Nero sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to get a better look around him. As he did, movement on the far wall caught his attention. He blinked, trying to clear his vision.
Something was at the window, he thought as he finally started to bring the room into focus.
‘Pssst, hey, Nero. It’s me,’ said the voice. Nero shook his head, not sure if he recognised the whisper.
‘Who…’ he started to say.
‘Shhh,’ hissed the voice. ‘The guards, they’ll hear you. Come here,’ the voice whispered.
Looking up, with his vision finally clear, he squinted at the small barred window that was flooding his cell with light. Light that was currently partially blocked. There was a shadow there, someone at the window.
‘Who is it? Is that Ras?’ he said in reply, keeping his voice soft as he pulled himself up and started to shuffle over towards the window.
‘No, it’s Cryptus. How are you doing? You look a mess, if you don’t mind me saying so,’ he said.
‘Yeah, I bet,’ he said.
‘They brought you in last night, right?’
‘How did you know?’ Nero asked.
‘I have my sources. So, what’s the deal here, how come they dragged you back? I thought you were gone for good when I saw you drive outta here.’
‘He didn’t like me asking for Nyx, but didn’t want to make a martyr out of me, so he kicked me out,’ Nero answered.
‘And then dragged you back?’
‘Thinks I’m lying about the Daemon I killed,’ Nero said, shifting his weight as he feet grew tired.
‘It was her, wasn’t it?’ Cryptus asked.
‘You’ll have to ask her that,’ Nero said.
‘Still not fully trusting me, hey?’
‘No offence,’ Nero said.
‘None taken. Look, you get some rest. I’ll see what I can do for you, okay?’
‘Sure,’ Nero said, giving his best smile with his swollen face before Cryptus disappeared from the window.
Nero wasn’t sure if Cryptus would be able to do much, and he wasn’t sure who he was or what he really wanted yet. He’d been friendly since his arrival here at the Watchtower, but for all Nero knew, he could be working for Rex, befriending people visiting here and passing info back to his master. He had no way of knowing really.
Anyway, how the hell did he know he was here in this cell? Well, he shrugged to himself, there were so many ways he could know that, with one of them being that he was one of Rex’s stooges.
For all Nero knew, Cryptus could be heading back to Rex now to tell him what Nero had just said. Letting out a shallow sigh, Nero returned to the wall and slide down it to get into a sitting position. He wanted to rest and heal and hoped that Rex would leave him alone for a while.
The rest of the day passed in something of a blur of semi-consciousness as Nero drifted in and out of sleep. He could hear a general hum of noise along with the occasional rev of an engine or shout from someone within the tower, but he didn’t hear anything that stood out. The sun moved across the sky, and as it started to dip down, taking the light of the day with it, the door to his cell suddenly opened and several men stalked inside.
For a few seconds, he wasn’t sure what was going on as he was brought into the centre of the room again, but he suddenly saw metal cuffs placed on his wrists that were connected to a chain. The chain was then fed through a metal loop on the ceiling before he was hauled up by someone pulling on the chain behind him.
He ended up teetering on his toes with his arms held up above his head, facing Rex as he ambled inside, taking his time and seemingly enjoying the spectacle.
‘Nero, how are you tonight? Feeling a little more compliant?’ Rex asked.
Nero said nothing and simply stared at him, looking into those eyes surrounded by small wrinkles. The rest of his face and his head was, as always, hidden by a mask and a hood, giving him a slightly creepy and mysterious look.
‘Hmm, okay, well, let’s see, shall we? So, the question is an easy one; I’m sure you remember it. Who killed the deamon?’
Nero heard him, but he was done with this; done with this idiot’s questions and had decided that he wasn’t going to play these games anymore. So, he kept quiet, said nothing, and didn’t even look at Rex.
