Taking Back Fun Day

Ghoul frowned, his brow creasing as he became increasingly aware of the cold seeping into his bones. It was a deep, all pervasive chill that almost ached and it was waking him up. Drawing a hand up to his head, his frown deepened further as a grinding, throbbing headache made it difficult to concentrate. Finally able to open his eyes, Ghoul groaned softly as his eyes began to focus on the bars of the cage.

“Oh!” He croaked almost soundlessly. “Fan-fucking-tastic!”

Slowly, he pushed himself up until he was sitting, hunched but mostly upright on the bed. His eyes, that had at first been firmly fixed on the bars of the cage, now rested on the metal cuffs locked around his wrists. Staring with a mixture of disbelief and curiosity, he rested his elbows on his legs to examine them. There didn’t seem to be an obvious lock; they could only be electromagnetic and they weren’t cheap or even easy to build. Ghoul scowled; the other thing they were was impossible to pick. He wasn’t certain over their purpose but he couldn’t help but recall the circle of metal that had been locked around his neck at Hart’s museum. It had prevented him moving beyond a predefined perimeter and he wondered if perhaps they performed a similar function? But if so, why the cage? One thing he was sure of - they weren’t intended to be decorative.

Despite still feeling quite weak from the drug, Ghoul slowly got to his feet and took a minute to steady himself. Everything seemed to need to happen in slow motion and he felt that if he either tried to think or move quickly in any capacity, he would at the very least crash to the floor in a disoriented heap or at worst be violently sick. It seemed like all the worst aspects of a hangover but without any of the fun.

Looking around as he slowly recovered his senses, he saw that the cage, whilst quite large, stood near one end of an enormous room that made it seem tiny in comparison. From the brickwork walls, the cold, the dark and what appeared to be bottles of wine and possibly spirits on seemingly endless shelves beginning roughly mid way down the gigantic room, he surmised it to be a cellar. He also had to assume that there was light emanating from somewhere - a cellar with no windows ought to be pitch black and whilst he wasn’t certain he could see to the opposite end, he could definitely see his immediate surroundings. Looking around for a light source, Ghoul was surprised to finally realise that, far from there being individual lights, the entire ceiling was very dimly lit. If he had any doubts about where he might be, that revelation sealed it. The electromagnetic cuffs around his wrists, and now that he was standing he realised also his ankles, and the phenomenal expensive lighting could mean only one thing. He was once more locked up in Evelyn Hart’s museum.

“She’s persistent,” he muttered to himself, slowly rubbing his neck to work out some of the stiffness from having lain, he assumed from how he felt, for quite a long time.

Edging over to the bars, half expecting the cuffs to force him backwards, he was surprised to be able to approach. Raising his hand to inspect the mesh that lay between the bars, he yelped with shock and pain as he was thrown backwards by the force of the electric shock. Landing partly across the bed, he was grateful to be able to break his fall but furious at the extra, and wholly unnecessary, level of security holding him trapped in the cage.

“For fuck’s sake!” He shouted, both angry and frustrated, as he pushed himself to his feet once more.

Somewhere off in the corner of the room, slightly further than the available light offered a clear view, Ghoul could hear the slow approach of an elevator. The scraping sound of the metal gates being pushed back was swiftly followed by the soft pad of leather soled shoes on the stone floor that told Ghoul it was probably a man approaching. Turning his head and peering through the darkness to catch a glimpse of his captor, Ghoul’s heart sank when he saw Sorby’s face.

“Huh! I knew it would be you!” He growled gracelessly.

Sorby chuckled at the disgust in Ghoul’s tone as he headed for the wall-mounted grey box entering a four-digit code, he opened it quickly and shut off the electricity supply to the bars.
“I see you’ve discovered that the cage is electrified,” Sorby smirked as he returned to stand in front of the cage once more. “Move to the back wall,” he ordered.

Ghoul considered refusing but there was a chance that Sorby might open the cage and if so, standing against the wall wouldn’t give him the safety he seemed to think it would. Moving backwards until his back was against the wall, Ghoul continued talking, hoping perhaps to distract him.

“Are you familiar with the phrase ‘overkill’?” Ghoul asked, his voice heavy with sarcasm.
“You think I’ve taken too many precautions?” Sorby asked with a wry smile.
“Uh, yeah!” Ghoul’s eyes widened at what he viewed a ridiculous question. “A cage... no, an electrified cage, whatever these are,” he waved his hands to indicate the cuffs, “drugs. Who do you think I am? Harry Houdini?”
“Well, let me ask you this,” Sorby stepped closer to the bars. “How likely are you to escape?” He asked with a smug smile.

