Conditioning
- Trigger Warning -
- Most Graphic Location Labeled -
Sang
"Are you sure that you trust him?" Payton asked softly. He stood beside me, glancing curiously in the direction of the camp. We were close, and apparently Octavius was currently doing something dreadful to Chet.
I knew that no matter what happened after today, I would never forget the sounds of his screams.
Jesse, Jay, and Roe had been sent to ambush the other side on my signal. And it had been three and two, and organized in this way, because I had the very same question about Jay's loyalty.
I sighed, touching the smooth wood of the bow behind my shoulder. "I don't know," I admitted. "Honestly, I feel like I shouldn't trust anyone right now. But I really don't have a choice, we need him. He's a good fighter, and he has fought against Efrain before..."
Payton frowned, studying my face, before he responded. "I do not trust him either. There is always a choice, always another way." He moved, stopping to pick up his longsword, before glancing back at me. "I am going to go check it out. I will send Jesse back to stay with you if nothing is wrong. But if something has happened, and nobody returns within fifteen minutes, then leave."
Leave? I couldn't leave! And as if to reinforce my point, another scream reverberated throughout the area. It was louder now, as if something truly dreadful was happening.
My pulse quickened furiously, I knew that Payton was right. We were rushing. We were pressing our limits with just the five of us, but without Jay... "But-"
"I know that you know it too." Payton interrupted. "Without him we cannot win, even with the element of surprise. The best thing to do, if he's untrustworthy, is to retreat and come up with a new plan."
Leave Chet? Like this? We didn't have any more time. I could only stare at Payton, eyes wide, as his words resounded through me. There was no way. "I can't-"
"I do not know how you were raised and what you were taught." Payton said, looking away. "But I do know this - everything depends on upbringing. If you had grown up in the Capital, like the Adairs and myself, you would understand. We've been this from the beginning, and know the harsh need to sacrifice for a cause. If Chet has found something that he is willing to die for, then you need to let it be. Everything ends in death."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "That is so close minded, and don't quote War and Peace to me!" I pointed at him, trying not to let his words resonate. He gave me a look, and I knew it was because he didn't expect me to realize what he had done. I didn't care about shocking him though, I was defensive. Unsure.
Because I knew that I was rushing into this, I knew that Chet wanted me to go away. That he had found some kind of cause that he had been willing to fight for. But I couldn't do that; I couldn't let someone else die for me.
"You yourself said that your strategies weren't working." I told him. "And you said that this plan was good. So why are you bringing this up now?"
"A plan can be good, but it all comes down to the people who are fighting for you." Payton frowned. "And it is a good plan. But I didn't realize how involved you were, your face ever since we got here has given that away. You don't trust the district six tribute. I can tell. And you need to listen to your instincts, and you need to learn patience."
I narrowed my eyes at him. I didn't have time for patience, time was running out in general. If we didn't do something soon then Chet would die.
I had to take that risk, and hopefully my feelings about Jay were only paranoia.
"I'm following your plan," Payton waved a hand as he began to walk away, "but I'm still going to go check things out.
☜♡☞
Seconds continued to tick by, and slow minutes passed. Until I couldn't deny it anymore, it had been longer than the fifteen minutes Payton had requested.
And no one had come back.
I should retreat, Payton had asked me to. I knew that Chet would have wanted me to. But now I was lost. If something had happened to the others because I had trusted Jay, then it would be even more blood on my hands.
I had to hope that they were alright, but I couldn't stay back anymore either. Payton and I had taken up a position out of sight of Octavius' group. But that meant that we could only hear - and not see - what was going on there.
Chet had stopped screaming a few moments before, and a canon had gone off. My sense of dread only increased. I almost felt overwhelmed from the stress, the pressure.
What should I do?
Finally, I couldn't wait anymore. I had to check, at least, to know for sure. I'd just take a peek, see if Chet was still alive. See if it was too late. Then I'd track down the others. Figure all this out.
And maybe even re-evaluate the plan, like Payton had said.
The late autumn air was heavy as I made my way through the dense woods. Years of experience had shown me where to walk in order to remain unseen and unheard. As I drew closer to where I
knew that they were, the remaining coverage thinned until I had no choice but to stop.
However, I was close enough now to see almost everything. And once I stealthily made my way up the sturdiest, closest tree, I could see even more.
Chet was slumped forward against a tree, and the only thing keeping him from falling to the ground were the ropes at his waist. He was shirtless, and his torso was a bloodied mess of carvings - all done in a meticulous manner so that almost every inch of skin had been touched.
