Warning: this chapter includes graphic content that may be disturbing to readers.
She gasped and awoke from her sleep, clutching onto the bed sheets tightly and staring up at the ceiling. Fighting to catch her breath, she tried to relax her body into the warm bed as she closed her eyes. Waking up this morning would make it the third day she was stuck in this room, and she was beginning to wonder what, exactly, her agency was doing.
The trackers were still working—they should have an idea of where she was.
She sighed, digging her head into the pillow as she waited for her heart rate to settle down. Ever since the night Samil had tortured her, she couldn't sleep due to the unsettling nightmares that occupied her. It was getting to be incredibly uneasy, and affected her thought process to a significant degree. She was terribly exhausted, but she'd continuously failed at sleeping without being haunted by violent dreams.
Opening her eyes again, she peeled the damp sheets away from her body and forced her shaking figure to sit up. She immediately glanced over to the chair that Matthew generally occupied whenever he was watching her.
Her heart stopped when she saw Samil.
And it wasn't a figment of her imagination.
"Can't sleep well, my dear?" He questioned, slowly getting up from the dark mahogany chair. Her body instantly pressed itself against the backboard as she observed Samil carefully. Throbbing was felt on her left arm as he got closer, no doubt triggered by the trauma. "Don't fret; my knife isn't with me at the moment." Her breaths turned into shallow gasps.
She knew she was pressing her luck when she hadn't seen Samil since the first day, but seeing him when she'd just woken up was too cruel. How long had he been there? He could have been watching her all night and she wouldn't have known.
"Why are you here?" Her voice cracked and she cleared it so she wouldn't sound so pathetic.
"Just wanted to drop in." He shrugged, shooting her an eerie smile as he glanced down at her healing arm. "See how you were fairing."
"I could be better," she whispered, hoping that he would leave. She slid her legs over the edge of the bed and got up cautiously, ready to run away from him if she deemed it necessary. It wouldn't work out due to the limited space, but she would die trying. "There's nothing really to see here."
"I wouldn't say that." Samil purred, his muddy eyes scanning over every inch of exposed skin. She felt utterly naked under his disgusting gaze. "Amazing how Matthew hasn't jumped you yet, considering the fact that what you're wearing doesn't cover much." Julia inhaled deeply, forcing back the small amount of vomit that started to crawl up her throat. Her fingers found the edge of the bed sheet and she quickly pulled it in front of her.
"I want to be alone, please."
"Being polite now, Julia?" He cocked his head, his eyes flashing with laughter. "That's a much more desirable transition to how you were before. I suppose I taught you enough to realize that." She bit down on her bottom lip, resisting the urge to scream and simply stuck to nodding. "Good, my dear." Samil started to move around the bed, heading towards her at a leisurely pace. She climbed back onto the bed to create more space between them, her instincts screeching at her to run.
"I don't think it's very effective to waste your time on me." Julia babbled quickly, her skin burning from the intense fear that shot deep into her bones. "No one is coming to get me, Samil."
"I admire your attempts to distract me." He chuckled, stopping at the spot that was an inch from where she was moments before. "But that's where you're wrong, dear. Your parents, as well as a fraction of your agency, are coming to get you. I've made contact with them already."
"I don't believe you."
"I sent them something very worthwhile." Samil grinned, his body shaking gently from his composed laughter. "I just had to tape my masterpiece at work." He gave her arm a pointed look, raising a single eyebrow. "A video to match your father's."
"You didn't—"
"I did." He cut her off, releasing a full-blown cackle. "God, I would kill the whole world just to see those pained expressions your father made."
"You're a monster." She growled, baring her teeth at him.
"Your mother said the same thing." With his head cocked, he rested one of his knees on the bed, watching Julia as though she were prey. "But I can do worse things than that."
No longer resisting her instinct, Julia sprinted to the exit, finding the door locked from the outside. She whipped back around to see him a mere few feet away, prompting her to fly to the bathroom. He caught her injured arm and gripped it tightly, causing her to hiss in pain before he viciously pulled her back to him.
"Let go!" She cried out, squirming against him as she tried to pull out of his grasp. She battered against him, throwing hooks and jabs to create even the smallest opportunity to get away. With a sneer, he lifted her up effortlessly and tossed her onto the bed. She kicked at him and threw her body back, but he retaliated by catching one of her legs and pulling her towards him.
"I won't be able to document this, but I'll enjoy it nonetheless." He murmured into her ear, the insinuation enough to send her heart plummeting into her gut. She freed a pleading scream and fought against his powerful grip, only to earn herself a slap to the face. Ignoring the sting, she continued to scream and struggle against him, clawing at his arms and neck. He took hold of her wrists and slammed them onto the bed, his strength monstrous enough to pin both her hands above her with a single hand before he used his other one to clamp it over her mouth.
