A dark story, centered around a 23 years old man who, to save his own life, has to make a deal with a very dangerous person.
MINORS DNI. Thank you.
26 years old woman.
Lufroz’s entire body hurt. It hurt so badly that walking was a difficult challenge in itself, and any movement was sure to remind him of how much pain he was in. Even breathing caused friction between his wounds and clothes, making him wince and tense every second or so. It prevented him from walking at a normal pace. But his physical state was not the only reason for his lack of haste.
The mere thought of what he experienced just an hour ago… It had only worsened the fragile mental state he was in. Ever since he began working for Morgan, it was like something had broken inside him. At first, it was just a small crack, nothing very noticeable, nothing too concerning- but as time passed, the amount of traumatic experiences he had to go through increased, and so did the crack in his heart and soul.
Now, he wondered how much longer it would take for his entire being to shatter.
He stopped, and leaned against the nearest wall. He knew Morgan was waiting for him- but it was so very hard, just finding the courage to see him after everything that happened. Just imagining his torturer’s face was enough to make him tremble in fear and despair. Oh, how he wished he could just… Leave, go back to the life he had before his father’s death, become a normal person again. But it wasn’t possible- because, now, Lufroz had seen too much, knew too much, and the only reason he hadn’t been murdered by some random criminal organization was because he was under Morgan’s protection.
How ironic…
Lufroz held back a sob. He had cried so much in the past hour, and yet, he still had tears left. He felt so powerless, so useless, being unable to fight back, unable to protect himself from the one person who terrified the most in the entire world. Until now, he had Sam to help him out, but now… Now…!
The young man took a deep breath, feeling his throat tightening up. He couldn’t even imagine how pathetic he probably looked like at the moment. Exactly the way Morgan loved it, he supposed. He shuddered at the thought. He was not ready- he was not ready to see his boss again. He needed more time- oh, if only he could talk to his sister, if only he could hear encouragement from her… Of course, she was perfectly unaware of Lufroz’s entire situation, and he’d always refused to worry her, especially for anything that was related to Morgan in any shape or form. The less she knew, the safer she would be.
Lufroz sniffled, and rubbed his tearful eyes. The thought of his sister should have helped, but it only made him feel worse. Now that Sam decided to stay away, the young man had no one he could share his problems with, not the ones related to his “job” and what it entailed. Honestly, he already felt miserable after what Morgan did to him, but this was just the nail in his coffin. He had no one to talk to, not anymore. Just the ocean of horrible thoughts his brain could muster on a daily basis, only further fuelled by all the traumatic memories he’d made, working under Morgan’s orders.
He just wanted to lock himself somewhere, and pray that his Boss would forget about him- like it would ever happen.
Eventually, he forced himself to walk again. He didn’t want to see Morgan, but he knew very well the consequences of making him wait would be even worse. Ending up in the chair again was not something he wished for.
On the way, he found his crutches again, waiting for him exactly where Morgan had grabbed him earlier. He picked them up, and sighed in relief as he was able to use them to walk- having to put weight on his ankle hurt too much, and he was certain he would have been unable to keep going without physical help.
It didn’t take him long for him to know where his boss was, at the moment. One of the employees was kind enough to give him the information without looking down too much at him. Of course, everyone here knew that Lufroz was not a real employee, but a toy for Morgan to play with. Sam had been the only one to truly see him as a person, and offer him some help. Well, this didn’t age very well, now.
With all the courage he could possibly get under the current circumstances, Lufroz made his way to where his Boss was- the underground car park. He took the elevator, and joined him there. There, he saw the other right after leaving the elevator, leaning against a wall and tapping his foot impatiently.
-”Fucking finally,” the Spider groaned, crossing his arms with a scowl on his face: “Would it have killed you to hurry up?”
-”S… Sorry…” was all Lufroz could say. His eyes were focused on the ground- talking to Morgan was already difficult, but looking at him in the eyes was near impossible. It was too soon, way too soon.
The white haired man rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed sigh, before straightening up. He began walking inside the car park, and Lufroz followed him, although with great reluctance. However, he was slower due to his injury, something the other noticed pretty quickly.
-”Keep that pace, I dare you!” he snapped, which prompted Lufroz to hurry up. The latter tried to ignore the pain such quick movements caused- it was clear that Morgan was extremely pissed, and that it was best to lay low, and do what he said without protesting. He still muttered another quick “sorry”, which only received an irritated huff in response.
The two of them walked to one of the cars that was parked in a corner. The driver was already waiting inside, which made Lufroz wonder how long Morgan had waited for him.
Morgan sat behind, and Lufroz did the same, just like usual when he had to accompany his boss outside for whatever mission. Except, this time, the atmosphere was much, much heavier. It felt like if Lufroz breathed the wrong way, he would end up back in the chair. All in all, he kept his head low, and his eyes focused on the space between his feet, while his boss pulled out his phone to play some Candy Smash.
