An adult stories – Arlo & Cole Ch. 09: Broken by SyptemberSmyth,SyptemberSmyth **********
PRESENT DAY
***
Gemma
***
Faint light glowed beneath the doorway, another hint Arlo had returned home. Cole’s arm rested over my stomach, heavy in his slumber, sliding off slowly as if trying to hold me back as I crept out of bed.
The sound of the shower met me in the hallway, the light from the bathroom shattering the darkness. I shuffled towards it, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, squinting the closer I came to the light. The door was open, Arlo standing in the shower facing the stream, the water spraying into the top of his head, his hands covering his face.
I wrapped my arms around myself, moving closer. “Are you okay?”
“I can’t finish my tasks.” He remained still, a shiver rolling through his body the only movement.
I reached towards him, my hand jerking back when the freezing water hit it. “How long have you been standing in here?”
“Awhile.”
My teeth bit into my lip, the water shocking my skin when I reached into the stream again, grasping at the knob to turn it off. “It’s time to get out, my love,” I whispered as the water slowed.
His hands fell from his face when I wrapped the towel over his shoulders, his eyes lost as they stared through the floor.
I rubbed the towel over him, drying him off when he made no attempt. “When will it stop?”
He glanced up at me, his lips silent.
“When will you stop?”
The ring from his phone cut through my heart, his eyes darkening as the life returned. “I have to go, but I’ll be home before you go to sleep tomorrow night.”
**********
3 YEARS PRIOR
***
Arlo
***
I checked down the list of tasks in my head. The dishes from dinner were washed and put away. All the windows I had opened that morning to allow the early spring breeze to cleanse the trapped air in the house were closed. Both my mouth and my cock had already brought her the two required climaxes for the day- the first when she had opened her eyes in the morning, the second when I arrived home from the Maze. I had showered and just finished shaving, all the boxes on the list checked.
Anticipation pulsed through me. I sucked in a breath, holding it to try and calm my excitement, my hands shaking as I put my razor back in the drawer. I forced myself to move slowly, casually, holding on to whatever pride I had remaining as I made my way across the hall to her home office.
She glanced over her shoulder from her desk, her lips curving. “All done?”
“Yes, Mistress.”
Her chair swiveled in my direction, offering enough room for me to kneel beneath her desk. I got to my knees, shoving myself into the small space, trembling as I pulled at her sweats. She allowed me to strip them from her body, leaning back in her chair and kicking her leg over my shoulder.
My pride dissolved, my need overwhelming as I buried my face between her legs. Her fingers caressed through my hair briefly before disappearing, moving back to the keyboard. The world went silent when I smeared her over my face, my thoughts lulled into a calm hypnosis when I pushed my tongue inside her. The tension faded as I fell into a rhythm, time spinning into nothing around me, unsure how many minutes had passed when the sound of my phone drifted from the kitchen, the melody shattering my peace.
I tore myself away, shaking as I stood, unwilling to wipe her from my face as I stumbled down the hallway. I stared at the screen, watching it vibrate over her counter until it went dark again.
“Is she calling for you?”
I turned, sighing as I nodded. “I’ll be back before you go to sleep tomorrow.”
“Promise you’ll come back as whole as you’re leaving me.”
***
Gemma
***
His footsteps were silent, but I could feel his presence before I opened my eyes. He was stripping out of his clothes, the matte black unable to hide him from the rising sun. A strange scent lingered on his skin when he crawled under the covers, like damp earth on a cold night. His arm wrapped around me, his gaze meeting mine. “I thought I managed to sneak in quietly.”
I rolled on top of him, pressing my naked body against his. “I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.”
He pushed back, my legs wrapping around him as I sank into the mattress. His lips teased down my neck then circled my nipples before dragging lower.
I squirmed beneath him, rolling onto my stomach. “I know where you’re headed, but you haven’t earned that yet,” I teased.
“Please, Mistress.” His mouth crept lower, pressing into the indents at the small of my back.
“I love the sound of you begging for my pussy,” I murmured into the pillow, smiling when his tongue traced the crease between my ass and my thighs.
