Nothing ever ends poetically. It ends and we turn it into poetry. All that blood was never once beautiful. It was just red.
My jaw scrapes against the floor, a bruise blooming.
I groan, moving my hands under me and push myself up.
A foot slams into my spine, knocking me back to the floor and the breath rushes out of me.
I wheeze, forcing my head to the side to glare at the man above me.
His bulbous nose scrunches as he smirks at me, thin lips with a scar down the top lip.
His heel digs into my back, small, sharp circular movements as he forces me into the ground.
I struggle to get a breath in, but I don't show it.
He chuckles a dark laugh, lifting his foot off of me and walking backwards, hands up placatingly.
I watch him as I push myself up, my head snapping to the door as it's thrown open.
Dimitri and his two lackeys enter, letting my torturer leave and shutting the door behind him.
I spit the wad of blood pooling in my mouth at Dimitri feet, glaring through the pain in my face.
"Where is she?" I hiss, tasting the blood coating my lips.
Dimitri tuts, amber eyes skimming down my figure.
"I would have preferred you unmarred for what comes next, but I guess we can't have everything, huh."
I tilt my head at the man, lips lifting in a snarl as I dare him with my eyes to approach me.
"Hello, Archer. How are you this fine morning?"
"Where the fuck is she?!"
"Good mood, I see." He folds his hands behind his back, walking around the room as his men crowd the doorway.
He wipes a finger along the wall, grimacing when his fingers comes back with dirt.
"Lovely accommodation." He turns to me, frowning.
"Why are you doing this?"
"That's such a dull subject. I'd much rather talk about you."
I narrow my eyes, not giving him any information.
He shakes his head, a chuckle leaving his lips.
"What do you know about Samael Coffer?" He asks and my mind instantly focuses on the subject of the conversation, Director coming to mind.
"I see." He says when I don't reply. "What about his daughters?"
Daughters?
I don't show the emotion on my face even as my mind fills with questions.
"Agent Eleven is the oldest, correct?" He walks past me, his amber eyes running over the cracks in the wall before disappearing from my vision. "You knew that didn't you? Knew the man had a daughter, two really but no one talks about the youngest anymore." He gets a weird look on his face at that moment before shaking himself out of the stupor.
He tilts his head. "You're very forthcoming with your information, Archer." He laughs.
I narrow my eyes, spitting at his feet.
One of the guys at the door shoots forward fist raiser, I move. Ducking under the swing of his arm, and standing straight in one swift move, shoving my elbow into his back, sending him headfirst into the wall.
The second man from the door steps forward, hands winding around one of my arms, the one I'd just assaulted grabbing my other arm, both working in tandem to pull them back, causing me to arch back to release the tension.
"That's enough." Comes an authoritative voice and the man stops, wiping my blood off his cheek, muttering under his breath, a string of words I don't understand.
My breath comes in harsh spurts, face, and jaw aching as blood trails down my neck.
"How about we go get the guest?" He asks but doesn't expect an answer as he turns, exiting the room. The men pull my arms back harshly, a spasm of pain slicing up my spine before they let go, walking out the door after Dimitri.
I stumble back into the wall, hand using it to stabilise my body, keeping my upright and ignoring the pain in my body.
• • •
I grind my teeth as they kick the back of her knees, forcing her to the ground.
Her eyes find mine instantly, the dark depths filled with relief even as they see the two men holding me back.
The man with the bulbous nose grabs the back of her hair, pulling her head back as Dimitri leans down. His head so close to hers, they're practically touching.
His eyes roam over her face as if memorising the features and he hums under his breathe.
"It's the eyes." He says and Hollands eyebrows furrow.
He lifts a finger, tracing it under her eye, smoothing over the skin. "Such a pretty doll."
Holland rips her face from his touch, a grunt releasing from her lips and slams her head forward, colliding with Dimitri's nose before her head gets pulled back harshly in retaliation.
Dimitri lifts hand, surveying the damage done to his face before grinning down at holland, raising his hand, and backhanding her.
Her head is thrown to the side from the force of it, body dropping as the man behind her let's go of her hair, letting her fall.
I try to fight from the other men's clutches, but they hold me steady. My shoulders pulled back painfully once more. Hollands eyes meet mine and I see the subtle shake of her head.
She doesn't want me to do anything.
My eyes widen, jaw flexing as I watch in vain as Dimitri Places a foot on her chest, slowly adding more pressure, until a cough exits her lips, the breaths leaving her as he suffocated her from the force of the weight.
