CUT (?/you)

[blackbound]

CUT

You don't know how many... weeks? months? you've been here. Always cuffed hand and foot, with a connecting chain preventing you from getting your hands in front of you. Permanently hooded, with a plastic tube in your mouth so you can be force fed tasteless goop three times a day. You think. Your captor varies the times so you can't figure out a routine.

Sometimes they spray you down, scrubbing you with what feels like a broom, and push a hose under the hood, rinsing the sweat and grime off your face with ice-cold water.

There's a rudimentary, automatically flushing toilet you can use. Every so often, they'll unchain your legs and force you to do some exercise. You learned quickly that any disobedience is be punished harshly, and you comply numbly when the time comes.

But today... today one of the locks on the chain connecting your bonds is not closed, and your captor is not here. They've never been cruel, so you don't think it's a trick.

Carefully, very carefully, you move until your fingers grasp the lock. You tremble as you rotate it, and it comes off the chain.

Quietly, ever so quietly, you contort, every clink of the chain raising your anxiety. You get your hands past your butt and with the lock gone, you manage to get them past your feet.

You exhale deeply, your heart racing. Your hands are in front of you, even if they're still cuffed.

You touch the collar around your neck. It's padlocked at the back, of course, but maybe something can be done about the hood itself. It feels brittle from the permanent use.

You bite down on the plastic tube and grab the fabric where it's connected to the hood with both hands, pulling with all your might.

The material stretches, then suddenly gives, ripping open. Air caresses your face, and it's the most wonderful feeling you can remember.

There's no stopping you now. You tear the hood off your face, pull the gag from your mouth. Your jaws have long stopped hurting, but they start again as you try to close it. Tears form in your eyes even from the dim light around you, but you can wipe them away yourself now.

After a few seconds, you're able to look around. You seem to be in a cellar, inside a large cage. Bizarrely, there's an anvil and some smithing tools in a corner. A tiny window lets in some light; the lamps are turned off. A door beckons.

You crawl to the cage door, pull yourself up by the bars. You try it - it's not locked.

You can't believe your luck - or has your captor abandoned you in a haste, left you here to rot? Either way, you're more detemined than ever to get out of here.

You shuffle slowly to the anvil. There's a crowbar, hammer, tongs... and a bolt cutter. A voice in the back of your mind is screaming "TRAP!" at you, but you ignore it.

Just like that, the cuffs are off your legs. There's so much adrenaline pumping through you that you can barely stand. You sit down and position the cutter between your calves. The connecting chain of the handcuffs between its jaws, you push them together. Strain.

The chain gives.

You still have the metal bracelets around your wrists and ankles, but you're free. Free!

The door is not locked. You open it a little, listen.

Nothing.

It leads directly to a set of stairs. There's daylight coming from above.

Still no sound.

You slowly creep up the stairs. You're standing in a small hut with a wooden front door.

It, too, is unlocked. The forest outside beckons.

You walk, stumble, run until the hut is out of sight, then stop, taking deep breaths as you try not to collapse on the spot.

An overgrown path leads onward and you follow it. The forest is quiet but for animal noises.

You continue. In front of you, the path opens into a clearing. You step out into it.

The ground below you gives way.

You fall, screaming, and hit the damp ground below, the breath knocked from you.

Inspecting yourself, you hurt, but nothing seems broken.

But you're stuck down a pit. The walls crumble when you attempt to scale them - there is no escape, no matter how much you try, especially in the state you're in.

You cry, then rage, then just sit there, numb.

Something falls into the pit. You stare. A pair of handcuffs, and a hood.

A voice sounds from above - you recognize your captor's voice modulator immediately.

"Someone's been very naughty. Here's the deal: put these on right now, and I won't punish you too much. Make me come down there, and you will suffer."

You stare quietly at the instruments of your enslavement.

- * -

"CUT!"

A rope is lowered down the pit and you quickly ascend, taking the cuffs and hood with you; a strong arm grasps yours and helps you out.

"That was amazing. Everything in one unbroken take! All I need to do is remove the audio track with my guidance and replace it with the film audio."

The director unlocks the collar around your neck, then goes to work on the bracelets.

You grin. "Told you I could do it."

"Yeah, but can you do it again?"

"What?"

The director pushes you, catching you off guard, and spins you around. The cuffs click shut around your wrists, and they approach with the hood.

"Take two should be even more realistic."

[Red86]

Ha, so it would appear as this was a script up until the director announced take 2. Was this all part of the directors plan all along, has it gone from script to being real? Quite the little mystery here!

[Xtc]

Nicely done.

[squirrel]

@blackbound , very intriguing story and unusual plot! Looking forward for chapter two

[blackbound]

Ha, so it would appear as this was a script up until the director announced take 2. Was this all part of the directors plan all along, has it gone from script to being real? Quite the little mystery here!

@blackbound , very intriguing story and unusual plot! Looking forward for chapter two

The story ends here! The rest is up to your imagination.

Thanks to both of you, and of course @Xtc.

[Syko Sith]

Now THAT is a good story!!!
Unique idea too. I have some ideas about take 2. (Mischievous grin)

[blackbound]

Now THAT is a good story!!!
Unique idea too. I have some ideas about take 2. (Mischievous grin)

Glad you liked it! This one's been in my head for years.