A puddle of blood lay at his feet, and his pants were drenched with it as well. I didn't that it was possible to bleed that much, even from as many wounds as he had. But then I noticed his left hand, or rather what remained of it, and my heart pounded furiously within me.
It had been my fault, my fault that he was suffering this way. I couldn't leave.
He was silent for the moment because he appeared to be unconscious, and for a moment I thought he might be dead. But as I watched, Keyne tossed a canteen to Aakil, who proceeded to pour the contents over Chet's face, causing him to stir.
I could barely make out their words from this distance. But I didn't need to either. Octavius, who stood nearby the scene with a commanding pose, asked something and Chet replied disdainfully. Aakil frowned, and moved forward, knife out, before he carved into Chet's side.
Chet began screaming again.
My breathing became erratic as I bit my wrists in an effort to not cry out with him. Where was Jesse? Where was Payton? Was I really all alone right now, and unable to do anything? Surely there was something-
And my panic welled within me as, suddenly, Roe and Jesse were pushed into the clearing as well.
I had been right... Payton had been right...
Because, standing behind those two and smeared with blood, was Jay. He was holding a weapon to my cousin, while Jamie and the other tribute that I didn't know the name of, restrained Roe.
And Payton was nowhere to be seen.
No.
It wasn't just Chet now. I wasn't stupid, I knew what was going to happen. Everyone had been caught because of my ignorance. And I knew from the sadistic smile that came over Aakil's face, that there was no way that Jesse and Roe would not be subject to the same treatment as Chet.
This had been all my fault. I had only wanted to help!
They went after Jesse first, now ignoring Chet, who appeared to be in a half-conscious state. I drew blood from how hard I bit my hand as the large, unknown tribute thrust his dagger into the juncture of my cousin's shoulder.
He screamed, and like with Chet - that was the only thing I could hear.
No. No, no, no.
The man raised this weapon to do it again, Jamie laughing as he grabbed Jesse's hair and held his head up higher. And I knew that I couldn't watch this anymore. I wouldn't.
There was no more time to think. I notched my first arrow, and after a split second released it and shot the man who was holding Jesse. It pierced him in the throat and he went down with a high pitched scream.
I quickly aimed a second. However, only one person had already regained their bearings from my unexpected attack. And I missed my mark as the man who had stabbed my cousin moved. I had only hit him on the thigh.
He fell to the ground, clutching his leg, and everyone else seemed to have regained their bearings. Jay hit Roe on the back of the head, causing the navy man to fall, and Jesse had fallen when I killed Jamie.
Aakil, Keyne, and Jay, without further hesitation, began to rush in my direction. Panic shot through me, threatening to consume my thoughts. I had acted without thinking again, and I had no idea what I was going to do now.
But there was no use hiding anymore.
As quickly as I could, I scurried further up the tree, hoping that no one was adept at climbing. Even though, in the back of my mind, I knew it was useless to hide because they held all the leverage. It look only another second before the three arrived, spotting me almost at once.
"There you are." Aakil crossed his arms and studied me. "It's no use to hide, you've lost. Give it up and come down."
I was shaking violently now, unsure of what to do. If I went down there, who knew what would happen. But if I didn't... I couldn't help but to study their impassive expressions, even Jay...
I had a feeling that Rocky would not have approved. And anyway, why in the world would he have turned on us. Granted, I had gotten weird vibes off of him when he was calling me Mrs Blackbourne. But I had hoped... "Jay, what-"
Jay shifted his eyes from me, looking at the other two men who had been in his group for the last month. "You won't hurt her, right?"
Aakil shifted on his feet, looking at Jay. "Probably not, we only have some questions for her." He moved his hands to his hips as he frowned at me. "Do you hear that girl, if you cooperate then we'll have no cause to hurt anyone else. We only have a few questions, that's all."
Alarms blared in my head. We had already done this, and the result was that they didn't like my answers. I knew they were lying.
Maybe if I just.... I could shoot some of them from here. I let go of the branch that I was holding for balance and my hand began to drift back towards my bow.
"Don't even think about it." Keyne's dark eyes caught the movement. "You can't shoot faster than all of us can move, and we'd get you down from there one way or another. But only after we killed your little friends."
"If she doesn't get down here quickly," Aakil glanced back, "we'll be getting to that sooner rather than later."
My stomach dropped. He was right, of course. And there was no way that I'd be able to get out of this situation on my own, I could only hope that help was on the way.
Outside of that, I would have to suck it up. I could do no less.
☜♡☞
I was dragged after Aakil until we had reached the others. Jesse and Roe had been tied up and forced into kneeling positions near Chet, who himself was cursing up a storm. And again, guilt shot through me.