“Pretty, pretty please let me taste your pussy, Mistress,” he teased, his tongue flicking between my legs. He grabbed my cheeks, pulling them apart, surprising me when his mouth caressed my ass. My eyes closed, relaxing as he rimmed me, the act of submission one I hadn’t expected from him. I wondered what else he would be willing to do the more he trusted me, and imagined all the ways we could explore all he was hiding.
I rose up on my knees, exhaling into the pillow when his tongue drifted lower, roughly sucking my clit. He fell into rhythm, hinting he wanted to stay where he was, taste my climax when it hit. “Enough,” I warned. He had already summoned the domme to the surface, and there was only one thing I wanted. “Fuck me. Hard.”
He took a final taste before pulling away, positioning himself behind me. His hands grabbed my hips, his cock pushing against me before slipping inside me. I braced myself on my knees, holding still so I could feel the vibration of the hit when his hips collided into mine, moaning at the sensation it sent rippling through me. He was rough and strong, his cock hard and unforgiving as it filled me, exactly how I liked to be taken.
I pressed my stomach down further, my cheek shoved into the pillow, the breath gasping from my lips with each thrust. My fingers curled into the sheets, my legs trembling as he pounded into me, the heat spreading through my stomach and up my spine. There was no mercy, no weakening, only his strength and his cock doing exactly what they were created to do– please me. I moaned and whimpered, inhaling sharply when a pulse rocked through me. His hands held my hips steady when the spasms tore through me, his cock unyielding through every aftershock. I grunted when he shoved himself inside me a final time, his fingers digging into my skin as his own climax pulsed inside me.
I collapsed when he pulled out, weak as I rolled onto my back. He flopped down next to me, throwing his arm and leg over me before closing his eyes. The feeling was just beginning to return to my legs when he suddenly sat up, frozen as he listened.
“Someone’s here,” he whispered, quietly sliding out of bed. He pulled on his pants then reached for his duffle bag, pulling out a handgun as black as his clothes before creeping towards the bedroom door.
I pulled the covers around myself, shivering when I heard footsteps moving in the kitchen. A cabinet door creaked open, Arlo halfway down the hallway before I remembered what day it was. “Arlo, wait!” I yelled, jumping out of bed and scrambling for a robe. “It’s Tuesday!”
He froze at the end of the hall, glaring at me as I stormed towards him.
“It’s a slave from the Château. One comes to clean my house every Tuesday.”
His eyebrow raised, his hand tightening over his gun when he leaned around the corner, his eyes widening as he stared into the kitchen. I slowly made my way to where he stood, sighing when I found Elliott scrubbing the counters wearing nothing but a smile, his clothes folded and placed in their usual spot by the front door.
Elliott glanced towards us, tossing a rag over his shoulder. “Good morning, Mistress Gemini.” He turned away briefly, bending down to grab more supplies from under the sink, the base of his stainless steal butt plug flashing towards us.
Arlo’s hand wrapped around my arm, dragging me backwards into the hallway. “A naked man cleans your house every Tuesday?”
“They aren’t always naked.”
“Why is that one naked?”
“CFNM is kind of his thing–” I paused at his blank stare. “Clothed Female, Naked Male.”
His hands rubbed over his face as he made his way back to the bedroom, shoving his gun back into his duffle bag. “How would you feel if I had a naked woman cleaning my house?”
“Since I’ve never actually been to your house, for all I know you do have a naked woman cleaning it.”
“I don’t have a house! I have an apartment underground!”
“And I have a house that needs to be cleaned!”
“And I have a problem with my girlfriend having her house cleaned by some naked gu–” His raised voice halted when Elliott appeared in the hallway.
“Is there a problem?” Elliott asked, moving closer.
Arlo straightened, narrowing his eyes. “This doesn’t concern you.”
Elliott stepped between us, his stance answering the threat. “The tone you’re taking towards Mistress Gemini does concern me–”
“That’s enough,” I cut in. “Elliott, my house is clean enough for today, so you can return to the Château.”
“Mistress, I don’t feel comfortable leav–”
“I said enough for today.”
His eyes hunted mine, hesitating before stepping away. He moved towards the door, the sound of him pulling on his clothes drifting through the air. “I’m going to wait outside for a little bit in case you change your mind, Mistress.”