The car’s engine soon started up, and Lufroz felt the vehicle move towards the car park’s exit. Normally, he would be pretty curious about where they were going but not now. He didn’t want to speak to the other, nor look at him. All in all, he hoped that he would be sent back to his cramped office after this, just so he could be on his own again.
He wouldn’t be allowed to rest until his work was done, but at least he wouldn’t be in his torturer’s presence. That was always an improvement.
Every now and then, he peeked outside, wondering where the brothel might be. It was hard to believe that such a business managed to flourish without the police ever learning about it- but then again, the Obsidian HQ was right under one of Morgan’s nightclubs, and no one had found it either. Whether this was due to corruption or negligence, Lufroz didn’t know. But, in the end, this hardly changed anything.
He turned his head slightly towards the window, and looked at their surroundings. They were still in town, but in a calm area, where most people passed by without really stopping. It didn’t really strike him as a place where a brothel would take place- he imagined it would be either in a crowded area, or in a completely deserted one but, somehow, this was a middleground. He supposed it wouldn’t look as suspicious this way, but honestly, he knew near to nothing about crime, so he couldn’t say for sure. And he absolutely refused to ask Morgan about it.
The car slowed down, and turned a few times, until it entered a car park surrounded by a few shops. The place looked absolutely normal, and it was hard to think something bad was happening around there. Still, when Morgan left the car without a word, Lufroz followed him. He winced at the pain caused by the sudden movements- while Morgan wouldn’t be able to berate him in public, he knew very well that it would only be a matter of time until he got punished later. So, the best he could do was to do his best not to annoy the other any further.
The young man expected the Spider to lead him towards one of the shops, since they parked around them, but instead, Morgan began to walk away, following the sidewalk with his hands in his coat pockets. Lufroz was surprised, but didn’t question it. Instead, he walked along, although a meter or so behind. He was not insane enough to walk beside the one who’d raped him just an hour ago.
This went on for a while, and the assistant couldn’t help but wonder why they didn’t park closer- until it hit him. It was probably not to raise attention. Too many cars parked at the same place would catch people’s attention. Suddenly, it made a lot more sense as to why they had to walk there.
Now, what didn't was Lufroz’s presence entirely. There was absolutely no reason for the young man to accompany his boss. He supposed this was also part of the punishment, forcing him to come along despite the pain he was in, whether emotional or physical.
Eventually, though, Morgan stopped in front of a building, and Lufroz had to react quickly enough not to bump into him. There, the both of them were standing in front of a movie theater, one that looked extremely ordinary. It had the same charm as any independent one- and it was pretty small too. Nothing in common with the usual theaters that were present in every big city. It was almost unnoticeable, really. A beige façade, no big signs, a style that blended perfectly with the other nearby buildings… It was almost invisible to the suspicious eye.
The assistant frowned, and couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion. He had expected something like a bar, a nightclub… But not a movie theater.
-”You look surprised,” Morgan said flatly, watching him from the corner of his eyes.
Lufroz bit his lip. He had wished the other waited longer before trying to start a new conversation… As much as he didn’t want to participate, ignoring his boss could lead to very dangerous consequences.
-”I…” he gulped down, fighting the urge to stay silent: “I wasn’t expecting that.”
-”Yeah, I can tell,” the Spider replied, raising an eyebrow: “You thought this would be another nightclub?”
Lufroz looked down- he did. In his defense, he had little experience when it came to the organization behind the local human trafficking business. More than two months ago, still, but remembering his blissful past would only make him more miserable. So he just nodded.
Morgan merely scoffed in response.
-”Right, I’m gonna hide all my shady businesses under nightclubs,” he mockingly said: “That way, I’ll make it easier for the cops to find everything. ‘Just write a list of this town’s nightclubs, that’ll be enough!’. That’s what they’ll tell each other.”
Lufroz bit the inside of his cheek. It hurt, it really did. Normally, he had grown a little used to Morgan’s taunts, but right now… The mockery was just worsening his inner suffering.
The Spider rolled his eyes:
-”You have a brain, Lufroz. Use it for once.”
-”Yes…” the young man simply replied, not wishing to argue with his boss. The less he did so, the faster they’d be done with everything here. And that meant going back to his office, where he’d be alone and able to wallow in self-deprecation.
-”Anyway, let’s get inside,” the other sighed, before turning his head to him for a moment: “I’ll explain how this place works as we go, because I sure as hell don’t want to hear any questions later. So if you want to know something, take advantage of my good mood, and do it now.”
