The Unwitting Thief

SAMANTHA (b)

Samantha resisted at first when one of the guards grabbed her. She tried to pull away from him with all the strength she had left to her, until she emerged from the storage room kicking and screaming to find the other guard pointing a large blade at her throat. She could barely see anything in the dim lighting, and it didn't help that her head was spinning and the room was threatening to disappear into a sea of darkness at any moment.

In the end, she just let herself be guided through the tunnels.

She wondered where they were taking her. To Martin probably. Was there anything she could do to convince Martin to show her mercy? Did he ever show mercy? If Thomas was anything to go by, then no, he didn't.

"Aaron? Hey, Aaron! Wait up man!"

Samantha looked up as one of the guards waved Aaron down. Her spirits raised slightly, maybe she could beg Aaron for help. She'd bought Xelmaash from him before, and rumour had it that Martin had put him in charge of the whole drug market. She knew that Thomas and his friends hated Aaron and Craig, Martin's henchmen, but she'd dealt with worse men than Aaron. He wasn't exactly a nice man, but he was dim witted and maybe a little easier to placate than Martin.

"Check out who was found sniffing around in the storage room, it's Morrow's little sister! Gonna take her to Martin to see what he want's to do with her, but we all know how he deals with people stealing from him; no one steals from a thief, eh?" The two guards burst out laughing.

"Aaron, please, don't let them take me to Martin, I'll do anything, please!"

The guard holding her shook her aggressively, "Shut your mouth, whore. No one's talking to you."

Samantha pressed on, though she felt sure she was about to be sick, "This is your area Aaron, Martin won't appreciate being bothered with it. Take me and let these two guards get back to work, otherwise who's guarding the product?"

The guard had made a move to hit her this time, but he stopped with his fist in mid air, looking around him with a look of confusion plastered across his face. "Hang on; 'Them', 'Two guards'?"

Aaron looked less confused and more interested. It was a strange look that didn't suit his face.

"She's lost it man, too many drugs, that or withdrawal's really knocking her off her rocker."

Aaron made a dismissive motion with his hand, "The girl's right, this is my area, go back to your post and leave her with me."

The guard shrugged, "Whatever, I just hope Oli hasn't drank the rest of the wine before I get back."

As the guard moved back down the tunnel, Samantha turned to look at the other guard with the blade. He just stood there in the shadows smiling at her, rubbing his thumb over the blades edge menacingly.

Aaron followed her gaze, "You're Thomas's sister, the whore, aren't you?"

Samantha forced herself to look away from the guard, and turned back to Aaron, "Aaron, we've met, you know me, Samantha?"

Aaron smiled, "Samantha, you can see things that aren't there, can't you? That's why you take Xelmaash."

Samantha stuttered, horrified as she looked back and forth between the guard and Aaron.

How stupid! In the darkness she had failed to even notice! She's been looking at a mere ghost of a guard the entire time since leaving the storage room.

Now Aaron knew.

"Aaron please, please you can't tell anyone! It's the drugs, it's withdrawal, it's nothing. Please!"

Tears had started to well up, spilling down her cheeks as her breathing hitched.

Aaron held up a hand.

He was so calm and collected, a calculating look in his eyes that Samantha had never seen before. It was unnerving, so unnerving that she held her breath as he spoke next.

"It is not the drugs, it is not withdrawal, and I am not Aaron. Samantha, I cannot see what you can, but I can help you." He stepped closer to her, his hand reaching out to brush a tear from her cheek. "I can help you control what you see, hear and feel. With my help you will not need to take drugs. With my help you will find power so that you need never bed another man unless you want to. But, you will have to help me in return."