Arrival... "Now Sakura..." one tried to placate her "It's Sakura ROSE!" she balled up her right hand to hammer down on the law officer's chest, but by the time it contacted she simply gripped his shirt, like she would her own parents. They saw the hospital bracelet still on her arm and searched the bodies for personal posessions... Mrs. Dawson's handbag was taken, and Mr. Dawson's wallet, briefcase, and the hospital discharge papers tucked inside his jacket concerning Sakura Rose's incident with the hazardous gas, and finally the plastic bag from the hospital labelled with Sakura Rose's own name.

The officers tried to calm her down again, and distracting her with questions seemed to work... something to take her mind off the fact that her parents are now dead. They really didn't want to send her to the hospital with her family... three for the morgue and one for psychiatric emergency. "Would you like to get cleaned up? We can give you a nice warm shower back at the station, and you'll be safe with all of us." They couldn't have her change just yet because after all, her clothes were crime scene evidence. The girl didn't like sitting alone in the back of a Crown Victoria, as if she herself was some sort of criminal. However with both men up front there was no other option.

Now, in New Haven the County Sheriffs weren't exactly lazy, it was just that they generally had nothing to do other than issue warnings to testosterone pumped youth in their european sportscars. Something of this magnitude happens once or twice in a decade.

They cleared out the bathroom and gave Sakura Rose exclusive use to it. They weren't exactly a 'Limited Too', let alone a 'Black Peace Now' flagship store. However they did have a children's size Junior Deputy T-shirt for her to change into... and a clean pair of boxers that were more like shorts for her to wear as pajamas afterwards. In a daze, the girl finally washed the disgusting smoke smell out of her black hair with the power of shampoo, and meditated on that for about ten minutes. She was shocked to find strange white things under her fingernails... they appeared to be bits of wax. She wondered where she got wax under her fingernails from... she did hold a taper candle at the Marques's estate when she began to go downstairs for the other... maybe she fell with it? The new blood came off of her body but at the bottom of her knees were two darker spots... where in the little cracks of her skin flowed dark brown rivers of dried blood, as if she had kneeled in some... this took actual scrubbing to get off... it had a different behaviour from the rest of the blood. The girl stayed in there until the water started to run cold and some of the guys were joking around asking if she had managed to drown in the shower.

Eventually Sakura Rose emerged, clean, with wet hair she had put up in a towel for the time being, and wearing the makeshift nightclothes. She was tired of wearing hospital gowns, hospital scrubs, and clothes that weren't hers. At least the Junior Deputy t-shirt was made for a child, and even had a gold star sticker on it.

[OOC: To Be Continued... I have so much more to say but this is a massive wall of text as it is.]

Caleb had shut his eyes in the shock of what he was dealing with. The hunter had no trouble taking the small knife away from him and shoving a bag over the kid's head, at which point Caleb started to hyperventilate between screams as he was carried off, until his breath failed him. His face was still covered in blood as well as the bag so that the air Caleb breathed was warm and heavy with the scent of blood after his breath calmed. He was silent while being tied up, his mind overwhelmed with questions. How could this happen to him? How could he have been kidnapped? His home was perfect, his servants astute, his dogs... Why hadn't the dogs done anything?! They were perfectly trained to DO things why hadn't they....

The impact of the leather seat woke Caleb from his questions, indicating that he was to be transported somewhere. Yes. This was real. He was not being killed, he was being kidnapped. Now Caleb knew he was being held for ransom. This in itself was wonderful, because it meant he would not be harmed no matter what he did. He mentally chastised himself for panicking so much instead of realizing the situation before. All that emotional upheaval, when he could have been smiling. However nothing says "helpless child" like being kidnapped, so he would have to at least look brave and stoic when they filmed his ransom plea. He smiled at this- perhaps they would show him on television, the child who is heir to the Jackson fortune, head of a company. Yes, then his name would be in the public domain, the star of his own media circus. Being a hostage was the next best thing to being invincible, really. No one ever kills the hostage and once released the world bends over backwards to be kind to the poor victim. Caleb liked this idea a lot.