But still the glare doesn't leave her eyes, and Dimitri smiles, lifting his foot. "I've missed the fight."
His hand wraps into her hair, pulling her head forward fast and slanting his lips over hers.
I pull from the men's arms, forcing myself forward, wanting to wrap my hands around Dimitri's throat.
A body slams into mine and my back meets the wall once more, the breath knocking out of me before a fist is slammed across my face.
Dimitri rears back and Holland lets her head fall to the ground as he lets go of her.
She spits, blood coating his cheek. Crimson under the faded lights.
Dimitri lifts a hand, bringing it to his lip and fingers the cut she made with her teeth.
A laugh escapes me, my eyes on that cut and his head snaps to mine.
He flicks his chin and one on the men pulls my arm back so harshly, I hear the bone pop out, pain lancing along my muscles.
"Fuck!" I hiss out, head dropping to stare at the ground as spots fill my vision.
Dimitri turns, before turning to look at Holland, "you shouldn't have done that. You will be punished accordingly." He walks out the door, all three of his men leaving with him.
Holland moves, rushing over to me as I stumble back into the wall, her hands landing softly on my chest, skimming up to my injured shoulder.
"We have to pop it back into place." I hiss through clenched teeth, my arm throbbing with intensity.
A crack echoes in my ear, the lights plunging into darkness, complete nothingness staring back at me.
"Get on the ground." Holland says, helping me to get down gently.
I lay down, taking deep breaths as her hands whisper down my arm in the darkness, fingers squeezing mine so gently, fingers curling around mine.
I squeeze back, clenching my teeth through the pain.
I hear her breath catch. "This is going to hurt."
I nod, hissing through a tight jaw. "Just do it."
Her grip tightens on my hand, and she moves it up and down in a handshake motion before beginning to count down.
"Five, four-"
She pulls my arm at a ninety-degree angle before moving it to a one-hundred-twenty-degree angle. Moving my arm in small circles during the process. I grunt, my hand flying to my elbow and curling my arm into my body.
"What happened to three, two, one?" My eyes swing to hers.
Her laugh skates over me, "I never learnt to count."
"Apparently." I mutter, letting my head fall back to rest against the cold ground, a groan releasing from my lips.
I hear her move to sit beside me, her breathe soft in the silence.
"Holland."
"Hmm." She hums.
"Dimitri mentioned something earlier." I start, hesitating. "I wanted to ask you about it."
"What is it?"
I tune my head beside me, feeling her eyes on me, "He said you were Director's daughter."
I hear her sharp intake of breath.
"Yeah." She says quietly.
"That means Clay is-"
"My brother, my twin actually,"
"How come you didn't say anything?"
"He doesn't even know I exist, Samael made sure he would never find out. He never let Lilac, or I near you guys for fear Clay would figure it out."
"You infiltrated our team."
"That was for a different reason."
"What reason?"
She's silent for so long, I fear she won't reply.
"Look-"
"Because I think Samael murdered my sister, and I need to know the truth."
I swallow back the words I want to say before replying, "Did he?"
"I don't know yet, there's so much information that doesn't add up."
"Like what?"
"Like Daphne Jefferson."
"The files." I say as the memory forms. "You took them." I force myself to sit up, "They were in the car."
"Which means either the guys who took us has them or Director does." She replies smoothly, as if she's already thought through the possibilities. "Either way, it's not good."
"What did you figure out from them?" I ask after a second.
"She was experimenting on humans. I just have no idea what the end goal was. She kept meticulous records of their reactions to the drugs they were injected with."
"How do you know Director is part of it?"
I feel her eyes on me. "He wanted her protected. I also found vials and proof of what I believe to be the drugs left at her house and one for the crime scenes. The symbol printed in them belongs to a business owner my Director."
"You found them at the crime scenes, why didn't you say anything?"
"I-" she pauses for a second. "I wanted to be sure."
I breathe out, closing my eyes for a second before asking the question eating at me.
"You think Director experimented on your sister?"
"I don't know." Her voice cracks. "I hope not."
Her shaky breath echoes across the cold room, piercing straight to my heart.
"Come here. It's going to be cold again tonight."
She doesn't argue, moving over to me and seconds later I feel her presence at my side.
"Go to sleep." I whisper into the darkness, feeling her head rest on my side that isn't injured, body shaking. And I can't tell if it's from the cold of the sobs she's trying so hard to hide.
I wrap her firmly in my arms, being careful of my injured side and close my eyes.
We fall asleep like that, her head on my shoulder and my head on hers.