I stilled at his words.
They're coming.
I looked wildly up towards the sky, expecting to see heads peering down at us at any moment. Samuel was practically standing on top of me now, hiding most everything from view.
"Who's coming? What's going on?" I harshly whispered.
He looked down at me for a moment before whipping his gaze back up. "All you need to know is we have a plan," Samuel rushed. "Just stay with me and you'll be fine."
I started to ask more questions, but they were cut off by a noise directly above us. I peered around Samuel's large frame to see the silver bars up above slowly raising towards the sky. Shadowed figures were lifting up the heavy metal while others were scattered around working along the edges. I struggled to make out their faces and recognize even one of them, but the setting sun made it impossible to distinguish anything but shadows.
Once the bars were out of sight, a few of the figures started moving away. As they disappeared though, one person emerged. They came to the edge of the hole, like all the others, but stalled once they saw us. I noticed hair falling around the shoulders of the figure as they tucked their hands behind their back.
"Here's how this is going to work," the person spoke. I immediately recognized the voice of Damaria, the silver-haired woman who everyone seemed to worship.
As she spoke, two other people came to stand next to her. They stretched something between them, holding the edges about a foot apart from each other. Damaria nodded to the couple and they released part of what they held. It fell down the dirt wall of our prison, swaying as it came to a standstill around Samuel's waist. Now that it was closer, I recognized that it was a thick-roped ladder.
"Samantha will come up first, then you. If you try anything, we will not hesitate to shoot."
As she spoke, I heard the easily recognizable clicking of a trigger locking into place. I quickly started to get up and make my way towards the ladder, but Samuel held me down with one hand. He shot me a glance, silently telling me to stay in place.
When Samuel was sure I wasn't going to move, he looked at Damaria and lowly spoke. "We come up together or not at all."
Damaria sighed. "You're not in the place to be making demands."
"Actually, I am. We're happy to stay down here for as long as we need."
My eyes widened. I tried to stand again, but Samuel's hand was still holding my shoulder down. My eyes darted to Damaria who was still as a statue, watching us with a neverending calculating stare.
I gripped Samuels leg, grabbing his attention. "Samuel, I'm not-"
"Wait," he whispered so only I could hear, squeezing my shoulder. Then, he lifted his voice to Damaria. "We come up together or not at all."
At Samuel's words, the two people beside Damaria began to raise the rope ladder. I watched in horror as it rose above my reach. It continued to ascend and neither she nor Samuel moved to stop it. They stared each other down as the rope kept climbing, inch by inch. Then suddenly, Damaria held out her hand. The two figures holding the ladder immediately stilled, the rope just a few feet from the surface.
Damaria continued to stare but said nothing. She eventually nodded to Samuel who immediately turned to face me. As he did, she disappeared from view. A couple more people replaced her and took the rope, binding it down to something in the ground.
"Get on my back," Samuel lowly spoke as he lifted me up by my forearm.
I quickly obliged. I sprang from my position, holding onto Samuel's arm for support. When I was steadily standing, he crouched down low enough for me to climb onto his back. I hesitated only slightly, glancing between the rope that had just been dropped down, and Samuel's bare back. My stomach churned at the thought of holding onto him so intimately. Samuel noticed my small hesitation and turned to face me, sending me a careful look. He held my gaze for just a moment before turning to face forward again. I shook my head and took a shaky breath, trying to calm myself. This was the only way out. Once we were above ground, I could take off running and never look back.
That was the driving thought in my mind as I felt my arms wrapped around Samuel's neck. He grabbed my legs and hoisted me further up as he slowly stood, adjusting my weight against his own. I bit back a gasp as the movement stretched my side, making it feel as if my body was being torn apart.
Samuel noticed my discomfort. "I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt. Just hold on and try not to choke me."
I immediately loosened my grasp around his neck, causing him to chuckle slightly. He walked towards the ladder and gripped the thick rope, pulling against it forcefully. When he was satisfied with the strength, he turned his head to the side a bit.
"Ready?"
I quietly nodded my head while burying my face in my arm and preparing myself for the misery of the climb. Samuel wasted no time as he caught hold of the rope and hoisted us upwards, his feet catching on the rope beneath us. We swayed slightly, but Samuel was quick with his movements. He didn't hesitate as he moved from one rung of the ladder to another.
I, on the other hand, struggled. Samuel kept an upright posture, but the gravity pulling against me was straining muscles that I didn't know I had. I involuntarily tightened my grip around his neck and shoulders, my legs doing the same around his waist. I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to concentrate on holding on instead of the burning pain from my side slowly eating me away. Samuel whispered encouragements to me, reassuring me we were getting closer and closer to the top.
After what seemed like an eternity, our bodies finally met the solid ground. Samuel gently took me off his back and sat me next to him. I clutched my side as I sharply breathed in, willing the pain to leave. Samuel was on his knees as well, breathing heavily and taking in our surroundings.
