#sorry atlas but p body is just a tiny bit better | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

whump-mania · 3 years

Text

A Cursed Blessing

Chapter 2: The Cellar

(tw: blood, captivity, cursing)

The cellar was usually empty. It was a cold, dark, spacious room that used to hold barrels of liquor. Now, after Henry Hamilton had bought it out for his circus, it was filled with life. Five lives, to be exact, and they were all scared out of their minds.

Just how Hamilton liked it.

The cellar now had something new in each of its four corners: one had a metal cage with thick bars and barbed wire, one had a small, cramped stable with chains for six limbs, one had a tank of freezing cold water, and one had a strong wooden crate with a tiny hole for air. Hanging from the ceiling was an iron birdcage.

The five performers were brought down—conscious or unconscious—into the cellar to meet their new homes. Ophelia was shoved into the cage, Atlas was chained in the stable, Naia was thrown into the tank, Damon was trapped in the box, and Finn was locked in the birdcage.

Some of them fought. Ophelia tried to break the bars with her powers, but the wire scratched her up and made her bloody. Endless pounding came from the wooden crate Damon was trapped in. Naia would have fought, but she was busy trying to even move.

“P-Please…the—t-the w-water is too c…cold…” She whimpered out to the men who had thrown her into the ice cold tank. “C—Can’t…m-move…”

She sank down to the bottom of the tank, hugging herself for any sense of warmth. The men only laughed and left the cellar, leaving the five performers alone.

“HEY! No, you fuckers had better come back!” A voice emerged from the wooden crate. Damon pounded on the wall, yelling through his air hole. “You can’t leave us down here! You’re all SICK!”

“They’re not coming back,” Ophelia bit back from her cage. She was lying on the floor, on a bed of grass she had created for herself as she waited for the blood to stop flowing. “Give it a rest. Save your strength.”

“Give it a rest?” Damon scoffed. “How the hell do you expect we’re gonna get outta here, then?!” Damon’s volume caused a whimper from above, and the satyr’s anger was suddenly directed to the small fairy in the cage hanging from the ceiling.

“Will you SHUT UP!?” Damon barked at Finn, who only squeaked and tried to make himself even smaller in his birdcage. “All you’re doing is crying and being a little whimp, you think that’s gonna get us out of here?”

Finn covered his ears, squeezing his eyes shut. “I-I’m sorry, sir…” He said, barely over a whisper. Damon rolled his eyes, delivering another kick to the wood of his crate.

“You’re fucking pathetic,” he grumbled. Ophelia lifted her head slightly.

“Would you leave him alone?” She drawled, annoyed. “All of us want to get out of here. We don’t have to be trying every second. You’re the only one who’s unharmed.” Ophelia gestured to her cuts, and Finn tried to hide his bent wing. Atlas was still tranquilized in their corner, and Naia was immobilized by the temperature of the water.

“Well,” Damon bit back, “I can’t see any of your injuries because I’m TRAPPED in a MOTHERFUCKING BOX!” Ophelia rolled her eyes and rested her head back down on the grass she had made.

Hours passed. For some of them, it could have felt like days. Finally, Hamilton came back down into the cellar, a cheery smile plastered on his face like always.

“Friends! Fellow coworkers! How are we this evening?” Hamilton got no response from the performers, only harsh glared or fearful expressions. He chuckled.

“Well then…what kind of host would I be if I didn’t prepare you all the best I could for our first show, hm?” He strode over to Atlas’s stable. “Atlas? You awake, pal?” Hamilton knocked lightly on the door of the stable and peered in.

Atlas was still lying down, but they were awake. Their eyes were barely open from the effects of the tranquilizer still coursing through their body. Hamilton opened the door and disconnected their chains from the wall. He grabbed the ones around their wrists and pulled them up, smiling sweetly at the way Atlas stumbled to stand up.

“W-Where are you taking them?” Finn spoke up, his small voice echoing through the cellar.

Hamilton glanced up and gave Finn a cryptic grin. “You’ll see.”

Atlas was pulled out of the room and silence fell on the four remaining. “Fucking asshole,” Damon growled, sitting down in his crate.

More silence stretched over the room until it was abruptly broken. A high pitched scream erupted from a nearby room, and everyone (save for Naia) perked up. That scream definitely came from Atlas.

“What are you doing to them?!” Finn screamed, trying to escape his cage for the first time. He winced when his bad wing hit one of the bars. The screaming only got louder, and all any of them could do was cover their ears and wait for it to be over.

Atlas was dragged in and thrown back into their stable, chained up and left alone. Finn, who could see Atlas (and more importantly, their back), gasped in horror.

“Oh…oh, Atlas…” Finn covered his mouth, tears welling up in his eyes. Damon tried to look through the air hole in his crate. “What? What’s going on?” He demanded.

Hamilton didn’t answer, and Finn and Atlas were too shocked. “Naia, dear. Your turn.” Hamilton wheeled her tank out, and the screams started up again soon after.

This would be a long, long day.

taglist: @whump-me-all-night-long @wafflestakethecake

#whump #whump blog #whump community #whump writing #whump scenario #whumpee #whumper #fantasy whump #a cursed blessing #mythical creatures #tw blood #tw captivity #tw cursing

8 notes · View notes