I couldn't do more than give them apologetic looks before the man that I had shot in the thigh limped over. "Did you shoot me, bitch?" He practically spat the words in my face, his eyes furious. "You killed Jamie!"
"Um..." Should I apologize? No, that didn't seem right. However, I hadn't had a chance to say anything more before, once again, I fought myself on the ground.
Blood welled in my mouth, and I sat stunned for a moment. I thought that I had been prepared for this, I knew that I would probably be hurt or maimed in some way or another. However, the reality was much different than knowing.
"I'm going to fucking kill you." He raised his hand again, and I instincity flinched before another voice interrupted.
"Gary!" Octavius stepped into view, his tone even. "Don't overstep yourself. We still need to figure out what she knows before killing her."
"She fucking shot me!"
Octavius rolled his eyes. "Suck it up, it's only a flesh wound. Don't forget why we are here. Out of anyone, she'd have the answers that we want anyway."
"That is, if she was telling the truth. She could have just been fucking with you before." Gary turned away, but I didn't have any time to regain my bearings before I was hefted to my feet.
Jay held me next to him, my arm trapped in his vice grip. "She definitely is." He said, not even looking at me. "Rocky was always a romantic. That's what got him killed. But he was always spot on when it came to reading auras."
Aakil frowned, and I wondered what they were even talking about. "Rocky was a few bricks shy of a load. But even say he could, he seemed to have a fixation on Sang. Do you think he'd lie about it?"
"Rocky didn't like Sang." Jay answered, no drop of hesitation in his voice. "He was obsessed with her because she's unique. If I thought that he really liked Sang, then believe me, I wouldn't be here now, helping you. He was blind, even in death."
My heart pounded as I glanced back and forth between the men talking in front of me. I had no idea what was going on, or why they were saying that I was unique.
"Are you sure that this isn't personal?" Octavius asked. "Because once we start, we aren't going to stop until we get the answers we need. She did kill your sister, after all. Are you really committed?"
"Are you?" Jay snapped back. "You all hate hurting girls, but someone has to do it. I just couldn't let them help Adair escape, that's all."
"Um..." Couldn't we just talk this out like mature adults? I mean, it wasn't like I was going to withhold information. All this back and forth seemed kinda useless. If anything, I kinda had a feeling that they were stalling.
"I'll do it!" Gary said eagerly. "I don't have a problem beating the shit out of her and making her cry."
Octavius frowned again. "Gary, stabbing someone a few times doesn't make you an expert. Women break more easily, you'll kill her before I can get the information that I need."
But what did they even want to know, exactly? "Guys, I'm not sure-"
"Amatures."
The word cut off my response as my blood froze in my veins. My eyes darted around the clearing before I spotted him, sitting at the foot of a tree, also tied. His long bangs had fallen into his face, barely covering a bruise that blossomed from his left eye. And he was watching the scene with a bored, almost detached air about him.
Efrain. I had completely forgotten about him.
"None of you have what it takes to extract information from this girl." His impassive eyes gazed at the men around me. "You would be either too hard," he said, looking at Gary," or too soft." He finished, watching Octavius. "Either way, the methodology behind torturing a woman is different than a man. They lie in different ways, and say things that sound like the truth. But is not."
Octavius looked at him curiously in response. "What makes you the expert? Besides, Gary punched you. Why would you help us?"
"Believe it or not, Sawyer Hendricks cares about our problems with illegal experimentation." Efrain's eyes finally met mine, and for the first time some semblance of emotion crossed his face. "And there's still the matter that he wants her alive, and mostly unharmed. I'll overlook your violence towards my person, and even put in a good word. I'll question her. All I ask in repayment is that when I'm done, I get to keep her."
Terror washed over me like a wave, and it became hard to breathe, hard to think. "No!" I stammered out, and everyone glanced at me. "I said I'll tell you what I know! I want to help stop it too!"
Octavius pursed his lips, but Efrain's sudden chuckle recaptured everyone's attention. "See," he said. "Even now you believe her. I was awake, you know. I heard when she called Dominic Adair her Papa. Do you think she'll just give up the truth now?"
"Yes!" I protested. "I-" And my sentence was cut off as a balled up cloth was shoved into my mouth. I gagged on the fabric, and began to struggle frantically against Jay. But he only held me harder, restraining me as the guys exchanged another glance.
Then Aakil walked forward, pulling out his knife as he did so, and cut the bindings away from Efrain. And Efrain smirked slightly, his eyes meeting mine in a quick moment. Then, oh so casually, he got to his feet and dusted off his clothing.
