Torment

by R. S. Broadhead

  The table disappeared from over my head as it was tossed across the room. Both of them stood over me, their eyes irate. One cradled his hand, nursing it against his midsection, my hair still lingering between the fingers. I cowered tighter to the wall, too scared to move.

  “Shayla. Run!” At first I didn’t know who said the words. They sounded thick and muffled. Lance appeared, stumbling, his eyes so swollen he could barely open them. Suddenly an ice pick came over one of the beast’s head and drove deep into the eye. He pulled it out, along with the eye, sending it in my direction. Both of them lunged for him, leaving an opening for me to run. I hated to leave everyone behind, but at least I could come back with reinforcements.

  I forced myself up, darting toward the door. The hallway seemed to be longer than I remembered. Just a little more and I would be at the ladder. My hands shook violently as I climbed. I slipped a few times, my knee landing hard against the rusty wrought iron, but I continued to pull. My life depended on it. Somehow I made it to the top, pushing the door open, and bursting through. I didn’t stop there, even though I had made it out of their torture chamber. I dragged my feet through the building, sluggishly shoving trash to the side, until I was outside. My lungs burned as I raced up the hill through the woods. Limbs tore through my flesh, and tangled through my hair. I didn’t pause to see if I was being followed, I had to keep going and hope I wasn’t.

  Once I was on the main road, I darted toward downtown, weaving through allies, avoiding traffic. Finally I stopped at the back door of a business and pounded against the door, making it shake against the loose hinges. It flew open while my fist hung in the air, prepared to hit it again.

  “What the hell is going on?” Sammie said her face twisted in anger. Her expression softened when she took note of my current shape. She grabbed my arm, ushering me inside. She checked the ally behind me, shut the door, and locked it. “What happened to you?” I leaned against the wall, still trying to catch my breath, something I didn’t think I would ever be able to do. Every drag of oxygen constricted my chest. She walked away and a few moments later returned with a glass of water. I drank it in between my gasps, the liquid nearly choking me a few times.

  “We were checking out Devil’s Den … and …” I paused taking another sip of water. “We were caught.” Those words really sealed it for me. My friends were back in that place probably taking the brunt of those things’ anger because I got out. If they died, their blood would be on my hands. I couldn’t waste any time. I needed to get help and get back there as soon as possible. “I need to help them.”

  A smile spread across her face. “Was there any other option? I’ll help if you need me.” She bounced on the balls of her feet, practically lit with excitement.

  I stared at her, openly confused. “You would risk your life for people you don’t even know?”

  She nodded, clearly having a death wish. She had no idea what they were capable of. If she did, she wouldn’t be volunteering so easily. “I get along with most of the things living here, but this is still our world. None of them are going to come in here and start killing off humans if I can help it.” She had logic, I had to give her that. “Do you know anyone else who can help us?”

  I looked down at the ground, raking my brain for anyone else. Sure, I had Masey, and maybe Lyric. He would do anything for Masey because he was trying to get up in those jeans. Who else? Then an idea clicked. It was a long shot, but maybe I could convince him. “I might know someone. I need to get to Washington County though. After we tell my friend and her … I don’t really know what you would call him.”

  “Let me lock up here.” She pulled a pair of rubber gloves off her hands. “I was tattooing someone, but they can come back if they want it bad enough. That’s shitty, but this is more important.” She left me in her office feeling antsy. I paced the room, unable to keep still. Every minute we lost was another minute closer to them being dead. She finally came back with her jacket on, and a set of keys in hand. “Ready?” I didn’t answer. I merely bolted out the door with her on my heels.

  I searched the ally for a car, but found it empty. “Where’s your car?” She locked the door and motioned me to follow her. Around the corner, a blacked out Hummer sat, waiting. She had done some serious modifications to it. “You getting ready for a zombie apocalypse?” My hand ran up the metal guard across the front.

  She chuckled, pausing to admire the machine. “You never know. Tell me where we need to go.” I jumped in, giving her directions to the camp first. We pulled up to find Masey and Lyric outside, under the glowing yellow light. She tensed, watching the vehicle cautiously, mumbling something to Lyric.

  I rolled down the window. “Get in. Some major shit went down and it’s up to us to fix it.” They jumped in the back, without questioning me until the doors were closed.

  “Where is everyone?” She leaned in between the front seats, eyeing Sammie from her peripheral vision. I launched into telling them what happened. She cringed at the part of me biting a chunk from a hand. It didn’t make it any better considering I still had blood all over my face. Oh well. It could wait to be cleaned. “They’re probably already dead.” She sat back, her arms folded. Lyric draped an arm over her shoulders, pulling her into the fold of his body.

  “Don’t say that,” I said. I knew it was a strong possibility she was right, but we couldn’t be sure until we went back. Damn it. Everything was falling apart. There was no way we could stop Dermetheus now. It would take a miracle at the rate we were going.

