Bitey's Search

X isn't the best driver on earth. She thinks beer helps her steer and liquor makes her car go quicker. Or at least she did, until she ran over a pregnant woman. And maybe she stayed and called an ambulance like a sucker, or perhaps she did what any sensible person would do and speed away into the night. But either way, for some reason, there are no consequences. Sure, maybe there's a fine, community service or some other slap on the wrist, but no prison sentence. No justice. X never sets foot behind bars.

Y just lost his wife and unborn child. Slowly, his mind unravels He wants justice. And if the law won't do anything about it, Y will. His attic will be her prison. He will be her judge, jury and jailor.

X was depressed in life. No direction, no purpose. But her eyes opened. She heard the word of Y. A truly enlightened man, Y is like Maitreya, the 12th Imam, the second coming of Jesus. He's what all great religions predicted. And so, she throws herself into it, spending days praying, meditating, handing out flyers. She works her way through the ranks and soon, she's invited to the headquarters, to meet Y himself! But when she learns the innermost secrets of the compound, she learns it's all. . . bullshit. Nothing but a scam, exactly as her friends and family had warned. But Y has dealt with pretty little apostates like X before. Will she succumb to Y's tortures and become her faithful acolyte and concubine? Or will she resist to her last breath?

Vampire bites man isn't news; man bites vampire is news. X is a vampire that's been terrorizing the village. Perhaps out of necessity, or perhaps out of malice. But either way, she's been draining too many people to escape notice of the hunters. And sure, Y could kill her. He is a vampire hunter and that's what they do. But instead, he weakens her and takes her captive. He knows how to keep her too weak to escape, but knows how exactly how much blood to give her to keep her from starving. Could Y be keeping X as an exotic pet? A mere curiosity? Or perhaps Y wants an eternally beautiful sex slave in his cellar, whose looks won't be marred by the constant dark and damp. One whom isn't likely to get pregnant, even. Perhaps he could be looking to experiment on her to find the source of her supernatural powers and immortality? Or finally, he could just love her and want to keep her from continuing her killing spree, or from attracting the attention of other hunters who might kill her.

X found the advertisement in her email, or perhaps through some friends. It promised an immersive horror experience. Upon further research, it mostly involved being yelled at by men in masks, being zip tied and blindfolded, maybe made to strip naked and be in an enclosed space for a little while. And of course, if it got too much, there'd be a safe word. And people pay good money for that treatment. And it would be easier to explain having gone to a slightly overpriced haunted house attraction than to some S&M club. Same general thrill, same harmless adult entertainment, but X's prudent yet successful fiancé wouldn't raise an eyebrow at it. So she goes to the designated address after filling out the forms, signing the waiver and memorizing the safe word. Gets yelled at by masked men, stripped, zip tied, blindfolded and put in an enclosed space. Normal so far. X hears the hum of an engine and that enclosed space starts moving, like the trunk of a car. When the trunk finally opens, her safe word is only met with a wry laugh. She's now a hostage, or perhaps a plaything -- possibly both.

X is a costumed vigilante. A defender of justice. Perhaps she even has superpowers! Y is a dastardly costumed villain that X can't seem to foil. Bitter nemeses, though only in costume. Out of costume, they're the best of friends. Perhaps they even have a little courtship going. They just don't know about one another's double lives -- yet. But. . .

Y figures out X's weakness and captures X. Y could keep X a captive, forcing her to watch helplessly as Y takes over the city and then the world. Or perhaps Y can just unmask X, using blackmail as the proverbial Kryptonite. 

X finally subdues Y, only to find out Y is the man she trusted. But it makes sense in hindsight. His research had been defunded and suppressed. His livelihood was ruined. His so-called crimes were the only way he could keep his head above water and keep advancing science. He doesn't deserve to be thrown in a prison cell with the common criminals, much less the supervillains. He needs to be reformed.

At first glance, the prison isn't as bad as what one would normally expect in a developing country. Sure, it's a little crowded, but prisoners get to spend ample time outside. Many can grill their own food. The commissary is like a fully stocked department store and there are even opportunities to earn money to purchase items from it. The prisoners have also formed sports teams, bands and choirs, all sanctioned by the laid-back and supportive guards. Sure, a few prisoners walk around with permanent shackles on their ankles, for some strange reason. And a few disappear after their trials.

X came to that country as a tourist, not even speaking the local language. The officer who arrested her couldn't tell her why. The guards who hammered the permanent shackles onto her ankles before the trial couldn't actually speak to her, either. Even the court couldn't provide her an interpreter for her Kafkaesque show trial. But afterwards, X learns where the disappeared prisoners went -- to a prison within the larger prison. One where the rules are more strict and enforced with seemingly arbitrary and capricious punishments. The most feared disciplinarian amongst the guards is Y. One of the few male guards in the women's prison, Y is a very strict guard who is quick to anger and seems to enjoy his authority. But he also speaks English and could be X's only hope to find out why she's imprisoned and what chances she might have of getting out.

Y is just a regular, quiet guy who lives in a small, quiet town. Except lately he's been acting a little bit strange. He had quit his job, devoting most of his time and money to some construction project on his property. But he does have a permit. He's also been telling everybody who will listen that he has concrete proof that nuclear war is about to start. He has proof. Proof nobody seems to understand but him. So he resigns himself to solitude in his shiny new bomb shelter, for the rest of his life. Until he meets X. X is the only person who seemed not to deride him or treat him like he was delusional. In return, of course he'd kidnap her and drag her down to his bunker. Sure, she might not like how he keeps her there against her will, but he just can't let her die along with everyone else.