"Roomie!~" Anka called, flopping onto Nami's bed dramatically.
"Anka, its 8 in the morning..." Nami grumbled, cracking an eye irritably.
"I can't help it, I'm too excited..." Anka replied with a small smile, it had been months since she'd manage to feel so happy.
"I guess I can forgive you," Nami replied, pulling her pillow over her face, "If you let me sleep for a few more hours," Her voice was muffled.
"Oh, alright, I'm gonna hop in the shower and go get some breakfast. Anything you'd like me to bring back?" Anka asked.
"Chocolate, sugar, and coffee." Nami mumbled as she drifted back into sleep.
"Gotcha," Anka slipped off of Nami's bed and over to her dresser, grabbing a few clothing items before slinging her shower bag over her shoulder and slipping out of their dorm room.
Things were getting better, finally. After the fiasco with the trip to Egypt things had been hectic, clouded, and just plain depressing. Yet life had moved on around them. With college starting and moving into the dorms... Their lives were beginning to find order once more.
She still missed Yaryck though, or more accurately Anoka- the immortal man that had taken on the form of her beloved ferret in order to protect her. There were others in need of his aid, and though she'd seen him off with a smile she selfishly wished that he'd stayed with her.
Despite the weirdness of the whole situation and with all the dangers they'd faced together... Anka had slowly begun to realize that she loved Anoka, which made being apart all the more difficult.
Glaring into the dull fluorescent glow of the community bathroom Anka frowned. She reminded herself to talk to Lulu about getting her and Nami a dorm with their own private shower. The freshman bathrooms were rather dingy and not well cared for, which made her desire to be clean a bit of a paradox.
Sighing in resignation she slipped into a stall and set her things on the bench before turning on the water and stepping beneath the steady stream of warmth. Anka was mildly surprised that the water pressure was so great, it made the shower more enjoyable as it eased the tension in her muscles.
Rinsing the soap from her body a good twenty minutes later Anka turned the tap off and reached for her towel. As her fingers closed about the soft material the lights flickered and went out. "Dammit!" She cursed, heart thundering as she pondered the reasons behind the power outtage.
"Don't be such a baby..." She muttered under her breath, calming herself, "Lets just get dressed and get back to the room..."
Imagining herself tearing out of the showers and up the hall dripping wet with only a towel to cover herself amused her enough to quickly dry off and tug her clothes on. Running a brush through her tangled hair she quickly gathered her things up and stumbled out of the stall.
"Its been a long time," A vaguely familiar voice sent a chill up her spine as a hand closed over her mouth, a rag pressing tightly over her face as a sickly sweet smell flooded her nostrils.
Panicking Anka lashed out with her limbs, managing somehow to loose herself from the strong hold and stumble for the doorway. Her heart hammered painfully in her chest and she felt numb with fear as she groped for the door. "Oh, don't go spoiling my plans now," The man's voice came from her left now and she whirled around, swinging blindly into the darkness. "Close, you're more wiley than I remember," He chuckled, on her opposite side now.
"Quit playing games with me!" Anka called desperately, trying to tune into his footsteps, yet all she heard was the occaisional drip of water from the showers.
Quite suddenly she felt her airways constrict and clawed at the thick hand that had clamped tightly about her throat. She couldn't breathe and stars were exploding in her vision, "The games are only just beginning," He breathed triumphantly in her ear as she slipped into unconsciousnes
s.
Nami stretched contentedly and sat up in bed, well rested at last. Glancing at her watch she felt panic shoot through her, it was after noon and she'd missed her first class of the day. "How did... Where's Anka?" She muttered to herself in shock as she reached over to her nightstand and grabbed her phone.
She quickly dialed Anka's number and was startled to hear the ringtone blaring on the other side of the room. "Ugh... of all the things to forget..." Nami sighed, an uneasy feeling stirring within her as she rose from the bed and stuffed her feet into a comfortable pair of slippers.
Nami texted Nagi and Lulu, asking if either had seen Anka as she grabbed her toothbrush and headed down the hall and into the bathroom, "What slobs..." She muttered in agitation, noting a spilled bottle of shampoo lying in the middle of the floor, as well as a bundle of clothes a few feet from it.