  Sammie leaned close to me. “You didn’t tell me you roll with Snake Demons.”

  “I don’t. But he seems to be … different.”

  Her eyes grew serious. “None of them are different. Watch him.” Her gaze shifted back to the road as if never hissing the heedful words in my direction. It was the last thing I needed. Wonder how she was going to react when my next ally got in the car?

  We twisted down some dirt roads, barely able to feel the bumps thanks to the huge tires. We stopped at the F Shack. “Wait for me here. I’m the only one who can go down there.” I was a little uneasy with leaving her alone with Lyric due to her obvious hate for his kind. No one should have a bigger problem with his kind than me, and if I could get over it, she could too. I passed the old moss covered truck and ducked under a limb, entering the woods. I passed the trees that attacked Reese and I the first night we came out here, half expecting them to snatch me up again, yet they stood unmoving. The thicket opened up for me, and the familiar smell of chronic burned my nose. I followed the crops down to the small house, finding Eight Ball on his stump.

  “Eight Ball?” I called, trying my best not to startle him like last time. It didn’t work. He coughed and sputtered, jumping up from the stump and stumbling back. I took a few steps forward, reaching out. “I didn’t want to scare you. Sorry.”

  “My vanilla Barbie doll. What’re you doing here?” He stepped a little closer to me. “Are you hurt?” he asked, noticing the dried blood across the front of my face.

  “I’m fine.” I joined him at the stump, motioning him to sit. “Eight Ball I need your help.” I gauged his reaction. His face gave nothing away so I continued, hoping he was at least considering my words. “Everyone except one of my friends has been captured by some bull looking creatures down at Devil’s Den. I barely got out alive. They could all be dead, but I need to go back there and at least check. I need help going in.”

  “Wait. So you’re trying to go in against a Tartus?” His question seemed to amuse him.

  “A what?”

  “From the way you’re describing the things that captured you, you’re fighting against a Tartus. They’re basically what humans would consider ‘special ops’ for the darkness. They specialize in torturing and killing for information.”

  Something in my gut tugged. If he didn’t agree to going in the next few minutes, I wouldn’t bother trying to persuade him in further. I raked through my hair, grazing a sensitive spot that was now
bald. I winced as the unwanted painful memories materialized. “Well then, I suppose so. Only there are two of them.”

  He leaned back, lighting a joint, and sucked on it. The dark enveloped his features, making it difficult for me to see him. “You’re right. They’re probably already dead. If you go back then you’ll end up dead too. Those things don’t play around.”

  I kneeled in front of him, taking his free hand in mine. “I have to go back, but I can’t do it alone. I need you to help me.”

  Smoke spluttered in my face. “You know I never leave here.”

  I looked down at our joined hands. Human and creature, together we could stop this world from coming to an end. “I know. And I know it’s a lot of me to ask you to do this, but I have no one else I trust. Literally everyone is down there or has abandoned me.” Sure those words were the honest truth, but in reality I was using them so he would feel sorry for me. It was the only way to make him leave his safe haven.

  He took a deep breath and stood to walk away, leaving me at the stump. So much for thinking I could win him over with my sob story. “Well, don’t just sit there. I’ve got to change this robe. I can’t mess it up, otherwise I’d have to steal another one.” I couldn’t believe he was actually going to help me. Scrambling up, I watched him disappear in the house. Maybe we had hope. Moments later, he reappeared with a long black trench coat on. He tossed me a shotgun before adjusting a strap across his chest. A large gun hung from it, over his back. “Let’s go handle these assholes.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Reese

  I skirted through the trees, away from the three guys who’d tried to kill me. I didn’t think they were paying me much attention. They seemed too focused on Harley’s injuries. Why in the world would he save me? I couldn’t stop thinking about it. He didn’t know me well enough to nearly lose his life. I was some girl who randomly showed up with serious problems. Sure, they said they were waiting on me, but I wasn’t what they expected. It was clear they thought I was a threat because of the dark beast inside.

  I broke past the cover of the forest into the village. Shoving past startled people, I moved toward the room I was staying in. There was no time to waste. If they were out for my blood then it wouldn’t be long before I was hunted down and executed. Once I reached the top, I snatched the bag I brought with me from the corner of the room and stuffed as much food and other essential items as it would hold. I draped the bag across my shoulders, barely able to fell its weight under my rigid shoulders. My feet felt glued to the floor as I gazed over the room. This was my last hope. This was supposed to be the place I found out how to get rid of the monster I was becoming. The nauseating feeling of worry and fear grated over me as I felt her smugness. It was only a matter of time before I would give into her. She knew that.

  There had to be another way. There just had to be. I only had to find it. I stormed out into the crisp night, resolved to find an answer. My eyes combed over each inch of the village, studying the people as if the guys had morphed into one of them for better attack methods. After my paranoia was complacent, I set off in a direction of the woods I had never been in. The deeper I plowed, the more heightened my senses became. There was a reason we didn’t travel at night, and here I was engulfed in blackness, blind to any dangers. I had been so preoccupied with my brooding emotions, I let them cloud basic survival instincts.

