Aeon Flux, chapter 2
Camilla woke up with what felt like the worst hang over of her life. She opened her eyes but everything around her was fuzzy. She groaned and tried to stand up but found that she was stuck. Feeling around with her left arm she realized her other hand had been bound to something. She sighed and felt around to adjust her sunglasses, but found they were no longer on her eyes.
"How are you feeling", a voice asked.
Camilla jumped and looked around. She couldn't make out the person, but she had a sneaking suspicion it was who ever had knocked her out.
"Where are my glasses?" she yelled franticly searching the floor.
"What... no hello, how are you doing?", the voice said sarcastically.
"Who the fuck are you?" Camilla screamed into the light.
"You... don't recognize me?", the voice actually sounded upset which confused her even more.
"How can I recognize you when I can't see a bloody thing," Camilla snapped back trying to free her right hand from the wall.
"Camilla... it's me... Rayne"
Camilla looked at the person trying to get her eyes to focus.
"Rayne!" she smiled. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Trying to get you out of the mess you somehow always seem to get yourself into", Rayne said as she laughed and crouched down beside Camilla.
"Can you find my sun glasses?", Camilla asked trying to pull her arm free. "I'm as blind as a fucking bat with out them."
"You can see fine without them you big drama queen", Rayne said as she pressed the smooth plastic glasses into Camilla's outstretched hand.
Camilla put the glasses on and felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Already everything was coming into focus.
"So... may I ask you how you got yourself into this predicament", Rayne asked.
"I didn't get myself into this, trouble found me", Camilla snapped as she turned to her hand."
"Doesn't it always", Rayne chuckled as she lit a cigarette.
Camilla grinned as she stared at her hand that hand been stuck to the wall by a fairly large wooden stake.
"Think they're trying to tell us something", She asked Rayne as she pointed at her hand.
"I don't know. There has been a lot of weird shit happening lately", Rayne said as she inhaled deeply.
Camilla grimaced as she pulled her hand free. The strength from the stake ripped at her flesh and when it was all over she was left with a fairly large hole in the middle of her palm.
"Pass me that bag will ya", Camilla pointed towards a small purse that had been thrown haphazardly into the corner.
"What do you need?" Rayne asked getting to her feet and walking across the room.
"Just the needle and thread if you don't mind," Camilla cooed in a sing song voice.
"So what's with the number 17?" Rayne asked glancing over her shoulder.
"what the fuck are you talking about?" Camilla stared at Rayne with a confused look on her face.
"Well if you were a little more observant you would have realized the number covers the entire wall behind you"
Camilla turned her head and stared wide eyed at the normally white wall that had been turned into a kind of canvas for someone with serious issues. Every square inch of the wall had been covered with the number seventeen except for the space Camilla had been lying unconscious against.
"I have no idea what in the world that means", she said not moving her eyes from the wall.
Rayne walked back across the room and put the requested items in Camilla's hand.
"Neither do I but it looks like whoever did this to you was trying to get out attention", she smiled running her hands along the wall. "it's written in blood you know"
"Mine?" Camilla asked.
Rayne leaned forward and sniffed the plaster.
"Human," she responded.
"Freaky", Camilla exclaimed as she started to sew the gap in her hand. "You know if I keep on having to sew myself back together soon enough I'm going to look like raggedy Anne."
Rayne ignored the joke as she ran her fingers along the wall.
"This is child's blood you know", she turned to look at Camilla.
Camilla bit her lip in a concerned manner as she stood up and walked towards Rayne.
"Lets get out of here," she whispered as a wave of cold air engulfed her body.
"Good idea," Rayne said her eyes still transfixed to the wall.
The two women left the room and started walking down the hallway. The concert had been over for a long time and the place was empty.
"Do you smell that?" Camilla asked as she stopped dead in her tracks.
"Yeah", Rayne said.
Both Camilla and Rayne started to pick up a run as they rounded a corner. The smell was getting even more intense as they neared the dressing room normally reserved for the performers.
"I think its coming from in here," Rayne whispered pointing at one of the doors.
Camilla reached forward with a shaking hand and twisted the door knob. The door slowly creaked open to reveal a pitch black room.
"Hello?" Camilla called nervously and she felt around for the light switch.
"Mmmmphhhh"
"What the fuck was that?" Camilla jumped back.
"I don't know", Rayne said as she found the switch.
The lights turned on in a flash illuminating the entire room. The floor was covered in blood and the reason for this was apparent. Five or six security guards lay dead in various areas of the room. Two had had their necks torn out and were lying with looks of horror on their faces. The other three were lying on the carpet. Their stomachs had been ripped out and their intestines were strewn across the floor.
