Tightrope: Part 3 [Final]
The userpic is Dishonored because that's how I feel when posting the final chapter of this fic.
I jest.
Part 3
“…Miss Grayson. Are you okay? Miss Grayson!”
It took me a few moments to gather the energy to open my eyes. When I did, I found myself staring into a bloated purple face of a man. Kobayashi. There was an air of concern to his expression, though how genuine it was I couldn't quite work out. I groaned as my surroundings melded into view. I'd been placed in rotatingleather chair. In front of me sat a desk with pencils organised into pots according to their colours, and a large convex window made up the entire opposite wall, providing a gateway to the night sky outside. I recognised the room immediately. After all, I'd stolen a key from this place. Kobayashi's office.
After making sure I was conscious again, Kobayashi straightened up and walked to the middle of the room. A large leather armchair waited, complete with an ashtray on its arm. Bulky and blundering, he lowered himself into it and exhaled noisily.
“What happened?” he said. “You were collapsed in the middle of the corridor outside. I came running because I heard something. Did you get lost?”
I could tell he was trying to sound caring, though there was an underlying irritation in his words. He looked at me expectantly, waiting for a reply that I couldn't give. What had happened? My mind glossed over the memories, trying to work out which bits were real. The cage, the man, the white room. Could I really have imagined something so vivid? And then waking up in the corridor…
How much did Kobayashi already know?
I studied his expression for any hint of anger, but there was nothing. In fact, he looked more concerned. My boss was no idiot. Could he really have overlooked something like this?
Seeing my expression, he frowned. “Is something wrong, Miss Grayson? Do you want to lie down?”
I shook my head. My eyes remained fixed on the floor in front of me, so it was a surprise when I heard the chair creak as Kobayashi stood. I looked up to see him stood over me. Though his expression was shadowed, I could tell something had changed. He seemed more dangerous all of a sudden. My mind raced, though I remained still.
“Tell me, Miss Grayson. How does one manage to get lost in the corridor at such an hour?”
“I was looking for the bathroom,” I mumbled.
“Oh, really? The en-suite bathroom that leads off your room?”
Before I could answer, Kobayashi had leaned in close, so close I could smell his seedy aftershave. “You're a lying bitch.”
I stared at him, shocked - more so at the fact the line was in English than the words themselves. “I'm sorry?”
“Forgive me if my pronounciation is a little off.” He'd reverted back to Japanese now. “I don't tend to employ dishonest workers - especially not those who lie through their teeth. So you can start by telling me where it's gone.”
“I don't know what you-”
Kobayashi's meaty fist came down on the arm of the chair, shaking the whole thing. I could feel my heart in my throat. My eyes travelled to the window, then the door in front of me. I wanted to move away, to run from this room - this whole building - but my body was frozen. I couldn't move.
“Don't play that game with me, Miss Grayson. Do you think I don't know what you've done?” He took a step forward. “You have betrayed this company. Your days here are-”
Kobayashi was cut off as something closed around his neck from behind. His arms shot up and tried to grab at whatever it was holding him, but he was too slow: like an overbalanced building, his legs crumpled beneath him and he came crashing down upon his back.
Behind him stood a dark figure that I recognised immediately. The man. Instead of reeling back in fear though, as I knew I should, I felt a strange sense of relief. He hadn't noticed me yet. At that monent, his full attention was on Kobayashi.
Slowly, the man reached down, seized hold of Kobayashi's collar and pulled him up - a commendable effort, given the size difference. He held him there for a moment, before the bald man whipped out a hand and struck him across the face. The man retracted his grip. Kobayashi tore himself free.
Yet it seemed Kobayashi's freedom was more short-lived than he'd have liked it be: within seconds, the man was at him again, attacking every part of his body he could reach. A well-timed kick sent Kobayashi toppling back towards his desk, and another into the wall. He barely had a second to recover before the man had taken a hold of his collar again and was pressing him back-first against it.
