[b]Cassandra[/b]

Cassie hadn't really expected to be answered but the whistling that had started a little while before she'd called out, stopped suddenly and she heard boots cross the wooden floor just outside her door. At first, she thought he might be opening it and her body tensed up, preparing for an attack or to try and escape should she have the opportunity but her ankles were still bound and she couldn't imagine getting loose in time. It didn't matter, regardless, because the door remained shut and locked and he simply spoke through the thick wood.

Cassie continued to struggle with the bindings on her ankles, her hands clumsy and shaking with fear. She tried to focus but it was hard when she was still in such a state of panic. The man outside the door spoke and she stopped moving while she listened to him. "Liar," she hissed as soon as his first sentence reached her. She had already been hurt and not one of them seemed to hold any regard for it. If she were still human she imagined she would be bruised and bloody. Perhaps bones would have been broken. Her body ached but at least she could bear it and her skin appeared unharmed. 

"Let them come. I'll kill every one of them," she whispered, the shaking in her hands slowing enough for her to get a better grip on the rope around her legs. She combined the strength from her ankles and hands and pulled apart, satisfied when she felt parts of the rope tear a little. It took another few moments of effort but soon her legs were free too and she dropped the mangled rope to the side, away from her.

Cassie rubbed her sore ankles before standing up. The swaying of the boat was unfamiliar to her and the man outside the door had begun to whistle again, though this time it sounded far more sinister. Fear had frozen in her chest and she held a hand against the wall next to her to steady herself. Once she'd felt a little more stable, she stumbled across the room to the cot and sat down on that, instead. She made sure to make her steps loud so the man outside the door would know she had escaped her bindings. Perhaps he would come in and attempt to tie her up again. She could fight one of them at least. She was sure of it. She was stronger now and she needed to remember that.

The whistling had come to an end but rather than make Cassie feel more at ease, she felt more tense. Why had he stopped now? What was he doing? Had he heard her footsteps and decided to investigate? She pushed herself to her feet and watched the door, though she could barely make it out in the darkness.