"Shit!" Camilla gasped as she covered her mouth.
"You think that's disturbing" Rayne said pointing at the ceiling.
Camilla looked up and immediately took a step back in shock. The sixth security guard had been hung from the roof. His heart had been removed and the number seventeen carved into his back.
"Well at least we know where the blood came from to paint the other room" Rayne chuckled trying to make light of the situation. Camilla just started at her like she was crazy.
"MMMPPHHHH"
"Shit I think someone's alive in there", Camilla yelled as she ran towards the locked bathroom. "Hello!!!" she yelled pounding on the door.
"MMMMPPHH"
"Look out", Rayne called as she pulled out her gun and fired at the lock.
The door knob fell steaming to the ground as the door swung open.
"Fuckin' hell," Rayne swore loudly.
In the small bathroom sat four people bound tightly with duck tape. There were three men and a women with dark brown dreadlocks. They all looked extremely frightened. Camilla took out her pocket knife as she walked towards the women. She screamed and thrashed around.
"I'm not trying to hurt you,' Camilla spoke calmly. "I'm just trying to get you out of this"
Camilla reached forward and as gently as possible pulled the duck tape off her mouth.
"They took our children!" the women screamed.
Camilla untied the rest and one by one they got to their feet.
"What the fuck happened?" Rayne asked the one with the black hair.
"I..I..Don't... .know," he stuttered his eyes wide with fear. "We were just done and when we got to the dressing room they were trying to take out kids"
"Wait!' Rayne said interrupting the man. "How many kids did they take"
"Four," the tallest of the men answered. "They took my daughter... and... and his son" he pointed to the shorter of the three.
"And they took my two boys", the man with black hair sobbed putting his hands over his face.
"Four" Rayne whispered as she stared off into space. "Seventeen"
"Rayne what are you talking about," Camilla asked.
"They ere trying to tell us something," she whispered not looking at anyone in particular. "Camilla just before I came I found this dead boy who would have only been about eight. He had the number 13 etched into his side."
The five adults looked at her quizzically.
"Don't you get it he was number thirteen and your four children make seventeen", Rayne yelled. "The murders are all connected and they have just gotten all the kids they want. They've filled their quota!" she turned and looked at the parents. "We have to find you kids as quick as possible, or you may never see them again."
"How are you feeling", a voice asked.
Camilla jumped and looked around. She couldn't make out the person, but she had a sneaking suspicion it was who ever had knocked her out.
"Where are my glasses?" she yelled franticly searching the floor.
"What... no hello, how are you doing?", the voice said sarcastically.
"Who the fuck are you?" Camilla screamed into the light.
"You... don't recognize me?", the voice actually sounded upset which confused her even more.
"How can I recognize you when I can't see a bloody thing," Camilla snapped back trying to free her right hand from the wall.
"Camilla... it's me... Rayne"
Camilla looked at the person trying to get her eyes to focus.
"Rayne!" she smiled. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Trying to get you out of the mess you somehow always seem to get yourself into", Rayne said as she laughed and crouched down beside Camilla.
"Can you find my sun glasses?", Camilla asked trying to pull her arm free. "I'm as blind as a fucking bat with out them."
"You can see fine without them you big drama queen", Rayne said as she pressed the smooth plastic glasses into Camilla's outstretched hand.
Camilla put the glasses on and felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Already everything was coming into focus.
"So... may I ask you how you got yourself into this predicament", Rayne asked.
"I didn't get myself into this, trouble found me", Camilla snapped as she turned to her hand."
"Doesn't it always", Rayne chuckled as she lit a cigarette.
Camilla grinned as she stared at her hand that hand been stuck to the wall by a fairly large wooden stake.
"Think they're trying to tell us something", She asked Rayne as she pointed at her hand.
"I don't know. There has been a lot of weird shit happening lately", Rayne said as she inhaled deeply.
Camilla grimaced as she pulled her hand free. The strength from the stake ripped at her flesh and when it was all over she was left with a fairly large hole in the middle of her palm.
"Pass me that bag will ya", Camilla pointed towards a small purse that had been thrown haphazardly into the corner.
"What do you need?" Rayne asked getting to her feet and walking across the room.
"Just the needle and thread if you don't mind," Camilla cooed in a sing song voice.
"So what's with the number 17?" Rayne asked glancing over her shoulder.
