Rebel Rising: A Dystopian Romance (Cage of Lies Book 1)

by Susanne Valenti

  Taylor lunged forward and I started to move but something caught my eye on the other side of the training area and I hesitated. He hit me hard in the shoulder and I was knocked off of my feet as he flung me across the mat.

  I cursed, scrambling to regain my balance as I tried to get a better look at what had distracted me.

  "Really?" Laurie began, but she was cut off as a scream broke out above the rest of the noise in the room. It was swiftly followed by the buzz of several tasers. The room exploded into shouts and chaos.

  Grey hit the floor with four Wardens piling on top of him, several taser cords were attached to various parts of his body. He was twitching out of control but his face was pointed in my direction and he was smiling. It was almost a snarl but I could see a light behind his eyes that hadn't been there before. He looked excited.

  The Wardens, led by Unibrow, dragged Grey out of the room using metal batons to strike at him as he resisted.

  As they moved away I caught a look at what had caused them to restrain him like that. One of the time servers was sprawled on the floor, his arms were twisted at an unnatural angle and a training knife protruded from his chest. The force it must have taken to get that plastic knife to cause any kind of injury was immense but as I thought of Grey's hulking mass, it didn't surprise me that he’d managed it.

  A pool of blood was spreading out from the man's body and his eyes were staring lifelessly at the ceiling.

  I suddenly felt cold. The sweat from my workout chilled against my skin and I shivered.

  A female Warden hurried across the room carrying a large blanket and covered him up as other Wardens started to segregate all of the convicts and check that there was no more trouble brewing.

  "Goddamn psychopath," Laurie muttered, ushering us back into the safety of our mat area.

  “What will happen to Grey now?" I asked her.

  “He'll be locked up in solitary when he's not training. But he's a lifer anyway, there's not a lot more we can do to him. He won't be allowed near the knives again though."

  I couldn't quite believe what she was saying.

  “But he just killed that man. He could have a family waiting for him back in the city," I protested.

  Laurie fixed me with a hard stare but it was Taylor who replied.

  “That's the whole point of the trials, Maya. There's no guarantee you're going home."

  “But this wasn't the trials. It's just stupid training, with a stupid plastic knife!" I shouted. Some of the other Wardens were looking my way but I didn’t give a shit.

  “Maya, stop." Laurie inclined her head towards the other Wardens. "Or I'll have to do something neither of us will like." Her hand was on the taser at her hip and I knew she meant it.

  I shut my mouth and forced my feelings deep down into a ball of rage deep inside my chest as I headed back to the mat.

  When Taylor swung at me I dodged his fist and using his momentum, managed to send him crashing to the floor. It was my first win against him on the mat but it did little to improve my mood.

  ***

  I didn't sleep well that night. Nightmares haunted me every time I closed my eyes until I gave up on even trying to get some rest. I woke early and wanted to get back to training as quickly as possible. Taylor tried to argue but eventually realised it was pointless and joined me for an early workout.

  There was no one around apart from a solitary Warden sat at a desk in the central corridor as we headed for the training rooms. He raised his eyes from his book to watch us pass momentarily but made no move to stop us.

  The corridors echoed with our footsteps as we headed into the training room and I shivered a little in the cool air.

  The clock on the wall read five thirty and I flashed a guilty look at Taylor.

  “Dammit Maya, I told you it was still the middle of the night," he groaned before strolling into the empty room and laying down on one of the crash mats.

  I smirked to myself as I climbed onto a cross-trainer and started exercising. Taylor's snores soon filled the silence in the room and I upped the resistance so that I was working really hard.

  My skin gleamed and my breaths came in sharp bursts but I pressed on. Exercise had always been my favourite form of therapy. If I worked hard enough, I could chase the nightmares right out of my head.

  Slowly, the sounds of the other convicts and Wardens waking up started to punctuate my run.

  Someone entered the room and headed for the gun rack but I didn't pay them any attention.