Why was he acting like this was nothing, why did he hate me so much? I could even begin to describe the fear that overwhelmed my senses. Not Efrain. Please. Anyone but him.
It seemed like only seconds passed, and I heard yelling. I must have blacked out, because I was now being held against a hard chest. Gary, it had to be, because he was the only one left. Efrain was in front of me, but his focus was elsewhere.
The four others had refocused their attention on Roe, who was awake, and Jesse. They were yelling, protesting, but I couldn't make out the words through my terror. Chet, too, despite being tied to a tree, was now frantically trying to break free.
But they were hopelessly outnumbered, and already restrained. So it was nothing for the others to subdue them again.
Efrain returned his focus to me, and the calculating look in his eyes filled me with dread. My breath hitched as his hand raised, and my stomach lurched when he ran his finger down my cheek. It wasn't affectionate at all, not that I wanted it to be. But rather, appraising in its intention.
Either way, I didn't want him to touch me again.
I twisted my arms and kicked my legs, desperate to break free from his bruising grip. The move shocked Gary, who had expected me to be complaint, and his grip loosened slightly. But it was enough.
My hand struck out towards Efrain, who was still so close to me, and my nails caught on his cheek. And I left a trail of broken skin and blood as Efrain jerked away, cursing.
"You bitch!" He was back after only a second, and I didn't even have to see his raised hand because I already knew what was going to happen.
This time I did black out, and my jaw was on fire as I came to on the ground. Efrain was over me, knife in his hand, as he glared down at me with the most emotion in his expression that I had ever seen yet. "You haven't learned at all yet, have you. Your place." Gary had backed off, and it was only me and Efrain.
I sobbed through my gag, trying to grab it, him, or anything, in order to fight back. But Efrain caught my right hand in his own, holding onto it in a crushing grip that had me crying out in pain once again. Then, without another word, he pinned my hand to the ground.
With the knife.
Pain like fire shot down every nerve that radiated from my hand, and all my other aches were forgotten. I couldn't even cry, every breath made the pain radiate more. Helplessness consumed me as I began to think that I couldn't suck it up after all.
What did they even want? Why was no one asking me anything?
My heart fluttered within my chest and I could hardly breathe from fear as Efrain straddled me, stroking my hair gently. Yet, it was not me - a person - that he was touching. But rather, I was something interesting, an object that needed to be studied.
"What are you going to do?" Octavius stood behind Efrain, his arms crossed and face impassive. "I thought you said that Hendricks wanted her?"
"He does," Efrain said as his fingers moved to my ear, tracing the outer shell with barely a touch. "That was a warning. Unavoidable, really. But there's more than one way to extract information, and not all are quite so bloody."
The bile rose in my throat, and I wanted to scream - but couldn't. My throbbing hand pulsed with every beat of my heart.
Suddenly, he grabbed my hair, painfully yanking my head to the side and nestled his nose against my jaw. I could feel his breath against my face, his mouth on my ear. His voice was soft, so soft that I could barely hear him, but he said only one thing.
"Volare."
Something strange and familiar rose within me before it was suppressed just as quickly. Less than an instant later, my chest constricted in agony, and my vision went red as pain wracked through my body. I couldn't make sense of up or down, or of anything of my surroundings. It was as if everything else faded away and there was only this.
Throughout the last few days I could feel the boys, a constant presence with me this entire time. But even now, they were gone. There was nothing left other than the feeling that my soul was being destroyed, and the fear that this would last for eternity.
I wanted to die. I wished I had never been born. I needed anything, something else other than this absolute hell.
Then, little by little, awareness began to seep back into me. There was pain, but it was more tolerable than what I had experienced. The ache settled into every part of my body and I was actually terrified that I would die. I could feel my heart fluttering in a dangerous rhythm, and the sound of muffled sobs reached my ears. At first I wondered who was crying, but then I had realized that it was me.
My hand was free, and I wondered how that had happened, but a numbness had settled over the area. But to be honest, it didn't matter anymore. Nothing did. The only thing that existed at the moment was this haze that I now resided in, somewhere between life and death.
At least, that's how it was for only a second more.
Chet's enraged cursing broke the silence, and Efrain shuffled on top of me, looking behind him. "Will someone shut him up. He's a distraction, and quite frankly, is no longer needed. She's what you need now."
My mind reeled in turmoil, refusing to believe the scene in front of me. It took only a nod from Octavius, and Gary was in front of Chet in a flash. Then, without another breath, Chet was silenced forever as Gary ran his dagger across his throat.
"What was that?" Octavius asked Efrain, unfazed at what had happened with Chet. I couldn't figure out why, because I couldn't take my eyes off of his slumped over body.
