“No, that’s not fair!” I cry out, wincing when he reaches down and grips my tender chin, using his strong grip to pull me up to my feet.
“I brought up believe life never fair.”
“Let go of her! Don’t you touch her!” The chains rattle wildly as Marduke struggles to get free, yet he doesn’t manage to loosen them even one bit.
Jeprow glances at Marduke, his disdain obvious. “I want your people suffer, but understand they won’t care witness this human death. Only you care, so I do here this.”
I hold my breath, realising I’m about to die.
“I want you know this your doing, not mine or her. You put here her, you make happen, now she suffer because you.”
I open my mouth to say that isn’t true, not really. Marduke didn’t choose to invade Earth, and he definitely doesn’t want me stuck here with Jeprow, but Jeprow’s sudden movement catches me off guard.
His arms move around me, pulling my back to his front, and his arm covers my throat, locking me in place. His other arm then locks over my forehead and the arm against my throat shifts until he’s holding my jaw, squeezing so hard my mouth involuntarily opens as I’m forced to look up at his twisted face.
My heart stamps a painful beat in my chest, my blood runs cold, and I feel so panicked I fear I’ll faint.
Marduke is screaming behind us.
When one of Jeprow’s men moves forward, I only see him once he’s standing directly in front of me. He tips something down my throat, and I try to spit it back out. It splutters over my face and chest, but once the awful tasting concoction is emptied into my mouth, Jeprow’s hand moves to cover it, forcing me to swallow whatever it is they’ve given me.
My face aches from this new rough treatment, given how sore it is from the hits I very recently took, but nothing compares to the burning and bile feeling of whatever it is I’ve ingested going down my throat.
Pain bursts inside my body. I try to scream out in pain, not knowing what is happening or if this is how I will be killed.
Is this it? Is this how I’ll die? Screaming in agony while Marduke watches on?
I sob from my pain, and finally, Jeprow lets go of me. I drop to the ground and curl into a ball, hugging my stomach.
Every part of me hurts, from the tips of my toes to the top of my head, but there is one part that hurts the most, one place the pain is concentrating on. I don’t want to think about why that is. I don’t want to acknowledge that, right now, my stomach is cramping, twisting, and feels like it is on fire.
My heart feels as though it stretches to an unimaginable size and then smashes into tiny pieces. The darkness I’ve carried with me since this invasion swallows me whole, and even though I’m lying on the hard ground, I feel as though I’m falling.
Deep down, I know Riley is being taken away from me.
Having already lost my parents and then losing Logan and Hannah, I don’t have many reasons to keep fighting. Marduke and I aren’t all right, and I know he is most likely going to die in here. Riley is my only reason left to want to survive this. He is the only reason for me to keep fighting.
Now there is nothing left.
We’ve lost this fight.
I’ve lost everything.
Chapter 11
Marduke
As Jeprow holds Mattie and the guard places his filthy hands over her while he pours poison down her throat, I scream and thrash against the chains holding me. From the force of my struggle, I hear my wrist snap painfully and my shoulder dislodges, but I don’t care. As soon as Jeprow forces Mattie to ingest whatever it is he pours down her throat, I see the pain it causes her. I stop struggling as I realise what is happening. I think she knows it, too.
Jeprow drops her, letting her fall to the ground, and she curls up into a ball right in front of me. I slump down with her, my energy zapping as I watch the light in Mattie’s eyes dim until it is gone completely. I’ve failed not only Mattie, but also Riley. I’ve failed myself. I’ve broken my promise to them.
Something wets my face, almost as though water has been splashed over me. I look around myself, feeling dazed and slow. No one is there wetting me. It’s my own tears that are streaming down my face.
My people feel many things; honour, duty, peace, responsibility, curiosity, and fondness. I’m sure there are more, but nothing as strongly as humans. Humans feel love, hate, happiness, and devastation with their body, soul, and mind. Ever since I met Mattie, I’ve felt my own emotions heightening. I’ve felt love, fear, and contentment. I’ve woken up inside and never felt more alive.