I exhaled when the front door closed, avoiding Arlo’s glare. “I’m not having sex with anyone else, oral or otherwise, as promised,” I started, doubtful my words were enough. “I’m willing to compromise, but you have to be willing to meet me halfway.”
“I feel like your halfway is a lot more fucked up than my halfway.” He shook his head, rubbing his hands over the back of his neck. “My halfway doesn’t include consensual slavery and strap-ons and random naked people–” The sound of his phone ringing cut off his words, igniting my anger. He glanced towards the bedroom, the ring beckoning.
“No, your halfway includes a potentially human murderess and you disappearing every time she calls.”
“She’s not a murderess.”
“You’re always so defensive about her.”
“Because she’s worthy of defending. She’s done nothing wrong.”
“She destroys you every time you disappear!” The words flew from my lips, anger and frustration like fire in my chest. “And every time you reappear I have to find a way to put you back together!”
“She doesn’t destroy me, they destroy me!” His voice tore through the air, my heart jumping at the sound. “I’ll never tell you what I’ve seen. What they do. What the world will never know because the powerful won’t confess. Siren is our only savior when it comes to this war.”
Tears burned in my eyes as I desperately tried to wipe them away.
He stepped forward, his shoulders slumping as the tension fled his body. “You can’t fix me, Mistress.” His arms wrapped around me, his lips running over my forehead. “I’m meant to stay broken.”
***
Arlo
***
“Zane Zone 2… Arlo Zone 3… Grizzly Zone 4… Siren Zone 7…” the Eyes and Ears updated, their voices distorted in static.
I continued through the darkness, listening for any hint of movement. The space remained silent, the old office equipment and desks covered in dust. The traitors were getting smarter, their underground warehouses becoming harder to navigate, but they still hadn’t found a way to stay hidden from the Eyes and Ears.
“Sam Zone 1…Trei Zone 5…”
I stared into the grey haze, trying to focus as I adjusted my earpiece. It was not the time for Gemma to be distracting my thoughts, but there was no silencing the memory of her tears. I needed to crawl back to her, on my knees as she preferred, and pray my pathetic apology was enough to earn my reward.
“Garrett Zone 1… Grizzly Zone 5… Trei Zone 6…”
There had to be a compromise, one that didn’t involve me shooting the next man I found at her house. I could offer my own house cleaning services, naked if it was what she enjoyed.
“Siren… off grid…” the voice was hesitant in my earpiece, the alert chilling down my spine. “Siren off grid…”
Off grid? There was no off grid. I shoved myself back against the wall, searching through the shadows. The space was empty, my stomach twisting when I realized I’d made it through three previous zones without firing my gun. I crept forward, hunting for movement, waiting for guidance. The air rushing from my lips was all that lingered, the realization haunting.
“Zane Zone 3… Trei Zone 7… Siren off grid…”
I glanced around, hunting for Zane, his shadow creeping into view from around one of the bookcases. He looked towards me, his steps as unsure as mine.
“Garrett Zone 2… JJ Zone 7… Trei Zone 7…Siren off grid…”
I tried to remember the map, the target smaller than usual and only broken up into seven zones. I slid down the wall until I reached an intersection of hallways, peering around the edge. It was empty, not even a body laid out to mark where we had already been.
Static cut through my nerves, the voice on the other end frantic as it screamed. “Siren down, off grid! Siren down, off grid!”
Zane raced past me, tearing down the hallway with me close on his heels.
“Garrett Zone 3… Zane Zone 4… Arlo Zone 4…”
We tore through the darkness, knowing it would be empty. The traitors weren’t there, they were somewhere off grid, somewhere Siren stood alone.
“Zane Zone 6… Arlo Zone 6… Grizzly Zone 7… Siren down, off grid…”
The lights flashed on, blinding us. I ripped the night vision glasses off my face, squinting into the bright light, colliding with Zane in my disorientation. I scrambled to my feet, my hands tightening around my gun when I heard the footsteps. They came from all directions, surrounding us in a blur of camo. My finger wrapped around the trigger, firing wildly and indiscriminately.
“Sam Zone 4… Garrett Zone 5… Zane down, Zone 6…”
I spun around, looking for Zane, unable to find him in the sea of camo.