"You'll have to do much more than that to prevent me from getting what I want." Samil stated sharply before grabbing a handful of the thin fabric covering Julia's frame and ripping it. She shouted out profanities and even begged him to stop, all in which he ignored. In a fluid motion, he grabbed her jaw and tilted her head upwards, bringing his lips down to her throat.
She screamed again, tears running down her face as she came to the painful realization that he wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted. Sobs shuddered from her chest when she realized that her strength, her ability, was nothing against a grown man honed by years of cruelty and violence. It didn't matter how much she fought, or how much she begged.
She thrashed around violently as he traveled down her neck, almost succeeding in kicking him off her before he shoved her thigh back onto the bed. His fingers glided up the night gown where he started to yank at her underwear, but before he could go any further, a loud knock on the door echoed into the room. She took a breath to cry out, but he muffled it with his hand.
"Samil, there's a call—"
"Not now, Matthew!" He shouted, his fingers leaving her face to crawl back under the skirt of the nightgown. Tears were brimming around her eyelids as she cried out again. Yanking at her wrists, she managed to free one to push against his invasive hand, earning another hard slap across her face.
"This is important, Samil. They need you to connect the call immediately." Matthew pressed, banging on the door. "They've discovered an unidentified aircraft heading to this location. We'll have to leave right now if it's Virtus." Her ears perked up at the name and she held back a sigh of relief when she heard him mention her agency. They were coming to get her.
Samil growled loudly, his eyes blazing with power and ferocity. He looked over his shoulder towards the door before looking back at Julia, moving his face close to the point that their noses touched.
"Congratulations, Julia—you'll be losing the people you love soon enough." He released her and got off her, giving her one more once over before heading for the door. "I'm not finished with you yet, my dear." Matthew must have unlocked the door, for with a twist of the doorknob, Samil left the room.
Hyperventilating, Julia quickly pulled her undergarment back in place and gathered the two ripped edges of the night gown together to cover herself before crawling to the edge of the bed. Matthew walked in, closing the door behind him and turning on the main light. The sudden illumination burned her eyes, and she hiccupped before a new set of tears rushed down her face in uncontrollable waves. She started to sob, the feeling of being completely helpless and weak hitting her like a train.
If Matthew hadn't intervened, she would've been a rape victim.
"Julia," he murmured in shock, moving to her briskly and taking in her shuddering form. "I didn't know he was going to be here. I'm—" Matthew was cut off when a soul shattering sob ripped through her throat, and she pulled her arms over her chest to feel caged off from the world. She curled into herself, scared to feel more vulnerable than she already did.
Suddenly, she felt hands rest on her shoulders. Tentative and cautious, it was the second time she experienced gentleness since being there. Although hesitant and awkward, the gesture was enough to have her momentarily weep.
"H-he wouldn't...stop." Julia cried, collapsing deeper into herself. Matthew stepped closer, tightening his hold on her shoulders as though it were a lifeline. "God, he...he wouldn't s-stop." She was crying and speaking at the same time, barely coherent, as she tried to breath around her panic. Nothing could stop her from unleashing the terror she had within her.
Matthew took a shuddering breath, and she wasn't sure if it was due to the vulnerability of the sound, but she found herself snaking an arm around his waist, needing something stable to keep her from completely falling apart. He allowed it, bringing his hands to her back firmly as her fingers dug into his shirt. She practically molded into his embrace, desperately needing to feel safe, even if the feeling somehow came from one of her enemies.
"I'm sorry. If I had known..."
"What would you have done, Matthew?" She questioned, pulling her head back to look at him as her heart finally started to slow down. "Go against Samil? Wouldn't that have made things worse? Without a doubt, you would've been killed if you'd tried stopping him beforehand. Or severely punished." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she shook her head, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "You're supposed to be my enemy, Matthew. What are you doing helping me?" His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed before letting her go.
"Go change. We're leaving in five minutes." He commanded, sending a pointed look towards the bathroom.
"You don't honestly expect me to leave now that aid is coming." She scoffed, unable to keep up with his change in behavior. It was hard enough without the trauma, but after this morning, Matthew was the furthest from being a comprehensible creature. She couldn't understand him.
"I'm giving you the chance to wear something comfortable for you, and to retain your dignity." He explained carefully, as though reviewing everything he'd be saying. "Because you'll be leaving this room regardless of circumstance." She leered at him, gripping the tattered nightgown tighter around her body. It was infuriating how he was somehow considerate, while also delivering her to her demise.
She grabbed an oversized white blouse from the closet before taking her old clothes from the drawer along with her boots. Locking herself into the bathroom before stripping, she unhurriedly slipped her jeans on and buttoned up the blouse. Pulling her boots on, she was careful with the hidden knife and transmitter that was inside. She tied her burgundy hoodie around her waist before brushing her teeth and leaving the bathroom.
