52

Cousins by lineage, Alfonso and Caramia Smith, both of whom were their respective parents' only offspring, were at odds with each other for as long as they could recall.

From the moment Caramia turned three and Alfonso six, the two had been sworn enemies, and their animus only grew with each passing year. 

They attended the same school, and their parents didn't live too far from one another. Their mothers were even somewhat best friends. All efforts to make the two reconcile failed woefully. 

Their parents had grown accustomed to their rivalry, but it still puzzled them how two people so closely related could harbour such disdain for each other.

One sunny morning, during the holidays, Caramia's father, Recson Smith and his older brother, Vilian Smith, were all together, and Alfonso's father announced their plans to go camping. Only their wives were present at the time, and they were excited. But they knew if they told the kids, they would opt out the moment they knew the other was coming.

So they made a promise not to spill the truth until the very day, which happened five days later.

Alfonso had gotten into his dad's vehicle after making sure his mom had worn her seatbelt. She had a dislike for seatbelts even though she knew their benefits.

His father got into the jeep and instead of heading in the direction of the camping site, he drove to his brother's place. Alfonso was shocked to find that his uncle's family would be joining them as well.

By his dad's orders, he got out of the jeep and helped them with their luggage. Then he sat in the extreme seat. To his dismay, his blonde cousin joined him as well, wearing a frown. They both sat at both ends of the seat as if the latter carried a contagious disease.

"Great, just what I needed. A horrible weekend stuck in the woods with you," Alfonso said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he gazed at Caramia.

"Yeah, I can't wait to spend 'quality time' with my favourite cousin," Caramia retorted with her eyes rolling in exasperation.

"Hey, hey, let's not start already," her father intervened, his voice calm and soothing. "We're all family here. Let's try to get along."

"Easy for you to say, Uncle Recson," Alfonso said, his tone bitter. "You're not the one who has to put up with her constant nagging and whining."

"Hey, I do not nag and whine!" Caramia protested, her face reddening with anger.

"Oh, really? Then what do you call the stuff you're doing now?" Alfonso sneered.

"Enough! Why are you guys arguing on the trip that hasn't even started? Why can't you two just try to get along, for once?" Vilian boomed, his voice commanding attention. 

Immediately, Villain finished his words, the cousins glared at each other, and their animosity was palpable, but they remained silent, knowing better than to cross their fathers.

As silence ensued, Caramia vowed internally to avoid Alfonso as much as possible, to steer clear of his sarcastic remarks and condescending smirks. 

Finally, after some minutes, their fathers' wives sat in the middle row chatting excitedly like old friends who had reunited after a thousand years apart. They were looking forward to a weekend of relaxation, adventure and bonding with their family. Recson and Vilian, the two brothers, took their places at the front with Vilian behind the wheel.

As they hit the road, the atmosphere was filled with anticipation and laughter as the two mums continued to chat, sharing stories and jokes while the cousins sat silently and each of them lost in their own thoughts. Alfonso stared out the window, his eyes fixed on the passing landscape while Caramia busied herself with her phone, trying to avoid any interaction with her cousin.

Progressing on their route, just about two hours from their place, their automobile suddenly came to a standstill. Vilian had abruptly hit the brakes, causing everyone in the vehicle to lurch forward, but their seatbelts kept them securely in their seats.

 "What's wrong?" Recson, who had been going through something on the net prior to this moment, asked, his voice laced with concern.

Vilian's eyes were fixed ahead.

"We've got a problem," he said, his voice low and serious.

The group followed his gaze to see what had caught Vilian's attention, and their eyes met with a group of masked and brawny men who had stepped onto the road, blocking their path. The men were dressed in black, their faces were obscured by black ski masks, and their eyes gleamed with a menacing intensity.

"Everyone, stay calm," Vilian instructed, gripping his hand on the wheel tightly.

The men approached the car with swift and purposeful movements, pausing a few steps away from the vehicle.

Among the men, the one who was clearly their leader stepped forward and banged on the window.

 "Get out of the car!" he yelled, his voice muffled by the mask.

The group exchanged nervous glances with their hearts racing with questions. 

What did these men want? And why had they targeted them? 

As they were all lost in thought, the masked man leader's voice echoed again like a thunderstorm.

"Don't you hear! I asked you pinheads to get down," he hollered. 

 Vilian hesitated for a moment and turned to the other family members with an understanding nod and then opened the door slowly. 

"Let's do as they say," he said, his voice calm and reassuring.