I had failed.
"Nothing to worry about, it was only a small seizure. She could be prone to them." Efrain responded, unconcerned. His voice broke through my shock, distracting me from Chet. It was only now I realized that he was still on top of me. His hand was splayed against my chest - as if he wanted to feel every one of my lurching heartbeats.
I didn't even think about it, my body reacted instinctively as I jerked away from him. I howled in fear and horror, even though the gag muffled my cries. My poor mind was in turmoil - everything was happening too quickly, too much.
I could only process one thing at a time. Efrain. He was lying. He knew what had happened to me. That was no seizure. He did it to me, even though I don't know what it was that he did exactly. I only knew that for a fact.
And I'd do anything, anything, to never have to go through that again.
"Well, alright." Octavius' tone was skeptical, but he appeared to trust Efrain. "But how are you supposed to question her if she's gagged? Is there something I'm missing?"
"A good point. You see, I'm only getting started." Efrain responded, and a second later the cloth was gone. I wondered if he had left it there because he knew what would happen, if it had been a deliberate thing on his part.
I didn't know anymore except one thing - he was dangerous, and I had never been more terrified of anyone in my life.
"...I-" I tried to speak, to tell them that I would tell them anything that I knew about what happened. After all, I was as horrified as they were at the thought of the poor people who had suffered.
But they had killed Chet. I couldn't help them.
"What do you know about Dominic Adair and his charges of human experimentation?" I heard Octavius ask.
"N- No." I couldn't stop quaking, my body still convulsing from what had happened. "Y- You're w- wrong."
Efrain sighed and got off, and for a second a flash of hope shot through me. Perhaps they believed me. Why would I lie?
Sobbing, I curled into a ball, desperate to protect myself in any way that I could. But then, not a moment later rough hands were on me again. And I brokenly screamed as I was forced flat on my back.
Aakil was here now. And he had grabbed my arms and pulled them up over my head, holding them at my wrists with a steel grip. The action caused my right hand to begin throbbing again, but that was the least of my concerns.
There was a movement in front of me, and I wondered what it was. But realization set in quickly. Efrain settled himself over my thighs and sat on my knees, and I couldn't stop the noise of horror that escaped.
No!
"Are you certain that this is necessary?" I heard Octavius ask somewhere in the background. His voice was a calm compared to Jesse's curses and Roe's yelling. "It seems kind of barbaric."
"Do you want answers, or not?" Efrain answered coldly, and I shook in fear as his hand returned to the centre of my chest, much like it had been before. Only this time I knew that his intentions were completely different. "Hendricks doesn't want her completely maimed. I'll admit that the hand and face was unavoidable, but there are other ways. Trust me."
"Well-"
The pressure against my chest increased, but then Efrain slid his hand over and cupped my breast with his palm. I couldn't breathe anymore, and it took everything in me to keep the bile from rising in my throat.
"Besides, I'm not doing anything yet. Perhaps she'll be more compliant if she realizes what's at stake." He said, his tone light.
Then he addressed me, his voice just as soothing. "What is the manner of your relationship with Dominic Adair and Oliver Blackbourne?"
That was his question? That was so much better than an accusation or falsehood.
I was somewhat relieved, because I could answer this. But I was also confused. Before we had been ambushed, Chet had basically made a public announcement about it. I was sure that anyone watching knew, even if these men didn't. So I wasn't concerned about keeping this a secret.
But something else seemed, wrong. Why did Efrain care? Why ask this question in the first place?
I was sure that there was a reason, some other purpose, but I couldn't think. My mind was a clouded muddle of fear and pain.
There was a brief silence before Aakil interjected. "How does knowing that help?"
"Think, you fool." Efrain replied. "It defines everything. Sit back, watch, and learn." His hand tightened over my breast, and I couldn't stop the pained sound that escaped. "Answer, girl."
My voice was breathy, shaky, and pathetic, and my throat burned, but I could do this. "...my f- fathers."
"They are your fathers?" Efrain repeated, his eyes gleeful as if I had given him the greatest ammunition in the world. "You do know that they were involved in human experimentation. Is that how you and your mother escaped? Were you even a prisoner at all?"
"W- What do you m- mean?" I stuttered. What did he want from me? I didn't know about any of this. "I- I-"
"Stop playing games!" Efrain grabbed my shirt and ripped it down the center, until it remained only a tattered mess and I was left gasping in fear and pain. "Tell me, was the Sorenson family involved as well?"
"N- No! I d- don't k- know." I wanted to be brave, but I couldn't stop crying. I could only try to talk in between gasping breaths, hoping that something that I'd say might be enough and he'd see.
