The allies quickly separated as all four members sat in an uneven circle, taking warmth from one another. All and sundry blinked at each other except for Carmen; her eyes scanned the door for gaps and the walls for cracks, hoping there was an exception to the soundproofing of the theatre. 

In a house as huge as this, there ought to be someone excluding Nikolas on the move. Perhaps butlers or cooks, or even a guest for that matter. 

As Carmen looked into the circle, she caught Adara stealing glances at her. Although they were sitting considerably close, Adara flinched away from Rylen's shoulder, still holding on to his jacket. It was obvious from the quiver of her lips that no matter how hard Rylen tried to recruit Adara to his team, she did not trust him. 

"You heard the man," Zane began, breaking decades of silence - something quite recurring for the foursome. 

"We can find a way out, I'm sure of it!" Adara said, hope in her tone. 

"What caused the change of attitude?" Carmen asked bleakly. How she'd zest upon leaving the room with no damage, but she knew that was far out of the question. 

"You know the device on the table?" Adara began, fairly confident, "It's not a CCTV camera. It's a WiFi baby monitor! I know this because my aunt and cousin lived with us for a while and she used the exact same camera!"

Rylen broke into a huge smile as his paleness began to dissipate, "This means he has a child at home! I know for sure he doesn't watch his child, he's always calling me personally for work so there must be someone else watching the baby!"

"You're right!" Zane exclaimed. Any odium he'd felt for Adara's trepidation evanesced and he only regarded her with joy, "I don't know how this slipped my mind! When I was looking into him, I learnt that he has a wife and a son! We're not alone in this place!"

"We might just be able to get out!" Rylen guffawed, his smile crinkling his eyes as small drops of water escaped his smile. 

This was their first sign of hope; Carmen got to witness what a not-irascible Zane looked like. He pushed his blonde hair away from his eyes, the deep brown shade glowing as his stoicism evolved into optimism. Adara seemed proud of her contribution. She fervently rubbed the tear stains off her face, trying to let her new version course through her veins.

Only Carmen remained her old, miserable self; she knew what they didn't. 

And she could never tell if she wanted to get out. 

"This place is soundproof, it's why he let us into such a luxury," Carmen said, hoping logic would be enough to slow them down. 

"If I had a home theatre, I'd visit every day!" Rylen argued, unwilling to let go of the hope. 

"If he can plan a kidnapping, he can make sure that no one enters the home theatre," Carmen said bluntly. 

Carmen would never let it show but those words wrecked the black hole in her chest, diminishing even the hollow cavity that was found behind her ribs. 

She had become the creator of her own unhappiness. 

Everyone in the room, even Zane, tried to contribute everything they knew. And then there was her - someone who knew vital information that could push their plans in another direction - but refused to for her welfare. 

She could tell them about Emily's death and push them to think in another direction; but doing so would throw her right into a deadly trap - Nikolas's gnarly claws. 

"I don't think we can leave," Carmen said. 

Just like that, the sun that had slipped clandestinely through the heavy grey clouds was nicked away from the dimly lit room as the patter of raindrops filled Carmen's ears. The sounds, however, were more propitious than recreating the raindrops through her eyes.

Carmen looked at Zane's brown eyes - he knew she was right and there was no place for hope. Carmen nodded at him, hoping they'd go back to the scheme they'd planned out. Now that Adara was the first to suggest a way out, Carmen only had more reason to put the blame on her. 

Zane didn't nod back; his eyes remained on Carmen's as a silent staring contest ensued. Carmen squinted her eyes hoping to withhold her emotions to a mirroring image of herself in Zane. He wasn't kidding when he implied that he didn't trust Carmen.

Feeling's mutual, she thought, breaking the stare and losing one of the many battles she'd had to fight. 

"I'd love to find a way out," Carmen began, "but if that isn't an option, why not listen to what Bane has to say? If he only wants one person from here, I don't see why the rest should take the fall."

Rylen circled his knees with his wounded arm, looking at no one in particular as he spoke, "If that's the only way then so be it. Anything if it means I can get home tonight."

"It might already be night. There's no way to know," Zane said, the despondent tone having returned the moment Carmen chose to speak. 

"There's no point worrying about what you don't know," Carmen said, steering the conversation to the right path, "Tell me, how did you get here? No cryptic answers this time."

Adara was the first to speak. 

Perfect, Carmen thought. 

"I was waiting a few steps away from the police station, my parents were talking to the police about my protection due to the information I had disclosed," she began, "the next thing I know, there's a cloth muffling my mouth and then, I ended up here."

"Right next to a police station? That seems a little... risky." Carmen said. 

"Did anyone rush to your aid?" Rylen asked. 

"Hmm," Adara began. She pulled strands of hair away from her bun, twirling it as she tried to form a coherent answer, "Honestly, I don't remember. It seems sensible, right? But why was there no one to save me? Why was I waiting outside the police station when I could have sat inside? Why..."

"I was the first to wake up," Rylen said, "I tried to recall what happened but there are... gaps, in my memory. I think."