"what the fuck are you talking about?" Camilla stared at Rayne with a confused look on her face.
"Well if you were a little more observant you would have realized the number covers the entire wall behind you"
Camilla turned her head and stared wide eyed at the normally white wall that had been turned into a kind of canvas for someone with serious issues. Every square inch of the wall had been covered with the number seventeen except for the space Camilla had been lying unconscious against.
"I have no idea what in the world that means", she said not moving her eyes from the wall.
Rayne walked back across the room and put the requested items in Camilla's hand.
"Neither do I but it looks like whoever did this to you was trying to get out attention", she smiled running her hands along the wall. "it's written in blood you know"
"Mine?" Camilla asked.
Rayne leaned forward and sniffed the plaster.
"Human," she responded.
"Freaky", Camilla exclaimed as she started to sew the gap in her hand. "You know if I keep on having to sew myself back together soon enough I'm going to look like raggedy Anne."
Rayne ignored the joke as she ran her fingers along the wall.
"This is child's blood you know", she turned to look at Camilla.
Camilla bit her lip in a concerned manner as she stood up and walked towards Rayne.
"Lets get out of here," she whispered as a wave of cold air engulfed her body.
"Good idea," Rayne said her eyes still transfixed to the wall.
The two women left the room and started walking down the hallway. The concert had been over for a long time and the place was empty.
"Do you smell that?" Camilla asked as she stopped dead in her tracks.
"Yeah", Rayne said.
Both Camilla and Rayne started to pick up a run as they rounded a corner. The smell was getting even more intense as they neared the dressing room normally reserved for the performers.
"I think its coming from in here," Rayne whispered pointing at one of the doors.
Camilla reached forward with a shaking hand and twisted the door knob. The door slowly creaked open to reveal a pitch black room.
"Hello?" Camilla called nervously and she felt around for the light switch.
"Mmmmphhhh"
"What the fuck was that?" Camilla jumped back.
"I don't know", Rayne said as she found the switch.
The lights turned on in a flash illuminating the entire room. The floor was covered in blood and the reason for this was apparent. Five or six security guards lay dead in various areas of the room. Two had had their necks torn out and were lying with looks of horror on their faces. The other three were lying on the carpet. Their stomachs had been ripped out and their intestines were strewn across the floor.
"Shit!" Camilla gasped as she covered her mouth.
"You think that's disturbing" Rayne said pointing at the ceiling.
Camilla looked up and immediately took a step back in shock. The sixth security guard had been hung from the roof. His heart had been removed and the number seventeen carved into his back.
"Well at least we know where the blood came from to paint the other room" Rayne chuckled trying to make light of the situation. Camilla just started at her like she was crazy.
"MMMPPHHHH"
"Shit I think someone's alive in there", Camilla yelled as she ran towards the locked bathroom. "Hello!!!" she yelled pounding on the door.
"MMMMPPHH"
"Look out", Rayne called as she pulled out her gun and fired at the lock.
The door knob fell steaming to the ground as the door swung open.
"Fuckin' hell," Rayne swore loudly.
In the small bathroom sat four people bound tightly with duck tape. There were three men and a women with dark brown dreadlocks. They all looked extremely frightened. Camilla took out her pocket knife as she walked towards the women. She screamed and thrashed around.
"I'm not trying to hurt you,' Camilla spoke calmly. "I'm just trying to get you out of this"
Camilla reached forward and as gently as possible pulled the duck tape off her mouth.
"They took our children!" the women screamed.
Camilla untied the rest and one by one they got to their feet.
"What the fuck happened?" Rayne asked the one with the black hair.
"I..I..Don't... .know," he stuttered his eyes wide with fear. "We were just done and when we got to the dressing room they were trying to take out kids"
"Wait!' Rayne said interrupting the man. "How many kids did they take"
"Four," the tallest of the men answered. "They took my daughter... and... and his son" he pointed to the shorter of the three.
"And they took my two boys", the man with black hair sobbed putting his hands over his face.
"Four" Rayne whispered as she stared off into space. "Seventeen"
"Rayne what are you talking about," Camilla asked.
"They ere trying to tell us something," she whispered not looking at anyone in particular. "Camilla just before I came I found this dead boy who would have only been about eight. He had the number 13 etched into his side."
The five adults looked at her quizzically.
"Don't you get it he was number thirteen and your four children make seventeen", Rayne yelled. "The murders are all connected and they have just gotten all the kids they want. They've filled their quota!" she turned and looked at the parents. "We have to find you kids as quick as possible, or you may never see them again."