Ghoul’s jaw clenched tightly. There really was only one answer - he had no realistic chance of escape and they both knew it.

“Put your hands up,” Sorby ordered, waving his right hand sharply to indicate an upward motion.
“Really?” Ghoul raised an eyebrow.
“Really,” he replied in a flat tone. “I’m coming in, I want to see where your hands are.”

Ghoul tried not to show his elation at the statement; this could be his escape. Sorby seemed unarmed and whilst obviously, tall, broad and strong, Ghoul was a practised and accomplished fighter. If Sorby was underestimating him, it would be his last mistake. Fixing Sorby with a steely stare, Ghoul slowly raised his arms.

Sorby’s eyes met Ghoul’s and without breaking his stare, he reached into his jacket pocket and pressed a button on the small remote. He smirked cruelly as the button activated a powerful magnet fitted behind the wall against which Ghoul was standing. Immediately the cuffs at Ghoul’s wrists and ankles were pulled firmly back against the wall rendering him immobile.

“What the fuck!” Ghoul snapped, infuriated both by his situation and having his hopes of escape dashed so quickly and completely.

Initially refusing to give up on his chance to escape, Ghoul pulled frantically against the powerful force of the magnet. In a matter of less than a minute, Ghoul was once again exhausted, drained and forced to resign himself to the situation.

“What do you want?” He spat angrily, turning a sour and resentful expression back to Sorby.
“I have what I want,” Sorby offered a self-satisfied smile.

Opening the cage door, he stepped inside, moving closer until he was standing close to Ghoul. In Ghoul’s mind, he was too close. Feeling threatened, the hairs stood up on the back of his neck and he found himself pressing himself further back against the wall to try to regain some personal space. He didn’t like to admit it, even to himself, but Sorby’s proximity made him feel vulnerable and deeply uncomfortable. He wanted nothing more than to be able to move away and put some distance between them but he couldn’t. He had done all he could but Sorby had him pinned, there was nothing more he could do.

Ghoul’s mouth dried as he stared up at the man towering over him. Swallowing, he dug deep to push his fear aside and reclaim his anger.

“How clear do I need to be before she understands that I can never love her?” He snapped finally. “And there is no way she can make me!”
“I know that,” Sorby took another small step closer, delighting in the obvious discomfort in Ghoul’s eyes; he found it interesting and even amusing that it unnerved him so much. “What makes you think she even knows you’re here?”
“What...?” Ghoul’s eyes narrowed with confusion at the unexpected statement.

One final step closer and Ghoul’s eyes now widened in shock as Sorby grabbed a handful of his hair and planted his lips firmly, even roughly, on his. Clamping his teeth together in a tight grimace, Ghoul vocalised his fury with guttural screams emerging from deep within. Trying to pull away was impossible; the hold Sorby had on his hair combined with the violence of the kiss kept Ghoul exactly where he wanted him, leaving him no other option than to wait for it to end. Relieved when Sorby finally pulled away with a triumphant smirk on his face, Ghoul vented his rage and indignation at the violation with vehemence.

“You try and stick your tongue in my mouth again, Sorby and I’ll bite it off, you sick fuck!” Ghoul yelled, livid and still struggling to free himself.
“Sick?” Sorby chuckled. “I know you like men too, so how can you call me sick?”
“How?” Ghoul’s jaw dropped at the question. “Yeah, I like men, but never in my whole fucking life have I ever chained a guy up and forced myself on him! That’s what makes you sick!” Ghoul raged.
“Well,” Sorby smiled, “in that case, I won’t try to kiss you again.”

Ghoul frowned with uncertainty; the reply sounded fake, but it was what he wanted. He didn’t know what to believe or how to respond.

“You belong to Miss Hart now,” Sorby nodded. “I will have my own toy to play with soon enough.”
“What do you mean?” Ghoul’s brow creased further, uncertain if he wanted to hear the reply.
“Even as we speak, I’m certain your flame haired associate is plotting to rescue you. But don’t worry, he’s expected, and I have the perfect welcome arranged for him.”
“What? No!”

The terror in Ghoul’s eyes brought an unexpected laugh to Sorby’s lips. Party would know who had taken him purely from the elaborateness of his abduction. He would certainly be planning a rescue and would be expecting high levels of security and danger, but he wouldn’t be expecting a trap.

Still screaming threats and profanities as Sorby walked from the cage, Ghoul continued to struggle, infuriated further by Sorby’s laughter as he locked the door and reset the electric field,. Eventually as Sorby closed the elevator gates and headed several floors up, leaving the cellar in total and utter blackness, Ghoul sagged where he stood, still held in place by the powerful magnet.