"What do you remember?" Carmen asked. 

"Bane asked me not to call him immediately after the work was done. The work wasn't, since my stash was stolen and I had injured my hand. I was tempted to call him, but I didn't. I knew something like this would happen," Rylen said. 

Shit, Carmen thought. 

Carmen concealed her sigh. Perhaps it was a long shot to hope that they'd find Emily's body and match Nikolas's call information to the same place, but she'd hoped nonetheless. Oh well, that wasn't the crux of her issues. 

"I called him the next morning, though. About 8 a.m. in the morning. The news that you guys were talking about? I never got the chance to see it because just as I'd called him, I found a cloth over my nose. I know I would have tried to take in any details but all I remember is the feel of muscular calves against my back as I fell down," Rylen said. 

"I felt someone follow me. I had taken the bus and was on my way to my office. I have to walk some distance to reach the building itself so I was doing that. Next thing I know, this huge boulder comes charging at me and I simply didn't have the strength to hold him back," Zane said. 

"What about people from the bus or just passers-by?" Carmen asked. 

He looked at Adara and Rylen before speaking, "I don't remember."

"I know what happened," Carmen said, "I was in my room, watching the news and I heard about Nikolas. I was quite shocked to hear that he didn't exist because I knew someone who introduced themselves with that name."

Carmen stopped talking. The rest of the story should have flowed along but it didn't. She looked around the room hopelessly, trying to fill the gaps that had formed. Instead, she found herself trying to escape the grasp of the man's hand and nothing prior to that stuck to her brain. 

"There's more to it," she said, her heart racing as she tried to pick apart the memory, "I know I did something, but I can't remember! There was a cloth! An odd colour at that!"

Zane sighed, "Clearly, no one knows anything else."

"Bane could've sent someone with any kind of opioid. They do tend to cause memory loss at times," Rylen interjected. 

"You are the expert," Adara said, disgust in her voice. 

Rylen hesitated; he wanted to look away from the innocently cruel words but any quick movement and he knew Carmen would notice. Her eyes were glued on him, the hurt in his eyes didn't go unnoticed. 

"I suppose with your perfect life, you can't even consider what others might have to do," Carmen said, glaring at Adara. 

Rylen looked at her, extremely befuddled. The Cold Carmen came to his defence while naive Adara seemed to be a vile and hateful being. He caught Carmen's eyes, regarding her with a smile - it wasn't much but she'd spoken on his behalf, something only his sister had done. 

Carmen, on the other hand, looked away. She couldn't bear to look at his gratitude knowing she was the reason he was here. Knowing that her words had ulterior motives. Perhaps if she'd managed to save herself she wouldn't have bothered about him but her actions had gained nothing - another salt to her wounds. 

"Are you trying to defend a drug dealer?" Adara asked, appalled. 

"Please Adara, we don't have time for this. The sooner we figure things out, the sooner we can leave. Unless you don't want that," Carmen said, employing the first seed that would grow doubt in the boys' minds. 

"Why wouldn't I want that?" Adara asked.

"Can you stop," Rylen commanded, "Carmen's right, we need to figure things out before it's too late! I have to go home!"

"Everyone has to go home," Zane muttered. 

"Can you stop being so depressed all the time?" Rylen gritted. 

"Just go back to your little interrogation and let me think," Zane said. 

Carmen scowled, "We need your contribution here, you know? We're a team, remember?"

Zane sighed, "What do you want, Rose?"

"Carmen," she corrected, "and I need to know about any interaction you had with Bane yesterday. It seems each of us did something to set him off in the last twenty-four hours."

"It could be more than twenty-four hours, you don't really know what the time is," Zane replied, tracing the knuckles of his right palm. 

"You're really starting to get on my nerves," Rylen said, holding his fisted palm in the other. 

"Zane. Please," Carmen said. 

"Fine," he drawled, "It's a long story but I'm a journalist. Sort of. I haven't really got the chance to write the big news yet. I thought if I could get a story myself, they'd let me write it. Drugs are a big thing here so I thought why not do that?

"I came in contact with Rylen because he regularly delivered some of the stuff in my area. I started purchasing perpetually - no, I do not do drugs - until I was considered a regular. I followed Rylen one night, hoping he'd take me to Bane and he did. Since then, I've been collecting information about Bane directly."

"You followed me?" Rylen exploded. 

"Don't cut him off, he's going to stop speaking matters of substance again," Carmen said, rolling her eyes. 

"As I was saying, I collected information. I was preparing my story at first but then I thought - why not blackmail him? I mean, it's no secret that I was not getting enough money and blackmailing him really helped out. I demanded 100 pounds each month, pretty reasonable if you ask me. He'd either give it as cash or another stash of drugs which I would sell myself," Zane said nonchalantly. 

"How can you be so chill about this?" Adara asked, raising her tone. 

"It's all in a day's work. Wouldn't expect you to know, though," Zane said. 

"For the love of god, what did you do yesterday to tip him off?" Carmen asked, rubbing her forehead. 