She gingerly stepped around the mess and to the sink, settling to scrubbing her teeth clean while she waited for her friends to reply. It was after rinsing her mouth that a sinking feeling settled in the pit of Nami's stomach and she turned to the abandoned toiletries. Nudging the clothes with her toe she recognized Anka's night shirt and turned quickly to leave- running smack into what felt like a brick wall.
Stunned she looked up from her fallen perch on the floor and into the face of a man she didn't recognize, "This is the women's room," She said, "Get out."
"You must be the esteemed Nami," His grin was wide and sadistic, "Its a pleasure to finally meet the friend that kept those kids so stubborn and willful years ago..."
"What're you talking about?" Nami spat, pulling herself off the floor and backing away, keeping an eye on him as she sought the door.
"You don't remember?" He quirked a brow, "Nagi and Anka? I'm sure they had nightmares after our little encounter, I can only hope anyway." His grin broadened.
Nami paled in realization, "Y-you're Dennis Michaels," She mumbled, fingers wrapped tightly about her cell phone as it vibrated in her hand.
"Haha, we have a winner!" He crowed jubilantly, "Now then... I'd appreciate you coming along without a fight." His tone became serious.
"What makes you think I'd do something like that?" Nami spat.
"Anka's life depends on it." Dennis said darkly, "I gave her a few nice, deep cuts as a welcoming gift. She'll bleed to death if we're not back to her location within the next two hours. Do you really want her blood on your hands?"
"Fine." Nami ground out, a feeling of hopelessness swirling in her belly. "Take me to Anka."
"The pieces are in place, now we're finally ready for the game to begin," Dennis said cryptically, "Give me your phone." He held out his hand expectantly and with a sigh Nami slammed it violently into his palm.
"Ouch, temper, temper!" Dennis laughed as he unlocked the screen and glanced at the messages that had come through, "Of course your friends haven't seen her. She's been my playmate for a few hours now." He grabbed Nami's arm and led her out into the hall, down the stairs, and through a side door to an old, rusted car that looked more fit for a junk heap than the road.
Tugging open the back door he shoved her inside, and as he did so she felt a prick in her arm and then everything began to spin, "Thanks for being so cooperative. Its time for you to sleep now." Dennis' voice echoed oddly in her ears as she slid sideways across the seat and her vision faded.
Nagi was just sitting down to eat a late lunch when his cell phone started blaring. Glaring at the screen he waited for the name to show up to see who was calling, and then his expression softened, "Nami? Did you manage to get ahold of Anka?" He asked.
"Nami can't talk right now." A low, male voice chuckled into the phone, "Though she did indeed find Anka."
"Who is this?" Nagi felt his appetite recede almost immediately as fear for Nami and Anka's safety flooded him.
"I'm hurt that you don't remember. I'll just have to remind you." The man said darkly, there was a loud crack and he heard Nami cry out in pain.
"Bastard, don't you lay a finger on her!" He exclaimed, jumping out of his seat and gaining a few curious stares in the process
"Do you remember yet?" He asked suavely.
"I remember, you sick son of a bitch," Nagi ground out, "Where are they?"
"Safe... For now." Dennis laughed, "But no more insulting me or things will get worse for the girls quickly enough. Its time for us to play a game." Dennis listened for Nagi's breath after hearing no words from his end of the call for several seconds. "If you've hung up the fun won't begin," he said flatly.
Nagi's face was still ashen as he struggled with his trembling fingers to keep the phone in his grip. He swallowed hard, forcing his body to speak, "I'm here," he said before swallowing again.
"Good, good," Dennis replied gleefully.
"What do you want?" Nagi's voice was hoarse as he spoke.
"I just want to play a game with an old friend," Dennis said softly. "Your first clue is with Lulu." Nagi gasped, his blood now running cold.
"Lu..." he muttered, unable to bring himself to think anything.
"Your cellphone should be ringing at any moment now. Hang up on me and answer Lulu's call," Dennis instructed Nagi. And like clockwork Lulu's name flashed on Nagi's cellphone screen. Nagi eased his eyes shut, hanging up on Dennis as he was told to. He accepted the call from Lulu, listening because he was not able to speak.
