Shain

It was daylight out which meant it was Sunday. A night spent in this place hadn't been fun. I catnapped on the insanely uncomfortable wire fencing. After the call my kidnapper left me alone for the most part. He was gone or at least in another part of this building. I was still trying to get loose while I worked to puzzle out who he was.

He appeared to be in his thirties or forties. It was hard to tell. He had short hair, and there was something about him that made me want to say I'd seen him before, but I had no idea where or when. The scarring on the right side of his face threw me off. It was clear as day to me it was a serious burn. It wasn't uncommon for arsonists to burn themselves. I wondered if he did it to himself or if an encounter with the fire that burned him was the trigger for his fascination with flames.

What I had gotten from the little he said to me and on the call with Daredevil was this was about revenge against the Regulators. For what, I had no clue. Even though he said my life depended on them doing what he said, I was ninety-nine percent sure he wouldn't let me live. I saw his face. If he planned to let me go, he would've remained behind the mask.

Speaking to Daredevil had made me want to cry. I didn't get a chance to tell him I loved him, in case it was the last chance I had. I didn't want to die, but if I did, I would make sure to go out fighting, and if I was able to take the pyromaniac with me, I would.

A rumble of frustration came bubbling up out of me. I yanked on my restraints. Inanely, the thought of how these weren't the kind of restraints I enjoyed came to me. Being tied up helpless with Daredevil was exciting. This wasn't.

"There's no use trying to get free. Even if you did, you have nowhere to run. This building is secure. Why don't you relax? I bet you're ready for a bathroom break." My captor's voice made me jerk. I hadn't heard him come in.

I turned so I was able to see him. He was still in his ridiculous fireman's suit. "You'll actually let me use it?"

"Of course, I'm not a total monster. I treat people better than I'm treated."

I wanted to call him on his bullshit, but I didn't. It was clear he felt the Regulators treated him badly or owed him recompense for some sort of offense. I wanted him to feel I was cowled and malleable to his commands. Maybe if he believed I was, he'd slip up and give me an opening. If that happened, I would have a big surprise for him. One where he was dead, and I went on to live.

I kept my head bent as he walked toward me. Before he went to untie me, he made sure to take out a gun he had at the back of his waistband. "Don't get any ideas. If you force me, I will shoot you."

"If you kill me, how will you have leverage against the Regulators?"

"I said shoot you, not kill you. However, I can make you wish for death depending on where I shoot you. Are you gonna behave?"

"I'll behave."

He was cautious and gave me no opening. It was a relief to get off the fencing. I hobbled to the bathroom which was through a doorway on the other end of the large room I was in. My bladder was about to burst from the feel of it. I was surprised he let me close the door for privacy, but a quick scan of the bathroom told me why. There was no window and nothing to be used as a weapon. It was stripped down to a sink, toilet, and shower. There was no lid on the toilet tank, towel bars, mirror, or anything else. Damn it!

A sharp knock on the door made me jump. "Hurry up."

I quickly washed my hands and then opened the door. He was frowning. As we walked back to my torture device, I asked. "Please, can you tie me to something else? That thing hurts so much."

His chuckle made me want to shiver. It was dark. "No. You don't deserve to be comfortable. Maybe it'll remind you of your sins." He shoved me toward it. As I stumbled, I thought, what? My sins? So this wasn't just me being a bargaining chip. I was a target as well. Why? Who was he, and what had I supposedly done to him? I was drawing a blank. I had to figure it out. Time was slipping away, and with it, my demise grew closer. I now had zero faith that he would let me live.