4 Months Earlier
The Red Theatre was the newest point of interest in the Hoenn region. A new landmark for the locals to boast about, as if they themselves had a hand in its construction. It went without saying that this theatre had been a magnet for tourists and local vacationers alike.
Tonight was Raul’s birthday. The graying overweight man had been treated by his friends to a show at the infamous theatre. Not just any show, but a show that contained a certain girl that he was quite interested in.
Raul opened the pamphlet to look at the pictures inside for what had to have been the third time that night. His eyes fixated on one photo in particular. A photo of a young dancer with tan skin and blue eyes that, Raul liked to imagine, were staring directly at him. He ran his thumb over the photo as if to show a sick display of power over her image.
“Don’t worry, Raul.”
The accented voice snapped the large man out of his daze and made him look nervously over to his friend, a light-skinned young adult named Josue. He flashed the kind of smile one would see on a child boasting to his friends about vandalism he’d committed.
“It is your forty-fifth birthday, so I made sure you get everything you want after the show.” Josue chuckled and jabbed his elbow into Raul’s side. “Call it ‘backstage passes’.”
Raul felt his heart skip a beat. The twinge of excitement in his chest forced his lips to curl into a smile. “You know me all too well. I am glad to not only call you my friend, but a brother.”
“Likewise.” The light-skinned man nodded to his friend. “Hey, I’m going to get us some drinks. Did you want anything?”
“Just water for me. I need to hydrate myself for later, if you catch my drift.”
Josue stared blankly for a moment before nodding and patting Raul firmly on the shoulder. “I don’t, but I’ll get you a water anyway.”
Josue left for the beverages. Raul, on the other hand, glued his eyes to the stage. He waited for the woman whom had been the focal point of his thoughts. Dancing. For his entertainment.
___________________________
The only light that Diana could see was whatever got filtered through the cloth bag that had been placed over her head. Her arms felt sore, and her wrists burned from how tight the ropes binded them together. On top of this, her kneecaps became progressively achy as the stationary weight of her body felt like it was getting heavier and heavier.
She’d been like this for nearly an hour.
Every so often the girl would hear voices. Deep voices of men asking about who she was. Never were the questions posed to her, however. They were always discussed as though she were but an object in the room that couldn’t comprehend human speech.
Diana felt her throat become dry from the strip of mesh they’d used to gag her in order to keep her quiet. She wouldn’t have screamed regardless, but assumed reasoning with these people for a minor comfort wasn’t an option.
The door to the empty room had opened with a loud creaking noise. Wherever the dancer was being kept, she could tell the place was old and rundown. This meant they were likely somewhere that was rented out for illegitimate business practices. Practices, perhaps, like the one Diana was to be a part of.
The dancer hoped that she was their first victim. For she knew that she would be their last.
“Where is he?” A gravely voice barked, “I thought you told Raul to be here. If he doesn’t get this done soon, this girl’s family is going to come looking for her. They’ll inform the authorities of her disappearance, and we’ll have to answer a lot more questions.”
Josue showed his palms. “Don’t be upset with me. Raul went into the bathroom and hasn’t come back yet. You know how the man is, he digests food faster than he eats it! Besides, this girl is supposedly a trainer, so she has no real family to look after her.”
“Well he better hurry or-”
The door creaked open again. The sound of leather dress shoes sizzled against the dirty concrete as the overweight man stepped into the room without properly lifting his feet. A pet peeve of Diana’s.
His mouth hung open as he wiped his forehead with a piece of cloth he kept in his pants pocket.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, gentlemen.”
Josue laughed softly and grinned, “don’t apologize to us.” He motioned towards the bound and gagged girl who had been perfectly still whilst on her knees. “Apologize to her.”
Raul looked at the girl and frowned. He shot an angry glance over to the two other men. “What is this? Why have you done this?”
Josue was caught speechless.
“How could you have done such a thing? Did your mothers drop you when you were but children?”
Raul walked over to Diana and removed the bag that covered her head. The sudden exposure to light caused her to squint as her eyes adjusted. Once everything cleared up, she could now get a bearing of her surroundings.