"I didn't receive my stash on time, now I know it's because of Rylen. I thought he was trying to cross me so I told him I wouldn't keep quiet any longer," Zane said.

Realization dawned upon everyone in the room, especially Carmen. She'd started a whole cycle of events which, at long last, ended with Zane. 

"So you have a reason to go to the police too! How could you put the blame on me then?" Adara questioned. 

"Because, Adara," he said, apathetic as ever, "you don't have proof that I told everyone. The world knows that you went to the police, though."

Looking up from his knees, Rylen faced the circumambient conversation. Small specks of a theory had been forming in his mind, one which finally formed itself into a complicated object - one akin to the thirteen-sided shape - the Einstein tile. 

Without so much as another thought, he faced his fellow captives, "But Adara went to the police only knowing someone named Nikolas Branson. Why did he see her as a threat if that isn't even his real name?"

Carmen rushed to answer, "Maybe he thought she was close to his identity."

"That can't be true though," Adara argued, "I never even had a conversation with him the way the three of you have. I was alone at home because my parents were still on a trip. I had opened the main door to my house to keep a garbage bag out when I found the stash. There was a bag, a white one with the words, Nikolas Branson (Bane) on it. That's how I learnt his name."

"That's odd," Rylen said instantly, "I had my drugs in a white bag and I was around Oxford Street, you live close by, right?"

"Yes," Adara confirmed. 

"There was no tag on it and obviously so! I'd never heard the name Nikolas before and neither had I written his code name! If he gets in trouble, I lose my job." Rylen said. 

Carmen's eyes instinctively went to Zane - his eyes were doing the same, scanning her mien as she tried not to show the worry on her face. She inched away from the group, standing up as she walked toward the baby monitor. She wasn't trying to speculate or blame anyone - she was trying to walk away into a safe space and hoped that everyone assumed that she was simply being pensive. 

The carpet swathed the footsteps of an old converse approaching her. She turned around, her back facing the camera of the baby monitor as she was towered over by an observant eye - Zane. 

"I'm only saying this to you because I know Adara will blow it out of proportion," he started, drawing each word as he inserted his hands into his jeans pocket, "Suppose this is all just one big misunderstanding, I don't want you to get in trouble for no particular reason."

Carmen held her breath with every pause in his words. Something about his calm demeanour was like a road to an incessant spiral, a road she'd tend to avoid. She cleared her throat from the dry, warm feeling before she spoke, "What are you talking about?"

"You said you predicted his future," Zane mocked, "that sticks out like a sore thumb, don't you think?"

"How so?" Carmen asked. 

"Someone caused Rylen's accident and stole his drugs. Everyone has just assumed that those were the drugs that Adara found, considering that she's telling the truth. It's because of the accident that I didn't receive my stash, which pushed me to warn Bane. It's like a cycle, a domino effect if you will," he said. 

"What are you getting at?" Carmen asked, feigning impatience. 

"You're the only one that's not a part of this cycle. As a matter of fact, reading the future has got nothing to do with his drugs. He didn't mention his drugs but rather a business, am I right? Then how did you become a part of the suspect list?" Zane asked nonchalantly. 

"It's not like I was begging to be a part of the trapped club," she said. 

"I think that you know more than you're letting on. In fact, I know so. Now, you're not obligated to clear your name but it would benefit you if you did," Zane said. 

Whether that was a threat or not, Carmen wasn't sure. He didn't frown or glare, and neither did he have a terrorising face. Still, his words raced at her, all at once, and she knew he was on to something. 

"One more thing," he began, "again, this is assuming that Adara is being honest. But if she is, there's no way she's heard the name, Nikolas Branson. It was fed to her. The funny thing is, who would want to do that when no one with said name exists? Obviously, someone who knows a man with that name."

Carmen's breath hitched. 

"Someone like you," he finished. 

Carmen was speechless. A tearing pain reverberated in her throat as she searched for the voice that never ceased to talk. Carmen jubilated herself for always having something to say, the skill of spewing nonsense, as she liked to call it. For the first time in years, all she did was smile innocently. 

"I don't know enough to blame someone yet. I mean, every single one of us could be withholding information, there's no way to know," Zane said. 

That was a load of bullshit. Zane had a hunch and the glint in his eyes showed that he wouldn't stop going down the only path he could unearth. Zane was more competent than she'd given him credit for and now, she was more trapped than ever. 

"All I'm saying is, I don't trust anyone here. Especially not you, Rose."

The camera's singular eyes stared into Carmen's pair as her fear reflected on its shiny surface. As the tiny object haunted her gaze, she beseeched to the sky that Nikolas wasn't on the other side, listening to every word of Zane's theory. 

𓆩⟡𓆪

A/N: More dialogues, more character information 👀I know, Zane is a bit of a jerk, but damn, the way he speaks makes me melt (not weird at all because I wrote him 😬) Anyways, what do you guys think? And do let me know if you caught some clues 🙈
WC: 3085