Chapter 1: Thursday, 6:24 PM

David King sat behind a stone wall inside Taksidian's house. He had screamed for help many times, but nobody had heard him. If they did, they didn't bother to help him. Everywhere he felt had no escape and he was scared to death. Not knowing where he was in this torture chamber was killing him inside.

I've got to think…what would Xander do in my situation? Where is he anyway? David thought.

Xander was probably gone by now. David didn't know what happened to him after he ran away to hide in the pantry, but ended up being transported down, far down, inside a small stone room, or he had just dropped without feeling the pain. It wasn't even a room; more like a suffocation device. He was losing his ability to breathe. Not fast enough to die. It was probably just because he was upset and wanted blubber like a baby. What made David really scared was that he couldn't hear anything. Not Xander, Taksidian. Nothing.

Please God…I need help…please send it for me… David pleaded, letting new tears cloud his vision and spill down his cheeks. He didn't bother to wipe them away. Why hide them from God? He was the only one who could see them right now.

…..

"David, please be gone…" Xander said to himself, taking hold of a windowsill and dropping down below onto the grass outside of Taksidian's house. Xander looked around the property for any sign of David and decided to leave. He just prayed that he was out of there and gone already.

…..

David had lost track of the time, but it felt like he was sitting against the wall for hours. Even if it wasn't hours, David felt like he was going to throw up. Sitting on skeletons didn't exactly help either. He wanted to upchuck from the skeletons and the thought of never escaping to a nice warm bed and the comfort of his family's hugs ever again. He just hoped Xander had gotten away from Taksidian.

Just when he had lost hope, he saw a light from above him. He slowly looked up and saw the pantry door open. His stomach churned when he saw a man looking below. The man jumped down and crunched down on the old bones with his large boots. He turned around and snickered when he saw David. It was Taksidian. He had found him.

"It was pretty easy to find you. All I had to do was look in the kitchen because that was where you had run to. I drop my human bones down here when I'm done with my prey. Before that, I take a finger or a small part from them for a human statue though, which is what I'm going to do to you when I bring you back up." He explained. He stopped for a moment before grabbing David for the ride up with the rope dangling down.

"I'll bring you back up and make your death nice and fast. Unless you want to stay down here and die a slow death. That's fun for me too," he said. He didn't bother letting David answer. He swung his arm around David torso and dragged him up the rope with him and set him down on the kitchen floor when he reached the top.

David attempted to get up but before he could escape, Taksidian had pulled out a dagger and pierced David's leg. David let out a screeching howl of pain and groaned. Taksidian laughed and pulled his dagger out, wiping the blood off onto David's shirt. He then took David by the back of his shirt and pulled him into the living room, throwing him onto the floor next his hideous human statue.

"So…what part should I add to my statue? Which would you prefer?" he asked. David held his leg in agony and cried some more. Taksidian kicked David's back, throwing impact into David's broken arm. His whole body burned and ached. When would Taksidian let the pain end already?

I'd rather be stabbed in the heart than be beaten, David thought.

Taksidian bent down beside his hostage and took hold of his chin, raising his head to look him in the eyes.

"I can kill you right now if you want, but I'm giving you a choice. You can sit here and be tortured like the rest of my victims, or you can convince Xander to come back here to save you and I'll spare you for him. Which one will it be?" he asked.

There was no way David was going to save himself by phoning Xander and getting him to return to Taksidian's house. Besides, Dad would be coming back soon. If Xander came back, he wouldn't be alone. David could hold on a little longer, only if Taksidian didn't go too far.

Taksidian wouldn't go as far to kill a kid like me, would he?

To Be Continued…