The Light, the Dark and the Ugly by Bryan Cohen Page A

didn’t resist. As her heartbeat grew faster, she squeezed his fingers.
    The door to the room opened with a jolt, and three guards stomped inside. They smelled of sweat and weaponry. The biggest of the three looked like he was straight out of the professional wrestling ring, sporting arms as big as her legs. Despite his size, he moved across the room with ease and wrapped his gargantuan hand around her wrist. When he yanked, she was lucky the force didn’t pull her shoulder back out of its socket.
    She gritted her teeth to deal with the pain. “You know, you could just ask.”
    The gorilla of a guard ignored her comment and tossed her to the other men. One had a wide pumpkin of a face, while the other guard's cheeks and nose reminded her of a rat.
    The rat man smiled to reveal his yellow teeth. “It’s time to go, pretty thing.”
    Natalie shuddered as his clammy hand gripped her arm. When the pumpkin and the rat pulled her toward the exit, her stomach dropped again.
    They’re only taking me.
    Natalie slipped out of the rat's grasp and pushed the other guard back toward the wall. The massive guard who'd wrenched her arm blocked the door as Ted reached his hand through. She grazed his fingers as the guard shoved her back.
    Ted shouted at the hulk of a guard. “She’s staying with me!”
    Natalie tried to push the guard out of the way, but he was just too solid.
    The brute laughed. “You may look like him, but we don’t take orders from you.” With that, the guard slammed his boot into Ted’s chest.
    Natalie watched Ted's backside skid against the floor before the guard shut the entrance and locked it.
    “Ted!”
    The rat took her shoulder once again. “You better cooperate. You’re already getting special treatment.”
    Natalie wanted to take all three of them out, but she knew any one of them could draw their weapons and burn her to a crisp. She looked at the rat and pictured slicing off his grotesque head. Natalie relaxed her posture and got into pace with the three guards. As she took the final few steps, a voice entered her head. Natalie almost grinned as it danced through her brain.
    I’ll find you. Stay safe.
     
    Natalie couldn’t see much of her surroundings in the darkness of night. Everything around her had a stony, medieval feel, though the dim lights that lined the halls seemed to run on some sort of electricity. The air was brisk, even when she entered through the large entrance to the inside of the castle. Wind whistled through the window. She passed by at least five other sentries as they walked down multiple corridors, each of them looking exactly alike. Natalie traced her steps and took in as many small landmarks as she could. When she noticed they’d gone down the same hallway twice, she solidified the map in her head.
    I can get back to the plane if I need to. If Ted’s still there, we’ll get outta here.
    When the walking came to an end, the guards led Natalie in through a door they’d passed by twice. The odor engulfed her immediately. While rotting corpses didn't seem to be in view, she could tell they'd been part of the room’s history. Natalie held back a gag as the rat man tossed her into a chair in the middle of the room. The other two strapped her tightly to the chair.
    She resolved to look tough, though she didn’t feel it. Natalie made her eyes like stone as she stared down the group's leader. “This where you take all your dates?”
    The rat ran his fingers down her neck. “Is that an invitation?”
    Natalie’s pulse raced as the man brought his face toward hers. She slowly leaned her head back. “In a matter of speaking.”
    When the rat got within a few inches, Natalie whipped her head toward him, clocking him in the nose with her forehead. She felt the bone snap against her skull and the rodent let out a scream of pain.
    “You little slut!”
    The other guards laughed as they held him back from assaulting the defenseless Natalie. When they pulled him away, she saw