by Tate, Pearl
“He definitely said we would be sharing her, correct?” The timid guy is talking to the weirdo that sat next to me on the shuttle ride yesterday.
“Yes. Although I don’t agree with his training methods.” He comes inside the bedroom to leer at me while he talks to the other guy. “Fear works just as well as kindness. Better if you ask me.” His leering expression is the same as usual and gives me a shiver of foreboding. I cringe back against the side furthest from them.
The other guys peer over his shoulder at me. “Yeah. See? She’s still afraid of us. He’s going to just end up making her like him best. That’s not fair.”
“Perhaps we can set up a rotation where we each get her for a day or two and we rotate her around between us?”
They are both nodding. Their eyes never leave me. What is wrong with these freaks? How can they think what they are doing is okay?
“Although we will need to set up rules about what can be done with her. No one can hurt her to where she won’t be capable of performing for the next person.”
Weirdo scowls. His mouth sets into a firm line and he says nothing.
“There is always a chance that when her mate is killed, she mates to one of us. You know—since we will be the only ones she’s exposed to and all.” He looks hopeful and my skin crawls.
Fuck me! So, these guys have a grand plan to wipe out the bulk of the people under the dome and escape to somewhere outside? With me and Jenny as their little fuck buddies…
The door opens, and I hear Mahku’s voice boom, “What are you all up to in there?” They both scramble out and try to act casual.
“We were just checking on her.” The whininess clues me in that it wasn’t weirdo trying to justify their actions.
“I understand your interest. But let’s keep our plan in motion.” I hear two loud thuds. “Put these in order. I’ll get her out to get ready.”
What now? Less than a second later, he’s at the cage door, opening it and reaching in for my hand. Okay, here we go. Game on! Time to see how I can sabotage their plans the best.
He walks me out where the other two have a long cord of wires braided together. Every foot or so, there's a little, red ball dangling. It reminds me of a long string of Christmas tree lights. They work together to unroll the ball it was wadded into while it was in a big bag by the door. It’s long as they drape the cord over the chairs, straightening it out.
Picking up one of the balls, he holds it up and taps it while maintaining eye contact. Mimicking tapping on it and pulling on it, he makes a big boom sound, throwing his arms out. Fuck me. Holding as blank a face as I can, I try not to show my horror.
I’m not an idiot. Based on everything they’ve been discussing, this strand is a bomb of some sort. I decide to act confused, and he keeps doing it. I won't be able to stall or keep this up though because I’m starting to shake in fear.
“Is she going to understand? We don’t need her playing with it and setting it off.” Weirdo is observing me carefully. Keeping my expression blank, I ignore him and continue watching Mahku. Why does every group of people seem to have an annoying weirdo?
After his third time of explaining, I fake understanding and take a step back like I’m scared… which I totally am. He tugs on me and pulls me closer.
Draping the one end over my shoulder, Mahku wraps it around my neck twice. He proceeds to loop it over my arms and criss-crossing it over my chest and behind my back. It has to be twenty to thirty feet long. These guys are decorating me in their Christmas tree strand bomb. Life sucks.
They bicker as they continue to wind it around me. They then make sure they have the slack to hook the two ends together at my back. As they adjust, wrapping and re-wrapping, I rearrange the slack around my neck. I'm trying to keep it loose while they adjust to make the ends meet. Mahku pulls out what looks like a black box. They all stand behind me pulling and tugging to get everything situated.
I endure the weight of it on me building. It’s a lot heavier than it looks. I don’t know what they put into the balls? But between them and the black box they are tying everything into, I need to sit down because my legs are giving out!
Sinking down where I stand, I plop my butt on the floor. Mahku follows me down but the weirdo asshole grabs me, pulling me up by my arms. “Wait, wait. We aren’t done yet.”
“It’s fine,” Mahku tells him from behind me. “Look how small she is. This probably weighs half of her weight. Good thing we aren’t putting her in water.” They all laugh while I seethe.
They are all so self centered. How can they plan to kill everyone here? Don’t they have friends besides themselves? What kind of evil is this?
I’ve watched plenty of action movies at home. I never understood the crazy people who just seem to be off their rocker. At least when you watch that stuff, you realize it’s pretend. You never think you will run across this kind of evil.
How am I going to get away from them with this thing wrapped on me? Besides the fact it’s so damn heavy, who will know how to disarm it but them? And it’s on my back. It won’t even be possible to see if it counts down on a timer! Not that I would have understood their number system…
Tears fall down my cheeks as I contemplate my fate. I hate to be a baby. But this situation is way too stressful to not have a bit of a panic attack. Even if they succeed at getting Jenny and I out of here before they blow everyone up… how do I know they aren’t killing all the other girls that were at the study group with me? It makes sense that if I’m here and Jenny is here, they are around here somewhere, right?
Would it be worth it to try to communicate with them?
“She’s crying.” My sniffles have given me away, and they all looked pissed at my weakness.
“Get her a drink,” Mahku crouches in front of me and grabs my hands. “She doesn’t understand that we will not blow her up. So, we have to be nice and not freak her out.” He hands me the glass that one of them brings over and I take it gratefully.