Lufroz nodded with a hum, although very reluctantly. He had no desire to speak to Morgan -at all, actually. But realistically, he was still working for him, and being a personal assistant entailed needing to know as much as possible about this entire business. No matter how difficult it was for him, no matter how much he wanted to run away and never look back- he still had to do it.
His life, and his sister’s were on the line.
And so, he obediently followed Morgan, as the latter led them inside the innocent looking building.
Lufroz was anxious. Now, that was a rather normal occurrence, working under The Spider’s orders for almost two months, but he still wasn’t getting used to it. Granted, the situation did guarantee safety for his sister and him, that he knew. Nonetheless, he wished things could have been different.
If he hadn’t helped his father, if he hadn’t agreed to continue his work after his murder, if he had only crushed that damned USB key, and decided to forget about it… And yet, he felt some pity for the father that neglected him so much, neglected him in favor of his work, of this one project he had thrown himself heart and soul into…
He shook his head. There was no use remembering this, the main event that had changed his life for the worst. None of this was going to help his anxiety, and he very much preferred to focus on something else instead.
After Morgan told him to leave the room, Lufroz went back to work in the small office that’d been given to him. Now, the small space was not great, especially now that he was stuck in a cast and crutches, but it wasn’t like he had much of a choice. At least, he had a desk, and a few cabinets to sort all the important documents he needed to work on.
Despite his gift for coding, sadly inherited from his father, Morgan used him as a secretary, someone to do all the annoying paperwork. This wasn’t surprising- he highly doubted any crime genius would let a programmer approach his business, especially one that had agreed to continue the work of a desperate man who swore to take down the entire dark web, and all of its business.
Lufroz should have refused his father’s dying wish- and there he was, thinking about it again. He groaned, and pinched his nose. Well, who could blame him? It had only been three months, give or take. The memory was clearly too fresh.
He sighed, and tried to focus on the boring pile of paperwork he had to do. With all the time he spent in the infirmary, there was a lot of work to catch up on, and not enough time to do so. Working for Morgan was not an easy thing- between this, and the times he had to follow the other like a little dog, his day was always full, without any real time to take a break. When he needed to eat, he would work at the same time.
Oh, Lufroz wished he had a boring, uneventful job… Instead, what he had was intense, too intense. How long until he got work burnout? Most people would get some days off to feel better, but The Spider wasn’t so patient. All Lufroz could do was to pray for this to never happen…
Things were even worse now, given how irritable Morgan was, these days. Honestly, the young man couldn’t help but feel curious- curious about why someone from HorizonTech would follow someone from his boss’s family.
HorizonTech was, without a doubt, the reason for society’s recent technological advances. Anything from better fuel, solutions for global warming, clean energy… They had it all figured out, and they were working on so much more. Granted, the lab was affiliated with the government, so most of the upcoming projects were kept as a secret from the general public, but it wasn’t all too alarming.
Considering all the good HorizonTech brought to society, some privacy wasn’t a terrible thing. It was just a small price to pay for humankind’s progress as a civilization.
Now, Lufroz never thought too much about it- just like people never really thought too hard about popular browsers, social media websites or how computers worked… It was just there, settled in society like it had always been there. The only people that really questioned HorizonTech and how they acquired all those new technologies were all conspiracy theorists. No one really took them seriously and, quite frankly, so did Lufroz.
There was indeed that one explosion that shook the news, but they had blamed it on a malfunctioning prototype. Thankfully, the lab was isolated enough from civilization, so no exterior person was hurt, but many researchers lost their lives in the incident. That happened around four years ago, if Lufroz remembered correctly. Many theories found their way on the Internet, but ultimately, people eventually stopped talking about it in the end. Other than that, it seemed like an unfortunate incident, one that shouldn’t have happened to the one company that had brought so much to Humankind.
However, now that Lufroz knew a lab technician from HorizonTech had been following Morgan’s family member, and given how quickly his boss told him to leave the room after learning this… Lufroz couldn’t help but think there had to be more to it than just clever guys in lab coats.
Why would they send anyone to watch some random person? Was Morgan’s family member important in some way? Was there really something off about this seemingly benevolent lab? Were the conspiracy theorists right all along?
He couldn’t help but snort at the thought. Now, he really sounded like one. Still, he quickly wiped the smile off his face: it was best he stopped thinking about all this entirely. If Morgan told him to leave the room, it was clearly because he didn’t want him to learn some things. The best he could do was to stop trying to find answers to dangerous questions, especially ones that were related to Morgan in any way whatsoever.
He was curious, yes, but not suicidal. So, with some focus, he managed to get back to work.
Around three hours passed, and it was now two in the afternoon. For a while, he forgot about Morgan- something he greatly enjoyed, for moments of peace like these were quite unusual. Unfortunately, though, a quick and familiar beeping sound caught him off guard, and his entire body tensed. There, he looked to the side where his phone was, and he saw the notification on the screen.