However, in this moment, I’ve never felt more terror, anger, and devastation. Everything feels as though it’s ending. For the first time in my life, I have to fight a battle within myself. I have to remind myself of the war still happening. My people and the humans are in danger, and Mattie’s life is still at stake. I can’t focus on our losses when I still have too much to do. I must mourn and grieve afterwards.
I focus back on Mattie’s still form. She appears lifeless except for the random jerks her body makes. If left untreated, then she will also die from the poison and probably from Riley inside her.
As Jeprow’s laughter tears my attention off her, I glance up at him, glaring hatefully.
He crouches down, his hands moving over Mattie’s body, trailing up her sides and then moving to her face. He strokes her cheek, brushing past her ear and then touching her hair. He almost looks curious about what he is doing, like he can’t understand why he’s suddenly being gentle with her.
I only see rage watching him touch her like that. It speaks of something intimate and private, and there should be no such thing between them. If Mattie was aware of what he was doing, she would be furious.
“Don’t touch her!” I scream, changing back to my native language.
He slowly looks up from Mattie, his hand resting over her head lightly, almost affectionately. “You know, it’s sort of fun to watch the fight leave a person. To know you’ve broken them. This one was a fighter, and I think, maybe given the right amount of time, she might still be in there somewhere. It might be fun to bring it out of her again, and then crush it.” He chuckles. “You know, maybe that is a better torture for you. Knowing that you’re going to die and it gets to end for you, but not for her. Never for her.”
“Don’t you dare! She is innocent. You claim that my family ruined your life, well, what are you doing to hers?” I yell, struggling against my restraints again. This is not what I want for her. Even if I die here, she should never have to go through this. I want her to be happy, to have as much of a happy life as she can. Not this—never this.
“She chose a side, and it was the wrong one. We live by our decisions, and I’m not one to back down once I’ve made my choice. If I want her, then I will have her. If I want to chop off her head, then I will do that.” He sounds composed, but his eyes are wild.
I continue struggling against my chains, blood dripping down my arms from them painfully digging into my non-existent skin. My broken wrist and shoulder burns.
“Your brother has been sighted by one of my men. I will take your human with me while I decide what to do with her.” He twists his head, glancing at the man who poured the toxic substance down her throat. “Take her to Fwer to ensure it is dead then clean her up and bring her back to me.”
The man bows deeply before dragging Mattie to her feet and swinging her over his shoulder. She vomits down the side of his back and all over the ground, although it doesn’t stop him from continuing his journey.
Once he disappears, Jeprow turns back to me. “Don’t go anywhere,” he taunts. “Just think about the fact that I will have your human at my disposal to do whatever I want to her.”
He stands, looming down over me, and then he unexpectedly kicks me hard in my ribs. I hear a crunching of bones and cry out in pain. My vision wavers, and I have to close my eyes before I risk vomiting over myself. I’m desperate to crawl into a ball and try to alleviate my pain, bu
t I can’t move far, as a result my chest remains exposed and stretched in a torturous way.
I’m not sure how much time passes between what I’ve just witnessed happening and when I am able to focus. I fear I’ve fallen unconscious and that, maybe, I won’t be able to save Mattie after all. Without me, there will be no one to care for her, no one fighting to free her. Mattie is incredibly capable of fighting for herself, but I saw that look in her eyes once she realised what was happening. It wasn’t a Mattie I recognised.
I’m pushed to the side, and the reawakened pain forces me to focus on my dream. Because this is a dream, since there is no way someone is freeing me from my shackles. But why am I dreaming about Ival?
“Ival?” I hiss, realising how hard it is to not only talk, but breathe.
“What did they do to you, brother?” Ival asks, releasing my other arm. Both my hands fall to my lap, the skin bloodied and raw. I am able to see a bone in one part of my wrist since it’s snapped through the skin.