“JJ off grid… Trei off grid… Siren down, off grid…”
Fists swung at me, knocking me to the ground before trying to rip the gun from my hands. My fingers clamped around it, unwilling to weaken. They wouldn’t take me alive, even if I had to slit my own throat.
“Sam Zone 5… Garrett down, Zone 5… Arlo down, Zone 6…”
***
Gemma
***
I weaved through the massive dungeon, the sound of whips landing on flesh enticing, the scent of leather, sweat and sex filling the air. It beckoned me as it always did, the ideas swirling in my head of all I wanted to do, everything I wanted to try, every pleasure I wanted to taste– but they were all the parts of myself I could no longer satisfy. Maybe there was nothing wrong with enjoying the vanilla. I was tired of questioning, contemplating, arguing– I wanted him. He wanted me. I could be his darkness and he could be my light, and we could spend our days finding ways to tread the path in-between.
“Mistress Gemini,” Lexa’s voice cut through my thoughts, “I need to speak with you.” Her arm linked through mine casually as we walked towards the back of the dungeon, stepping out into the hallway. She glanced over her shoulder, the sound of our heels drowned out by moans and screams. She shoved open a side door, pulling me with her as we darted down a short hallway before pushing open another door, the midnight air cool against my skin.
I paused on the patio, staring as she began pulling off her heels. “Where are we going?”
“I need some fresh air.” Her bare feet stepped onto the grass, her toes running over the soft blades. “You won’t get far in those heels.”
My lips rubbed together as I pulled off my shoes, leaving them next to hers, the earth far more forgiving than my stilettos.
She grabbed my hand, dragging me with her as she took off running.
“Where are we going?” I yelled after her, reaching out to run my fingers over the sweeping branches of a willow tree as we raced past it.
She slowed then stopped, her hands pressing into her knees, her breath gasping. “Is this far enough?”
My hand pressed into my chest as if it could help me breathe. I turned back, the Château lit up in the distance. “Far enough?”
“It’s just us, Gemma. Just you and me and the stars.” She straightened, tucking a few strands of wild blonde behind her ears. “No Château. No dommes. No slaves. Just you, Gemma Wright, and me, Lexa Ducain.”
I wrapped my arms around myself, glancing at the willow trees surrounding us.
“Who is he, Gemma?”
“His name is Arlo.”
“Why are you hiding him from everyone?”
“Because he can’t handle all of this.”
“Then he can’t handle all of you.”
I shook my head. “This is why I’m hiding him. None of you would understand.”
“If you would let some of us in, maybe we could help you. Mistress Morgaine or Mistress Brianne could eval–”
“I don’t want anyones help!” The words flew from my mouth, screaming into the night. “I don’t want any of you anywhere near him! I don’t want him assessed or picked apart or trained! I just want him!”
“But why do you have to give up yourself to have him?”
I spun around, taking a few steps towards the Château before spinning back. “You dragged me out here, running around barefoot like it would change anything, but it doesn’t. You’re still Madame Lexi, and you’ll never understand that sometimes even a domme has to make sacrifices for her soulmate.”
“And you’re still Mistress Gemini. You can walk away from all this, pretend that part of you is gone, but it will never leave. Trust me, I’ve tried.” She stepped forward, her eyes narrowing. “You are a domme. Your soulmate will see the darkest parts of your soul, and he won’t be afraid. He will never ask you to sacrifice those pieces of yourself for him even if they terrify him. He will take your hand and run with you through the shadows.”
I shook my head, the anger burning through my chest as I stormed back to the Château. It was time to choose either this life or Arlo, and every piece of my soul was screaming his name. I slipped on my shoes and shoved open the backdoor, weaving down the hallway until I reached the foyer.
“You’re leaving?” Miranda asked, approaching as I waited for one of the slaves to bring me my purse.
“I’ve had enough.” I avoided her stare as I dug through my purse. I pulled out my phone, unsurprised to see no missed calls or messages. Arlo wouldn’t be home until early morning, and he wouldn’t keep in touch when he was underground. I stepped outside, typing out a text apologizing for our fight. It was time to embrace the vanilla, with maybe just a little bit of darkness for taste.