Rex sighed. ‘Right, so this is how it’s going to be, is it?’ he asked. With no answer coming, Rex nodded to Pitbull, who was stood close by. The huge man stepped forward and punched Nero once in the gut. It felt like his insides had just exploded, and for a moment, he couldn’t draw a breath. The pain lanced through his body, and as he finally managed to inhale, he felt like he was going to be sick, but fought the urge down as best he could.
He wanted to double up, to protect himself, but that was impossible. After a few more moments, he grew more aware of his surroundings again, and the image of Rex standing before him swam back into view. Nero lowered his chin and stared at the leader of the Watchtower from under his eyebrows, giving him a thoroughly pissed off look.
‘Oooh, I think we annoyed him with that little tickle,’ Rex laughed to himself. ‘Oh, Nero, you think you can hold out. I know you do. You think you’re doing the noble thing and protecting someone, but how long do you think you will last, hey? How long do you think it will be before you break and tell me what I need to know? Trust me, I can keep this up for weeks on end, and one day, you will tell me what I need to know,’ he said.
Nero slowly shook his head from side to side, giving his answer to that. He wouldn’t talk, not anymore, not to this moron. This was painful, yes, but pain was fleeting. His honour and integrity were two things he still had that only he could take away from himself. They had not been destroyed by the horrors of the wastes, and he was not about to betray them now. He was an honourable man, a trustworthy man, and he would stand by his word.
‘You poor pathetic fool. I know you think you’re protecting her. But really, you’re doing nothing of the sort. You’re only ensuring that I take out my frustrations on her tonight.’
Nero grimaced at the thought of what this monster might do to Nyx.
‘Oh, don’t like the idea of that?’ Rex asked, obviously noticing Nero’s expression of disgust. ‘Well, keep this up and I’ll do much worse to her. Maybe I’ll lend her to Pitbull here? Let him have a play with her. I’m sure he’d like that. Not sure Nyx would, though. Especially if he brought his mates with him. They might break her,’ he taunted.
Nero focused on his breathing, shutting out Rex’s voice. The man was doing his best to get a rise out of him, to make him angry, and Nero desperately didn’t want to give Rex the satisfaction of knowing he’d gotten to him. He had no idea if Rex was serious or not; if he would actually do these things to Nyx. But he wouldn’t put it past him. He’d been using her for years already, so it wasn’t a huge step for him to take things a little further down that road of abuse.
‘I’m bored of you already,’ Rex said. ‘Give him a quick work over and leave him for the night to think it over. I’ve got other stuff to do tonight,’ he said and turned to walk away. Nero looked to his left and watched Pitbull step in closer to him with a smile as he wound his fist back.
The beating didn’t last long, and he felt sure he didn’t have any broken bones, but it was still incredibly painful. He threw up a few times, but he didn’t care.
They left him there, strung up by the chains. They loosened them a touch to allow him to stand properly, but he couldn’t sit, and he had already lost a fair bit of feeling in his arms, which were still above his head.
Over the next hour, the light in the room slowly faded, dropping the cell into almost complete darkness while Nero felt the pain in his stomach slowly fade to a dull ache.
As he hung there in the shadows, he noticed something move in the corner of his vision. He turned, but nothing was there. He caught something again, but on turning, there was only shadows and darkness.
As he looked around himself, unsure what he was seeing. He felt sure he wasn’
t alone in this cell and began to wonder if this wasn’t a much more dangerous foe.
‘Who’s there?’ Nero asked, concern evident in his voice, no matter how confident he tried to sound.
‘Only the absence of light,’ said a strange voice.
Nero jumped, not really expecting an answer, and looked all around him. He couldn’t see anything, though, despite feeling sure that something was in here with him. There was a presence in here, he knew it.
Nero closed his eyes and attempted to focus on his breathing once more. If this really was a daemon, he didn’t stand a chance if it wanted to kill him, but part of him wondered if it wasn’t just a figment of his imagination due to a lack of sleep.
‘Closing your eyes and wishing me gone isn’t going to accomplish much, either. If I wanted you dead, you would be already,’ the voice said.
