'Where are you taking him?' Her desperate cries are growing louder and louder as the door closes shut behind Nathan's body.
She's on the verge of losing her self-control. The adrenaline has made her muscles weak, and soon her legs turn to jelly. 'This is not happening!', she keeps telling herself, yet the pool of blood at her feet is more than a cruel reminder - her best friend just got shot. Worse than anything, the crowd's noise intensifies her meltdown and the lack of response drives her insane.
'Where is Nathan?' Nerissa asks again, this time shouting to cover their cackles. Her hands are shaking and it feels like thousands of pinpricks are crawling up her shoulders.
The room turns into an uproar. Her pain entertains them and they are having a blast. Suddenly, Roone's words fill her mind stopping her train of thought and bringing her to reality. 'They are not to mess up with, Nerissa. They are not stable.', he told her before their fight. She'd gladly accept all his nonsense just to turn back time and hear those words again.
Certain she won't get a reply, she bolts to the door, only to bump violently into a guerrilla's chest on her way out. In all the chaos, she hasn't noticed they got surrounded the second they stepped foot in front of their ruler. The rebel grins with all his teeth, stretching the scar on his face all the way behind his eye patch. His lips, two thin black lines, are all cracked and covered in blisters. Without any warning, he grabs her by the elbows, hoisting her up and throwing her back in front of their Great Commander. The black demon starts growling, showing its menacing sharp fangs and getting in position for attack. Nerissa stumbles as her blood freezes in her veins, stopping her heart for a tick and letting the fear take over her being.
'Good boy.' Luther praises his guardian and pats it on the head.
With the simplest gesture of his hand, he silences the beast and everyone present. After he makes sure he caught her attention again, he steps down from his pedestal and starts walking towards her, his imposing posture radiating a dangerous power.
'Nerissa, Nerissa, Nerissa. What am I going to do with you?' He retorts in a theatrical voice, shaking his head derisively and smirking vilely.
'Where is...' She tries again, but his threatening stare shushes her immediately. The lump in her throat grows bigger than ever and is suffocating her.
'He is safe...' he begins, playing with her nerves for a few steps, then adds, '...for now. If you decide to be a good girl, Nathan is going to be fine.'
A flicker of light crosses his eyes revealing a hollow stare. If it wasn't for his white orbs to turn him into a monster, his evil presence wouldn't stand out from the rest of them. A few cuts are covering half of his face, like a claw scratching deep into the flesh, from his forehead and down to his chin. The newer ones are showing a light pink trace that hides behind his hair. His long black strands barely touch his shoulders and the right locks are all tucked behind his ear. In the dim light, she could hardly notice that a big part of his earlobe is missing. She swallows anxiously, trying to free her airways and gather all the courage she has left.
'What do you want from me?' It's all she can manage to ask in the tumult of questions in her head.
He continues his hunt, stepping one foot in front of the other and closing the distance between them.
'Tut-tut, Nerissa, you disappoint me.' He replies, disapprovingly.
Then, taking out a small vial from his back pocket, he jiggles it tauntingly between his calloused fingers. She can feel the blood vanishing from her face, leaving her skin prickle in horror. Luther grimaces in a sly leer, for her reaction is exactly what he expected.
'I think you already know.' He continues, only pausing to allow the roaring crowd to heckle.
Terror installs quickly, sending chills down her spine. She's never feared for her life as much as she does now and an instinct of self-preservation consumes her entire body. Nerissa slowly backs away, yet her trembling feet are unable to speed up the pace. He continues his cunning chase, slowing down only to match her moves.
'Imagine my surprise when I heard about it. I had to see it with my own eyes to believe it! They had the cure all this time and they did nothing!' His words are filled with hatred, a feeling so raw it mirrors his soul.
His white, foggy eyes may be pinned down to her, however, his anger is diverted to a much greater enemy - the Supreme Government itself. Nerissa is just a pawn in their bloody game and Luther has the upper hand now.
'They exiled and let us die out here like...', his saliva is gathering at the corner of his mouth, '...like we were nothing!' He finishes his speech spitting with rage and staring like a mad dog.
At this point, she has nowhere else to go as her back hit the concrete pillar. He looks down at her, cornered and defeated. Nerissa's head is spinning, driving her close to blacking out, when he suddenly turns his back on her and returns to his throne. She's not a threat to him or the resistance, but rather a bird caught in a cage. Nerissa breathes out all the air she kept in her lungs, too scared to move and make him change his mind. Just as she thought she got away with it, his frightening voice chills her spine again.
'You have two options.' He says, still with his back turned at her. 'You either give us your blood willingly or we'll take it out from you forcefully!'
