DAY FOURTEEN, part four

Dark.

It was so very dark.

It was pitch black--a darkness Shadowmoon had never known before. For it wasn't like darkness she had experienced before in places where the lights were off--that was merely an absence of light. But this blackness was all there was. It was whole, it was deep, it was completely dominant.

Am I dead?

Shadowmoon suddenly became aware of something cold and hard on her wrists. She tried to lift her hands, pressing the top of her wrists against what was binding her. It felt like the sharp edges were bruising her skin. Shadowmoon sighed and let her hands go limp.

As she relaxed, she felt her spine tingle, sort of like the feeling she'd get in her hands and feet when she went indoors after being outside in freezing cold weather. 

More of the tingling sensation, and Shadowmoon could feel that she was strapped to a chair. Why couldn't she feel that before? Had her senses been numbed somehow?

She decided that she couldn't possibly be dead, since she was sensing things. But if this wasn't death, then where was she?

Think, she told herself. Think. What do you remember?

Slowly it came back to her. She had been kidnapped. The killer told her to jump out the window, and she did, landing in a bush and getting a few scratches. She had been led across the island, hidden by palm trees and building overhangs. Then when they got to the slides, she had been ordered to halt. She turned around, and the killer was holding its gun out at her. Now I have to go pretend I don't know where you are, the killer had said. Shadowmoon remembered the click of its finger against the trigger, then a prick on her right collarbone, then the scrape of sand against her legs as she fells, slipping out of consciousness...

And now she was here. But where was here? 

Creak.

A light bulb hanging above her sputtered to life. Shadowmoon inhaled sharply as the light illuminated the killer's face directly in front of her, the edges darkened.

If she hadn't been in such a grave situation, Shadowmoon would have found it almost amusing. It was just like interrogation scenes she'd seen in old mystery movies or crime shows.

"You will answer what I ask you. You won't lie to me. Or else it'll be much worse than a tranquilizer dart next time."

Its eyes bore into hers, challenging her to retort. I will not let it know I'm afraid, Shadowmoon thought. She relaxed the facial muscles around her eyes, lightly bit the inside of her cheeks to keep her mouth set in a straight line, and returned the killer's gaze, putting her poker face on.

After a few seconds, the killer spoke, "You said you took advanced biology. Correct or not?"

Shadowmoon's poker face dropped as she registered the killer's question with surprise and confusion. Why on earth would the killer want to know about plants? There had to be a reason. Shadowmoon needed tread carefully.

"Yes," she responded slowly. "I did."

The killer's shoulders relaxed a bit, then stiffened again as it said, "I need you to tell me the name of the fungus discovered by Alexandru-Filip Martine."

Shadowmoon clenched her fists, her nails digging into her sweaty palms. It was all Shadowmoon could to keep from gasping. Because she knew exactly what the killer was talking about.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I can tell," the killer's eyes lit with a hungry fire. "Give me the name."

"No," Shadowmoon said, her voice rising with her panic. "No, I'm not telling you!"

The killer glared and leaned closer, grabbing Shadowmoon by the shoulders and giving her a little shake. "Give it to me."

Shadowmoon pressed her trembling lips together and shook her head rapidly.

"Give it to me!" the killer yelled, and Shadowmoon, continued to shake her head. Suddenly the killer's voice dropped to a whisper that was somehow scarier than shouting.

"I have ways of making you tell me, you know. Terrible ways." Shadowmoon stopped shaking her head. "I'm going to get out of you sooner or later. You're no hero. You won't be able to withstand it." The killer smirked. "Nobody on this island could. It's your choice, whether you want this to be painful or not."

Frantically calculating her options, Shadowmoon took a deep breath and looked the killer in the eye. "Okay! Okay. The fungus is sacchormyces cerevisiae."

The killer grew still. Shadowmoon was relieved that it had accepted her lie.

Suddenly it jerked forward and slapped her, hard. Shadowmoon cried out, and her hands slammed against the tops of her wrist cuffs as she instinctively tried to reach for her stinging cheek. Her wrist made a noise that was a cross between a pop and a snap. Shadowmoon whimpered, tears springing to her eyes. Her hand was hanging in its cuff at an odd angle.

"You think I'm an idiot?" the killer screamed, clutching her face wildly, its fingers like hot rods of iron on her skin. "That's the scientific name of common yeast! I don't have time for this! You're a rock in my path, and I will gladly break you, you worthless scum! Give. Me. The. Name!"

Shadowmoon couldn't stop the hiccuping sobs bubbling up in her throat, nor the sweat rolling down her forehead, mixing with her equally salty tears. She couldn't hold back any longer.

"Corruptamentis physarum," she whispered, uttering each syllable like a stab to a vital organ. The killer released her face, panting. It searched her eyes maliciously, then slowly grinned, reaching towards the ceiling turning off the light. Shadowmoon closed her eyes as the killer retreated and shut the door.

Shadowmoon's head was pounding. She sat in silence, alone with the pain she was so full of she couldn't even tell where she was hurting.

And it was dark. So very dark.

**********

Ohhhhhhhhhh, so THAT'S why you put in all that pointless dialogue about secretaries and advanced biology, Owlgirl!

*runs away cackling, clutching evil writer plot plans*

By the way, I completely made up the scientist name and that fungus name, except the yeast one. I did reseeeeeeeeearch! On a side note, you would not BELIEVE how much I've had to research really random things while writing this. Hawaiian names, tree species, synnyoms, antonyms, definitions, Latin roots, "random gift bag items," etc.

Sorry you had to wait six days for that post! Unfortunately, what with all my schoolwork, long times between posts may be come a thing. I really can't help it; 7th grade is SO busy! I'll try to write during lunch sometimes, if I'm not helping out with the garden shed...sorry, I'm rambling.

And keep this thread topped please! Whether that means throwing crumpled sheets of Hamilton lyrics *glances at pile of paper wads next to computer from the last post*, giving compliments because your words of encouragement keep me going *strikes dramatic pose*, or having a Hamilton complete-the-lyric game because WHO DOESN'T LOVE THOSE, or sharing conspiracy theories *protectively shields those evil writer plot plans*, or posting pictures of dictionaries each time you spot a typo, which I've been checking for, but sometimes I miss something. 

Oh thread, just stay alive, that would be enough!

OHMYGANDOLF!!!!!!!! SUSPENSE!!!!!!!!! I'M LITERALLY ABOUT TO EXPLODE!!!!!!! I know, I'm weird, but this...... It's weird when it's happening to you......But not you. It's like, your heart starts racing at the exact pace of you in the story and...... I dunno. I've never done that before...... Owlgirl this is SO AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!! And your still retaining amazing quality while being busy! That takes some serious skills. You go, girl. 

Ooooooh my goshness I just read what I've missed and... It is so. So. So. SO. Amazing!!!! Owlgirl, you are amazing.

*faints away dramatically* 

Let this thread never die! LET IT NEVER DIE!