‘What do you want?’ Nero asked.
‘Nothing… Yet. I’m just enjoying the moment. Enjoying your humanity in this inhumane world. You’re a rarity in these times, Nero. I wonder how long you might keep it up,’ the voice said.
‘You don’t scare me,’ Nero answered, lying through his teeth.
Chapter 13
*
Nyx
Nyx stood on the lift platform at the top of the Watchtower, watching the last of the day’s light fade into nothing in the distance, allowing the black velvet night to cover the land.
Looking out over the landscape, she could pick out pinpricks of light from far-off camps, burning brightly in the darkness. Most of the camps within sight of the tower were loyal to Rex, providing food and supplies to the tower in return for protection.
As she watched, she could pick out the occasional light moving across the landscape. These would probably be vehicles, racing to find shelter for the night. She wondered if any of them might be Nero in his charger, out there, surviving.
There had been something about him, something different. Something she liked. He’d been nice to her whenever he’d seen her, which few people were. He’d not cat-called her or stared at her body. He’d treated her like a human being and not a slave or plaything, but now he was gone, and she wondered if she’d missed her chance.
As she stood there, the chains that supported the lift started to move. She looked down to see the lift rising up the tower from the small courtyard with Rex, Pitbull and some of his guards on there, too.
Nyx sighed. Something had changed in Rex yesterday morning. He’d seemed angry, frustrated, and he’d taken it out on her. She rubbed one of the new bruises she sported on her arm and tried to push the memory of last night from her mind, but it wasn’t easy. He’d been really rough with her, and she wondered what he’d be like tonight. It was as if he were punishing her for something.
He’d been rough with her before, usually when she’d done something he didn’t like, but also when something else was annoying him outside of their dysfunctional relationship.
She stepped back from the edge of the platform where the lift would stop to allow the passengers to disembark and looked out at those lights once more.
She should have made more of an effort to leave with Nero, she thought. He clearly knew how to survive out there, and he’d been kind to her. She was always terrified, though. Whenever the thought of leaving entered her mind, a creeping fear grew within her, and the memories of when she’d been stranded in the desert that time came flooding back.
She’d only just made it back here having nearly starved to death.
The chains clicked and creaked as they passed through the system of pulleys that allowed the guards at the bottom of the tower to raise the lift up. She wondered if Rex would hurt her again tonight. The thought of it turned her stomach, making her feel sick. She needed to get out of here, to escape, but she couldn’t do it alone. She needed help. How long would she have to wait for the next chance to leave, for the next traveller who might take her under their wing and show her how to live in the wastes?
Rex and his men rose up into view over the platform, holding onto the railings of the lift. Rex glanced once at her as he disembarked from the platform and walked over to the steps that led up to the upper level and the table up there where he and his men would talk, play cards, or just hang out. She wondered if he’d want her with him and stepped after him. She’d learnt to try and anticipate his needs in an effort to limit the abuse he inflicted on her. He often seemed to enjoy showing her off to his men, like some kind of trophy, maybe? She didn’t know, and honestly didn’t care beyond making her own life as comfortable as possible.
As she stepped up, he turned to face her.
‘Not tonight,’ he said. ‘Disappear for a bit. I’ll expect you back up here in a few hours,’ he said before he pulled her in, grasped her bum in his hands and kissed her forcefully. She let him. She knew better than to fight him, and again, did the minimum needed to keep him happy and make sure he didn’t hit her. He pawed at her for a moment, pulling on her top and exposing her breasts which he squeezed in his hands. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, though. He was forceful and rough, like always. He kissed and licked her breasts, nipping at her flesh with his teeth. She wanted to bring her knee up into his groin as hard as she could, but as always, she didn’t.
He licked and pulled at her and slid a hand between her legs, clearly enjoying being able to do whatever the hell he liked to her before he pulled back and sniffed his fingers.
