I check for any signs that someone or something was in my dungeon besides Caroon throughout the night, but see nothing. I knew she was telling the truth. Her body language couldn't have been faked when I walked in. She was scared, which pissed me off because I didn't like my prisoners being afraid of something besides me while in my grasp. If they were afraid of something else, then my methods would be useless against them.
An urgent, cow bell, sounding alarm sounded through the room and I cursed. I leave the room and go straight for the bathroom. I try to open it, but something is blocking the door from the other side.
"Caroon!"
No sound other than her breathing.
"Caroon, answer me!" I growled, patience lost.
Still no answer.
"Caroon, I-" I stop at the sound of whimpering. Then, I begin to understand what was wrong.
Quickly, I press myself against the door and push, getting enough room to slip in. I put a foot in the gap so the door doesn't close and lift Caroon into my arms. She was crying, pulling her hair. She was still in the same clothes as I had given her last night and her hair was dry. She hadn't showered.
Deciding to forget about her bathroom retreat for now, I take her back to the room and put her inside the cage, laying her on the ground. She curled into a fetal position, and trembled.
Fuck!
Pulling out my phone, I dialed a number. "Pulgem, I need you immediately."
"I thought you didn't start torturing for another six days?"
"This isn't me. This is something I didn't know about."
Pulgem hesitated, then cursed. "Five minutes. What is going on?"
"She is trying to rip her hair out and is crying. She won't respond to anything I say or do."
"She sounds like one of the few you've broken."
"But I haven't done anything!"
"Calm down! Just make sure she doesn't hurt herself. I'm almost there."
I hung up and tried to pry Caroon's hands out of her hair, but she had a firm grip. "Let go, Caroon," I command.
She pulled harder.
"Damn it! Let go! Stop it!"
Caroon didn't seem to hear me. She continued to pull and I already saw chunks of hair come free. Blood began to ooze from her scalp.
"Caroon, look at me. Look at me and listen."
She blinked, but didn't turn her head.
"Look at me," I urge, grabbing her face to force her. "Look at me."
She whimpered.
The door to the room crashed open and Pulgem ran over with a medical case. He knelt and looked Caroon over. "Fuck, Milura! She's going insane!"
"Why? I haven't done anything!"
Pulgem shook his head and gave Caroon an injection. Slowly, very slowly, she relaxed, then finally fell asleep. I sit back and sigh, closing my eyes in relief.
Pulgem left the cage as I shackled Caroon and locked her up, then left the room entirely. Pulgem halted right outside and turned. "Next time, don't rely on me. Tie her up. Keep her from hurting herself. Put her on a soft surface if she is thrashing about. Then, let it consume her."
"What!" I grab the collar of his shirt and yank him into me. "I need information! She could be killed in one of those!"
Pulgem rolled his eyes. "They aren't strong enough, Milura. She just needs to ride them through. She needs to face whatever her mind is playing, and come back on her own."
"And if she doesn't?"
Pulgem froze, then sighed. "I don't see her as a weak one, Milura. I don't think you do either. She needs to get through her own shit. But if she does it again and it's worse or she doesn't come out of it in a reasonable amount of time, then here."
I let him go and he gets into his medical case and pulls out a syringe.
"Give this to her. But only in an extreme case. It isn't a permanent fix for what is happening, and it's not good if she becomes used to having it every time she blanks out." Pulgem paused. "I also want your reports on when she does this."
"My time with my prisoners is between me and them. My reports are for me to go back and look at things I may have forgotten."
"I'm not asking for the shit you do, Milura. I want to know why she may be acting like this when you don't even touch her."
"She's had two in the past twenty-four hours. I don't know why. But what if that cycle continues?"
"Then I want to know." Pulgem shrugs. "Maybe what she doesn't tell you willingly will come out in these moments? Who knows?"
"I don't like it."
"Why are you so strict about these reports anyways?"
I cross my arms. "I just am."
Pulgem stared at me, then shrugs and sighs. "Just on her episodes, Milura. That's all."
He left. I stare at the wall in frustration. Pulgem had been my doctor for my victims since I started torturing people a decade ago. He was good at his job and never asked questions. He took orders well, and kept my business a secret. This thing with Caroon was making life difficult on all accounts.
I step back into the room and look at the woman in the cage, sleeping without a whimper. Deciding to leave her be for the rest of the day, I go and begin notes.
Day #2:
I walked in this morning to find Caroon shaking and afraid. She said something had been watching her, and it left when I came. She was terrified. If I hadn't made her stop pacing, she would have worn a hole into the floor.
When she finally came out of her trance, I took her to the bathroom where I found her within her head, trembling on the floor. I was lucky she hadn't started fighting me when I picked her up…