Wake Up Call

Noah's head throbbed as he slowly opened his eyes, having to adjust his sight to the darkness of the new environment he found himself in. His body felt heavy, the simple action of sitting up seemed like a Herculean feat, but he eventually pushed himself up from lying on the cold concrete floor to sitting against the wall. Noah cradled his head in his hands as he tried to remember any events that could have led to this situation; Terror built in his chest as his mind drew a blank.

He reached around his new environment, the color in his face draining as he felt his fingers curl around the chain that attached his ankle to a thick pipe nearby. Before he could test the strength, a voice rang out through the darkness, directly in front of him. The voice was smooth and melodic, having an almost amused tone behind the stranger's voice. "Well, looks like my prince was awake. I was beginning to worry that I used too much morphine."

Noah looked up towards the voice, seeing a dark figure that sat relaxed on the stairs, but the lack of light in the room made details hard to point out. What was this stranger talking about? Morphine of all things? He didn't remember being stuck with anything, but then again, he couldn't remember much at all. The stranger flicked a small lighter on and off, the fire briefly lighting his face and the toothy mask he wore. His eyes held nothing, but his tone revealed a sinister enjoyment. "Hm, looks like you're still coming out of it, quite the quiet one. Though I didn't need to use drugs to learn that fact, you were always the cute little mouse~"

"Wh..." Noah struggled to speak, his tongue feeling more like a cloth gagging his throat. "Where... What's going on?" He tried to adjust himself as he sat, grunting softly as the pressure on his tailbone was relieved. "Who are you?" The stranger chuckled, pausing before once again turning on the lighter, but keeping it on. He waved it around, giving Noah small glimpses of his appearance.

"So many questions, usually that'd piss me off, but I think I can let it slide. You always seemed like the inquisitive type." As Noah's consciousness continued to come back, the chill of the basement became increasingly clear. The hairs on his arms stood on end as he shivered slightly, the questions he had only growing by the second.

Noah paused, trying to let the fog that clouded his brain dissipate before speaking. The only clear thought was that there was a likely chance that he was going to wind up dead, which made his heart sink. The stranger leaned forward, finally shutting off the lighter and staring at—no—through Noah. His voice hadn't changed, but something about it seemed much more sinister as he spoke. "I'll give you a few minutes for questions, but afterwards, I'm expecting you to be a good little boy and shut your mouth. Keep it short and simple."

This guy was only giving him a few minutes? He could barely talk as is! A shiver ran down his spine at the stranger's words, but after a slow breath, he tried to speak. "Who... Are you?" All Noah got at first was an amused chuckle, and despite the darkness, Noah could tell that his captor was shaking his head now that the darkness became less of a problem. "Oh well, you can just call me Matt. I can't just give away who I really am, can I?"

Noah looked back down at his feet, thankfully he at least his clothes on, although now they were drenched in sweat which added to the chill he felt in his bones. He should've expected this, maybe he was being too hopeful, he had to choose his questions carefully. "And... Wh...Where am I?"

"Well," 'Matt' rested his chin on the palm of his hand, "I'd like to see you guess, but I'm assuming you're more worried about getting any other questions you have answered, right?" Despite the mask, Noah could almost see the shit-eating grin Matt had under it.

Noah paused, his lips pursing as he tried to quickly think of what to say or ask, the fact that he had an invisible timer made him freeze. He couldn't figure it out, but after a minute, he gulped before asking. "What–What happened? Why am I here? How did I even get here?!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Matt shook his head, standing and striding towards his victim. The sound of his footsteps were heavy and echoed throughout the concrete walls of the basement. "I thought I made it clear you can ask one question at a time."

Noah yelped and froze as the kidnapper grabbed him by the throat, pulling him closer. Matt kept just enough pressure to make sure Noah knew he could easily kill him, but let the man breathe. "You can't tell me you forgot, sweetie, it was quite the night we shared.~" Matt laughed as he saw the fear in Noah's eyes, the way he began to hyperventilate, he found it amusing and adorable. "Maybe I did give you too much medicine, dear."

Noah's heart hammered in his chest and pounded in his ears as he looked up at the masked figure. What was Matt talking about? He could barely remember anything, even though he tried to connect the pieces of his fractured memory. He opened his mouth to speak, maybe even beg, but quickly closed it again when he felt the fist around his throat squeeze slightly. Matt tilted his head as he continued to hold onto Noah's throat, his eyes dull and seemingly lifeless. His voice lowered, and his tone became darker, more sinister. "There, I assume that means we're done here."

Once Matt's hand left his victim’s throat, the weaker man let out a breath he didn't realize he held, coughing as he desperately regained air. He was trembling, his body wracked with the cold and the fear, he couldn't believe this was happening... Matt stepped back, watching Noah's panic with that same cold, calculating stare. He crossed his arms and tilted his head back, letting out a few shushing sounds as he thought. "Hm... I suppose I should feed you, right? Can't have my prince getting too hungry now, can I? Then again, I can't exactly let that little slip up go unpunished... Decisions, decisions..."

It didn't take too long for Matt to come to a decision, but it wasn't one Noah was hoping for—not like being let go was ever a decision that would be made. Matt took one last look at his captive before turning and walking back upstairs without another word, opening the door and bathing the basement with the light from upstairs. Noah could only enjoy it for a moment, despite it being blinding, before Matt slammed the door and drowned Noah in the darkness once again.