“What’s wrong?” Miranda asked, stopping beside me as I hit send.
I shoved the phone back into my purse, crossing my arms impatiently as I waited for the limo. “Madame Lexi thinks she can control every–” The ding from my phone paused my lips, his immediate response surprising me. I pulled my phone out of my purse, smiling at the thought he may have been waiting to hear from me, my smile fading when the words “Message Send Failure” stared back at me.
“Gemma…”
My pulse pounded at my temples when I tapped on the red exclamation point, then tapped to try again. My phone dinged instantly, “Message Send Failure” popping up at the top of my screen.
“Are you ok–”
I paced around the steps, raising my phone into the air, trying to resend the message. “Since when is there no service right here?”
“Since never.”
I hurried towards the limo, Miranda close on my heels. I paused outside the limo door, sending the message again while I waited for the driver to pull it open. My phone went off instantly, my fingers becoming more frantic as I stared at the red exclamation point. I hit send again, chewing into my lip when the immediate ding cut through me.
Miranda climbed into the limo behind me, taking the seat across from me. “Maybe he’s out of area.”
I scrolled through our texts. All the old, all the new, pausing at the seven that didn’t go through. My hands shook when I searched for his number, my body trembling when I raised the phone to my ear.
“We’re sorry, you have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service. If you feel this is in error, please check the number dialed and try your call again.”
“Gemma–”
“I need your phone.”
“I think you–”
“Give me your fucking phone, Miranda!”
She reached into her purse, unlocking her phone before handing it to me. I triple checked his number before I hit call, the tears burning in my eyes as I held my breath.
“We’re sorry, you have reached a number that has been disconnected or is no longer in service. If you feel this is in error, please check the number dialed and try your call again.”
**********
7 YEARS PRIOR
***
ARLO
***
It was so fucking hot. Even at 10:30pm, the thermostat in my car still read 92 degrees. Red and blue lights flashed behind me before flying by me, disappearing as quickly as they came. I hoped they weren’t headed towards my apartment complex. The last time they raided the apartment above me they were there all night, stomping and thudding and shouting. The red and blue flashes came back into view, my hand rubbing over my face when I noticed they were parked in my space. I pulled into a guest spot, rolling my eyes when the shouting began several apartments over from mine.
I watched through my rearview mirror, the sigh rolling from my lips. Maybe if I picked up more overtime I could afford to move across town, or maybe I could move to another state, another country… anywhere seemed better than where I was. I grabbed my phone, eyeing the dirt caked into the cracks of dry skin on my fingers, shaking my head as I accepted I wouldn’t be able to shower off the dust and sweat anytime soon.
I put my headphones on, the radio in my car stolen for the fifth and final time several weeks ago. I couldn’t imagine it was worth much, but maybe those from the streets knew more than I did about easier ways to make money. I scrolled through my phone, hitting play on a podcast Spotify thought I might like to drown out the shouting outside my windows.
“Welcome to the third installation of my new podcast,” the host’s voice boomed from my headphones. “Our first show was a hit. Bigger than I ever imagined. We are on our third show and we already have over a million people from all around the world tuning in–”
I jumped when a loud bang broke through the podcaster’s voice. I turned around, rubbing my hands over my face when the SWAT team stormed over the door they’d just broken down.
“For those who are new to the show, let’s catch up. I’ve spent the better half of my life as a forensic psychologist. Then I moved on to where I was needed most- private investigating. Families who’s loved ones disappeared would hire me to track them down. It was through this that I found I had dug too far. Discovered too much and yet not enough–”
I put my car in gear, rolling out of the parking lot. The noise was getting louder and I needed to sleep. I turned down a backroad, contemplating my options. Either the Walmart or Target parking lot would work, but Target was known for calling the police on transients sleeping in their cars.
“Anyone who’s been paying attention to the news for the past few years has heard of the underground militia. Internet sleuths have known about it for much longer, and so have I. There are plenty of podcasts dedicated to the underground militia– what it is and what it does, at least what we think it is and what we think it does– but that isn’t what this podcast is about. This podcast is centered around a new piece to the underground puzzle.”