After a few sips, I realize what they’ve done. My vision is blurry and I’m having a hard time keeping my eyes open. Mother fuckers. These cock suckers…
“How much did you put in it?” Mahku’s voice is angry as he looks over my head at them. But I don’t catch their answer as I tip towards him and my world goes dark.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
- Amari
In the darkness, my eyes adjust slowly. Using my other senses, I run through was I am aware of so far. It’s damp. The air is cool and full of moisture and I take a deep breath into my lungs. I gag as the scent of rotting dominates the air. I've never smelled an odor this foul in my life.
I hear a low hum and even more interesting, when I reach out, I can detect a vibration through the moist metal wall. I’m just starting to make out my surroundings, but the light is dim. Instead, I run my hands over the metal surface that feels textured and cool.
I see a lump about an arm’s length away. Moving towards it, I know I’ve found what we’ve been searching to find. It is a big tangle of wires and tracenda balls. The black box attached to it has a countdown timer on it and it’s going down quickly.
I’ve never interacted or directly controlled a vision before, but I must figure out where I am! I’m not really here. So, I’m not solid.
Directing my thoughts, I move upward. After the length of my body, I tingle head to toe as the solid surface flows through me, but it worked! I’m out!
I study around me, surprised. I don’t recognize this either. It’s a small room with concrete walls. There’s a large hatch that leads to where I was before, and the hum is much louder now. I must be in the treatment plant? What I need to see now, is which cistern that bomb is in and how to get back here.
Breathing deep, I pass through the door and find myself in the hall. Turning around, I note the number fourteen on the door. When I hear voices, I almost lose my concentration and fade out. I pin my non-existent form against the wall opposite the door. Breathing deeply helps to focus an
d maintain my vision.
The voices are closer, and I watch as two guards pass by me without noticing my form. This is easily the strangest experience I have ever had. I would never have imagined that this was possible in daily reflections. Perhaps that isn’t what this is? Maybe this is more…
Slowly, I pull off the wall. Following behind the guards, I watch as they input their codes to get through doors. We pass two other halls before we reach the exterior. And just like that, I know where I am!
Snapping my eyes open, I unfold my stiff body and wonder how long I’ve been sitting. As I walk out into the living area, Selas is entering the door with Devlin and Jenny.
“I know where the other bomb is located!” I’m ready to rush past them and out the door myself, I’m that excited and ready to end this.
“That’s excellent because we’ve located the one in the community kitchen. We couldn't have found it so quickly without your information. It’s being disabled as we speak. But that’s not what I came to tell you. We heard from Mahku.” Selas doesn’t look happy as he says this.
My heart sinks. Grim faces meet mine and Jenny reaches out to rub my arm. That’s when I know it's serious. No one ever purposefully reaches to comfort me.
“She’s alive, or at least they said she was.” It’s so odd to hear and understand our language from her higher female voice. Devlin growls as I jerk from her to head for the door. If I can find the fucking bomb, I definitely can find my mate.
“Wait, please.” Jenny pulls from Devlin’s arm and chases after me. “You must take me!”
What?
“No, definitely not.” I can’t be responsible for her. Looking at Devlin, I can’t help asking. “How can you let her go?”
He looks defeated but resigned. “She wants to go. It’s what they are demanding for your mate’s life.”
Jenny wraps her arms around him, but he doesn’t appear comforted. “You will be there. Or close. I trust you to get to me if I need you.”
Selas cuts by us all and blocks the door. “No one is going anywhere yet. We have to be there soon. But you must give us the information on the bomb first, so we can get over there and take control of that.”
Yes! And to think I almost forgot.
Selas holds out his communicator and opens the line to his subordinates. I rattle off what I experienced. Within a minute, I’ve explained the door I came out of, the hall and how the room number was fourteen. Now they have what they need so I want to get going too.
“Listen Amari. You and Devlin will work together to take Jenny over to the meetup point. We will dress you both up in Discovery crew suits. They will cover your mating marks.” We both nod as he continues. “The hard part will be timing. They have Rachel all wrapped up and wired into a bomb. They’ve threatened to set it off if we send anyone in with Jenny.” I don’t even realize that I’m growling until Jenny laughs.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. But you sound just like Devlin.” She reaches out to comfort me with a pat again. What is it with these females? They aren’t intimidated by me? This is the second time she has touched me! “It’s just how I handle stress, I giggle.” Shrugging, she looks at Selas, waiting for him to continue.
“Mahku says they will transfer the coordinates to meet us at shortly. We have to stand by because he expects Jenny to be there almost instantly.” Moving to the table, I see he’s already put an assortment of uniforms there. He must have come in and out of the dwelling a few times while I was in my daily reflections. “We have no idea what to expect yet because we don’t know where they will send us. But you don’t have to worry, Amari. Devlin and Jenny completed their mating last night and he will know exactly where they are at all times.”
Longing clogs my throat with emotion. I want that. I want Rachel to commit to me and promise to stay with me. We couldn’t even communicate when we were together. Will she want me the way Jenny wants Devlin?
Looking at Devlin, the mating marks I can see on his neck and lower arms appear darker. The colors dance and shift between orange, purple and green as I watch.