The group reluctantly stepped out of the car with their eyes fixed on the masked men. Alfonso and Caramia stood together, their differences momentarily forgotten in the face of this new threat.

The aunties clung to each other, their faces etched with fear, while Recson and Vilian stood protectively in front of them.

The leader of the masked men stepped forward and fixed his eyes on the group, scanning them.

 "You lot are the perfect set."

"Sir, what do you want from us?" Recson questioned with a stern look.

"You're coming with us," the leader commanded.

"For what reason?" Vilian's wife questioned unhappily. True, she was scared, but that didn't mean she would agree to do what she didn't want.

"You'll know soon," the leader said, heading to where his subordinates stood.

Then he raised his hand without looking back, and some other armed men ran out of the woods, blocking the two families' chance of escape from behind and pointing their guns at them, their hands on the trigger, ready to shoot.

"Honey, I'm scared," Recson's wife hugged him from behind, and he brought her close, wounding his arm around her shoulders.

"Don't be afraid, hubby is here," he soothingly reassured.

She sniffled and nodded.

The two cousins gazed at the armed men, their faces etched in deep frowns at their dilemma.

"Put handcuffs in their hands; none of them must escape!" the leader ordered, his voice echoing through the thick air. A terrible sense of dread fell over the family. Caramia's pulse quickened as the brawny figures closed in around them. Alfonso stood rigid beside her, his usual smirk replaced with a look of silent defiance. For once, they were both on the same page, terrified and uncertain.

Without hesitation, the men moved forward and roughly placed handcuffs on their wrists. The cold steel bit into Caramia's skin, and it ignited a fresh wave of panic. She glanced at her father, Recson and his face was filled with a mask of stoic determination. He caught her eye, offering a reassuring nod, though she could see the fear creeping into his features. Vilian, standing next to his brother, was clenching his fists tightly because of his white knuckles.

"Don't fight back, it'll only make things worse," Vilian whispered with a tense voice. 

Immediately after putting handcuffs on them, the masked men quickly confiscated their phones. Then their car was doused with gasoline, and one of the masked figures stepped back, pulled out a lighter and set the car on fire. In a single flick, the flame erupted, casting a warm orange glow that quickly grew into an inferno as the car was set ablaze.

Upon the sight of the burning car, Caramia gasped, her eyes wide as the fire swallowed the vehicle whole. The crackling flames mirrored the chaos in her mind, and she could feel Alfonso's presence beside her with a terrible tension, but she dared not look at him. There was no room for their old rivalry now, only survival.

Without a word, the men blindfolded them all. The last thing Caramia saw before darkness enveloped her vision was the orange glow of their burning car. Then, they were pushed forward, her feet stumbling over uneven ground. The world became a disorienting mess of sound and the crunch of leaves underfoot, distant bird calls and the men's heavy breathing as they marched through the woods.

They walked for what felt like hours or maybe days, Caramia couldn't tell. 

Time stretched infinitely in the black void of her mind, and fear made every second feel like an eternity. She could feel Alfonso occasionally brush against her as they were herded deeper into the woods, but neither of them spoke. It was too dangerous to make a sound. Her legs ached and her lungs burned from the exertion, but she dared not stop. She didn't even realise when she blacked out, and her body finally succumbed to exhaustion, which lasted for a few hours. 

Caramia opened her eyes again to see herself in an unfamiliar but freaking chilly room whose walls were cloaked in darkness. She felt her head throbbing, her mouth parched, but she groggily pushed herself up, trying to make sense of her surroundings. There was barely any light except faint slivers of sunlight creeping through a few small holes in the wall, which offered her some visibility.

She shivered, and the cold seeped into her bones. And then she realised that she wasn't fully clothed. She was horrified to find herself stripped down to her bra and panties. Panic surged through her veins, and she leapt to her feet with her heart racing.

Suddenly, she heard a movement nearby like a groan followed by the rustling of fabric.

 Caramia spun around, her heart temporarily forgetting how to beat, a lump forming in her throat. But she gathered courage and looked closely in the direction of the sound, straining her eyes to see who it was,

Turns out it was Alfonso stirring from his sleep. He, too, was stripped down to his underwear and his eyes filled with confusion as he sat up, rubbing his temples.

"What the hell?" he muttered, blinking as he took in the dim surroundings.

Caramia's fear momentarily gave way to rage. She had forgotten about her hatred for Alfonso in the chaos of their capture, but seeing him now, even in their shared predicament, reignited the flame of resentment that had burned for years.

"Where are we? What's going on?" she demanded, her voice sharp with accusation.

Alfonso scoffed, his usual arrogance returning despite their dire situation. 