“Mattie…” I whisper her name, my heart squeezing so tightly I can’t get another word out. For a moment, I’m so overwhelmed in my grief that speaking is impossible.
“I saw the guard taking her away. I waited until Jeprow left before I came in here. He has her,” he admits.
“Why didn’t you try to stop him?” I accuse.
“I was here to rescue you. I’m not here to risk my life for a human.” He states this like it should be obvious.
I’m so enraged by his words I try to punch him. My effort is pathetic, though, and he shifts easily out of the way. Even if I had made contact, I am sure I wouldn’t have had enough force to even move him an inch.
“Calm down, what is the smell they’ve got you breathing in? I think it’s messing with your sanity. I’m here to rescue you, so hitting me is not the correct response.”
“Jeprow poisoned Mattie, and she… Riley is…” I can’t say it. I don’t want to.
“So that’s her vomit over there, then?” He sounds solemn and finally has a response I understand.
I nod, wincing when he takes my battered arm and helps me to stand. I can’t manage to stay upright, though. I crouch over, barely able to get a breath in.
“I need to find you a medic. We have to move. I don’t have forever to get you out of here.”
“We can’t go to the tunnels,” I wheeze out, my vision dizzying when he begins to move us forward. “Mattie said Jeprow flooded them. The others are dead.”
“They’re not.”
“What?” I try to look him in the eye, but since he has about six eyes to go with his three heads I’m seeing at the moment, I find it hard to know which one to look at.
He pushes me forward. “I escaped here and eventually was able to enter the tunnels through the ocean entrance. Because he turned the water on, the seal was lifted and I just needed to remove the grate. I was then able to open the door and stop the water. The humans told me a man took Mattie, and I knew he’d take her back to you.”
“You saved them all?” I don’t understand his words, especially when he appears to be trying to say he saved four humans, voluntarily.
“Yes, I shouldn’t have bothered, but I knew you would be a pain in my ass if I didn’t and I had to be sure if it was no longer safe to use the tunnels. Since they are now compromised, I started the water back up so Jeprow’s people won’t be able to use the tunnels against us, then got the humans to a group of soldiers through the city entrance we used earlier, and told them to keep the humans safe.”
“Thank you,” I say sincerely, thankful to have at least some good news. If I can get word to Mattie, then maybe it will be enough to give her some light back in her eyes.
“It was stupid, reckless, and a reason I am not ready for this leadership,” Ival reprimands himself.
“No, it was brave and the right thing to do.”
“Don’t sound so human, Marduke. Their thinking isn’t right. You’re becoming one of them.”
“Maybe you are, too.” I half threaten, knowing there is no real chance of that ever happening.
Ival snarls in anger over the insinuation. After that, he is a little rougher with me as he gets us away from our home.
“I was able to destroy the black box. The guards left when you were taken hostage and they grabbed your human. I shot the Claws and one crashed into the wall, crushing it. Most of the others on Oden are also destroyed. We’re able to teleport to most places, however our ships are still immobile. What Jeprow has on his ship is the key. We need to get on there and find it.”
I stumble down a hallway. Just as we move outside, we see Jeprow’s spaceship in the air, gaining height as it readies to disappear.
“No!” Ival screams, attracting the attention of the few guards Jeprow has left behind. Ival easily takes them on; killing them all while I lean against the wall, barely able to lift my head.
Mattie is on that ship, I just know it. With us unable to get into the air, there is no way for me to save her. With our monits blocked from allowing entrance to it, until Jeprow lands his spaceship, we won’t be able to board it,
Ival punches the wall beside me, still needing an outlet for his anger, even after sparring with five of Jeprow’s men. “Your human is on there,” he states, his eyes narrowing.
“She probably is. He said he has broken her, and he wants to find the fight in her so he can break her again and again.” My hands fist in anger, causing my broken wrist to protest badly enough that black spots appear in my vision.