Morgan needed him.
Lufroz’s face paled, and he gulped down. Well, as much as he wanted to ignore it and stay there, he very much knew he had no choice in the matter. When Morgan called, Lufroz better be there, for whatever he needed.
And with the interrogation that happened this morning…
It had been a week since Lufroz left the infirmary of the Obsidian branch. All in all, his stay there had not been particularly relaxing, as he had been forced to continue his work there. He wasn’t really surprised, as it would have been unusual of Morgan to let him rest without doing anything useful.
It still would have been nice, though.
His workload hadn’t really changed the moment he left the infirmary. The real change was that he could now move around, although with crutches. To Morgan’s annoyance, a broken ankle didn’t heal instantaneously- that much was obvious, but Lufroz certainly avoided mentioning that to his boss. Irritating the latter was never a good idea, especially these last two weeks, where he was… Much easier to annoy than usual.
Lufroz assumed this was linked to the “personal problems” Morgan had mentioned to him after he woke up in the infirmary. The young man avoided asking directly, for he knew Morgan was secretive when it came to himself. He supposed it made sense, as the other had to hide his real identity, but even then, he couldn’t help but notice Morgan was much more secretive than usual.
Lufroz didn’t like Morgan, that much was clear, but it was worrying to see his boss in that state. It meant that something was going to happen, and that the young man might very well get involved, whether he liked it or not. The dread and the curiosity filled his mind every day, and he couldn’t help but speculate on what was truly happening.
He did try to get information, mostly through Sam, but the other refused to say anything, telling him it was best if he didn’t know. This did nothing to reassure Lufroz. It really testified on how serious the matter was, and he was getting more and more anxious, dreading what was to come.
And so, day after day, he kept asking Sam- how could he not? He did not want to be involved in Morgan’s personal problems, and if he absolutely had to, he would very much prefer to be prepared, just in case. And, eventually, Sam caved in, much to his reluctance, although he chose to remain vague.
Apparently, someone had been following a member of Morgan’s family.
The thought of Morgan having a family was definitely strange. It wasn’t surprising, most people had ones, but it felt… Contrasting, with Morgan. He really didn’t seem like the family type, and when Lufroz shared his thoughts to Sam, the other told him it wasn’t so far from the truth. The young man learned his boss hadn’t seen his family in more than a decade, but had sent people to watch over them secretly.
This weirded Lufroz out quite a lot. To think Morgan would be concerned about someone other than himself was… Very out of character, in the assistant’s opinion. Of course, such revelation only pushed Lufroz to ask more and more questions, but Sam drew the line there, and refused to answer further, telling him he had already said too much. He asked Lufroz to feign ignorance near Morgan, and the young man didn’t hesitate. He clearly wasn’t supposed to know all of that, and he feared his boss’s reaction to his awareness of personal issues.
He had hoped for his curiosity to die down now that he had a vague idea of what was going on, but it was pretty much the opposite. Knowing Morgan had a family, and that he seemed to care about them somewhat… It was so strange to think about, and it brought so many questions. He wondered what kind of people they were, what relationship they had with his boss, and why they didn’t talk anymore… He had to be honest, this distracted him as he worked, and he had to double his efforts not to fall behind. If he could avoid catching Morgan’s attention…
This went on for a while, until someday, the atmosphere in the HQ changed drastically. It felt like people were walking on eggshells around Morgan- the latter, of course, didn’t tell Lufroz anything, but the young man could tell something had happened. Now that he knew the context of the situation, he couldn’t help but make a few hypotheses. Had something happened to that one family member? Did Morgan learn something bad? Considering the other’s overall mood and reactions, this couldn’t be good.
The answer eventually came when Morgan told him they were going to interrogate someone. He received no other information, but his boss’s terrible mood was enough for him to understand that this was most likely the person who had been following Morgan’s family.
Lufroz didn’t know why he was allowed to be there, given how secretive Morgan was about his past and his own history, but the young man knew better than to question it. Still, no matter how curious he was, he still wished he didn’t have to be in the room during the interrogation. Morgan knew how to make people talk, and the assistant very much preferred not to see the process. Then again, he really had no choice in the matter.
The strange thing, however, was that Morgan decided to use his public disguise. Whenever he had to participate in an auction, or meet new clients, Morgan would hide his face behind a mask, as well as his hair, given their peculiar white color.
The mask was rather telling of his identity, as it had a blue spider symbol on it. The rest of the outfit was black and grey for the most part, with some hints of red in some places. It had a hood, designated to hide Morgan’s hair. The rest consisted of a black shirt, black pants with white leather straps, as well as a long coat with red on its edges.
It did a pretty good job at concealing Morgan’s identity, but it also became a symbol of The Spider, Morgan’s name on the job. Whenever people saw this disguise, they instantly knew this was The Spider, it became associated with it.