"How the hell would I know? I just woke up, same as you," he responded. 

"You're supposed to have all the answers, right? Mr. Know-it-all," she snapped. "For once in your life, can you actually be useful?"

"Why don't you try thinking for once, Caramia? We're trapped, obviously. We need to figure out a way to get out of here." Alfonso responded by clenching his jaw, but he kept his temper in check; he wasn't in the mood to argue, especially not now. 

"You... forget it," Caramia felt exhausted just from talking to this guy. The tension between them crackled in the confined space, and their lifelong feud bubbled to the surface, but there was no room for pettiness. 

Caramia crossed her arms, shivering. "You don't get it, Alfonso. You bullied me for years, and you expect me to trust you now? You think I'm just going to forget everything because we're both stuck in some creepy room?" she whispered. 

"I didn't bully you, you were always so sensitive, taking everything I did the wrong way." Alfonso shot back, though his voice was weaker than before. 

"Sensitive? You tormented me! Who do you think you are? What normal person would respect you?" Caramia's voice trembled, not just from the cold but from years of pent-up anger. 

Alfonso's eyes darkened, but he didn't lash out. Instead, he sat back against the cold wall and closed his eyes. "Fine. Shout all you want. I'm not in the mood to argue with you." He sighed. 

Caramia pressed her fists into the wall, scanning the dark room with her eyes. She felt around the cold walls, searching for any sign of an exit, but it was a solid windowless box, and she could hear birds chirping cheerfully outside with a cruel reminder of the life beyond their prison. Then she gave up, lying down while thinking of a way out. 

Minutes dragged into hours, and the silence between them was thick with unspoken words. The hunger pangs began first, leading to a gnawing emptiness in their stomachs that only worsened as time passed. The cold deepened, wrapping around them like an invisible predator. Caramia's teeth chattered uncontrollably as her body began to tremble violently.

Without thinking, she edged closer to Alfonso, drawn by the warmth of his body heat. Her pride screamed at her to back away, but her survival instincts overrode it.

"What?" the latter opened his eyes and glowered in her direction, even though he couldn't see her clearly.

"P-please, I'm freezing." She whispered, her voice barely audible. 

 

"I'm not your personal heater, Caramia." He spat. 

"Don't be cruel, I'm sorry for what I said earlier, okay? But we need to stay warm, or we'll die here." She begged. 

Alfonso hesitated, scrunching his face, but something softened in his gaze seconds later. He sighed heavily and scooted over, allowing her to curl up beside him. Caramia felt a pang of humiliation as she pressed against him for warmth, but her body was too desperate to care. For a brief moment, it was almost peaceful until a voice crackled to life from an unseen speaker. The sound echoed ominously through the room, jolting them both upright.

"Well, well, I see my little guests have finally woken up." The voice drawled, deep and smooth but laced with malice..

Caramia's heart pounded in her chest as she scanned the room for the source of the voice, but it seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"Who are you? What do you want from us?" Alfonso demanded, his voice hoarse. 

Alfonso's voice echoed through the room and was followed by silence. Caramia couldn't hold her anger.

"Who the fuck are you!" She yelled, looking upwards even though she couldn't see the roof.

"Haha," the voice echoed again, letting out a mocking laughter, leaving them in both anger and phobia.

"Fuck you, what do you want?" Alfonso demanded.

Suddenly, after a brief silence, a low chuckle reverberated through the room. 

"You can call me Vergio," the voice said. "And what I want... is entertainment," he clarified. 

Caramia's stomach twisted into knots. "What kind of entertainment?" she uttered. 

"Hahaha," Vergio laughed, and his laughter sent shivers down their spine...

 "The kind that only desperate people like you can provide. You see, I enjoy watching how far humans will go when pushed to their limits, and you two... you're going to put on quite the show," he responded. 

"We're not your puppets," Alfonso shouted, his fists clenched, struggling to break free, and his muscles taut with rage. 

"Oh, but you are. You'll find that there's no escape from this place. The only way out is to play along and trust me, you'll want to, or things will get... unpleasant." Vergio replied, his tone dripping with amusement. 

Upon hearing this, Caramia's breath hitched, unsure of what to do. The walls seemed to close in around them as the weight of their situation sank in. They were trapped in a nightmare with no way out, and now they were at the mercy of a madman who wanted to see how far they would go to survive.

"I suggest you get comfortable, the games are just beginning." Vergio continued, his voice cold and detached, and with that, the speaker crackled to silence, leaving them alone once more in the oppressive darkness.