My lack of knowledge must show on my face because Selas continues explaining. “Once this is over, let’s plan to sit down and talk. Me, you and Rachel. We can go over everything we know about the matings both past and present. There is a few of you now.”
Nodding, I sift through the uniforms on the table, trying to find the largest one. Surely, Rachel will be open to completing the mating with me. Especially now that her friend Jenny has committed to staying here with Devlin.
The idea makes me hard, but it only takes thinking about the danger she is in right now for it to soften. I need to get to her. I’ll give their plan and rules today. If this doesn’t work, then I can’t wait any longer. It’s getting harder and harder to keep the red haze of anger from overtaking me. I know when it does, there will be no stopping or holding back. Even if it kills me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
- Rachel
I feel safe. Warm. Loved.
The strong arms wrapped around me squeeze and then turn me to face their owner. It’s Amari. I already knew, but as I look into his brown and blue eyes, my heart swells with emotion.
I care about him. Miss him and so desperately want him.
“I’m coming for you. Are you well?” His voice is faint even though we are tangled in each other's arms.
“I… I think so.” I’m distracted by the fact that I’m naked and so is Amari. Our bodies are pressed together hard and I clutch him tightly. “I’ve missed you.”
His lips crash down on mine and I’m enveloped in his strength and taste. Breathing him in, press against him. I want to be absorbed into him.
Pulling back from me, our noses touch. “I’ve missed you too. I’m close. We located and are disarming the other bombs they planted under the dome. They won’t get away with this. Do you trust me?”
“Of course, I do,” I murmur before kissing him like I need him to breathe. My tongue tangles and dances making me ache for more in other parts of my body.
We jostle, and my lips break from his. I’m shaking! He’s being pulled from me. “Amari! Wait! Don’t go!”
I can still make out his voice even though he’s fading. “Soon…”
As soon as my eyes crack open, I hear, “She’s awake.”
Oh, not again! My head pounds and I feel nauseated. What the hell?
Then it all comes back to me. These assholes still have me. That was just a dream. I notice the wires and box digging into my back where they’ve strapped me into the shuttle seat.
And what the fuck did they give me? They drugged me! I almost ask them before I remember that they don’t think I know their language.
Groaning, I lean over and vomit between my legs onto the floor. Their sounds of disgust and annoyance make it worth it. That will teach them to drug me! Stupid mother fuckers.
We stop almost instantly. At first, I assume it’s because I threw up all over their shuttle floor. I’m still sputtering and trying to spit the last of the foul taste out of my mouth when the door next to me opens. I throw up my arms in front of my face—just in case.
“Out you go.” Mahku grabs me and lifts me out, holding onto me until I’m standing next to him. I take a minute to look around, but I don't recognize anything. My stomach tightens, and I dry heave, bending over again.
When I finally pull it together, the first thing I realize is we are outside the dome. Not far, because it’s hard to miss the big ass shape. I haven’t seen it this up close before now. It shimmers as light reflects off it.
They’ve parked the shuttle just inside a grove of trees. The other three assholes are covering up the shuttle with some kind of camouflage. It only takes a minute before they’re ready. I feel like I’m haven’t totally woken up yet.
The fog in my brain means whatever they sedated me with hasn’t completely worn off yet. It reminds me of the time I tried to take Nyquil for my cold and then go into class. That was a mistake. This is very s
imilar.
As much as I hate it, I’m relieved when Mahku picks me up and starts walking. The bomb is still securely wound around me. Between the weight and my throbbing head, I don’t know if I can walk. I’m having a hard time doing more than retching every minute or so.
When he puts me down, I figure it’s because he’s afraid I will throw up on him. It takes me a second to realize they have uncovered a hatch in the ground. Once the camouflage is off, it’s a round hole with a ladder down one side. A manhole! I’m not a fan of being underground!
They don’t ask my opinion though. Instead, Mahku just hands me down to them at the bottom like I’m a doll they can all pass around between them. If everything didn’t ache so much, I would be freaking out for sure. It’s dark and damp and it takes a couple minutes for Mahku to get the camouflage and hatch back on before he joins us.
Scrubbing my hand over my mouth, I spit on the ground again. This sucks! My mouth tastes like vomit and makes me want to puke more.
There’s no talking as Mahku scoops me up again and they start down the tunnel. It dawns on me that we are heading further underground. The tunnel is dirt with reinforcement every ten feet or so. It looks like metal bands that brace it. I shiver, reminded of old mining tunnels.
It doesn’t take long before we hit a solid, metal wall with a door set into it. Now it reminds me of an underground bunker. I can’t help wondering how many of these are around here. I don’t see how we get through but as soon as we do, and the door closes behind us. It’s instantly like we are in another world.
Suddenly—we’re in a bedroom. The door to the underground tunnel was behind a large six-foot square mirror! It swings out soundlessly into the room. This bedroom looks more like something right out of a mansion on Earth. With a large four poster bed and ornate draperies and bedding,
I stare in awe. That is exactly what I need! My eyes tear up as I’m reminded of my long twin bed in my dorm. I miss my bed—and French fries.