He hadn't said anything during the ride. He was sure they knew who he was, and if there was anything he could have offered his kidnappers in exchange for letting him go, they would have asked him for it directly instead of going to the trouble of taking him somewhere. In fact Caleb was completely sure how this whole scenario would turn out. It was a good thing that the dinner servant had died. Once he was rescued, Caleb would claim that the servant had sacrificed himself trying to protect Caleb from the kidnappers. He'd buy a statue or a fountain or some memorial rose bush and dedicate it to the guy. It would stand as a physical representation of how much the servants loved the Jackson family, especially Caleb, until the end of time. Maybe he would make a statement about the servant's heroism during the press conference that would follow his rescue. Yes, that would be good.

After the ordeal, when Caleb is an older man, the listless eyes of the dining servant dripping out from the servant's face, the first corpse he'd ever seen, may haunt him. But for now, thinking, planning, and objectifying as much as possible would keep the disturbance at bay within his young mind.

Caleb heard the footsteps of his kidnappers receding, and soon after he was joined by many other bodies. He wasn't sure if they were all conscious people, but he heard Kataro, and in response wiggled his foot to make sure the steak knife was still inside. After listening out for any guards he answered.

"I have a knife I can use, but it's hidden in my shoe. Does anyone have a hand or mouth free, yet?"

While waiting for the response Caleb tried to wiggle out of the bag on his head, moving his chin and neck slowly to inch the fabric upwards.

Faith could hear everything around her. What the other were saying. Faith herself was trying her best not to move. Mainly because whenever she did, it was nothing but pain and agony taking hold of her. She was sure her leg had at least swollen to about three or four times it actual size. Although for being in such pain, Faith was being very quiet. She was trying to remember how the hell she had gotten out of the car in the first place.

One second she was sitting next to Kataro, the next, standing outside.

"I have one" Ace answered. Trying to move himself to get to the blade within his pocket. Although he stopped. Was it really a good idea to try and get out? These people were obviously not playing around. After all, it was once thing to just be taken and threatened. But they had actually attacked Faith. Well.. to be blunt. She was the least valuable out of all of them...

He started to move any how. Luckily the knife was in his back pocket. He always carried it with him just in case. Although it was normally used for when a guitar string broke.

"Needles?..." Faith whispered suddenly. Breaking her own silence as she heard the two outside of the door. It was then Ace has gotten his hand into his pocket and gripped the life saving piece of metal. It was funny how easy it was for him to move his body to get to his knife. Maybe from all those times he was with his cop buddies.

The bag was stuck tight enough so that hands would be needed to remove it, which frustrated Caleb. He turned his head towards Ace. So another person had a knife. Well, there was one advantage he wouldn't have. Nevertheless it shouldn't be a problem. Caleb had an escape plan, something far better than a flimsy blade. There were many people here being held for ransom, which meant that many rich families were here represented. This realization filled Caleb with gleeful adrenaline- to have such prestigious people obligated to him! for them to sing his praises- oh, but this bag! he had to be the first out of the bag, to see and tell everyone of their surroundings, he had to get it off-

Caleb pressed his face to the ground and rubbed rapidly, cracking and smearing dried blood all over his face as the bag slipped slowly off of him. By the time the bag was past his chin his cheek stung, and dirt was filling his mouth. He gasped as he took in the root cellar's damp air, and his eyesight was hindered by his matted hair. But he was free from the sack, and could see a captive audience before him in the dim light.

The boy Ace had his hands in his pockets. "If you have a knife, could you hold it out steady for me? Then I can retrieve my knife, and remove the bags from everyone else's head." Caleb asked quietly as he scooted on his stomach over to Ace.

((By the way, nobody gets to keep their guns, at this point... I mean, they're at least going to make sure the kids don't have those...))

Merrick had struggled some as they carried him like a worm and deposited him in the earth like a worm, leaving him to struggle and squirm around in the dirt. But after a little while, he had had to acquiesce. There was just nothing he could really do and anything that he tried may have a negative effect on the good health of his friends, something he wasn't willing to risk. He wondered how Faith was... that sound that her leg made... it was... horrifying. How did this even happen? It seemed to him that he'd somehow woken up in a very strange reality where men in masks waited to get you and monsters ruled the night. He had the vaguest notion that nothing would ever be the same after this... and he was right.

"Faith, are you there? How is your leg? Is everyone alright?"

Apple knew that unless they cut their way out of this or were released, there was little to no way they'd be able to escape. She knew this because she knew the knot well, having tied it herself on a number of occasions. She secretly wondered how her captors were familiar with it. It wasn't that common... really only boyscouts, farmers, and fetishists knew it. So... which one was the fetishist? But there were other more important things going on at the moment and Merrick was asking exactly the wrong question.