The look on Kobayashi’s face was beyond terror. It was as though he were looking upon death itself. The black-haired man stood before him, teeth bared in animslistic hatred. Because now there were no restraints, no bars to separate the two beings from one another. Kobayashi was utterly defenceless.
Which was why I was so shocked when his expression twisted into a smirk.
“Come, now,” he chuckled lightly. “You don’t honestly think you’ll survive without me, do you? Where will you go?”
The man’s fingers tightened around his throat, though Kobayashi did nothing in response. By now, most traces of fear had ebbed away from his face, only to be replaced with an amused and subtle confidence.
And that was when I saw it. The shape of the eyes, the ears, the composition of the faces... At first, I completely rejected the idea, yet the more I stared, the more similarities I began to pick out between the two men. Perhaps it was because it was the first time I had seen them directly together, or maybe the obvious differences between one another had prevented me from realising, but it all seemed so obvious now. The traits, like those of two relatives.
Almost like father and son.
A low growl ripped from the man's chest, but Kobayashi appeared to have caught a hold of himself by now. In one powerful movement, he launched himself from the wall, freeing himself from the other's grip. His fingers wound in the man's hair and pulled him backwards. The man hissed, clawing at his captor, though it was no use: within seconds, Kobayashi’s thick arm was wound around him, crushing his throat against his chest.
“No!” Finally breaking my ice, I stood up; yet no sooner had I taken a step, I froze. I heard the sickening crack before I saw it, watched helplessly as the man's body tensed, then fell limp in the other’s arms. Silence. Slowly, Kobayashi relinquished his grip; and the man, like a paper doll, slid to the ground in a heap.
I stood, horrified, unable to do anything but stare at the scene in front of me. I felt numb. Kobayashi, at least seemed satisfied. Beneath the beads of sweat on his forehead, his expression was one of triumph.
Then he turned to me.
“You…” The ground seemed to shake as he thundered towards me. I wanted to move - wanted to run away as fast as my legs would allow - but my body was rooted to the spot. And all the while, I felt myself unable to tear my eyes away from the man's body. It was as if I had entered some kind of morbid trance.
I found my voice at last when Kobayashi’s fingers wound in my hair and dragged me back towards the doorway. It surprised me that no-one came running in from another area of the building at my frantic screams, but then I remembered - there was no-one else. No-one but Kobayashi.
The moment I hit the floor, the man descended upon me. I kicked out with all my force, clawing and scratching, but it was no use - Kobayashi was just too strong. His hand clamped over my mouth to silence me and his knee dug into my stomach, holding me in place. His other hand began to pry at the material over my breast.
“Don’t even think about moving, you filthy bitch,” he hissed.
I clasped my eyes shut. There was no point in trying to fight back any more; and even if I somehow did manage to escape, what then? Kobayashi probably had the whole building locked up for the night. I was trapped. No-one was going to save me.
Kobayashi’s breath was hot against my face, when all of a sudden, a low growling filled the room. At first, I thought it was coming from the man himself, though he appeared to be hear it as well, pausing to raise his head and glance over his shoulder. What he saw made his whole body go rigid. I took the opportunity to slip out from underneath him and push myself backwards, panting, into the nearest wall.
Then I froze.
The black-haired man was gone, though something stood in his place - something large and black whose eyes glowed like two blood-red candles in the darkness. For a moment, I stared at it, too terrified to move. Only when my eyes adjust did I realise it was a dog.
The creature regarded me for several seconds before turning its eyes to my boss. Apparently, fear had engulfed Kobyashi. A low whimper escaped his mouth as he edged his way backwards.
Yet no sooner had he travelled a foot, the animal leaped at him. Kobayashi's hands flew up to protect his face, but the dog was already there, tearing at his flesh with snarling jaws. Blindly, Kobayashi struggled, but this time, size gave in to agility, and the creature soon had dominance. Within seconds, its jaws were either side of his neck.