I quickly followed suit and stilled. We were surrounded by half a dozen people, each of them pointing a weapon at us. Some held knives, some held what looked like clubs, and a select few held a gun. I winced away from those, unknowingly falling into Samuel. He gripped my shoulders tightly, pulling me up to stand next to him. As we stood, I saw more people behind the ones directly in front of us. In fact, people seemed to surround us in every direction. Some walked towards us, some watched from afar, and some hid behind trees to catch a glance. But, each of their eyes held the same things. Apprehension, anxiety, fear, and most of all, anger.
As soon as I got my bearings, they were suddenly ripped away. I was being pulled away from Samuel by foreign hands that fiercely gripped my forearm. Samuel still had his iron grasp on my other arm though, and I suddenly found myself being stretched between two people. Samuel was careful not to pull me, but the other person didn't care for my comfort. I struggled against their grip as it grew tighter and tighter, never yielding. I whipped my head to face whoever it was that was pulling me away, only to be met with the glare of one of my personal demons.
Margaret.
Her curls bounced wildly as she scowled at me, suddenly releasing her grip. Samuel, however, wasn't done. He darted in front of me, barreling towards Margaret with his teeth bared. The minute he moved though, Margaret lifted her hand and pointed the barrel of a gun at my head. Samuel stilled, breathing heavily. He was facing me now, our torsos almost touching.
"Do we need to remind you what happens when you don't do what we say?" Margaret suddenly spat.
Samuel snarled but was cut off by Damaria speaking from behind us all. "That's enough," she demanded. "Now, this is simple. We do this without a fight or we'll kill you both."
Samuel continued breathing heavily, not moving away from me. His hands found their way to mine where he grasped them tightly. He turned his head to look at me and I did the same. I could tell he wanted to tell me something, but he never got the words out. The minute Samuel complied, we were being forced to our knees by a new swarm of people. They quickly circled around me as one of them bound my wrists behind my back while another wrapped a piece of cloth around my mouth.
As soon as they were satisfied, I was forced to my feet again. Margaret appeared at my side with the all too familiar gun pointed at my head. Her other hand grabbed the rope around my wrists, pulling me towards her. As she did, I heard a large growl pierce my ears. I whipped my head to the side to see countless men wrapping Samuel in rope and gagging him as well. He tried not to fight against them, but I could tell every part of his body wanted to tear them to shreds.
A new person suddenly appeared in the crowd, but he kept his head down low. He moved slowly to Samuel, placing his hand on a shoulder of whoever was in his way. They each parted immediately, giving this new man direct access to a bound and gagged Samuel. My heart lurched as his eyes quickly found their way to mine, a pained expression lining each and every one of his features. He didn't notice the man walk up to the side of him, something long and pointed coming down to the skin upon his arm. As soon as I noticed what it was, my eyes widened and I let out a small cry.
Samuel turned, but he wasn't quick enough. A needle was plunged into his arm, inserting a thick substance into his body. He roared in agony as he fell to his knees. His body began to convulse as his limbs tightened until his entire frame went limp. The man with the needle walked away slowly, and it was then that I realized who it was. It was hard not to miss the long dark hair, the tanned skin, and the conflicted expression.
Kade.
His gaze lingered on Samuel before he looked at me and slowly started to advance, pulling another needle from his pocket. My eyes widened and I fought against Margaret, who only pressed the gun against my temple and tightened her grip on my wrists. Hot tears fell from my eyes in what felt like a neverending waterfall. Kade was standing next to me now, a pained look lining his face. His eyes darted between my eyes and arm before he turned to look behind him. People began to disperse as Damaria emerged and caught his eye.
His voice came out slow and unsure. "She's not fighting, maybe we don't have to-"
"Stop being such a coward and do it," Margaret suddenly growled.
"Enough, Margaret," Damaria swiftly demanded. "Kade, this is the only way. Do you want them back or not?"
Kade bowed his head and closed his eyes. After a moment he opened them and looked at me again, a newfound light of determination glinting in his expression. The world seemed to slow down as he brought the needle to my arm and forced it into my skin. There was a small sting followed by the pain of a thick substance entering through the tip of the needle. I tried to fight as the liquid started taking its toll on me, my limbs growing heavy and weak. Kade caught me as I fell forward, my knees giving out from underneath me. He held me tight as darkness ensued, eventually consuming my mind.
***
AAAAHHH the suspense! What do you think will happen?! Who was Damaria talking about?? Thoughts???
A huge THANK YOU to you ALL for your love and support! I LOVE the comments, votes, and all of you who have followed me! I guess I'm just one lucky gal. :D
Until the next chapter, (where I can guarantee crap is going to hit the fan.)
-Mquistey