"Of course we're not fucking alright", she responded, rolling her eyes as she rolled onto her back. The rope wasn't as tight as it should have been, obviously whoever tied it had been considerate which meant... fetishist... and also meant probably the girl. She yelled at the door, "So... this is really sexy and everything, but I really want to get home. You've got no idea who you're dealing with. Does the name D'Angeles mean anything to you? Do you have any idea what my father will do to you when he finds you? Oh man, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes."

Of course this wasn't going to work, but hey. Unnerving someone was better than nothing. Who knew, one of them could be in the room watching them right now.

((I call hax! xD))


Faith heard Merrick speaking to her. Apple chiming in just a second later. Or at least it seemed. They were together. Which was always good. She laid her forehead down on the ground to get a bot more comfort. Pulling the ropes in other parts of her body.

"I'm fine, Thanks" Faith answered quietly. Lying of coarse, but she was the least of their worries it seemed. She sighed a bit as Apple started to yell at the men. Although did not speak up herself. That simply being out of her nature.

Ace himself slowly figured out that the piece of metal he was holding was simply the metal logo on his pants. Not his knife... Which meant they had taken it. This ticked Ace off. He hated having his things taken. Not only that, but now he had one of the girls screaming in his ear. Well at least it seemed so.

"Like they even care Miss D'Angelis." Ace said to her very harshly. But hey, he was simply an ass.

Back at the Churchill house, the building was filled with an eerie silence before interrupted by the sound of a key turning in the main door. Opening it a crack before slipping through and closing it was Susette, a maid who had come back to grab a forgotten piece of jewelry that mean a lot to her. She began sneaking upstairs to the bathroom where she had left it, trying to remain quite, when with the sound of a gunshot, the grandfather clock began chiming for midnight. Susette gave a small scream as she turned, looking around in the near total darkness in panic for a few seconds before relaxing. She continued upstairs, passing Alfred's room and walking down the hall and doubling back. She cocked an eyebrow in confusion and curiosity, for the door to Alfred's room was open a crack, but there weren't any lights on. The only two people with keys were Mikhail, who wouldn't be in there with it so dark, and Alfred, who Mikhail gave the impression that he was dead, unless he had managed to get better. Gulping, Susette pushed the door open slightly, she had always had a slight crush on Mr. Churchill, he was always so nice, and stepped in, looking into the darkness and whispered, "Mr. Churchill... are you there?"

Mikhail bolted up in his bed, raising the handgun he slept with, as a piercing scream tore through the otherwise silent night. Mikhail quickly rose from his bed and strapped on a holster and kevlar vest before grabbing his rifle and loading it. Making his way through the house, he eventually arrived in front of Alfred's room and felt just as confused at it being open. Pushing the door completely open to allow the moonlight to offer some radiance, he saw two orbs, like when the light hits a cats eyes right, except they were blood red and at head height. Mikhail flicked on the Tac-Light saying, "If you have a weapon drop-" but was cut short as he let out a shocked gasp. Standing before him was his boss, Alfred Churchill, looking... healthy. Except for a slight paleness, he looked the image of health as he finished putting on a tie to go with his clean outfit and clean body. Smiling he said, "Ah, Mikhail, took you long enough. I'm already cleaned up and dressed and you're just getting here. Tsk tsk, you're going to learn to be a bit faster ol' boy." Mikhail stuttered before finally asking, "Sir... how are you still... alive? I felt your pulse, you were gone!" Alfred let out a hearty laugh as he walked up to Mikhail and clapped him on the arms saying, "Trust me Mikhail, for people like me, a pulse is highly overrated. Now, in the corner is a little mess I'd like you to clean up. Can you do that for me?" A relieved smile came over Mikhail's face as he said, "Of course sir. It's just... you have no idea how relieved I am now that I know I don't need to go job-hunting." The two men shared a laugh as Alfred grabbed a coat and started for the door saying, "Well, I'll be back in a few hours. I need to go meet our new friend the Marques." Mikhail nodded as Alfred stepped out. Slinging the rifle over his shoulder by its strap, Mikhail stepped into the room and flipped on the lights, and shouldered it again on reflex as he swore in Russian at the sight. In the corner of the room was the mauled, torn up, bloodless, but still recognizable body of Susette, her face frozen in abject horror. Mikhail gulped before leaning the rifle in the corner and set to work cleaning up, all the while thinking, "Dear god... what has Alfred become?"