"Nagi! There's...something...here..." Lulu shrieked into the phone.
"What? What is it?" Nagi asked.
"A fucked up poem," Lulu answered.
"A... fucked up poem?" Nagi asked slowly, not sure he wanted to even know what it contained.
"Just come to my room, please?" Lulu pleaded, "And get Nami and Anka up here too, they won't answer my calls..."
Nagi felt dread knotting in his stomach, fingers tightening on the phone, "I'll be right over." He said, voice tight as he abandoned his uneaten meal, ignoring the questioning gazes that followed him.
Nagi clutched the piece of papyrus in his hands, crinkling it as he read the poem for the hundredth time:
Blood is red,
My knife is too.
At sundown they'll be dead
If you don't play my game, you two.
"We have to call the police," Lulu said frantically as she tangled her fingers in her hair.
"I'm sure that they're already looking for him. He's an escaped convict," Nagi commented. Lulu grabbed for her phone, failing to hit send as Nagi grabbed her wrist. "Wait," he held the paper out for Lulu to see the reverse side.
911 is not your lifeline--
Nor is it theirs.
Ruin this game of mine
So play the game to show them you care.
Lulu closed her cell phone after reading the poem. "That sick..." she clutched at her cell phone.
"Yeah, so we have to figure out what he wants us to do," Nagi remarked.
"How? These are twisted poems...not some sort of a puzzle..."
Nagi stroked his chin thinking for a long while. His gaze shifted toward Lulu's end table. "Where was the paper at?" he inquired.
"Sitting under my keys," Lulu replied.
"What keys are on your key ring for?" Nagi snatched at Lulu's keys, dangling them before her.
"My room, the dorm itself, my car, my PO Box key, my locker key and the key to my house," Lulu answered.
"Okay, what if he wants us to use your keys to open say your locker?" Nagi asked. "That could be where our clue is, right?"
"It's somewhere to start," Lulu remarked as she slipped a sweater on. "What are we waiting for?"
Nami groaned as she came to. Her vision was blurred, her pulse was racing and she felt warmer than usual. Her thoughts collecting themselves was interrupted by a pulsing pain radiating on her crown. She gasped when a streak of blood rolled down her nose and into her line of vision. She reached to grab at the wound to find her arms bound.
Anka groaned, her screams muffled by the gag that was in her mouth. She had been trying to wiggle free from the ropes that bound her to the point that she had given herself rope burn.
Nami was beside her, coming to, Anka noticed. They were alone in the room, at least for a few moments more. She winced as she continued chaffing her skin against the ropes, struggling fiercely to get away. The fear that clogged her thoughts was near suffocating, they had to get away, and soon. She gnawed at the gag, shoving her tongue against the disgusting thing as she tried to free her mouth to speak.
Nami saw what Anka was trying to do and struggled against her own bonds as she squirmed closer to her friend. They were bound, yes, but there was a chance of escape, if they could manage to maneuver themselves into such a position that they could at least remove each other's gags...
Anka stopped struggling for a moment as Nami scooted close to her and took several slow breaths to calm herself. Their gazes locked and she nodded slowly, understanding Nami's plans even without words. Struggling into a sitting position she lifted her arms behind her, wincing as the muscles strained with the unnatural angle. Nami scooted towards her hands and was patient as Anka's fingers groped for the gag and eventually tugged it away from her mouth. It slid down over her neck and rested at her collarbone.
"Ugh, my jaw..." Nami groaned as they switched out positions and she managed to pull Anka's gag away from her lips, "Are you alright, Anka?" She hissed, glancing occasionally towards the door.
"Not so much." Anka replied hoarsely, "I've rubbed my skin raw with these ropes and he's taken to liking using his knife instead of just teasing with it..." She winced, "What about you? He brought you in unconscious and you've got that nasty gash on your head..."
"Other than a pounding headache... I think I'll be fine." Nami replied, "Let's just hurry and try to get out of here before he gets back..."
the sick games part 2
Backwards Outcasts
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