I stared into the glow of my headlights as they bounced off the pavement, the only light besides the moon.
“About a year ago an underground militia headquarters was found– the first to have been located no matter how many have been searching. It was only found because it had been attacked, attacked and destroyed by some other militia. They left no hints, no names, no survivors–”
My eyes started to blur, playing tricks as the need to sleep took its hold. I turned up the podcast, hoping it would keep me awake long enough to reach somewhere safe to park and sleep.
“Since that day, the underground militia has been knocked off its pedestal as the apex predator in our society. There is another militia hunting them down, destroying them at their own game.”
I shook my head, trying to force the sleep out of my brain and my eyes to stay open. They were starting to play tricks on me, making shadows in the road ahead.
“Now rumors have started to swirl about a girl, woman, I don’t know, leading this militia. Who is she? Where did she come from? Who are the people following her? Why are they following her? Risking their lives for what reward?”
I squinted into the distance, the shadow too real to be an illusion, the camouflage print of army fatigues out of place on the dark road.
“I’ve been long retired from investigating, but this mystery called to me. That is what this podcast is about. Internet sleuths have dubbed her the Siren, and I’ll be following suit, so welcome everyone to the Hunting the Siren Podcast. I’m your host, Donny Rex–”
I pulled the headphones from my ears, dropping them on the passenger seat when my headlights rolled over her. Dark hair fell in twists and tangles down her back, her staggering steps moving to the side the closer I came. The army fatigues she wore were too big, the sleeves hanging past her hands, the pants rolled into bunches above her bare feet. I slowed, stopping next to her. “Do you need help, ma’am?”
She turned towards me, her face pale and eyes wide. “Where are they?”
“Who?” My body tensed as I glanced at her jacket, the name cut away from the fabric. “This isn’t a safe area–”
“They’re coming!” She froze, shivering as she wrapped her arms around herself.
I paused, reaching for my phone, assuming the paranoia was only in her head and I couldn’t leave her there. “Is there someone you can call? You can use my phone–”
“Shhhh…” she whispered, stepping back from my car. “They’re here.”
I froze when I heard the sound of tires rolling over pavement. I searched for headlights other than my own, surprised when my lights bounced off metal. Vehicle doors opened and closed, men in army fatigues surrounding us, none with names on their jackets.
She took off, trying to outrun them, my mind too focused on them tackling her to the ground to notice the ones standing beside my car. They pulled open my door, their hands digging into my skin as they dragged me out. I swung, fighting back even though there were far too many. They laughed at my efforts, slamming me to the ground, my head bouncing off the pavement before the world went black around me.
***
Cold concrete pressed into my cheek, little pieces of sand sticking to my skin when I tried to sit up. My head throbbed, dried blood caked against my forehead, what I assumed were stitches sore when I touched my fingers over them. I rolled onto my back, unsure if the pounding I heard was my head, my heart or something outside of myself. The room seemed to tilt around me when I forced myself to sit up, the pounding breaking through the haze.
I scanned the room, searching for a way out. One door, no windows, large wooden boxes lining the walls. The pounding started again, one of the boxes shifting with the sound. I crawled closer, staring at the pale wood, trying to see through the cracks, the box jumping with each bang. I knelt down, my ear inches from wood when the sound stopped.
“Hello?” I whispered, terrified to speak the word.
Ragged breath filled my ears, a desperate exhale from inside the box.
“Hello?” I asked again, praying it was an animal unable to respond.
“Please, get me out,” a woman’s voice answered back, dry and desperate.
I stared at the box, trying to process all that didn’t make sense. I forced myself to my feet, spinning around in a circle, searching for anything I could use. My hands grasped at the box when the floor spun back, my head wound reminding me of its presence.
“Please…” the voice begged again, the pounding resuming as she tried to free herself.
I nodded as if she could see me, praying for strength though I doubted I had enough. I swung my leg back, kicking the side of the box, the wood bending but not breaking. I kicked out again, the wood cracking and giving, but not enough. The room was shifting around me, the dark unconscious calling me back to it, but I couldn’t submit. I inhaled, filling my lungs with all I could, then unleashed everything I had to give. My fists pounded into the wood, my knees and feet smashing into it, my hands prying at the breaking pieces, bleeding as they ripped away splintered slivers.