Outside, Alfred took a deep breath of the night air before setting out in the direction of the Marques' house, saying to himself, "God, I feel so... alive!" A little hop appeared in his step as he began laughing, one would say maniacally, at his little joke,

Kataro remained quiet now deep in thought, if he could knock the paint over and get the lid off he could use to edge to cut the rope,in theory. He felt for the pot he had touched earlier knocking it over now ignoring the others, apparently the one who had a knife wasn't acting that fast. He felt the cold old paint trickle over his hands like sludge, grimacing as his stomach churned he used his legs to leverage the rope back and forth on the tin inside rim where the lid had been. the rust making it slightly easier to cut through the rope which he felt fraying slowly but surely. He now kept silent feeling the warm liquid that had spread down his forehead fade as his eyes adapted to the dark. Something made a gentle snapping noise and he slowly shifted his hands and legs separate but still tied up, he used his teeth to untie it tasting the toxic mass on his tongue now he spat it out his hands free. He began working on his feet bindings. He felt anger build up in him, not only was he injured now he was also possibly going to be very sick.

He sat rubbing his wrists making a small list of who would be most useful.He would move over to apple first kneeling down and beginning to untie her. He couldn't help but mutter softly. "for Christ sake, would everyone just shut up..." The thick sludge of paint on his hands would most likely be cold as it ran from his fingers down the ropes and onto Apple as he attempted to untie her. He was unarmed but annoyed, this was enough to compel him.

-------

Anna was now high and in some remote place, the guy who had been buying her drinks all night had bought her here, she had no idea how close to the other youths who were captive. She lay on the hood of his sleek sports car her short choppy blond hair messed up. The gold dress she had worn stood out against the black car. She held her purse in the other hand gold chained and gold silk, she had more drugs in it along with a flip knife. For a moment she swore she heard a female yelling but blaming the drugs she went back to star gazing with her date.

-------

Lu had awoken to both her sister's being absent, she had got up and headed to the window. She was to not leave her room and deep down felt like a prisoner, however she knew it was only because her parents worried about her. She waited silently for some news or a phone calling,she expected Anna to be high and Rissa was probably following her around to keep her safe. She would stay out of it as if the cops got involved, she would be fine. Her two sisters could take care of themselves, she couldn't help but worried so she sent a small message to Rissa's phone, telling her to be keep safe and not let Anna get in trouble.

-------

Rissa had been keeping a close eye on Anna, she worried about her 'little sister' and thus kept quiet about ti all. She heard the same noise Anna dismissed and looked around curious, was someone yelling, great trust Anna to find somewhere that was creepy. Rissa sat in her own care, a 'sexy' red Ferrari. The car was open-topped and Rissa could see Anna clear her lights off so Anna couldn't see her. She couldn't help but feel bad for how Anna was acting out. She kept her wits about her and waited for Anna to either be ditched or head home.

Caleb took it from Ace’s groan that he did not actually have a knife. Good. Caleb would be the only one. The ropes around his feet and wrists allowed for bloodflow and just enough movement to slide his foot out of his shoe. The leather shoe fell with a soft thud on the soft dirt ground, with the small serrated knife he’d taken from his kitchen. Caleb maneuvered himself on knees and elbows around to grasp it in his teeth.

The D’Angeles girl was screaming. D’Angeles! The one family he needed the most! But this moment of serendipitous did not last long. Caleb froze, biting hard on his knife, listening out for a reaction. If the guards came in to see him without a bag on his head, they’d ruin everything. But there was no reaction from outside.

He turned away from Apple to see Kataro, who’d somehow slipped out of his head sack as well and was using the paint cans to cut his ropes. Caleb snarled. He had a plan to get out! He had a knife! Why the hell wasn’t anyone listening to him?! He spat the knife down onto the ground and with his teeth.

Heroes, as a rule, do not hesitate. They think and then they act and the means will always justify the ends so long as everyone is rescued. Caleb knew how to get home, he knew how to get out, he knew… but now was not a time where knowledge would save him. Only bravery would. Pure self-centered bravery.

Caleb pulled the nearest sack off of its captive to reveal another delicate-featured boy, although he took no notice of who it was. “ Hold this knife in your teeth, and bite hard!” He ordered Merrik.

((@Ash: Maybe, but seriously! What kind of inept idiots would let all the kids have knives and guns and not even search them a little bit?!?))