  I stopped, evened my breathing, and listened. It was too quite. When there were no sounds it often meant something menacing was out there, prowling, searching for its next tender morsel of meat. A loud snap ricocheted against the thick trees until it reached me. The ground vibrated beneath my feet as something continued its mass assault of the forest, heedfully progressing in my direction. I sought refugee under a large leafy bush, peeking through my shelter. The trees were ripped up, root and all, and tossed effortlessly into other trees. As the moon started to pool in the newly formed clearing, a large, dark silhouette claimed ownership to the destruction.

  On each side of the large form, something expanded, stretching far longer than its body. A soft whistle practically purred as the wind rushed over the flapping wings, causing the leaves around me to rip from the branches. It landed, digging its huge four clawed feet into the earth. The smell of soil filled my nostrils the more it burrowed. This couldn’t be real.

  Bones ribbed though the thin layer of skin forming the wings. They bent, averting my eyes to the sharp talons sitting atop the joint. Scales gleamed, hitting the milky light like sapphires. It threw back its long neck, unhinging the jaws to let out an ear-piercing screech. I covered my ears, trying to block the sound. Out of my peripheral vision, I caught sight of the spiked tail, skimming across the ground in my direction. I rolled out of the bush just before it annihilated it. This put me at the mercy of the dragon standing before me. I was now quivering directly in front of it, nothing between the two of us. Its slit pupils contracted against the rich gold of the irises. I took a step back. The talons atop the wings slammed into the ground on each side of me. There was nowhere to go. I was trapped. Its triangle head leaned in closer, smoke rolling out from the nostrils, burning my lungs.

  “That’s enough, Ceruleana.” A voice from the shadows commanded. The dragon’s head tilted, spikes shining on the crown. It seemed unfathomed by the command, like it didn’t have to listen. “Ceruleana. Don’t make me tell your master to discipline you.” The dragon’s head backed up, releasing a grunt of frustration. Lavarus stepped into the light. I hated being in his debt. He had lied to me. There was never a training session. He only wanted to lure me to my death. So why not let the dragon finish what he wanted? I gripped the strap of my bag, internally struggling against attacking him. If I did, the dragon would no doubt swallow me in one bite, not even taking the time to enjoy my taste.

  “What are you doing here?” I spat out, my eyes never deterring from the beautiful beast in front of me. “Come to make sure your dragon here finished the job? Did you send this thing to finish what your boys couldn’t?” My heart ached at the thought of Harley. He might be dead. I ran after he lost conscious. Seeing him like that triggered feelings I didn’t like.

  “My intentions of that exercise were never to kill you. It was a drastic move. I should’ve listened to Harley. He said it was a bad idea.” My face softened. There he was once again trying to save me. “All I wanted was to give you something worth fighting over. Maybe it would help get these memories rolling if you remembered how to fight.”

  I threw my hands in the air, startling the dragon. Its dramatic huff blew a filament of hair about my face. “Right now, I could care less about fighting. I just want this …” I grabbed at my chest, pulling at the dirty shirt, “out of me. Look at what it’s getting me.” Almost killed.

  He stepped toward me, which made me recoil. “Please believe me. I want to help you. You don’t know how valuable you are.”

  “Valuable? You mean in this fight against what’s-his-face? Believe me, after this stunt I hope he wins.” Lavarus’s face fell.

  “Maybe we’ve been going at this wrong. The training that I was supposed to teach you focuses on concentration. This may help you at least be able to control the darkness from taking over you like it did tonight. Is that something that might persuade you to come back with me? I promise to keep the guys away from you. Believe me, I plan on talking to them about this. They went against my orders.”

  I pushed leaves around with my shoe. “Not all of them did. Is he okay?” I held my breath waiting for an answer. Why did I care so much? What was it about this guy? I barely knew him, yet in some weird way it felt almost like … we were meant to be together. I rolled my eyes at the ridiculous concept.

  “He lost a lot of blood, but will be fine. He really believes in you. Harley has never done anything like that before. Usually he’s the one killing something.” Neither of us said anything for a few moments, we listened to the throaty noises from the dragon. “Will you come back with me?”

  “How can
I? I really thought the entire time on my way here this was the place that would help me. Right now I feel like I’d be safer out there, in the wilderness.” I pointed into the cleared area where the trees once were.

  He ran a hand over his white hair. “You have every right to feel that way. I would too if I were in your position. But what’s going to happen to you if you leave, Reese? You run for a while until you can’t take it anymore and the darkness completely devours what little bit of humanity you have left? Because it will happen. You can’t run from this forever. Don’t think I’m trying to scare, because that’s not what I’m doing. I just want you to understand what’s in store for you. This is the best place for you to be, although it may not look that way right now.”