"Mmm!" Chase's eyes fluttered open, and he found himself in a place he could never have imagined, like a traveler waking up in a strange and eerie land. His surroundings were shrouded in darkness, making it hard to see, like an abyss of uncertainty engulfing him.
"Ahh, Where am I?" A throbbing ache pulsated through his head as he attempted to make sense of his surroundings, like a puzzle with missing pieces. The air was damp and stale, carrying the unmistakable scent of mildew and decay, filling him with a sense of unease and confusion, like a haunted chamber holding secrets of the past, long forgotten.
"Where the hell am I?" Panic began to rise within him as he realized he was lying on a cold, stone floor, like a prisoner in a dungeon of despair.
Struggling to sit up, he looked down and found his wrists bound with rough, rusty chains, like shackles of imprisonment. Looking around to explore his confinement, he felt like a trapped animal seeking an escape from its cage.
"Could it be Benson put me here?" Chase thought, his mind filled with questions as he discovered he was in a small, dimly lit cell, like a spider caught in its own web. A flickering torch on the opposite wall was the only source of light, casting eerie shadows that danced like ghosts on the walls.
"Thump! Thump!" The sound of his own heartbeat intensified his panic, like a drumbeat of fear echoing through the chamber.
"Help!" he cried out, hoping someone might hear him, like a desperate plea for salvation.
"Help!" Chase kept calling, but his voice seemed to echo endlessly, unanswered, like a lonely echo in a desolate cave.
Chase started searching for a way to escape, he notices a small, barred window high up on the wall, too narrow for him to squeeze through, Moonlight filtered in through the grates, illuminating the dust motes that float in the air like spectral spirits.
"Is there really no way out?" Chase wondered, feeling a sense of hopelessness creep in. He looked back at the chain binding him, wondering if he could somehow break free. Gripping the chain tightly, he pulled with all his might, but instead of breaking, the chain started heating up.
"Ahh!" Chase screamed in pain as the chain burst into flames, burning his palms. He let go, and the fire disappeared, leaving him kneeling in agony, feeling the extreme pain in his hand, looking down at his hand, his burned dark flesh was now exposed "Why? Why is this happening?" he pondered, confused and terrified.
Suddenly, a muffled sound came from beyond the heavy wooden door of the cell, causing the Chase to tense up, Footsteps drew nearer, accompanied by the faint jingling of keys. The door creaked open, revealing a shadowy figure, in dark tattered robes. A lantern clutched in the figure's hand casts a dim glow and a bucket in the other.
"Benson!" Chase shouted in anger and fear, like a betrayed friend facing his nemesis.
As Benson entered the cell, his sneering grin sent shivers down Chase's spine, like a chilling breeze in the darkest night. "The more you struggle, the more it burns," Benson whispered chillingly, explaining the reason behind the fiery chain, like a sadistic conductor orchestrating a symphony of pain.
"Why are you doing this?" Chase asked, his mind racing to find a reason for Benson's betrayal and torture.
Benson's evil grin widened as he stepped closer, like a predator closing in on its prey. "You see, besides being the king's knight, I was also his interrogator, extracting information from enemies," he said, his voice oozing with malevolence, like a venomous serpent ready to strike.
Chase remembered how the captured green griffin general was tortured, and it dawned on him that Benson was the one behind it all, like a revelation of darkness unfolding before his eyes.
Walking to the side of the cell, Benson pulled down a metal lever, causing the chain to tighten and pull Chase upwards, hanging him on the wall, like a puppet controlled by an unseen hand.
"Let me go!" Chase shouted, struggling as the chain heated up once more. The pain was excruciating as the chains held him against the wall.
Benson ignored Chase's pleas, dropping his bucket and approaching Chase with hatred in his eyes. He pulled out a sharp knife, like a sinister executioner preparing to carry out his dark deed, like a glint of death in the lantern's dim light.
"Chase, you really ruined my plans," Benson said with a sadistic smile, like a devil relishing in a soul's torment. Grabbing Chase's hand, he brutally pulled off one of his fingernails, like a vicious act of savagery.
"One by one," Benson said, relishing in Chase's suffering, like a malevolent torturer savoring every moment of pain inflicted.
"Ahh!"
"Ahh!"
Chase's scream echoed through the cell.
The screams echoed through the cell, but outside, the sun had risen, and Chase's everyone was tirelessly searching for him. Ava, Alex, and Luke gathered in Freya's meeting room, discussing their efforts.
Freya started twirling her hair" So, Ava, did you find Chase?" Freya asked, her concern evident as she constantly thought about the worst outcomes.
Ava turned to Alex and Luke, hoping for some good news, like a beacon of hope in the darkness. "No, but did any of you find any clues?" she asked, her eyes filled with hope, like a glimmer of light in the gloom.
Alex stepped forward and pointed to a spot on the map, like a guide showing the way. "While searching a safe zone, I heard about Chase saving some children from a burning building," he said, momentarily lifting Ava's spirits, like a ray of hope shining through the storm. "But after that, no one saw him."
Determined to find Chase, Ava drew a circle on the map where Chase was last seen. "Okay, every area we search will make the zone smaller until we find him," she said with determination, like a commander leading her troops into battle.
"Ahh!"
Back inside the cell, Benson continued his sadistic torture, inflicting unimaginable pain on Chase's exposed flesh. The agony seemed never-ending, Benson pulled off Chase's last fingernail, exposing his bleeding flesh. "Did you know that adding glass sand to an open wound makes it infected?" Benson said his voice laced evilly.
"Stop! "Chase said feeling his finger pulsing in pain. Benson flicked the blood off his knife"Same as dirt it also makes your wound infected"
Benson bent down to scoop a handful of mixed glass sand and dirt from his bucket"Mixing it together can double the pain and infection" He said with a sadistic smile.
"Wait stop!"Chase shouted, as Benson get closer to him, knowing he can't struggle or the chain will burn away his hand he stayed still. "Ha, Ha!"
Benson started laughing like a maniac, dropping the mix of glass sand and dirt onto Chase's exposed finger flesh. Chase felt all the sand and dirt stuck to his flesh then started stinging his flesh like a constant stab of needles, feeling it in his blood"Ahh!" the sand slowly sank deeper into his flesh causing more pain, the sand felt like it eats away of his flesh, his flesh pulsing faster than before.
"Ahh!"
Benson turns to leave"Chase, let that sink in I will return, there will be a lot more coming", locking the door behind him, leaving Chase in agonizing pain.