"Needles are ready, everything's set", said Joan as she walked back to Clayton, "We can begin with whoever you like."

Clayton put a hand to his forehead and wiped a bit of sweat away. They'd gotten it done quickly. He'd been expecting to wait at least an hour longer, but Joan was a registered nurse with surgery prep experience, a certified EMT and a great addition to the team. Ever since she'd arrived, it had become increasingly more obvious that they'd needed someone that really knew what they were doing all along. Anyway, he was a might more nervous than he'd have liked.

"I guess we can start with the girl dressed like as if she was from the fifties. She's been hollering, and honestly, I'm a little tired of it", said Clayton. He drew a pistol and a maglite and Joan pulled a bottle of chloroform from her medical bag.

"Remember", said Clayton, "They're pretty close to turned as is. They're gonna need a lot of chloroform."

They opened the door to the cellar and began their descent down the stairs.

Merrick, meanwhile, had the knife in his mouth, unsure of what exactly he was supposed to do with it. It wasn't as if he could actually stab his captors, and if he could, it would certainly end with his head being blown to bits more than he'd like it to be. Instead he spit the thing out, as he heard the door open and rolled on top of it to hide it. Who knew? It may be the key to getting them out of there. The man's flashlight shined over his face and Merrick froze as the light fixated on him.

"Hey, some of these kids got their bags off", said Clay, and he leaned down, putting the bag back on both Merrick and Caleb, the two of them powerless to resist in this instance. He didn't bother with Apple. Joan wrapped the chloroformed handkerchief around her face, and she tried to protest, but soon enough, she was out like a light and being carried by the two right out the door. Outside the door, the new guy waited to take Clayton's place watching the door while he and Joan took Apple away.

As soon as he heard commotion he posed in the dark and replaced his bag, he hoped they wouldn't notice the paint on Apple. He had seen Merrick hiding the blade before replacing his bag. Once they left with her he got back up heading to Merrick. HE tipped him handling him roughly and grabbing the knife cutting him free in a few swift motions. He turned to Caleb, he had decided they would be the better choice as the first to be cut free with Apple gone. "okay...we have choice A, go and save lil' miss yell, or B get out of here.... I am all for B..." as he spoke he went around cutting free the others there. When he went to Caleb holding the knife out to him. "Anyone for plan A?" he said hoping they wouldn't. Apple was not a priority. He went to the door. "How many do you think there is out there." He was annoyed, cold, dirty and covered in a toxic liquid that was making his stomach churn.

Faith completely held her breath as the men walked into the room. She could not see a thing, but she felt a shiver run down her spin. Each footstep brought a new shiver to her body. She could feel the floor echo. Faith felt as if she were in a horror movie. And as in a horror movie, the loud one went first. Although it took Faith a few minutes to even realize Apple was taken out. Where had she been taken? It wasn't until her ropes were harshly cut and bag token off of her face to really have the full realization of what was going on set in.

She rolled over onto her back, Sitting up. Her personal first point was to look at her leg. It was swollen, that was for sure. Very red in some parts, that would probably turn into bruising. She listened to Kataro although personality thinking to herself.

Ace was watching the man as he entered the room. Or at least watching where he heard the sound. His breathing heavy, like a lion about to kill another male. He was beyond pissed. Although did not make a sound until they left. That sound being nothing more that a heavy sigh. He was let out just a moment later. He stretched a bit. Moving his joints before finally getting a good look at everyone. Most of them he knew from school.

"Well, plan B. We are down one person not including the loud girl. So that would leave four (I think). One of those people would have to be some sort of brace, or carry our little dare devil over here. Plan A. At least we would get an extra person, but probably more guys along the way. Decisions.. Decisions." Ace said. Weighting the options for everyone.

Caleb froze, mute as the bag was forced over his head. The D’Angeles girl had been taken, so Caleb would have to save her in order to make the connection worthwhile. This pleased him. He was still an invincible hostage, and even if he were caught and thrown captive with the girl, surely she would admire his bravery. He watched Kataro take his knife to free the others, fuming that he had lost his chance, lying there like a grub that could only writhe while someone else got to be the hero. He was however pleased that he would be the first cut free.

“Thanks for helping me. I'm Caleb.” He said to Kataro, taking the knife from the other. At least the boy had the courtesy to give it back. Perhaps Kataro believed Caleb to be of enough importance to be freed first, or perhaps he was just being courteous. Still, best to be as friendly as possible. Every relationship stems from a small point of connection, and Caleb was sure that Kataro was of noble birth.