The sound of something soft colliding with the ground and a low, animalistic snarling were the last things I heard before the light faded and I blacked out.
*
Darkness.
As I lay, I felt myself muse at black, as though every trace of light had been sucked from view. Yet at the same time, the smallest slither of light, a thin scattering that prevented my surroundings from falling completely into nothingness.
I opened my eyes. Pain shot through my head at once, making me wince. I raised one hand to press at my forehead, and found that I was lying down somewhere. For a moment, I wondered what could have possibly happened. Then I remembered. Kobayashi, the man, the dog... The memories hit me with the force of a brick wall.
I shot upright and pulled myself to my feet. My boss' study stood before me, though it looked as if a small cyclone had found its way into the room: papers littered the floor around the desk, and drawers were broken, scattered over the ground. To the right, a wooden chair lay upturned on its side.
When I turned to the left, I was met with a shock.
A single padded chair sat in the centre of the room, and resting between its arms was a figure. Long black hair twisted its way across pale skin and black clothes, framing the lone dark eye that cut a fine line towards me through the air.
I should have been scared, but instead I felt drawn to him. Slowly, I made my way across the room, only pausing to step over a second figure at his feet. Kobayashi lay on his front, unmoving, like a log. With just a single glance, I could tell he wasn't breathing.
Carefully, I knelt down beside the chair. The man's eye fell on me, hard and narrowed, before looking away. All was still for a while. All was quiet.
Outside, the first rays of morning were just beginning to spill over the horizon. They trickled through the window behind me, casting long, deep shadows across the floorboards.
Dawn, at last.
[Author's Note]
Well, this has been a weird trip. A story that I promised I would never touch again has now been edited and posted on the Internet. Please don't judge too much from this work: it is very old and very cringey, especially when I consider how much my writing has evolved since (well, at least I hope it has). Anyway, thank you so much to those who have been following. Your comments mean a lot to me. I'll be posting some more in the future, so keep in touch!
-VoRTeX
I jest.
Part 3
“…Miss Grayson. Are you okay? Miss Grayson!”
It took me a few moments to gather the energy to open my eyes. When I did, I found myself staring into a bloated purple face of a man. Kobayashi. There was an air of concern to his expression, though how genuine it was I couldn't quite work out. I groaned as my surroundings melded into view. I'd been placed in rotatingleather chair. In front of me sat a desk with pencils organised into pots according to their colours, and a large convex window made up the entire opposite wall, providing a gateway to the night sky outside. I recognised the room immediately. After all, I'd stolen a key from this place. Kobayashi's office.
After making sure I was conscious again, Kobayashi straightened up and walked to the middle of the room. A large leather armchair waited, complete with an ashtray on its arm. Bulky and blundering, he lowered himself into it and exhaled noisily.
“What happened?” he said. “You were collapsed in the middle of the corridor outside. I came running because I heard something. Did you get lost?”
I could tell he was trying to sound caring, though there was an underlying irritation in his words. He looked at me expectantly, waiting for a reply that I couldn't give. What had happened? My mind glossed over the memories, trying to work out which bits were real. The cage, the man, the white room. Could I really have imagined something so vivid? And then waking up in the corridor…
How much did Kobayashi already know?
I studied his expression for any hint of anger, but there was nothing. In fact, he looked more concerned. My boss was no idiot. Could he really have overlooked something like this?
Seeing my expression, he frowned. “Is something wrong, Miss Grayson? Do you want to lie down?”
I shook my head. My eyes remained fixed on the floor in front of me, so it was a surprise when I heard the chair creak as Kobayashi stood. I looked up to see him stood over me. Though his expression was shadowed, I could tell something had changed. He seemed more dangerous all of a sudden. My mind raced, though I remained still.
“Tell me, Miss Grayson. How does one manage to get lost in the corridor at such an hour?”