This wasn’t a normal room in a house. The walls, floor and even ceiling were made of concrete. This indicated that they were underground. Perhaps in a bunker or some sort of fallout shelter.
“A beauty like hers isn’t something that you hide from the world. Especially from my eyes.”
“We didn’t want her to identify you,” Josue argued, “now that she’s seen your face, she can tell others what you look like.”
“I don’t care,” Raul retorted. His eyes turned to gaze upon Diana once more. “Diana Roxwell...it is truly a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I’m quite the fan of your dancing.” He reached his hands behind her head and untied the cloth that was gagging her.
Diana caught her breath and she looked down for a moment before turning her blue eyes back upward. She stared at him briefly before answering him. “I’m glad you enjoyed my performance. I’m afraid this goes beyond being a fan, though. I don’t suppose you’ve kidnapped me just to get my autograph.”
“I suppose that’s one way of looking at it,” Raul laughed and tapped the side of his head, “always the quick thinker. I enjoy that. Your remarks are as smooth as your dancing.”
“Thank you. Now, before you continue whatever it is you’re doing, I must provide you with an option.”
“And what option is that, my dear?”
“Fast, or slow?”
“Darling, are you asking what I think you’re asking?”
Diana shook her head as her once amused face turned to stone. “It is a simple question. When I break out of here and release you from whatever ties you have on this earth, would you prefer it to be fast or slow?”
As if in clear defiance of her, he stared into her eyes with a wide grin. “Slow. I prefer to take my time with things, as I’m sure you will soon find.”
Josue clapped his hands and laughed as if to break up the tension in the room. “You know, Raul, I think she’s going to be feisty. She might be too young for a geezer like you. How old is she anyway? Eighteen?”
“She just had her seventeenth birthday two months ago.” Raul remarked. He turned and faced Josue the smile still plastered onto his face. “Any port in a storm, am I right?”
“Very true.” Josue chuckled once more. It was the last time he would feel any kind of laughter.
The Red Theatre was the newest point of interest in the Hoenn region. A new landmark for the locals to boast about, as if they themselves had a hand in its construction. It went without saying that this theatre had been a magnet for tourists and local vacationers alike.
Tonight was Raul’s birthday. The graying overweight man had been treated by his friends to a show at the infamous theatre. Not just any show, but a show that contained a certain girl that he was quite interested in.
Raul opened the pamphlet to look at the pictures inside for what had to have been the third time that night. His eyes fixated on one photo in particular. A photo of a young dancer with tan skin and blue eyes that, Raul liked to imagine, were staring directly at him. He ran his thumb over the photo as if to show a sick display of power over her image.
“Don’t worry, Raul.”
The accented voice snapped the large man out of his daze and made him look nervously over to his friend, a light-skinned young adult named Josue. He flashed the kind of smile one would see on a child boasting to his friends about vandalism he’d committed.
“It is your forty-fifth birthday, so I made sure you get everything you want after the show.” Josue chuckled and jabbed his elbow into Raul’s side. “Call it ‘backstage passes’.”
Raul felt his heart skip a beat. The twinge of excitement in his chest forced his lips to curl into a smile. “You know me all too well. I am glad to not only call you my friend, but a brother.”
“Likewise.” The light-skinned man nodded to his friend. “Hey, I’m going to get us some drinks. Did you want anything?”
“Just water for me. I need to hydrate myself for later, if you catch my drift.”
Josue stared blankly for a moment before nodding and patting Raul firmly on the shoulder. “I don’t, but I’ll get you a water anyway.”
Josue left for the beverages. Raul, on the other hand, glued his eyes to the stage. He waited for the woman whom had been the focal point of his thoughts. Dancing. For his entertainment.
___________________________
The only light that Diana could see was whatever got filtered through the cloth bag that had been placed over her head. Her arms felt sore, and her wrists burned from how tight the ropes binded them together. On top of this, her kneecaps became progressively achy as the stationary weight of her body felt like it was getting heavier and heavier.