Blue eyes watched from between the cracks, her own hands and feet tearing at the wood from the inside. She kicked into the roof, the nails shoving up from the sides, the wood separating as it weakened. I hooked my fingers under the space, inhaling another breath before pulling with all my strength. Red trickled into my eyes, the blood seeping from my stitches, the lid creaking as it broke away from the sides. My vision started to fade, the black returning, my body crying for reprieve. I wiped my hands over my face, refusing to fail, my fingers staining the wood with blood when they gripped the lid again. Her feet pounded against it as I pulled, the boards splintering before breaking away. I fell forward then sank to my knees, the world fading around me.
“Please…” she begged, grasping my face in her hands. “We need to get out of here. Please, stay with me.”
Words mumbled from my mouth as I tried to focus on breathing.
“They’re coming…” The warning was familiar, my mind finally registering her face. “They’re coming!” She froze beside me, her eyes wide as they stared at me, her pale skin smeared with my blood. Footsteps moved outside the walls, some heading closer and some moving farther away.
I grabbed the bottom of my shirt, wiping it over my face. “I’m going to get us out of here.” I didn’t want it to be a lie, but I doubted the gods were on our side. I wrapped my hand around one of the broken pieces of wood, eyeing the jagged edge. It was all I had, and if I was going to die, I wasn’t going alone.
I grabbed the broken edge of the box, the slivers of wood pressing into my palm as I pulled myself to my feet. I staggered towards the door, pressing my body against the wall. The footsteps came closer, pausing outside, my breath catching in my throat. The door swung open, no time for reassessment as I shoved the jagged point into the side of his neck. Blood spurted towards me as he collapsed to the floor, his hand grasping at the wound as if it could stop the blood from pouring.
Footsteps thundered towards us, shouts filling the hallway. I reached down, grabbing his gun out of the pool of blood, hoping there was no trick other than pulling the trigger. I fired at the next body that came barreling towards me, thankful for close proximity to counter my poor aim. The recoil surprised me, my hands wrapping tighter around the handle before I fired again. He fell to the ground, grasping his shoulder as he flailed around in his comrade’s blood. I fired a final time, the shot hitting him in the head, instantly stopping his movement.
My palm pressed into the wall for balance as I waited for another person to run through the door, shocked when all I heard were the static voices coming from the deads’ radios. I turned towards the woman, gesturing for her to follow me. She reached down, grasping the jagged piece of wood. The hallway was empty, our breath silent as we crept down it. There were no hints of which way to go, only locked rooms and windowless walls. We froze when footsteps headed towards us, our own moving quickly in the opposite direction.
“There!” The shout came from in front of us, two uniformed men running towards us. I raised the gun, pulling the trigger, shooting blindly towards them, my luck with the wood far better. We turned, running back the other direction, my staggering steps not fast enough. Hands wrapped around me, dragging me to the ground, their knees digging into my back. Blood trickled into my eyes from my forehead, distorting my vision as I watched her keep running.
“Shoot her!” one of the men holding me down yelled.
“They don’t need her?” the other man yelled back.
“I’m not chasing her again!” Shots tore down the hallway, her body arching back before falling to the ground. Pain shot through my chest, burning through my lugs as I screamed, trying to fight back. A fist flew into the back of my head, sending my face slamming into the floor. “Don’t let him get away. He’s worth a lot.”
“Only if we keep him in one piece.”
“He’s alive and still has some fight left. They’ll fix him up good as new.”
“What if someone important looks for him?”
“Did you see the fucking pile of junk he was driving? And his phone had no emergency contacts. No numbers for a mom or dad. Nobody’s gonna look for him–” The lights flickered before cutting out.
“Shit–” The static from their radios cut through their words, the frantic voice on the other side screaming a distorted warning.
They released me and ran, leaving me in darkness. I tried to sit up, unsure what to do or where to go, screams and radios, gunshots and thuds echoing through the hallways. I held my breath, movement in the darkness raising the hair on my skin. I spun around, trying to pinpoint it, the shout pausing on my lips when a hand wrapped over my mouth.