Her worst nightmare is beginning to unfold. Roone was right all along. They are insane - vicious, cold-hearted murderers! She starts choking for air as the image of her drained body reveals in front of her eyes. Nerissa closes them in fear, wishing everything was just a bad dream when her grandma pops up in the back of her mind.
'Susan!' She calls, unaware she shouted her name out loud.
In all the madness, she'd forgotten the sole reason why she is here. Alarmed and afraid it might be too late, she starts panting as a new purpose fills her heart. She must save both her and Nathan's life or she'll die trying.
Luther, who has already resumed his position on the throne, gestures his faithful soldiers to open the door.
'Bring her in!' He commands smirking and clapping, too impatient to see her reaction.
He had prepared her a hell of a surprise. A tick later, a tired, chained Susan steps in, led by no other than her friend, Ilya.
Nerissa's eyes are widening in shock, and she is sure the lack of sleep is toying with her mind. She is not prepared to watch her life shattered into pieces, but a sharp pang hits her chest leaving her breathless. If she didn't know better, she would be certain her heart is broken in half. How is it possible that her best friend is one of them? They have been like sisters since they were young. How could Ilya lie to her all this time? Soon her vision starts to blur and tears, she didn't know she was holding back, are coming in full force.
'I don't understand.' She says in between sobs. 'How could you betray Susan like this? She was like a mother to you! How could you to this...' Nerissa pauses, wiping off the tears from her cheeks. 'How could you do this to me?'
Her head is exploding. From all the pains she's been through, this one is closest to losing her parents.
'Give me a break, Nerissa!' Ilya barks and rolls her eyes at her. 'You've always been a saint. It's time to cut those wings off!'
Her mad laughter ignites the room. The rebels are cheering for her. Proud of her little stunt, she keeps walking, pushing Susan in the arms of the same soldier that brought Nathan and Nerissa in. He bows his head before her and gladly accepts his quest.
'I've always known you are different. After all, I've seen the symptoms on my mom, but you kept passing the tests, so I thought I must be imagining things. Only after you'd told me about your mother's journal, I finally understood. The officials are covering you up for some reason, breaking up families and letting people die, and for what? For your sake?' Ilya adds as she's taking her rightful place to Luther's side.
Nerissa's eyes are fixed on her, caught in a world where only the two of them are left in the room. Feelings new to her are coming in waves confusing her even more. Sadness fits like a glove, but soon even that one becomes incomplete. It's getting more complex, where hurt and anger join hands, erasing all hopes and feeding with her energy. There are so many things left unsaid and never to be spoken between them again.
'I can't let others die for you, Nerissa! It's over. Stop being this selfish and give us the cure.' Ilya cuts in, her eyes sparkling with envy and something much more disturbing, like darkness and despair.
At that moment, Nerissa realized she lost her friend. The person in front of her is not Ilya she knows so well. On the contrary, this maniacal girl with curly locks is nothing more than a victim of a dreadful disease.
'Thank you, Ilya, darling.' Luther intervenes, shifting his blind stare to her and caressing her cheek.
Ilya welcomes his touch, completely bewitched by his sickly authority. Watching the two of them so close together makes Nerissa sick to her stomach, and she can't help it but frown with repulse.
'Look, it's simple. If you want Susan to live, I need more of this. A lot more.' He threatens, this time looking straight at her.
Two lifeless orbs are freezing her to death as he shakes the blood sample in the air. She would gladly trade her life for Nathan's and her grandmother's, if she was certain they could make it safely back to the surface. Ilya might have fooled her, but that doesn't stop her to fight for what is best in her life. The lack of options gives her an idea.
'You let both Nathan and Susan free and I'll do everything you want!' Her voice is steady, however, deep inside she's shaken to her core.
Luther looks at her surprised for a moment, only to end up laughing wildly. Soon, everyone joins him and the room turns into chaos again. She can hardly keep it together, still, she has to be strong for Nat and Susan's sake.
'I don't think you understand. You are in no position to negotiate, darling.' Luther utters amused, emphasizing the last word through his teeth.
His reply is backed up by a few 'yeahs' and howls from the crowd. A quick glance in her grandma's direction and her presence only gives her enough power to go on with her plan. Deep, dark circles are carved underneath Susan's eyes and her slender body has got even weaker since she saw her last. An old bruise on her forehead is tainting her angelic features, reminding Nerissa how dangerous these people are. To her fortune, the Great Commander is still underestimating her. With the courage she didn't know she had left in her and too desperate to get her loved ones out of there, she draws the gun from her ankle and points it to her head. It feels heavy and cold in her hands, yet she holds it tightly, knowing two precious lives depend on it.
'You need me alive. Free them now.' She orders without any weakness in her voice.
...
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