“Maybe we won’t need to get on the spaceship, not when your human is already there.”
“She just lost our baby! She’s in no state to search a spaceship under Jeprow’s watchful gaze. He’ll kill her.”
“She and you both continue to tell me that humans aren’t useless, and that they aren’t ruled solely by their emotions. If that is true, then she can get over the baby, at least for now, and do what we need her to do.”
“Is that why you didn’t try to help her when you could? Why you waited before bothering to save me?” I snap, furious at the possibility he’s been playing us.
“No. If I were here, then I would have tried to get on that ship myself because, if our future is in the hands of a human, then I fear we are all doomed. I’m trying to make the best out of the hand we’ve been dealt. She is on the spaceship, so she absolutely cannot die. She has to destroy that box.”
“This won’t work. You might not understand love, but Mattie loved that baby, and that was just taken away from her. She thinks the others are dead, too. She has no reason to care anymore. All she has left to look forward to is Jeprow torturing her.”
“Then I will give her a reason to bother trying.” He leaves me then, storming away, before he has to crawl low to move under a group of shrubs. Claws patrol around our house, and while Ival can take on Jeprow’s men easily enough, taking on an angry Claw with no weapons is not smart.
I follow, feeling a new agony having to shuffle my body this way, but one I know, deep down, I deserve. I failed, and this is part of my punishment. I just wish Mattie wasn’t being punished, too.
***
It’s nightfall before we make it a good distance away from our house and towards the city. I can no longer see or hear Ival, but I know the trail well enough to continue along the right path.
We come across four of Jeprow’s men, all of which Ival takes care of easily, and three Claws that we have to duck and hide to get away from.
“Jeprow mentioned you were spotted by his guards; how do you know you’re not heading into a trap?” I eventually splutter out. My chest aches from the effort to talk. I long ago lost the previous food I’ve consumed, and talking now makes me heave.
“I found a soldier willing to sacrifice his life who looked somewhat similar to me. I placed my argu on him, told him to run, be seen, and try to live as long as he could.”
I’m vaguely impressed Ival gave his argu away, but honestly, I can’t get much feeling past the pain I�
�m in and my constant worry over Mattie.
I don’t ask any more questions, instead trying to save my energy. We eventually meet a group of soldiers and one happens to be a medic, who injects me with serums and pain relievers. I don’t want the pain to go away because the physical agony is more manageable than the emotional pain my heart is forcing me to live through. But, since I’m useless if I can’t even walk straight, I let them fix me so I can fight for the woman I love.
I need to do this for her. I need to save her and then try to save us. I don’t think I can get through this without her by my side, safe in my arms. I broke my promise to save Riley, but I won’t break my promise to save her.
We are taken to a secret location where we have some control of the area around us.
“Leader, Drym. He is broadcasting a human,” a woman mutters, her hands moving over the glass screen she is able to get an image through. There are hidden keys along the glass she manipulates.
As soon as I spot Mattie in the picture, I freeze. My gaze glues to her. I didn’t think I could hurt any more than I already have been, yet then I see the pain in her eyes, and it cuts me deeply and takes the breath out of my lungs.
She appears completely dead inside, staring blankly at the camera filming her. Then Jeprow comes into frame and grabs hold of her hair, yanking her forward so she’s crouched over beside him.
Speaking in our language, he smiles with something akin to glee. “Hello, remaining Lomhs. Welcome to a special showing that has a dedication to Marduke. I want to show him how much pain a human can withstand.”
Chapter 12
Mattie
Empty, hallow and alone. That is how I wake up feeling. My shirt has been ripped open, and as I glance down at myself, I see my stomach has a new scar along it, except it appears to be an old one. A cold fear grips me at how long I’ve been here for, but when I turn my head and see my reflection in a warped mirror hanging to the side of me, I see the bruise and blood across my cheek and jaw from my earlier hits. They haven’t healed yet.
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