Matthew threw her leather jacket at her, which she gladly put on. She wanted to cover as much of her skin as possible. Opening the door, she slowly followed Matthew out of the room, unsure if she was in any condition to seriously fight him. However, as soon as she stepped through the door, she crashed into his back. Groaning, she rubbed her aching nose.
"Put your hands behind your back." He told her quietly, pulling out a pair of handcuffs from his pocket. Julia stared down at the restraints, clenching her jaw as she slowly brought her gaze to meet Matthew's. Reluctantly, she did as she was told, feeling the cool metal latch onto her skinny wrists. She was gently pushed forward as Matthew led her out of the building. After about ten minutes, they exited through large, steel doors and sunlight beamed into her eyes. She squinted, the harsh rays burning into her pupils as she waited for her sight to get used to the change of lighting.
Suddenly, she was being blindfolded. Her immediate reaction was to land a powerful kick to the person's thigh, but it was caught before she could.
"Precaution." Matthew simply explained before tightening the fabric around her eyes. He pushed her forward again, but she refused to move. "Move, Julia."
"No."
"You were being obedient up until now."
"That was before I knew my parents were coming." She said snippily, turning to where she thought he was standing. She attempted to glare at him.
"You always pick the wrong times to be rebellious." He muttered before she felt him wrap his arms around her waist and throw her onto his shoulder. She kicked her legs out, hoping to land a few on him. "You're still a prisoner to us, Julia. It's better to be submissive than to constantly fight back. You should know that."
"Let go of me, Matthew!" She yelled, squirming around to loosen his grip. "I thought you were a good guy?" That made him stop in his tracks, and she felt his fingers tighten around her ribcage.
"I'm still the enemy, Julia. I just don't go around torturing and raping people for fun."
His words left her speechless.
He continued to march out to wherever they were going, which she assumed would be a flight zone for Mortifer aerial transports. The silence was deadly, but she soon heard the faint sound of engines in the distance. When she believed they were in front of the steps leading up to the plane, Matthew put her down and pulled her blindfold down until it hung around her neck.
"Move." He ordered for the second time with a sigh, prompting her to inch up the steps. Her lungs seemingly constricted as she realized that wherever she was going now, it would take longer for her parents to find her. They would notice two blinking dots at different areas, and she was afraid that if they didn't dispatch two different search parties, they'd go to the moving dot first. Judging from the plane, she believed that there were firearms built into it.
She didn't want anyone getting shot down from thousands of feet in the air.
Finally, Julia entered through the door and took in her surroundings, feeling Matthew's hand on her shoulder. Before he could press her on, she started to move herself and made the only turn that was available. Her eyes fell onto three people up front, the one in the middle giving her a nauseating feeling in the pit of her stomach. She nearly stepped back from the fear that instinctively took over. She heard Matthew inhale sharply as Samil grinned at Julia, his eyes knowing.
"Julia," he greeted, cocking his head. "I don't suppose you know who these people are."
"Samil—" Matthew began but was quickly cut off.
"No, of course you don't." He shrugged before hooking his fingers under the blindfold around her neck, tugging her towards him. "No matter, I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough." He moved over, letting his fingers brush against her cheek. Matthew shoved her forward, nearly tripping her at the sudden force he used.
"To the back." He growled at her, shocking her into silence by the harsh tone he used. She looked over her shoulder to glare at Matthew menacingly, which he returned with one of his own. She was thrusted by him again and she growled loudly before turning back and stomping her way to the very back of the plane.
Seething, Julia sat down on one of the cushioned seats while Matthew took the only one that was next to hers, dropping his jacket onto the seat before leaving her behind. Once he left, she scooted to the very edge of her seat and slipped her hands under her before forming a tight ball and bringing her arms out from under her.
She didn't enjoy the feeling of handcuffs cutting into her wrists when she sat, so why not use her flexibility to her advantage? Unfortunately, she didn't have a single bobby pin or item she could use to pick the lock, leaving her only comfortably incapacitated.
Looking in front of her, she noticed how the seating arrangement allowed everyone to have a perfect view of her. It would explain why she was placed there in the first place, considering her every move needed to be watched. She moved her gaze back to the handcuffs, fumbling with it to figure out how she could get out of them.
Someone snapped on a second pair of handcuffs onto the chain, and her head shot up to see Matthew locking the other side to the table that was separating their seats. To her dismay, the wooden table was drilled into the floor.
"Nice try." He offered before plopping onto his seat, moving his jacket and placing it on the table. Matthew glanced at her for a few moments before looking away and staring straight ahead. "They're Zane's parents." She shut her eyes tightly and pressed her lips together before exhaling slowly.
"Yeah, I thought as much." She peeked at him. "He looks like them."
Samil walked in from the front minutes later, shooting her a disgusting smirk before settling himself down on the other side of the plane. The seats in front of her formed a half circle, resembling a long, continuous couch until it was broken off by the center aisle before continuing down the other end.