  Green light flashed in my peripheral vision. Then again, and again as whoever it was continuously hit their mark. Curiosity got the better of me and I glanced up to see who was so proficient.

  It was a man I recognised from the time servers group. He had a mop of matted black hair and spent a lot of time hanging around Grey. He must have sensed me watching him because he turned suddenly to face me too. I wanted to drop my gaze but held firm instead, gritting my teeth as I refused to balk.

  The man raised his gun and pointed it at me. I shielded my eyes a second too late as he pulled the trigger and the red light of the laser beam shot towards me.

  I cursed as I was blinded, snarling angrily at the douchebag was responsible.

  The sound of running footsteps pounded across the mats and Taylor grunted in shock as something woke him.

  I stumbled to a halt and half fell from the cross-trainer. Red lines swam in my vision and made it almost impossible for me to see in the dim light. A hand curled around my arm, gripping me firmly before yanking me back towards the door.

  "Get off of me!" I yelled, trying to shake them off but their hold was iron. I blinked furiously as I struggled against my attacker.

  "Come on poppet, no need to fight me." I recognised Dolly's voice and my blood chilled.

  I dug my heels in and they caught on the edge of one of the crash mats. I stumbled to the floor, using my weight to stop her as I swung a fist in her general direction though it met with nothing but air. My vision cleared and I could see her dirty fingernails digging into my skin.

  Taylor was struggling against the man who’d blinded me as he used his training rifle like a bat.

  I kicked out towards Dolly as her face started to swim back into focus. She jerked aside and released my arm with a snarl of frustration. My heart thumped wildly in my chest as panic started to take hold of me and I cursed her again as I fought to get away from her.

  Something buzzed loudly by my ear and Dolly collapsed with a shriek of agony. She twitched and jerked as the taser took full effect and my lips parted in surprise as I spun to see who had come to my rescue.

  I scrambled backwards and looked up to find Laurie looking fierce as she moved to stand over me. She had her gun drawn and pointed at the man with the matted hair. He stood slowly with his hands raised and dropped the training rifle he’d been using to batter Taylor.

  Taylor spat a wad of blood onto the floor as he regained his feet. He offered me a hand and I stood too.

  “Get back to your dorms," Laurie commanded Dolly and the man.

  He stopped to help Dolly to her feet and they left without another word.

  Dolly glared back at me as she went. Her hands were still twitching from the taser and if looks could kill I’d be a thousand times dead.

  “New rule. You don't leave your dorm until I come and get you," Laurie said firmly.

  I nodded in agreement. “Thanks, Laurie. I'm really sorry-"

  "No you're not..." She smiled in a way that made my stomach churn. "Not yet."

  If I'd thought the training was hard before, what followed was like some form of new and twisted torture. Laurie made us defend ourselves against her on the mat. Trying to land a hit on her was futile. Trying to avoid getting hit by her was impossible. And by the end of the day I was pretty sure I looked like a peach which had taken a tumble down a flight of stairs.

  My bruises had bruises and my aching body felt like it would never recover again. But I was happy to take the brutal treat
ment. Because if Grey or Dolly or any of the other assholes who had been condemned alongside me came at me again, I was determined to fight back like my life depended on it. Which I was becoming increasingly concerned that it was…

  That night everything ached from Laurie's lesson in discipline and all I wanted was the nothingness of sleep, but it evaded me.

  As I was being crushed between Taylor and the bed frame, a strange rattling noise reached me from out in the dorm beyond our security wall. It sounded like something had been knocked over and I strained my ears as I listened to make sure I hadn’t imagined it.

  I was almost certain that I could hear footsteps shuffling around beyond our bunk and I swallowed thickly as a shiver danced along my spine.

  Our roommate never made a peep, even during the day and once we were in the dorms he didn't reappear from his private bunk until morning, so the sounds put my nerves on edge.

  “Would you like to allow access to your bunk?" the smooth voice cut into my worrying and nearly gave me a heart attack.

  "No!” I whispered absolutely certain that I didn't want to let anyone into the bunk with us.