They'd all see. They had to believe me.
Mama, Papa, and Papi had never hurt anyone. We had only been trying to live. I didn't even know how my father, the biological one, even got involved. "They d- didn't. I s- swear."
Efrain's hands had drifted down to my stomach as I spoke, and I could feel his fingers gazing over my skin. A threat. "Then I guess they could be innocent. It could all be a misunderstanding, I mean, you were there. It should be easy enough to prove. But tell me, how did you get away?"
My panic spiked, and I cursed myself for my stupidity. I didn't know, I hardly had any memory of any of this. I shouldn't have said anything, I should have-
No, I couldn't have run away either.
But no one would believe me if I said I had no memory. And my panic was making it harder and harder to think. All I knew was that Efrain wouldn't stop. Even if I told him, he wouldn't believe me. And he'd take and take until I had nothing left to give.
I had to try, I didn't have any other choice. "I d- don't know!"
"I don't believe you."
Octavius made a noise. "How can you tell if she's lying? What if she's innocent?"
"She definitely knows something." Efrain dragged his hand across my stomach, and I could feel my skin tearing. "I know that she knows something. Let's say, even if she were a victim, wouldn't you think it's important to know how she escaped? It would help prevent future occurrences of such a thing from happening."
At first it sounded like he was implying that they'd use my knowledge to prevent more victims. But, the slight upturn of his mouth screamed volumes. The real meaning reverberated through my thoughts as realization slammed into me.
He was from district three, and he had a medical background - but those two things weren't enough to cause alarm. But rather, it was those, along with his detached, overly-clinical way of dealing with me. All along, it had been as if he didn't see women as humans, but only as test subjects.
Efrain was one of them.
And he didn't care about what happened there, he already knew. That's not what he was after at all, but the others hadn't realized...
He wanted to know how I had gotten away.
There had to be a reason. I wasn't sure if it was because they had other women now, or because they wanted to tie up loose ends. Either way, he was even more dangerous than I had imagined.
I gasped as a new kind of terror shot through me, and my heart pounded furiously in my chest.
"Y-"
Before I could say another word, Efrain had shoved the gag back into my mouth. I could tell from the gleeful look in his eyes that he knew that I had realized the truth.
"She's being stubborn." He explained to the others. "She isn't ready to break yet." Then slowly, so slowly, as his hand traced along the scratches on my stomach, he lowered his mouth back to my ear again.
"Remember, I did say that I'd punish you twice," he breathed, "and I always keep my promises. Unluckily for you, it's not my fault Hendricks made it so convenient."
I couldn't even sob, I could barely breathe through my panic as he spoke again. "Volare."
It seemed like hours passed, but in reality I knew that it was only seconds. And after it was over, I heard Octavius and Keyne discussing whether or not it was ethical to torture an epileptic woman.
But I hardly noticed anything anymore. My poor mind was being dragged into a dissociative state. Someplace safe.
( xx Warning xx )
They must have reached some kind of decision, because Efrain started running his hands over my twitching form. Then a slight wetness moved across the valley of my chest before the sting of sharp teeth pierced my breast. I could literally feel myself breaking inside.
I wanted to pass out. I wanted to go home. I just wanted the awareness to go away. However, none of my prayers were answered - I could feel everything even as the noise around me seem to shrink.
It was hopeless. I turned my head to the side, uncaring anymore as I tried to preserve the last semblance of sanity that I had left. Then I noticed Chet again.
He was still, of course, because he was already dead. But his lifeless eyes stared back at me, and all I could focus on at the moment was his face - frozen forever into an expression of pained determination. Even to the end, he hadn't given in, hadn't given up some secret about me that even I did not know. He had refused to break.
And I would never be able to repay him.
The others were fighting, too. Still.
Jesse was a furious ball of anger. Even though he was so much smaller than his opponent, he was grappling madly against Gary. And Roe, still trying not to use any actual curses, was doing the same. Fighting even though it looked as if he were about to be overcome by both Jay and Keyne.
They were still trying. And then there was me. I had been ready to give up.
I couldn't do that. Not yet. Sound exploded as my focus returned as determination filled my body. At the same time, my pants were loosened, and Efrain slid off my legs as he pulled them off of me.
No.
I twisted my arms, ignoring the pain that reverberated through my right hand, as I tried to break out of Aakil's grip. At the same moment I kicked out at Efrain. My pants were halfway down my thighs now, which made movement difficult, but the effort was worth it when I felt my knee smash right into his forehead.
"Son of a bitch!" Efrain howled in pain as his hand covered his face. He glared at Octavius while I continued my struggles to get away. "Stop standing around and do something."