“Shhhh…” a deep voice whispered into my ear. “I can get you out, but our lives depend on your silence.” His hand fell from my mouth, the breath gasping from my lips. I turned towards him, the faint glow of green illuminating his glasses and a faceless mask, the black uniform he wore making the rest of him disappear into the darkness.
I crept forward, my hand landing on the piece of wood. I picked it up, pretending I could save the world with it. I followed him through the shadows, our movement silent. The sound of a radio echoed through the air ahead of us. He pulled the trigger to his gun, the shot silent as he fired into the darkness at someone I couldn’t see. A grunt and thud rolled through the air. He continued on, stepping over the body as he made his way down the hall. I followed suit, glancing down at one of my captors, his radio still filling the silence.
I stayed close, the piece of wood tight in my hand, praying he knew where he was going. Even if he didn’t, there weren’t any other options. A door behind us opened, two shadows darting out. He stepped in front of me, firing his gun, the shadows hitting the ground as another door behind us opened. I swung out, the wood connecting with someone I couldn’t see. They staggered backwards, my breath held as I swung again, refusing to give them time to recover. Red light from their radio reflected off the camo pants, the sight all I needed. I lunged forward, tackling the man to the ground. My hand grasped at his hair, slamming his head into the concrete floor. The thud rang through my ears, more glorious the second time, by the third I was being pulled off him.
“We need to keep moving,” the masked man whispered.
I jerked out of his grasp, spinning back towards the man groaning on the floor. I swung my foot back, kicking him in the head as hard as I could, jumping away when the masked man tried to grab me again.
He pointed his gun to the floor, my opponent’s body jerking a final time when he pulled the trigger. He reached forward, wrapping his hand around my shirt and pulling me towards him. “They aren’t all so easily killed,” he whispered, tightening his grip, “and you aren’t ready for the fight.” He released me, stepping back, fading into the black. I followed after him, stepping over the body on the floor.
We weaved down the hallways, stepping over scattered bodies dressed in camo, none still moving. It seemed like an eternity of silence before he shoved open a door, the stairwell steep. He stayed behind me, his hands balancing my staggering steps, wrapping around me before I crashed to the concrete. “We’re almost there,” he whispered, urging me up from my knees. “I got you, just keep going.”
Blood dripped from my stitches, sticking in my eyelashes, the world spinning around me. My legs kept moving, automatic as they dragged me forward, cold air suddenly assaulting my face. I squinted against it, reaching up for the hands that reached down for me. Another voice whispered, his hands pulling me out of the ground, his words disappearing into the spinning world. My palms pressed into dewy grass, the scent of night air flooding into me.
“Come on, almost there…” they whispered, pulling me to my feet, balancing me between them.
I tried to stay with them, tried to carry my own weight, but my body had nothing left it could give. Blood and sweat and black flooded my vision, the last sound I heard the beating of my own heart.
***
The ground moved beneath me, bright light blinding me but the sky was dark above me. I blinked, searching for the moon, but there were no stars and no sky, only the roof of a vehicle. I wiped my hand over my face, my palm covered in dried blood when I pulled it away.
“You’ll need to get that re-stitched. They didn’t do a very good job.”
I searched for the voice, the now maskless face staring down at me.
“I’m JJ.”
I stared at him, trying to comprehend the words.
“Do you remember your name?”
“Arlo.”
“Oh good. Maybe your head isn’t as bad as it looks.”
“They shot her–”
“They tell you to focus on the ones you save,” he cut me off, “but that isn’t how the human heart works. You could save a hundred, but the only one you’ll ever think about is the one you couldn’t.”
I felt the tears burning in my eyes, my head throbbing. “They said I was worth more.”
“Women are typically easier to kidnap, and they need men–”
“I’d never fight for them.”
“They’re not stupid, and they have no problems recruiting willing traitors. They need bodies for their experiments. Live ones. Healthy ones.”
My head throbbed as I forced myself into a seated position, trying to process his words through the pounding.
He picked up his phone, glancing at the screen. “Siren wants to know if there’s somewhere we can take you. Family’s house? Friend’s?” He paused, a smile pulling at his lips. “Or she wants to know if you’d rather come with us.”
**********