With his bag off, the others could see that Caleb’s face was covered in blood from his gruesome kidnapping. It looked as if he had been in a great fight, and he was aware of this. The serrated knife gleamed in his hand.

“I know the way back home from here.” Said Caleb to the others. “I wounded one of those bastards on the way here, and while he was distracted I managed to see where I was being taken. We’re near a main road”


This knowledge wasn’t entirely a lie. All one had to get home was follow the tire tracks, and Caleb was sure he hadn’t been in the van long enough to go very far from town. Besides, those tire tracks had to eventually lead to a road. It was a perfectly fine story, crafted to boost morale and show everyone just how smart Caleb was. He moved forward a little to the center of the others, making sure he could address everyone.

“I think we should get out of this building first. I’ll lead us to the main road and then go back for Apple. Everyone who has a knife or something to arm themselves with, arm yourself now. There’s probably some pipes or tools down here we can use for protection. Sound good?”

Caleb looked to Faith once he was done speaking. The girl was hurt, but did not appear to be bleeding. "Do you think you can move without support?" He asked her.

Merrick was somewhat mortified. Were these people really going to just leave Apple to the wolves? Sure she was loud and annoying, but she wasn't dead yet... Then again, it was all very easy to say that, but what exactly did Merrick have in mind to do? What, burst in there and get shot in the stomach with a shotgun that surely one of these people had on them? But... they couldn't just leave her...

"I don't know how, but we've got to go and help her, or at least find out what they did to her", he said, his brain desperately trying to concoct a scheme. There was something wrong here that he couldn't quite put his finger on... why had they captured them? Why hadn't they killed them? If it was a ransom then where had they taken Appolonia? He simply disliked the implication. They were doing something to her unconscious body somewhere, and if perhaps one of them had been a bit louder, or if perhaps she had shut up, it could have been he or the others...

"What is going on here isn't so simple as a ransom", he said, finally, squirming with his cheek squeezed against the floor in order to perhaps get better acoustics, "If it was, they wouldn't have taken one of us away. And, forgive me if I seem rude, but I think it's absolutely... hideous that we should seriously consider abandoning her! Now someone untie me!"

Merrick grunted, something unbecoming, which he disliked immensely and repositioned himself again. His temper was getting the best of him, his temper, his fear, and his conscience. He did his best to calm... the others were probably just as scared as he was. It wasn't until he'd taken a few deep breaths that he'd realized another glaring fact.

"Besides, we have an injured person with us. We couldn't sneak out of here even if we wanted to", he said calmly before adding, with more than a little venom, "or were you all just planning on leaving her behind too?"

Caleb looked to the squirming boy. He didn't recognize the boy as from any noble family, but his concern for Apple connoted some kind of connection with the D'Angeles family. Merrik still had his wits about him, and Caleb did not want to vie for leadership against him. Perhaps he and the D'Angeles girl were in a relationship, in which case Caleb would be up against a very strong will. Of course that meant saving one would gain the appreciation of the other. However if it came down to it, who should he impress upon? Apple was a known family, while the others could have been from any sort of background. Caleb was not one to take chances. He was the type that only believed in luck when it favored him.

"I won't leave Apple," Caleb responded reassuringly, kneeling down to cut the other's binds. "And this may still be a ransom. For all we know they could be filming a plea video for her parents. They could have killed us long ago, if that was what they wanted."

Caleb stopped speaking as the last lengths of rope fell from Merrik's wrists. He stood and offered his arm to help him up. "We stand a better chance of escape if we find an exit and then return for the other girl. She may be injured," He nodded to Faith, "but not unconscious. Besides, do you think we stand a chance of rescuing her if we all charge in together? They'll probably just recapture the whole group. We have to find an escape route before we can pull off a rescue."

Alfred stepped up the last few steps to the door of the Marques' manor and knocked, a smile on his face as he stretched. He couldn't remember feeling so good and full of strength. Back at his manor, Mikhail had just finished setting up plastic curtains around the area where the body was so that when he dismembered it he wouldn't have to clean the entire room. At the moment he was mixing up chemicals in a large barrel that would dissolve the flesh, leaving just the bones to be taken care of. He sighed through the gas mask he was wearing as protection from the fumes, thinking, "I'm getting a raise for this. I thought I wouldn't have to do this damn butcher's work anymore!"