  "What?" Taylor mumbled, still mostly asleep and I slapped a hand over his mouth in fear.

  "Someone's out there," I hissed, but it was the wrong thing to say. As soon as the word 'out' left my mouth, the walls slid down.

  Grey stood in the gloom at the exit to our dorm. He turned to face us, his eyes shining wickedly as he took in our panic and a shriek of fear escaped me.

  Taylor bolted upright, trying to position himself in front of me as I grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving the ring of protection offered by the bed.

  "There you are," Grey purred and he leapt into motion, racing across the room straight for us.

  He moved far quicker than I would have expected based on his bulk, jumping over an empty bunk and knocking the mattress away towards the door as he came for us.

  “Close! Up! Shut!” I yelled, trying to make the walls rise again but before I could figure it out, he was upon us.

  Taylor shoved me backwards and moved towards Grey with a yell of anger. In his panic, he pushed me harder than he meant to and I tumbled back, falling out of the far side of the bed before sliding across the floor. My head connected with the edge of the bunk opposite and pain sliced through my skull as my vision blurred.

  Taylor aimed a punch which caught Grey in the mouth but it barely seemed to register. Grey actually laughed at him as his huge fist swung back and I screamed a warning half a second before it connected with Taylor's temple. He went down hard on the other side of the bed and terror raced through me as he failed to rise again. I was frozen with shock, adrenaline coursed through my veins urging me into action but I couldn't make myself move.

  Grey's attention shifted back to me and my heart leapt into my throat. I rolled under the bunk I'd collided with and started crawling beneath it. My heart was pounding and my palms were slick with sweat as I worked desperately to drag myself across the cold floor as fast as I could.

  Springs squealed in protest as he jumped on top of my bed. The thump, thump, thump of my heartbeat pulsed in my ears. My elbows screamed with friction burn as I dragged myself under the next bed. I was nearly there, if I could make it to the doors there would be a Warden down the corridor and I had to be faster than him if I could just get to my feet.

  I was halfway out from under the final bed as I felt his iron grasp close around my ankle and he yanked me backwards. I screamed as loudly as I could and the skin from my arms burned as I was dragged across the floor. I kicked and flailed, yelling out in sheer panic as I tried to grab hold of anything at all to stop myself from moving back into his clutches.

  My fingers hooked onto the edge of the bed frame and I jerked to a halt, thrashing and kicking with my free foot.

  My heel connected with his face and Grey snarled with rage as his grip on me loosened marginally. I thrashed harder, screaming again as I tried desperately to break free of his grasp.

  He grunted with effort as his fingers dug into the skin around my ankle and he yanked hard. My fingernails shattered as I was ripped free of my hold on the bed frame and he dragged me out from beneath the bed.

  Grey swung me like a ragdoll and I crashed down onto the mattress behind him, my head colliding with the headboard as pain splintered through my skull. Blood spilled down the side of my face but I had to keep fighting, I couldn’t stop for a moment.

  He loomed over me and laughed, cracking his knuckles together as he moved forward slowly, taking his time like he thought he had me beaten.

  I screamed in defiance and kicked out as hard as I could, aiming between his legs, my foot impacting with his junk. He jerked backwards with a cry of pain, doubling over as the effects of my attack washed through him.

  I rolled over the bed, turning back towards the far end of the dorm and threw myself off the edge, hitting the ground on my feet. I started running instantly, but he was just as fast to recover. He caught hold of my hair and ripped me backwards with a snarl of rage, throwing me to the ground again.

  Pain splintered along my spine and I gasped as the air was driven from my lungs, but I tried to scramble away all the same.

  “Maybe your boyfriend wants to see what I'm going to do to you?" he growled, as he strode after me. He bent down and caught hold of me, hoisting me into his arms and ignoring my attempts to fight him off before slamming me back down onto my bed.

  Grey followed me down onto the mattress, his hand locking around my throat as he snarled in my face and specks of spittle plastered my skin.