Now, in this particular instance, this was strange to Lufroz, as the latter knew nobody left the playroom alive, when it came to interrogations. So, really, there was no need for Morgan to hide his face, nor his head. And yet, the other did anyway.
Lufroz didn’t really know why, but he knew he shouldn’t ask, unless his boss brought the topic to the table.
The young man followed the other to the cursed playroom. The door wasn’t even open yet, but Lufroz was pretty certain the offender had been strapped to the chair, just like he had been almost a month ago. The thought alone made him shiver, and he did his best to push it out of his mind. As much as he wished not to witness the interrogation, it wasn’t his choice to make.
And so, he braced himself when Morgan opened the door.
"The Unwilling Assistant" is now available on AO3 !
This is the superior version, as it has transcripts of the audio files.
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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
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Another big announcement !
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Lufroz didn’t manage to fall back asleep. With how painful his entire body was, there was no way for him to lose consciousness, no matter how hard he wished for it. There wasn’t anything to do either, so the only thing he could do was to look around him, and get lost in thoughts.
All in all, Lufroz soon became incredibly bored. He almost wished for Morgan to come sooner, just so something happened. The thought, and how he welcomed it, quickly disturbed him, though. To wish for Morgan was a dangerous thing, and he knew that very well.
The only good thing Morgan brought for him was protection for him and Lesly. That was about it. The rest… It was just suffering, humiliation, abuse and more suffering. Then again, it was all for Lesly’s sake. She was his only family, and if enduring all of this meant she wouldn’t be in danger, then he wasn’t going to fight it.
It was his fault they were in this mess to begin with… If only he hadn’t accepted his father’s dying wish, none of that would have happened at all. The only person he could blame was himself.
He tried to push the thought out of his mind, and forced himself to wait without thinking too much. Boredom was a difficult thing to experience, but it was still far better than anything he had gone through with Morgan.
And eventually…
After what felt like days, the door finally opened. Lufroz’s attention was quickly caught by the sudden noise, and he turned his head towards it, already having an idea on who this was. And, unsurprisingly, his guess was correct.
Morgan appeared in the threshold, pushing the door opened. Soon, their eyes met, and while Lufroz felt his stomach turn from the sight, the white haired man just widened his eyes slightly.
-”Uh. So you’re awake,” was what the latter said, before stepping inside the room, and closing the door behind him.
-”H-hey…” Lufroz greeted him, having the feeling that he should say something. Speaking, though, proved to be difficult. After everything that had happened in the last few days, the sight of Morgan was enough to make him extremely uneasy, as if he were walking on eggshells.
The last thing he wanted was to end up in the chair again…
-”How long have you been awake for?” his boss asked as he walked closer to Lufroz’s bed, before sitting on it casually. Lufroz’s blood turned cold, and his entire body froze. Having Morgan so close to him, sitting right onto the bed he was in… He really didn’t like the proximity.
-”I… I don’t know,” Lufroz confessed, his eyes looking around the room: “There’s no clock in here…”
-”Fair enough,” the older man conceded with a shrug, his mismatched eyes focused on the injured assistant: “How are you feeling?”
Lufroz couldn’t help but wince at the question. It was rhetoric, without a doubt. Just seeing him was a good indicator on how he was feeling. With a cast on his foot, a removed toe, and burns all over his body, there was no way he would be okay.
-”Not…” he took a deep breath, grimacing: “Not very well. Everything hurts…”
Morgan didn’t seem surprised nor concerned by the answer, and merely crossed his arms.
-”Yeah, no shit,” he said flatly: “That’s what an hour with Bastoff does to you, I guess. You’re lucky I set limits.”
As much as Lufroz wanted to feel offended, he had to admit Morgan was right. If the latter hadn’t set up conditions beforehand, Lufroz wasn’t sure in what state he would be after everything. He might have lost a hand, an arm, his eyes, his teeth… Or worse. Honestly, he very much wanted to avoid thinking about it.
-”Yeah,” he reluctantly agreed.
He looked down and pinched his lips.
-”How long have I been unconscious?” he then asked.
-”At least a day, give or take,” his boss answered, his tone rather neutral: “I called the doc as soon as you got here. He did what he could, so there’s that. You should be out of here in ten days.”
Lufroz winced. This was perhaps the more severe injuries he had gotten up to this point, and he wasn’t sure he would be well enough after ten days. But this wasn’t up to him, and he knew that very well. He was very aware of how Morgan hated to do paperwork, and that the latter had been particularly happy to delegate this work to his new assistant.
But Lufroz had something else in his mind at the moment.
-”Is… Is it over, then?” he asked with hesitance.
-”What is over?” the other frowned, not understanding what he was getting at.
