Heroes to Hunted

Waking up in a frigid, damp stone room, a dazed Agawa shook herself from drowsiness.

'W-Where am I? What happened? One moment, I was dancing, and then… Ugh, I can't remember!' I shuffled restlessly from the frigid stone floor to my feet.

"Sato! Hello!? Anyone!?" I called out to the darkness, only to be met with the dead of silence.

My head spun. It was like the inside was trying to burst forth from my skull. My eyes were impaired too. I had to squint and focus for several seconds before discerning anything beyond a jumbled blur.

Once my vision settled, I checked my body to see all my clothes had been stripped. Replacing them were shabby old and stained rags.

Luckily, they left me with my underwear. However, I couldn't be grateful since these "clothes" didn't leave much to the imagination.

Aside from my bright yellow bra and panties, my attire was in shambles.

The pants, if you could call them that, were ripped with various tears and holes running up the sides of my legs. As for the shirt, it was so tattered my belly was nearly exposed.

"Ugh... at least I was given something." I tried to remain optimistic, though I was teeth-grindingly irritated.

I averted my attention from my clothing and noticed an unusual discomfort around my neck.

Reaching for it, I touched a metallic ring. "What is this? A collar?!" I seized it with both hands and yanked.

My labors were rewarded with a nasty red bruise before the collar fell back into its original spot.

'I can't believe the sickos put a collar on me!' I had to grit my teeth to hold in my frustrations.

Knowing I couldn't do anything about it, I started stretching my aching muscles. Every ligament and fiber throbbed like I had trekked across a dozen marathons.

A series of pops and cracks ensued as I roused my body into action. Then, with everything in working order, I surveyed my surroundings.

While exploring the room, I was halted by a jerk in my leg and a resounding clang.

I lost my balance, and my body was left at gravity's mercy while I plummeted to the floor.

When I landed, I broke my fall with my right arm. However, I wouldn't say that ended well since my arm was left purple with an ugly bruise.

I groaned to myself in pain and annoyance. Once I'd stood back up, I felt my skin rubbing against another unusual tightness centered around my left ankle.

Tugging on my leg was pointless. Any attempt was met by a continuous rattling sound that held it in place. I followed the noise to its source when I detected a dull gray and rusted iron chain.

I visually followed its trail to discover that the rattling originated from a stake buried deep within the solid stone floor. Obviously, it wasn't something I could dig out with my bare hands, so I just had to live with it.

Fortunately, there was some slack to the shackles, so I had some walking room.

Given my captors' generous gift of rags and chains, I wasn't surprised my surroundings resembled what you'd expect of an RPG's dungeon.

Three walls were constructed out of moss-covered stone brick with the occasional driblet of dew sliding down them. Sealing the final side was a set of corroded, thick, and gray metal bars.

There was a makeshift straw bed in one corner. Covering it was a wretched excuse for a white blanket with numerous frayed ends and tears. What was even more pathetic was the cloth pillow.

The blanket wasn't terrible, but the already flattened pillow was leaking its straw stuffing at the seams, making it more of an empty sack than a sleeping aid.

In the opposite corner of the cell was a filth-ridden hole surrounded by flies and maggots.

I grimaced at the sight of what I assumed was to be my "bathroom."

'Ugh, there's no way in hell I'm using that…' is what I thought, but I shuddered to think about how long I could resist if I had to stay here for very long.

My inner complaints were shaken by the faint echo of voices. The first sounded gruff, heavy, and giant-like.

"Yeah, she's in here. I tell you," he cackled, "she's a real beauty."

The next one, though higher pitched, was still clearly masculine.

"Are you sure Lady Vlad won't mind?"

The voices were accompanied by the scrunching of leather boots and the jingling of keys, a sound that became more ominous as they grew closer.

Despite the situation, my commonsense was overcome by curiosity. I crawled toward the cell bars for a better look. To my irritation, the chain's slack ran out just shy of my goal, so I awkwardly loosened my leg muscles for the extra inch of vision.

"Dumbass!" the heavy voice insulted. "It'll be fine. They have plenty of fresh meat. What's one measly girl that we take for ourselves?"

"Heh, You're probably right."

At first, the voices were faint, and their owners were obscured from view. However, a crippling dread soon set in when I realized I could now discern their silhouettes. One was massive in stature, while the other was lean and short.

Without standing up, I dragged myself away from the bars as silently as possible. My next objective was concealing myself within the hay bedspread. I thought they'd pass me by if I pretended to be asleep.

Inch by inch, I closed in on my hiding place. Once I reached the bedding, the straw underneath crumpled and cracked while I pushed myself across. As soon as I could, I lifted the blanket over myself.

Though I tried to remain perfectly still, my body betrayed me and trembled. I'd never been too scared before, but now I felt like I was the heroine of a slasher flick.

"Please pass by.... please pass by..." I quietly whispered to myself, almost praying.

Unfortunately for me, the jingling of their keys and squawking of their boots ceased as they came to a complete stop.

They were right outside my cell…