Octavius sighed and grumbled under his breath. But then he came over, holding down my shoulders. "Are you sure this will work?"
"Of course." Efrain responded. "Women are different." He said, his words a mockery of Roe's normal concerns, but it meant something different with him. It was nowhere near as innocent. "You'll find that they become complaint once you show them who is in charge."
Pain became only a distant memory as the only thing that I could focus on was the hands that were holding me down. They touched me, and left a trail of taint everywhere they roamed. It was getting harder to breathe. It became more difficult still as, despite my continual efforts to kick at Efrain again, he only dodged and moved himself between my thighs - gripping me as he held my legs apart and settled between them.
I vibrated with fear. I couldn't get away, I had tried and failed. And I knew that things were about to get much worse. I didn't think I'd be able to handle what would happen. I was already too damaged, too broken.
I jerked, trying to get away from his touch, but I couldn't move far enough. No place would ever put enough distance between us. My mind screamed in denial, protesting, and begging while my voice couldn't. His hand lifted for a minute, and I thought that I was wrong and he changed his mind. But then my underwear was ripped from me and I was exposed to his view.
I couldn't recognize the sounds that I made anymore. But it didn't matter anyway, because no plea remained unmuffled through the gag.
Then he was on me, a disgusting caress that defiled everything. I sobbed harder as I felt his fingers drifting over my skin in a feather light touch. And my blood froze as his hand moved down even lower and stroked my bared entrance. I sobbed at the sensation.
But then, as if an answer to a prayer, a surreal feeling descended over me, and I was in a state that was beyond the pain and fear. Safe in place where I could hear talking, but nothing made sense because nothing mattered. Nothing could hurt anymore.
( xx End Warning xx )
Distantly, I could have sworn that I heard a roar. A scream of intense fury, and it was like righteous retribution and a demonic nightmare all at once, but it sounded so far away...
Then he was gone. A second later, the weight was ripped away from my arms as well. But at this point it no longer mattered. And when the comforting numbness finally descended, I embraced it.
Sean
I thought that over the past few days I had become immune to fear.
I had allowed myself to settle into a state of detachment, but only enough to not go insane. But then, through our bond, came the most terrible feeling that I could ever have imagined. And the only thing that kept my slipping sanity in check was the knowledge that Sang needed us to be strong.
North was barely contained anymore, and there was only murder in his eyes as he trudged along behind me. A deep, deceptive calm had come over Silas, and I knew he was waiting for a target onto which to unleash his fury. Luke and Kota were radiating deadly intent as well; and I knew that they had felt Sang's reaction for what it was - a forced conditional response.
There were labs scattered throughout the country, but the majority of them were located in district three. Many unspeakable things went on there. However, the most horrible was these: replication of the virus behind the Cataclysm, and genetic manipulation. Female children were born or taken to these prisons; girls targeted because of their unique abilities. Due to the nature of what went on there, most did not survive past infancy.
The exact nature of the testing was unknown. But one thing that I did know was this: the girls had been conditioned to unleash her abilities with or without consent.
I had been undercover at one such location once. The same lab where Jade Williams was raised, to be exact. And it hadn't been a good mission. After the closing of that establishment, I hadn't been able to accept another job like that again.
But I had made sure that my time there was worthwhile, and I had learned everything I could about their methods.
Sang was powerful, even if she hadn't realized it yet, and I had suspected that her astral projection was only the beginning. This was confirmed by the reaction that we had felt. Her strength, and her pain. And by now, I was certain than my initial fears, the fears that I had confessed to North and Luke, were true. Her abilities, that feeling...
Somehow, someone had known her trigger. They had forced her abilities to surge, even despite the nullification collar. And the backlash had been catastrophic.
The first time alone had been horrible enough, but technically could have been an accident. However, the fear and emotions afterwards had driven me to near insanity, and the mere fact that it happened again...
Someone was torturing my girl. Sang - my precious, loving, innocent Sang.
I would kill them.
It was only a matter of time, we were running out of areas to search. Derrick had already led us to where he had left her before. But as Sang's growing sense of terror began to consume me, I knew that we had no time left to waste.
Then, I heard it. And by the sudden stiffening of North's frame, him too. After all, he, Sang, and myself had the best hearing out of our group, so there was no way that he'd miss it.
A distant shout - furious yelling and desperate curses. Someone calling Sang's name in concern.
We were gone at once, not even bothering to alert the others. They'd follow along, but there was no time to stop right now. I pushed myself harder than I ever had before in my life, and it still seemed to take forever for the cries to grow near. Then I stumbled, half a breath ahead of North, onto a scene that would haunt my nightmares for the rest of my life.