“I was looking for the bathroom,” I mumbled.
“Oh, really? The en-suite bathroom that leads off your room?”
Before I could answer, Kobayashi had leaned in close, so close I could smell his seedy aftershave. “You're a lying bitch.”
I stared at him, shocked - more so at the fact the line was in English than the words themselves. “I'm sorry?”
“Forgive me if my pronounciation is a little off.” He'd reverted back to Japanese now. “I don't tend to employ dishonest workers - especially not those who lie through their teeth. So you can start by telling me where it's gone.”
“I don't know what you-”
Kobayashi's meaty fist came down on the arm of the chair, shaking the whole thing. I could feel my heart in my throat. My eyes travelled to the window, then the door in front of me. I wanted to move away, to run from this room - this whole building - but my body was frozen. I couldn't move.
“Don't play that game with me, Miss Grayson. Do you think I don't know what you've done?” He took a step forward. “You have betrayed this company. Your days here are-”
Kobayashi was cut off as something closed around his neck from behind. His arms shot up and tried to grab at whatever it was holding him, but he was too slow: like an overbalanced building, his legs crumpled beneath him and he came crashing down upon his back.
Behind him stood a dark figure that I recognised immediately. The man. Instead of reeling back in fear though, as I knew I should, I felt a strange sense of relief. He hadn't noticed me yet. At that monent, his full attention was on Kobayashi.
Slowly, the man reached down, seized hold of Kobayashi's collar and pulled him up - a commendable effort, given the size difference. He held him there for a moment, before the bald man whipped out a hand and struck him across the face. The man retracted his grip. Kobayashi tore himself free.
Yet it seemed Kobayashi's freedom was more short-lived than he'd have liked it be: within seconds, the man was at him again, attacking every part of his body he could reach. A well-timed kick sent Kobayashi toppling back towards his desk, and another into the wall. He barely had a second to recover before the man had taken a hold of his collar again and was pressing him back-first against it.
The look on Kobayashi’s face was beyond terror. It was as though he were looking upon death itself. The black-haired man stood before him, teeth bared in animslistic hatred. Because now there were no restraints, no bars to separate the two beings from one another. Kobayashi was utterly defenceless.
Which was why I was so shocked when his expression twisted into a smirk.
“Come, now,” he chuckled lightly. “You don’t honestly think you’ll survive without me, do you? Where will you go?”
The man’s fingers tightened around his throat, though Kobayashi did nothing in response. By now, most traces of fear had ebbed away from his face, only to be replaced with an amused and subtle confidence.
And that was when I saw it. The shape of the eyes, the ears, the composition of the faces... At first, I completely rejected the idea, yet the more I stared, the more similarities I began to pick out between the two men. Perhaps it was because it was the first time I had seen them directly together, or maybe the obvious differences between one another had prevented me from realising, but it all seemed so obvious now. The traits, like those of two relatives.
Almost like father and son.
A low growl ripped from the man's chest, but Kobayashi appeared to have caught a hold of himself by now. In one powerful movement, he launched himself from the wall, freeing himself from the other's grip. His fingers wound in the man's hair and pulled him backwards. The man hissed, clawing at his captor, though it was no use: within seconds, Kobayashi’s thick arm was wound around him, crushing his throat against his chest.
“No!” Finally breaking my ice, I stood up; yet no sooner had I taken a step, I froze. I heard the sickening crack before I saw it, watched helplessly as the man's body tensed, then fell limp in the other’s arms. Silence. Slowly, Kobayashi relinquished his grip; and the man, like a paper doll, slid to the ground in a heap.
I stood, horrified, unable to do anything but stare at the scene in front of me. I felt numb. Kobayashi, at least seemed satisfied. Beneath the beads of sweat on his forehead, his expression was one of triumph.
Then he turned to me.