She’d been like this for nearly an hour.
Every so often the girl would hear voices. Deep voices of men asking about who she was. Never were the questions posed to her, however. They were always discussed as though she were but an object in the room that couldn’t comprehend human speech.
Diana felt her throat become dry from the strip of mesh they’d used to gag her in order to keep her quiet. She wouldn’t have screamed regardless, but assumed reasoning with these people for a minor comfort wasn’t an option.
The door to the empty room had opened with a loud creaking noise. Wherever the dancer was being kept, she could tell the place was old and rundown. This meant they were likely somewhere that was rented out for illegitimate business practices. Practices, perhaps, like the one Diana was to be a part of.
The dancer hoped that she was their first victim. For she knew that she would be their last.
“Where is he?” A gravely voice barked, “I thought you told Raul to be here. If he doesn’t get this done soon, this girl’s family is going to come looking for her. They’ll inform the authorities of her disappearance, and we’ll have to answer a lot more questions.”
Josue showed his palms. “Don’t be upset with me. Raul went into the bathroom and hasn’t come back yet. You know how the man is, he digests food faster than he eats it! Besides, this girl is supposedly a trainer, so she has no real family to look after her.”
“Well he better hurry or-”
The door creaked open again. The sound of leather dress shoes sizzled against the dirty concrete as the overweight man stepped into the room without properly lifting his feet. A pet peeve of Diana’s.
His mouth hung open as he wiped his forehead with a piece of cloth he kept in his pants pocket.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, gentlemen.”
Josue laughed softly and grinned, “don’t apologize to us.” He motioned towards the bound and gagged girl who had been perfectly still whilst on her knees. “Apologize to her.”
Raul looked at the girl and frowned. He shot an angry glance over to the two other men. “What is this? Why have you done this?”
Josue was caught speechless.
“How could you have done such a thing? Did your mothers drop you when you were but children?”
Raul walked over to Diana and removed the bag that covered her head. The sudden exposure to light caused her to squint as her eyes adjusted. Once everything cleared up, she could now get a bearing of her surroundings.
This wasn’t a normal room in a house. The walls, floor and even ceiling were made of concrete. This indicated that they were underground. Perhaps in a bunker or some sort of fallout shelter.
“A beauty like hers isn’t something that you hide from the world. Especially from my eyes.”
“We didn’t want her to identify you,” Josue argued, “now that she’s seen your face, she can tell others what you look like.”
“I don’t care,” Raul retorted. His eyes turned to gaze upon Diana once more. “Diana Roxwell...it is truly a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I’m quite the fan of your dancing.” He reached his hands behind her head and untied the cloth that was gagging her.
Diana caught her breath and she looked down for a moment before turning her blue eyes back upward. She stared at him briefly before answering him. “I’m glad you enjoyed my performance. I’m afraid this goes beyond being a fan, though. I don’t suppose you’ve kidnapped me just to get my autograph.”
“I suppose that’s one way of looking at it,” Raul laughed and tapped the side of his head, “always the quick thinker. I enjoy that. Your remarks are as smooth as your dancing.”
“Thank you. Now, before you continue whatever it is you’re doing, I must provide you with an option.”
“And what option is that, my dear?”
“Fast, or slow?”
“Darling, are you asking what I think you’re asking?”
Diana shook her head as her once amused face turned to stone. “It is a simple question. When I break out of here and release you from whatever ties you have on this earth, would you prefer it to be fast or slow?”
As if in clear defiance of her, he stared into her eyes with a wide grin. “Slow. I prefer to take my time with things, as I’m sure you will soon find.”
Josue clapped his hands and laughed as if to break up the tension in the room. “You know, Raul, I think she’s going to be feisty. She might be too young for a geezer like you. How old is she anyway? Eighteen?”
“She just had her seventeenth birthday two months ago.” Raul remarked. He turned and faced Josue the smile still plastered onto his face. “Any port in a storm, am I right?”
“Very true.” Josue chuckled once more. It was the last time he would feel any kind of laughter.