-”I mean…” Lufroz gulped down: “A-am I out of trouble, now?”
His boss sighed, and for a moment, Lufroz was afraid of the answer. He really wouldn’t be able to endure more time in that damned chair.
Thankfully, though, things finally seemed to be in his favor.
-”Well, Bastoff did order some new merch from me today, so I’d say yes. Pretty sure you’re gonna be a lot more careful not to spill anything after all that.”
-”Yeah…” the young man shivered. That was for sure, he would do everything not to piss Bastoff off again in the future.
-”Anyway, I’ll get you some paperwork to do tomorrow,” Morgan continued: “Can’t have you lying down without doing anything for ten days. You do get today off, so enjoy it.”
-”Oh…”
Lufroz had hoped he would get time to rest, but ultimately, he wasn’t so surprised with Morgan’s decision to bring him work the day after he woke up. He had almost expected it, to be honest. He still wished it wasn’t the case, though.
However, his reluctance must have been quite noticeable, because he quickly saw Morgan narrow his eyes.
-”Or, I could bring you work right away,” the other warned: “I mean, if you can talk, means you can work too. This isn’t a vacation.”
Lufroz hunched his shoulders, and looked away.
-”You know I don’t like you being ungrateful,” his boss added, his voice low and threatening.
Oh, that, he knew all too well.
-”N-no, no!” Lufroz quickly replied, not wanting to anger Morgan in any way: “I, uh… Thank you.”
-”Yeah,” the other glared at him: “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
There was a moment of silence, and Lufroz hesitated on saying something, anything to break the silence- but as he opened his mouth, he was interrupted by Morgan letting out a long sigh, before rubbing his eyes.
Lufroz couldn’t help but wonder if he was at fault. Again.
-”Is, uh… Is everything okay?” he asked, more than hesitant: “Am I… Am I still in trouble, or…”
-”No. Personal problems,” Morgan cut him off, his voice firm: “Don’t ask.”
Well, he definitely wouldn’t, that was for sure. Still, he couldn’t help but be weirded out by the idea of Morgan having personal problems. The other seemed so carefree that it seemed strange, but as monstrous as Morgan was, he was still a human being. And human beings had a ton of personal problems, there was no reason for Morgan to be any different.
Didn’t make it any less weird, though.
-”O-okay,” Lufroz rapidly answered.
The other let out another sigh, before slapping his thighs. He stood up.
-”Well, you’re alive, that’s enough for me. I have some more work to do, so I’m gonna go.”
Lufroz watched him walk to the door, and despite his better judgement, he stopped his boss:
-”W-wait!”
-”What?” the reaction was immediate, and Lufroz could instantly tell that he had annoyed Morgan. But this was only momentary, nothing that would be used against him. It certainly wasn’t like his initial mistake…
-”I, uh… Can I have something to do? Like, a book, or… Or anything,” he asked, before remembering something: “And I don’t have pain killers anymore either…”
The other rolled his eyes with yet another sigh.
-”Do I look like a fucking nurse?” he spat back: “I’ll get Sam to do it. When I have time.”
Lufroz winced, and watched silently as Morgan left the room. Well, at least he tried. Hopefully, Sam would come soon, and help him out. He wasn’t particularly happy to have to do paperwork the next day, but at least it would keep his mind busy.
If only he could fall asleep… At least, he found comfort in the fact that he wouldn’t get back in that damned chair. Working for Morgan was awful, but it was still much better than being strapped on it, or being dead entirely.
Now, all he could hope for was for things to go back to normal…
Lufroz didn’t know how long he had been unconscious. Hours? Days? He couldn’t tell at all. But by the time he began to emerge, he began to feel pain, as if it were welcoming him back into the world of the living.
It was so strong that Lufroz tried to cling to his unconsciousness, but to no avail. The more he felt pain, the harder it was to stay asleep and, soon enough, he woke up, with no possibility of going back to the blissful sleep he was already starting to miss.
He opened his eyes slowly, clenching his teeth at the amount of pain he was in. His entire body was hurting, with some areas worse than others. For a second, he was confused as to why everything hurt so bad- until his mind began to remember everything. His face turned pale as memories washed over him, memories that were way too fresh for his own good.
God… God. No wonder he was in so much pain… The hour he had spent with Bastoff felt like it had lasted an entire day. He didn’t dare imagining the state he would be in if it had been the case.
He could barely move. His entire body screamed every time he tried and, despite the urge to look under the covers to assess the damage, he decided to remain still. He could already feel the cast around his foot, and that was enough for him. Instead, he watched his surroundings. It really didn’t take long for him to recognize the room he was in.
It functioned as an infirmary. Well, it was more the place where they stored all kinds of medicine, really, but there were two beds, which were used anytime someone from Morgan’s team was hurt. They obviously couldn’t go to the hospital for very obvious reasons, so a room like this one was a must in this type of work.