“You…” The ground seemed to shake as he thundered towards me. I wanted to move - wanted to run away as fast as my legs would allow - but my body was rooted to the spot. And all the while, I felt myself unable to tear my eyes away from the man's body. It was as if I had entered some kind of morbid trance.
I found my voice at last when Kobayashi’s fingers wound in my hair and dragged me back towards the doorway. It surprised me that no-one came running in from another area of the building at my frantic screams, but then I remembered - there was no-one else. No-one but Kobayashi.
The moment I hit the floor, the man descended upon me. I kicked out with all my force, clawing and scratching, but it was no use - Kobayashi was just too strong. His hand clamped over my mouth to silence me and his knee dug into my stomach, holding me in place. His other hand began to pry at the material over my breast.
“Don’t even think about moving, you filthy bitch,” he hissed.
I clasped my eyes shut. There was no point in trying to fight back any more; and even if I somehow did manage to escape, what then? Kobayashi probably had the whole building locked up for the night. I was trapped. No-one was going to save me.
Kobayashi’s breath was hot against my face, when all of a sudden, a low growling filled the room. At first, I thought it was coming from the man himself, though he appeared to be hear it as well, pausing to raise his head and glance over his shoulder. What he saw made his whole body go rigid. I took the opportunity to slip out from underneath him and push myself backwards, panting, into the nearest wall.
Then I froze.
The black-haired man was gone, though something stood in his place - something large and black whose eyes glowed like two blood-red candles in the darkness. For a moment, I stared at it, too terrified to move. Only when my eyes adjust did I realise it was a dog.
The creature regarded me for several seconds before turning its eyes to my boss. Apparently, fear had engulfed Kobyashi. A low whimper escaped his mouth as he edged his way backwards.
Yet no sooner had he travelled a foot, the animal leaped at him. Kobayashi's hands flew up to protect his face, but the dog was already there, tearing at his flesh with snarling jaws. Blindly, Kobayashi struggled, but this time, size gave in to agility, and the creature soon had dominance. Within seconds, its jaws were either side of his neck.
The sound of something soft colliding with the ground and a low, animalistic snarling were the last things I heard before the light faded and I blacked out.
*
Darkness.
As I lay, I felt myself muse at black, as though every trace of light had been sucked from view. Yet at the same time, the smallest slither of light, a thin scattering that prevented my surroundings from falling completely into nothingness.
I opened my eyes. Pain shot through my head at once, making me wince. I raised one hand to press at my forehead, and found that I was lying down somewhere. For a moment, I wondered what could have possibly happened. Then I remembered. Kobayashi, the man, the dog... The memories hit me with the force of a brick wall.
I shot upright and pulled myself to my feet. My boss' study stood before me, though it looked as if a small cyclone had found its way into the room: papers littered the floor around the desk, and drawers were broken, scattered over the ground. To the right, a wooden chair lay upturned on its side.
When I turned to the left, I was met with a shock.
A single padded chair sat in the centre of the room, and resting between its arms was a figure. Long black hair twisted its way across pale skin and black clothes, framing the lone dark eye that cut a fine line towards me through the air.
I should have been scared, but instead I felt drawn to him. Slowly, I made my way across the room, only pausing to step over a second figure at his feet. Kobayashi lay on his front, unmoving, like a log. With just a single glance, I could tell he wasn't breathing.
Carefully, I knelt down beside the chair. The man's eye fell on me, hard and narrowed, before looking away. All was still for a while. All was quiet.
Outside, the first rays of morning were just beginning to spill over the horizon. They trickled through the window behind me, casting long, deep shadows across the floorboards.
Dawn, at last.
[Author's Note]
Well, this has been a weird trip. A story that I promised I would never touch again has now been edited and posted on the Internet. Please don't judge too much from this work: it is very old and very cringey, especially when I consider how much my writing has evolved since (well, at least I hope it has). Anyway, thank you so much to those who have been following. Your comments mean a lot to me. I'll be posting some more in the future, so keep in touch!
-VoRTeX