‘Hmmm, lovely. I’ll be sniffing these while I work and looking forward to seeing you later,’ he said.
Fuck, he disgusted her.
‘Now, get out of my sight,’ he said, and in a quick motion, reached out and flicked her nipple with his finger. She flinched away as the stinging sensation blossomed over her breast. She looked up, worried that her flinch might upset him, but he’d already turned away and was following his men up to the upper platform.
Nyx gave him an evil look and covered herself back up. He made her feel tiny, powerless, and inconsequential. One day soon, she would show him how powerless she really was, and that would be a glorious day, she thought.
She didn’t wait around for more abuse. She hopped into her quarters and over to the hatch. In seconds, she was sliding down the ladder and moved into the main complex of the tower. She passed the alcove she had found Nero in and looked sideways into it. She’d seen him properly close up for the first time in there and had the time to actually look at him and study him. It was strange. After all these years of abuse by a man, that she would find herself interested in another one. Shit, what Rex had done was enough to drive a girl lesbian, she thought. But, alas, even though she’d been forced to perform such things for Rex, she really wasn’t all that into women in that way. Or, at least, she’d not found someone she was that interested in.
This Nero though, he’d captivated her, and for the first time in a while, she’d found herself once again interested in a man. She continued on through the corridors and made her way out onto the walls. Finding a spot that was quiet and without any guards, she settled herself down, perched on the wall, looking out into the wastes.
She didn’t have the same view here that she had up at the top of the tower, but she was close to the gate where Nero had left, and wondered if he were still out there, close by.
He’d seemed interested in her, and she’d caught him looking at her a few times, but it was different. He didn’t appear to be just ogling her. His gaze wasn’t lecherous, but instead, had seemed more curious. He’d appeared to be interested in her in a much more genuine way. Maybe she was wrong, maybe she’s misread the signals and what she’d taken to be an interest in her was actually nothing of the sort?
He had just disappeared on her, after all. He’d got the supplies she knew he’d been after and left without any warning.
She really wasn’t sure what was going on. She wished she’d spoken to him more. It was difficult, though. After the daemon attack, she’d felt terrified to be seen with him. She didn’t want to raise suspicion in Rex, which m
ight have been bad for him and herself.
When he’d come to speak with her in the alcove, she’d found herself torn between enjoying being in there with him, being close to him, and wanting to keep her distance to make sure Rex didn’t read too much into it.
She’d kept her secret about being able to kill the daemons successfully for a few years now, and she didn’t want it exposed yet. She knew that if Rex found out about it, he’d use it to gain power; to hurt others and inflict pain.
She hated the daemon's as much as the next person and had no problem killing them, but if he knew her power, he’d use it in ways that wouldn’t benefit others.
No, she wanted to use this power, somehow, someday, to help those who needed her the most: the weak and the desperate. She wanted to fight the darkness, not use it to kill people. Saving Nero that morning in the garage had seemed the right thing to do. She knew the daemon was here; she’d felt it and brought her sword down to confront it. She’d waited though, not wanting to reveal herself to any guards or anyone who would report back to Rex. When Nero was the last one standing, she’d jumped in.
She didn’t regret her actions, and she’d do it again in a heartbeat, but it did mean she had to ask Nero a favour to keep her power a secret, which he apparently had done.
‘Missing him already,’ said a voice behind her. She looked back to see the cloaked figure she’d seen with Nero a few times over the two days he’d been here.
‘Sorry?’ she said.
‘Nero. I can see you’re missing him,’ he said.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ she said, standing up and turning to face him.
‘I think you do. I saw the way you looked at him, and the way he looked at you. He’s kept your secret by the way,’ he said.
‘What the hell are you talking about? Look, all I have to do is to scream and then you’re dead meat. Rex will have your head on a spike for interfering with me, you know. He doesn’t like people…’
Liberation (Wasteland Road Knights Book 1) Page 10