He was followed by a few other agents, who took up the space that surrounded his broken half circle. She could only guess that they were his bodyguards. A couple of minutes later, Zane's parents walked in and took their seats across from her. Julia sighed in relief when no one else came through the door besides the piolet, who spoke with Samil for mere moments before leaving the room.
Just when she thought that they were going to set off, a familiar head of brown hair strode into the room, causing all of her bodily functions to cease. He sat down next to his parents before looking up, his dark gold eyes making contact with her own.
"Kill me now." She whispered to herself before looking away and melting the ground with her deadly stare. Even though she couldn't see him, Julia could feel Zane staring her down. She supposed no one informed him that she would be boarding the plane with them, considering how painfully awkward the air was becoming. "Please tell me you have more of those knock out injections. If not, I'll bash my head in and be done with this." She paused before looking at Matthew. "Actually, I'll give you a free shot. Hit me as hard as you can—"
"Behave." Was all Matthew spared her before crossing his arms over his chest and staring straight ahead. She felt the plane lurch before taking off, her ears popping as they gained altitude. She'd never been a fan of planes, but this time, she didn't mind the idea of crashing or having an emergency landing. Anything to delay their escape from her agency.
It was half an hour later that the plane became leveled, the flight smoother compared to the earlier take off. She thought about Virtus and the likelihood of them following her. She knew that they'd divide their forces so that both trackers were retrieved, but perhaps her father would go with his instinct and target the moving transmitter. If they intended to face Samil and his faction, then they'd need as many numbers as possible.
Looking up from her trance, she connected gazes with Samil and a sour taste in her mouth developed. He watched her with a strange expression, something that she could only faintly describe as psychotic and evil. When he continued to observe her, something inside of Julia finally snapped.
"What?" She hissed at him, pressing herself into her seat to refrain herself from doing anything stupid. She wouldn't have been able to do anything in the first place, since the chain was too short to reach him. God, would she love to strangle him with it. Blinking at him, Julia willed herself to calm down. Losing her self-control would only dig her grave deeper, and she'd already made the mistake in reacting to his discomforting stares.
Everyone glanced up at her swiftly, surprised by her sudden urge to speak. During the time they'd been flying, she'd refused to speak to anyone that uttered a single word to her. Whether it was out of pity for her being here or what, she wasn't sure nor did she care. As far as she felt, they could all go to Hell. A Chesire like grin spread across Samil's face, amused with her heated tone.
"Nothing." He purred, his eyes filled with amusement. "I'm only thinking about all of the possibilities I have with you." She shot him a revolted glare before shifting her eyes away from him.
"Fucking pedophile." Julia muttered to the ground, clenching her jaw and fists tightly. Judging from the way Zane's head shot over to Samil, she knew he'd heard her. For the next hour, Samil had managed to incessantly drop deadly and sexual innuendos about her. As each one got worse, her mood, as well as her composure, rapidly deteriorated. Only her breathing remained the closest thing to being calm, and even that had started to become labored. Despite the terror he had embedded in her bones, one more thing out of his mouth would make it impossible for her to continue ignoring him. She'd do something she'd likely regret.
Someone came into the room, walking over to Samil and muttering something into his ear. His lips twitched up into a beaming smile and his eyes travelled to Julia, keeping her steady gaze. She saw him mouth to the man a simple thank you before the assistant left to the cockpit. Samil slowly got up from his seat before stalking over to her, prompting her to shove herself away from him. She watched him carefully as he stopped a few feet from where she sat.
"Your reinforcements arrived," he informed, leisurely relaying his message to her. Her lips parted to shoot him a sarcastic remark, but she held it back, settling on biting down her cheeks. "I've gotten word that Red and a few agents have entered the building you'd recently occupied." She bit down at her bottom lip, refusing to speak as she glared at the wicked being before her. "Let's make a bet, Julia. How long do you think it'll take for them to realize that the whole place is rigged with explosives?"
With heat searing through her veins, she utterly detonated.
"You fucking demon!" Julia screamed her lungs off, flying out of her seat to get her hands on the devil standing in front of her. The handcuffs cut painfully into her wrists until she bled, but she pulled at it wildly as she seethed at him with blazing eyes. "I pray to every holy thing that this plane crashes and kills every single one of us. Then I can see you monsters suffer in Hell like the miserable filth you truly are!" He tilted his head at her and moved even closer, enough so he could engulf her jaw with his one hand. She yanked at her chains again, only to have Matthew grab her and hold her in place.
"Don't worry, you'll see them again when I'm done with you." Samil hinted, licking his lips and flashing her an evil grin. She did the only thing she could do in her restricted form, and she was thoroughly satisfied by what she got out of it.
She spat in his face.
Then, all Hell broke loose.