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“I-I’m sure we can talk this over, yeah?” I ask, positive he’s going to be a dick no matter what I say or do.

Apparently, we can’t talk it over as he punches me again, this time in the face. Blood coats my mouth and drips from my nose. I have my doubts he’s going to stop until he gets what he wants to hear.

“Fine, I’ll tell you. Just… I don’t want him to hear, so come closer,” I say as I nod at Ender. The vampire glances at Ender before walking up close to me. “You sure you want to know?”

“Fucking spit it out.”

“Alright,” I say before I spit blood in his face.

I’m a bit proud of that one until he grabs me by the throat, squeezing hard enough I don’t think I can speak even if I wanted to.

“How the fuck do you think he’s going to answer now that you’ve crushed his throat?” the second guy asks.

“I… possibly didn’t think that through. Just seeing his face irritates me,” he grumbles as he wipes his face off.

“We’ll come back later; maybe he’ll think it through by then,” the second guy says. I decide that once I get free, he’ll die last since he’s a smidge more reasonable than the first guy.

I close my eyes and chase the pain away as I think about how to get my ass out of here.

“You just going to take a nap?” Ender asks.

Opening my eyes, I glance over at him, but my throat still isn’t healed enough to talk—the joys of lacking blood.

“The one upside to this is now I don’t have to listen to you spew your council bullshit,” he says as he goes back to trying to hook me with his leg so he can eat me.

I give him a solid kick, and then suddenly, we’re kicking each other. It’s gaining us absolutely nothing but we’re both pissed and there’s no one else to take it out on. By the time we finish our tantrums, my throat has healed enough I can speak.

“I was trying to be reasonable with you,” I say.

“Fucking hell, he can speak again,” Ender complains.

“My voice is beautiful. It’s like angels singing.”

“Thank god I’m headed for hell, then.”

“Let me kick you again.” I try, but when he’s not joining the fight, it’s hard to reach him.

“Let me eat you. I like that you’re finally dropping your ‘I’m so sweet, look at me, I’m the nicest’ bullshit routine. The others might fall for it, but I knew you were a conniving asshole under that act.”

I glower at him. “You just think I’m an asshole because you hate everyone in the council. But I feel like most people would act a wee bit different when they’re hanging from the ceiling half dead with someone who wants to eat them .”

“I said I wouldn’t eat all of you.”

“You also said you’d off me! And I don’t have much of me left!” I say.

“Just a sip and I’ll get us out of here.”

“I thought your drinking vampire blood was just… a tale, but you really can use it the same as human blood? Like… the rest of us can’t solely consume it.”

He ignores that question.

“What if we do two truths and a lie? But each time we have to slip something good in? Eh? I’ll start. I taught chemistry at a university, I know how to fly a plane, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to die.”

“You’re quite cocky, and I’m confident you think you’re going to live through this. Honestly, you told me absolutely nothing of value. Like what do I have to gain from any of that?”

“Ha. Wrong. I don’t know how to fly a plane. Your turn.”

“Oh yes, let’s waste my time. Let’s see. The council wasn’t created to eradicate me, the council is filled with lying pieces of shit and seeing as you’re on it, I have to assume you’re the same, and I love unicorns.”

“Oooh, the first one’s definitely the lie, then. You very much look like a unicorn man.”

“See? What exactly did we accomplish besides wasting time? Now get over here so I can eat you.”

“I gave us both time to heal a little,” I say. “You see that light up there?”

“My eyes do work.”

“Can you swing up and kick the light out? If you manage to drag the wiring down, there’s the possibility you could use something to tamper with the locks on these cuffs.”

“That’s your big idea? You’re going to miraculously pull a lockpick out of a ceiling light?”

“If there isn’t anything else, you could use the wires to strangle me.”

“Now we’re talking,” he says as he tries to pull himself up enough, but he’s still so weak he can’t get his legs up to do anything of use.

“Why the fuck did you have enough energy to kick me and no energy for this?” I ask.

“It was worth it,” he mumbles, seeming to have exhausted himself.

“I’ll try,” I say. “Are you ready? Once you see this, you’re going to feel so inferior you’ll never be able to look me in the eyes again.”

He just stares at me. I dig my fingers into the metal chain hanging from the ceiling and lift my body up.

“I really can see your ass crack now,” Ender says. “It’s actually getting worse—and what is this?”

“I’m not very flexible,” I whine as I try to lift myself up to kick it. My foot goes right through the bulb, shattering it and raining fragments of glass down on us.

I lower myself back down and stare at the wall.

“Are you refusing to talk because you’re so embarrassed over your idea and the execution of it?” Ender asks.

“No, dammit.”

He doesn’t seem convinced.

And all I know is that there’s more breeze on my ass cheeks than ever.

The minutes stretch on into hours as I decide that there has to be a way out of this. There has to be something I’ve missed, but Ender clearly isn’t doing well and I have nothing to work with.

When the two men come again hours later they rough me up, but when I refuse to talk, they surprisingly leave me be with a broken nose and bloody face.

“Hey, Ender, buddy, how are you doing over there?”

He slowly lifts his head. The effects of the drug that entered his body seem to be making him suffer even more. I bet it’s because the longer he goes without blood, the harder it is on his body to recover from it.

“You’re looking a bit…” I cock my head. “Ghastly. Yes, that’s the word.”

“Fuck. You.”

“I would consider it. I have been known to make horrible decisions in the bedroom,” I say.

“Do something of use.”

“I’m pouring all of my smarts into the grandest of escapes,” I assure him.

“We’re doomed, then.”

“Now that’s the spirit!”