There were others in the clearing, but my focus was on her.
Sang lay pinned to the ground, covered in blood and nothing else. My vision began to bleed red in response, and my focus zeroed in onto the three men holding her. But of those three, only one stood out to me the most.
Efrain Treite. And my aching heart leapt into my throat as both fear and fury consumed me.
North let out a savage roar, a horrendous sound, and we both jumped at the same time. We were only seeing those three men that were the most threat to Sang. The others could wait.
It took seconds to reach her, but it felt like ages. Finally, I felt a satisfying crunch as I punched Efrain in the throat with a terrible velocity. Somehow, even through my madness, I still knew that we still needed to keep a few of these bastards alive. For punishment. For answers. For retribution.
And Efrain would be one of them. I would make sure of it. There was no way he was going to get an easy death. Not after this.
He dropped, unconscious, to the ground, and I glanced at North. I had been prepared to warn him, but he already seemed to have had the same mindset about his two opponents. Although he was adding in a bit of physical harm before allowing them the luxury of darkness. I had a feeling that only one of them would make it, but that was alright. I hoped it would be the blonde.
I, however, had something else to do at the moment.
The others arrived on scene now, but I hardly paid them any mind. I trusted that they'd take care of everything else. Someone, probably Kota, would alert Owen of our location. Everyone would be here soon. But at the moment, only one thing was important.
Sang.
She was curled into a ball now, completely still. In every scenario that had gone through my mind of what it would be like when we found her, this was one of the worst. I didn't even know exactly what had happened, but many conclusions could have been drawn by a glance. None of them good.
Just breathing was painful as I rushed to her side and knelt on the ground beside her. I wanted nothing more than to gather her into my arms, to hide her from view of the world forever. But I was also afraid to touch her.
I didn't know what I was dealing with yet, and I was certain that the wrong move would break her.
She was naked, and I knew that if she were conscious that would have been one of her greatest concerns. So I wasted no more time in covering the bulk of her form before I tried to calculate how to move her.
Because we needed to do so badly, we couldn't stay here.
There was a movement on Sang's other side, and I looked up in time to see Kota kneeling there. He was staring at Sang, a devastated look on his face, before his eyes drifted up to mine. "Dr Green, has she-"
"We need to move." I interrupted him, we could discuss this later. Sang was bleeding, and almost the entirety of her small frame was marred with bruises. Before anything else, I needed to get her safe.
Kota's expression steeled over and he nodded.
"I'm going to take her to one of the structures that we passed a few minutes back." I glanced around the clearing as I spoke, knowing already who I'd need. Now it was only a matter of if the others would be alright without him.
It looked like I hadn't needed to worry. North had reeled in his tendency for destruction, but only just. He had violently disemboweled only one tribute - the dark haired man who had holding Sang's arms. Silas had killed the district six tribute. While Luke seemed to have downed two others. Or had Kota helped? I wasn't sure, but it wasn't important anyway.
Derrick was speaking to North, as he tried to convince him that the other two men were friends. The fact that North was listening, and not chopping off heads, was the sign that I needed. He was still capable of rational thought.
"North." I said, catching his attention, and he was at my side at once. Silas and Luke followed, while it seemed as though the other three hung back respectfully.
As they should, because no one else was getting near Sang right now.
Silas' face was blank as he studied Sang's form, and Luke only stood with tears dripping down his face. It seemed as though a single wrong word could be the tipping point, and they would be destroyed forever.
"What do you need us to do?" North's face was furious, and his eyes were a turbulence of emotion as he looked from me, Kota, and Sang.
"I need Kota's help." Without Gabriel here yet, Kota was my second best. "We are going to take her to one of the places we passed. We need them." My eyes drifted over towards the location where Octavius and Efrain lay still. "And we need them in a safe place where we won't be disturbed. Keep it close-by, and two people are to remain there at all times. But wait."
North's eyes darkened slightly, and I knew that my orders were killing him. He was itching to get vengeance. But not yet, not until I had seen to Sang, and we figured out exactly what had been done to her in the time that she'd been gone.
Only then would we be free to unleash our fury thousandfold.
He only hesitated for a second, before nodding. I found myself relieved that he wasn't going to fight me over this.
"What about them?" Luke said suddenly, gesturing towards the three others. They were sitting in a group now, dressing their wounds as they tried to mask their concern.
On one hand, I knew that they were allies. They were the ones who had called out to Sang, been concerned. However, there was still the fact that we needed to be alone.
But I didn't have time for this. "Use your discretion."