There were a lot of different cabinets, all filled with medical supplies of all types. There was a fridge too, which Lufroz assumed was used to store special kinds of medicine. Each bed had its own nightstand, but nothing was on top. Next to Lufroz was an IV drip that was connected to his arm, probably a pain killer, but the bag was empty. This was probably the reason he woke up in the first place.
Other than that, the room had nothing else, really. There was no desk for any doctor, as they were called only when there was a need for them. No one worked here full time, and those who did were paid not only for the care, but also for their silence. The young man knew that it would be a while before he saw the doctor again. He still hoped someone would replace the bag on the IV drip, though.
He sighed. The pain made it hard for him to think. He tried to rest again, but he couldn’t. Between his suffering, and his own anxiety, there wasn’t much he could do but think.
Was it all over? Now that he had endured Bastoff’s torture, he was going to be free again, right? That was what Morgan had said before, or at least that was something he remembered, a hope he clinged to. He honestly didn’t think he would be able to get back on that damned chair after all that… The only thing he wanted was to get better, and… Try to forget everything that had happened in the last few days.
Although, deep down, he knew very well he wouldn’t be able to. This was just another traumatizing event, one that was added to the multiple horrible memories he had gathered while working for Morgan. It had only been a month, really, but it felt like years, honestly. It wasn’t like he had had a choice, though- it was either working for Morgan, or die from his hands.
Anything to stay alive, he had thought back then. Was he regretting it? Somewhat. It was debatable whether this new life was worth living, especially after everything that had happened to him this past month. Between the verbal, physical, and sexual abuse… All of this was just new trauma added to the pile.
The only good thing in this new life was his sister, the one true person that made it worth not dying. Ever since they moved closer to one another, seeing her was something he looked forward to. After all… She was the only family he had left. She still had her mother, but Lufroz… Not so much.
He groaned, and moved his uninjured arm to cover his eyes.
Everything had been his father’s fault. This damned project of his, this obstination towards an unattainable goal, his dying wish for Lufroz to continue his work, to put himself in danger for a man who had neglected him for years… And all for what?
For this entire project to be wasted- no, worse. To end up in the enemy’s hands, and for the same to happen to Lufroz.
He should have never accepted to help his father. Should have never accepted to grant him this dying wish, the one that was responsible for Lufroz’s entire situation. He wished he hadn’t accepted.
But it was too late to regret. In the end, thinking about that was just hurting him more and more. He had accepted his father’s wish, had paid the price by getting hunted all over the state by mafia organizations, only to request the help of the only person able to help him.
And now, there he was.
Lufroz sighed, shutting his eyes hard. At least, his sister was blissfully unaware of all that. If she ever found out… He really didn’t want to think about it. The less she knew, the better, and the safer for her. All he wanted Lesly to do was to enjoy life. If she was okay, then… Then he would endure everything. Or, at least, he would try to.
In any case, he hoped things would go back to “normal”, now that his mistake had been paid for. Well, he hoped it was, anyway. The only thing he could do, at this point, was to wait for Morgan, and hope for the best.
Lufroz had been scared a lot of times in his life, especially this past year, but what he was feeling right now was more intense than anything he had ever felt before.
It was hard to keep up with Morgan and Bastoff, due to how much he was shaking. His entire body felt like it was going to collapse, and yet, the adrenaline was preventing him from fainting.
He was so close to being butchered, or whatever Bastoff had planned… But not yet.
He still had to walk all the way to the other’s studio, all while wondering what he could possibly do to save himself from his inevitable fate. The truth was that he couldn’t do anything, and he knew that very well… And yet, he couldn’t help but look for a way out, no matter how dire his situation was.
The entire thing felt so unreal. Like there was going to be something saving him at the last moment. Morgan changing his mind, maybe? Unlikely, but at this point, any piece of hope was good to take.
And all that because he spilled a drink…? This just couldn’t be real…
He shivered- from the fear? From the cold? He wasn’t sure. All he could do was move his feet forward, walking just behind Morgan. Considering how the latter made a point of not being embarrassed, Lufroz wasn’t even sure he was allowed to walk beside him.
The young man’s heart was beating fast inside his chest, almost threatening to burst out any chance it got. His mind was a mess of thoughts and questions, so much so that he could barely think. He couldn’t even hear his inner voice.
The group passed by several people on their way to the A4 room. They seemed to be aware of their boss’s true business, considering their lack of reaction to Lufroz’s obvious naked state.
Morgan’s business functioned in the same way. Most, if not all the employees were somewhat aware of the dark things happening in the background. Anyone working in the Spider’s nightclub had things to hide, or a reason for being here.
And they all knew the horrible things they contributed to.