“Stay safe, Party,” he whispered miserably. “Please, stay safe.”

*

There was a noise. He could definitely hear it. A short, urgent noise but he was struggling to react. Normally, he would be on his feet by now, but whatever was stopping his brain from functioning was not letting go of its hold in a hurry. He realised only now that he had yet to open his eyes, but that would have to come later, the pounding headache and the overbearing brightness of the room prevented him. He wondered where he could possibly be that the light was piercing and seemingly visible through his eyelids. Briefly he pondered the possibility that he was dead, but it seemed unlikely that even Hell could conjure a headache this bad. Another noise followed; more of a gruff, deep and insistent sound followed by what he recognised as laughter.

“Come on, Kobra.”

The sounds finally formed words.

“I can’t nursemaid you all day,” the gravelly voice spoke again. “I’ve got four of you to look after.”

Kobra half opened his eyes and allowed his head to roll to the right. Despite blurred vision, he could make out the shape of the man next to him.

“Doc?” He asked, his scratchy voice forcing its way through a parched throat.
“Yeah, Kid,” Dr Death Defying replied with a small sympathetic sigh. “How are you feeling?”
“What happened?” Kobra questioned, still disorientated.
“Good question,” the doctor raised an eyebrow. “We found the four of you out cold outside the diner when we got back from Happy Jack’s.”
“Four?” Kobra narrowed his eyes, confused - his memory of events still hazy.
“Ghoul’s not here,” he frowned in reply. “The car and the bike are still here. Do you know where he is?”

Kobra scoured his mind for memories from the night, finally remembering Party shouting that something was wrong, followed by a short firefight.

“Someone took him,” he finally managed.
“Someone?” Death Defying offered a puzzled stare in response. “Crows?”

He found himself shaking his head at the thought that they would take only Ghoul leaving the others unconscious in the sand.

“I don’t know who,” Kobra frowned, struggling to concentrate.
“Well, who was in the car that’s now scattered all over the desert? Not...” Death Defying stopped speaking with a gasp, having had a sudden terrifying thought that perhaps Ghoul had been killed in the explosion.
“Helicopter,” Kobra replied, closing his eyes against the hammering inside his head.
“No helicopter, Kid, definitely a car.”
“No,” he sighed at the effort of having to explain. “They took Ghoul in a helicopter. I don’t know about an explosion.”
“They must have got you before it happened,” the doctor nodded. “Hit you and Red with tranq darts. Pretty strong stuff too.”
“Red?” Kobra opened his eyes again. “Is she okay? And Party... and Jet?”

Kobra seemed visibly shaken as he thought of his brother and friends, desperate for good news.

“Red’s fine but she hasn’t woken yet. Party’s awake, but he doesn’t remember anything about what happened. I think he’s been shaken up by the explosion; I expect he’ll remember soon.”
“Jet?” Kobra asked again.
“He must have been caught in the blast too, but he landed badly. His right shoulder and arm is pretty badly bruised. It doesn’t seem to be broken, but without an X-ray I won’t know for sure until he’s woken up. Which reminds me, do any of you have a tuning fork?”

Kobra frowned; the question seemed so out of place.

“Why?” He asked, his brow furrowed as he considered the question.
“Well, believe it or not, I can use a tuning fork to test for fractures. It’s an old trick we used a lot in the war, there’re no X-ray machines out in the field either.”

Dr Death Defying smiled as Kobra offered a surprised but equally impressed expression.

“Pretty sure Jet’s got one,” he replied with a nod, realising he was starting to feel much less disorientated.
“Great, I’ll check with him when he wakes. Take it easy, Kid. Don’t get up until you’re feeling okay, I don’t need to hear you’ve collapsed or anything. Pony and I have got it covered. You’ll all be fine, don’t worry.”
“But Ghoul...” Kobra began as he tried to push himself up, only to find two strong hands pushing him back.
“... will have to wait until you’re all fit to move. You’re no good to him like that.”

Kobra hated to hear it, but accepting it felt worse. Death Defying was right, but it didn’t mean he had to like it.

Notes

Hello lovely readers!

I hope you enjoyed this one. Poor Ghoul - well, poor everyone but especially Ghoul because he’s so beautiful (yes, they all are, I know! :D)

This and Before They Were Fabulous probably won’t get updated quite as regularly as I’d like because I go back to uni on Friday, but I’ll try to update at least one, once per week. I hope that’s okay.

Thanks for reading!!
Sas xx