  “Keep fighting me,” he purred. “I like it.”

  My heart thundered against my ribs like a bird trying to break free of a cage, but it was no good. I couldn’t fight him off. He was five times my size and at least as mean as he was strong. Terror consumed me as his weight pressed me down on the bed but I couldn’t give in. I wouldn’t.

  I gritted my teeth and clawed at his hand where it was locked around my throat, breaking the skin of his meaty forearm and causing his blood to spill.

  Grey suddenly lurched back, twisting to look over his shoulder just as Taylor aimed a kick at his face from the bunk beside us. Blood flew from his mouth in a spray of red and his head snapped sideways with a sickening crunch.

  It should have been enough to take him out, but he barely even flinched as he swung around and propelled his fist straight at Taylor.

  I cried out as I scrambled upright, launching myself at Grey’s back and locking my arms around his thick neck as I clung on like a limpet and tried to hold him back.

  He barely even seemed to register my weight on his back as he lunged at my best friend.

  Taylor dodged the first strike but the second caught him hard in the temple and he fell back onto the bed behind him, unconscious.

  I screamed again, hoping a Warden would hear before Grey caught hold of my ankle and ripped me off of his back, tossing me back down on the bed.

  He loomed over me, smearing a line of blood across his cheek with the back of his hand as he shifted closer with a hungry look in his eyes. His palm clapped down over my mouth. My nostrils filled with the foul stench of him as his sweaty fingers pressed down against my face and I recoiled into the pillows beneath me. I thrashed and made all the noise that was possible but it felt like I was running out of time.

  “Shut up," he snarled, his weight crushing me once more.

  I kicked and bucked and tried to do everything I could to get him off me, but it didn't even seem to phase him. In fact it seemed like he was enjoying himself. I did the only thing I could and bit him. Hard.

  Grey yanked his hand away in surprise but swung it back down just as quickly, punching me in the face. It was like being hit with a sledgehammer. I couldn't think. Everything went black for a few moments and a small voice in the back of my head welcomed it and reached out for the promise of oblivion.

  "No," I growled, forcing the darkness away. My head swam. I blinked my eyes f
uriously, making them work by pure force of will. My vision blurred again then his great ugly face swung back into focus.

  There was someone behind him.

  All I could make out was a blur of red hair but I recognised Evander instantly.

  My eyes widened as he hefted something big behind his head and swung it straight at Grey's temple.

  Grey fell off of me with a grunt and crashed to the floor, making the bed vibrate with the impact. He made a sound like a feral beast and twisted to face us, a look of rage written across his features.

  Evander threw the broken bed post at him and grabbed my arm. He heaved me up, away from Grey, flinging me on top of Taylor on the opposite bed as I scrambled to do as he urged. He jumped onto the end of the bed too as the electronic voice rang out.

  “Would you like some privacy?"

  "Yes!" Evander snapped, before it could finish asking, and the walls slid from the ground towards the ceiling.

  My eyes widened as Grey charged towards us and I flinched but the security wall shot up between us before he could make it.

  There was a huge crash as he hit the wall but it held. A series of pounding noises followed as he tried to force his way in.

  “Would you like to allow access to your bunk?"

  “No!" I shouted at the same time as Evander.

  Grey’s attempts to break into us lost intensity after a few minutes and eventually stopped.

  “Thank you. I don't know what he would have done to me if you hadn’t…” I trailed off as I looked up at Evander, drawing in a shuddering breath.

  Tears prickled the backs of my eyes as the shock of what had just happened washed over me but I bit my lip and kept it together. I was breathing heavily and I tried to focus on slowing each breath down. In through my nose and out though my mouth.

  Evander reached towards me as if he was thinking of touching my shoulder then seemed to think better of it and dropped his hand.

  “Don't mention it,” he said a little awkwardly. “Is he okay?" Evander pointed at Taylor.

  I leaned over him, brushing his floppy hair out of his eyes and drawing a groan from his lips. He was still unconscious but his breathing was steady.