Lufroz was no different. While he didn’t condone any of these actions, his life was on the line. If he wanted to live, he had to contribute too, no matter how guilty it made him feel.
People died because of him. Not out of his own hand- he could never, but he was part of the intricate machinery that was Morgan’s business. He was just a pawn like many others- a pawn the Spider had taken a liking to.
And as much as he wished this wasn’t the case, this liking was the very reason he was still alive to this day.
Lufroz kept his head down, refusing to look forward. He was too lost in thoughts anyway- at least, until he almost bumped into his boss, who had stopped right in front of him.
The young man barely stopped in time, and sighed as he avoided a dangerous collision. When he looked up, though, his face paled.
-”Well, here we are,” the movie director spoke, as he gestured to a door. So that was why they had stopped.
The tall man grabbed the handle, and twisted it. Just like that, the door opened, revealing… A filming set, unsurprisingly.
-”After you,” he gestured for the two “guests” to enter, which Morgan did without thinking much. Lufroz, however, hesitated- how could he not?
However, a glare from his boss was all it took for his legs to unfreeze. The Spider’s threat was still very fresh in his mind. It was either obeying, and leaving after an hour… Or staying here for the entire day, having to endure who knew what.
No matter how scared he was, Lufroz was not ready to risk it. So, fighting the urge to turn around and run, he entered the room. He felt like his legs could give up at any moment- his emotions were such a mess that even he couldn’t quite tell what he was feeling.
Fear? Of course. But there were other things: anticipation, hesitation, despair… And even hope.
Hope that something was going to save him, eventually…
His eyes examined the room.
The team had already made their way here, and were tuning the different techs. Cameras, Lufroz recognized, but other things too, that he didn’t know about. There were a lot of cables all over the floor, as well as those special lamps, that every movie set had.
There was a decor too- probably for the immersion, his brain thought in a moment of clarity.
Everything seemed to look like an old basement. The walls seemed to have been artificially damaged, and the same could be said about the floor. Every piece of furniture there was made of metal- and rusty. Very rusty.
The tiles on the floor were stained by blood, and Lufroz could tell that it had never been cleaned up- at least, not too much… Perhaps to keep the “aesthetic”, he thought with horror.
Multiple tools were hung onto the walls, each of them turning the young man’s blood ice cold. Hammers, knives, axes, a drill, ropes, chains, pliers, saws, a blowtorch… As well as several cans full of liquids- and, frankly, Lufroz preferred not to know what.
But this was probably not going to be an option today.
Luck was not on his side.
The was a chain hanging from the ceiling, with a hook at the end of it. Its sharp end only made Lufroz shiver- but then, he noticed something that had been attached to it.
Shackles.
Was this where he was going to be…? Shackled to the chain, with nothing but his legs to defend himself?
His face turned pale. He knew very well that this would render him unable to do anything. He had to face it, Bastoff was huge, so much so that the other could very well break his bones with just a twist of the wrist, and that, even without the shackles.
With handcuffs, though… It was clear that he wouldn’t be able to do anything. And given the height of the hook, it seemed that he would find himself on his toes, restricting his movements even more.
He knew all that, because he had already been in a similar situation in Morgan’s bedroom, early that month. That experience had left a mark in his mind, which did nothing to ease the alarms ringing in his brain.
There was no way out. The second he would end up handcuffed there, his fate would be sealed, and he wouldn’t be able to escape it.
But what could he even do to avoid this…? This all seemed inevitable at this point…!
-”Huh,” the Spider tilted his head: “You know, I always thought you were recording your movies in some basement, but seeing this… It kinda kills the magic, there.”
Bastoff let out a laugh, one that made Lufroz freeze once more.
-”That’s the idea,” the other replied, putting his hands over his hips as he watched his team prepare themselves: “That’s exactly what cops think when they see my movies. They’d never think of looking in a building like this one.”
Morgan hummed, watching the employees too.
-”I guess that makes sense,” he sighed.
Bastoff gestured for them to come closer, and pointed a chair for the Spider.
-”You can sit here,” he offered.
-”Well, don’t mind if I do,” the other replied with a sigh, before letting himself fall onto the chair, soon crossing his legs.
Lufroz watched in fear, standing next to him, dreadfully waiting.
He felt a hand fall onto his shoulder, and he couldn’t help but jump loudly. His head snapped to the side, his eyes locking onto the person who had touched him- Bastoff, of all people.
His first instinct was to try and move away from the contact, but the movie director didn’t let him- his grasp on the young man’s shoulder was too strong, and it was obvious that he wouldn’t be able to get away.
The older man’s hand was so big, he felt like the other could crush his skull if he ever wanted to…
-”Come on, pretty face,” Bastoff chuckled darkly: “Time to prepare the star of the show.”
Oh.
There it was, was it…? The moment he had been dreading so much…
