Page 18

(17-years-old)

“Pst. . .”

I hear someone whisper.

I'm walking through a hall in the compound on the way to see Marcus. He summons and I run like a pup.

I Ignore that because I can't be late to meet him, keeping a steady stride until the whisper comes again.

“Har. . .”

I sigh.

“Over here.”

I turn towards the voice and walk into a small room. There’s no light on, instantly surrounding me in darkness.

“It's me.”

Hands come down on my hips, but I recognize Rex’s voice before I can panic and rip them apart for touching me.

“Rex? W-what are you doing?”

“I’m gonna get you out of here, Har.”

“Okay, you’re insane. I'm collared and I'm not going anywhere without my family.”

He squeezes me where his hands still rest on my hips. “I’ve got something for that, for all of you. What's happening to you is wrong Harlyn and I want to help. I really thought he would go for the sale. I'm sorry he didn’t. I also apologize because I could see how angry he was after the proposal, and I hope you were not punished for it.”

Hearing someone talk about me being punished is fucking embarrassing. People piss themselves when they hear Marcus is sending me for a visit, yet they all know I'm just a puppet on his strings.

“I need to talk to Blithe first. I can't make any decisions without him. You understand, yeah?”

“Of course. Take your time. The process will be lengthy, so we have time to work out the logistics. He should absolutely be involved.”

“Why are you doing this?”

One of his hands come up to cup my face and I can feel his breath skating across my skin. “You deserve more.”

∞∞∞

Harlyn

(3 Months Until 18)

I'm heating up leftovers when my collar starts vibrating. I close my eyes briefly, before shutting the microwave off. I've only just showered after a full day of work and he's already calling me.

I let Anya know where I'm heading since she's the only one here at the moment, then hit the hallway. The collar vibrates the entire way to his office which is unusual. When I get there, he’s not here. Also, unusual. I try not to let my nerves get the better of me, but I'm a bit set on edge now.

I'm walking door to door throughout the compound to see where Marcus is, all the while the collar still vibrates. It's causing my neck to go numb, and my hands aren’t fairing much better.

There’s no one in the hallways. Where is everyone?

I'm scared.

He's the only person in the world who holds that power over me. I've only just finished taking some of my power back on the job I was sent to today. I can already feel that I am about to lose it again. I always lose it.

There's no one in the fucking hallways.

What is going on. . .

I reach the hall containing many conference rooms and head to the biggest one here.

Because there's no one in the fucking hallways!

The second I enter I realize I was right because I'm met with the eyes of dozens of people. It isn’t just the collard like me. Gold level acolytes are here, along with a couple of Marcus’s business partners.

My collar still vibrates.

Why the fuck is everyone staring at me?

“Harlyn, you made it!”

I turn towards Marcus’s cheerful voice and freeze. Everything freezes because it finally happens. My bones lock. I can't breathe. I don’t think anyone breathes.

He didn’t even give me time to twitch so much as finger before he slit my baby sisters throat right in front of me.

I can't fucking breathe!

Tears flow freely down my cheeks for the first time in years.

Drip, drip, drip.

Her blood, the only sound to be heard in the room, until I scream.

It's a deep, throaty, and loud roar. I try to go to her, but I still can't move. My bones are superglued. Tied down with rope. Welded in place with the strongest metal known to man because I cannot fucking move.

And I fucking scream.

I'm vaguely aware that everyone in the room has frozen. As if time has stopped, the ticking clock, the earth, the sun, the people.

And I fucking scream.

My baby sister.

My C-Cami.

She will never know what it's like to truly be free. She’ll never know what it's like to get a job and meet mundane people while doing mundane things. She’ll never meet a man who knows ASL and worships the ground she walks on while I pretend to want to kill him. We will never open the school for low-income deaf children like we discussed a hundred times. She’ll never. . .

She will not ever.

And I. Fucking. Scream.

I'm shattered. No matter how many pieces I sweep up, I will never be whole again. My entire fucking existence revolved around Cami. Wake up, teach Cami, feed Cami, clean Cami, keep her out of moms clutches.

Oh my god, why can't I move or stop screaming?

An ache so massive, it would rival the Everest, settles deep into the pits of my soul and claws. Just obliterates me and I'm powerless to control it. My head pounds and my stomach knots.

I finally stop screaming long enough for puke to shoot up my throat. It lands on my chin and falls down my neck and T-shirt.

Oh fuck, Cami...

“Let this be a lesson to all! This is what happens when you go behind my fucking back to betray me!”

Marcus yells, over my screams.

My gaze flicks up from my sisters small blood-soaked frame. It lands on the monster who did this. Not a hint of regret in his gaze as he looks back at me. Then all I see is red.

I can move.

My knifes are out and flying with reckless abandon as his precious gold acolytes charge me. My body moves on muscle memory alone because I don’t know what’s happening, my eyes are only for him. He's the prey and I'm the fucking lion.

I don’t know how many men I’ve killed. Blood sprays everywhere, it's coating me and mixing with the spilled tears on my face.

And. I. Fucking. Scream.

An arm snakes out to grab me and I taste copper. It takes a moment for the fog in my mind to clear, and I recognize it's because I'm chewing their flesh off. His screams rival mine when I rip a chunk of muscle from his arm with my teeth.

I'm not sure what happens to him after I'm swarmed with more gold acolytes.

I'm all kicks, punches, screams, knifes and bare teeth. My neck fucking burns like nobody’s business, and I grasp that my collars been activated. I don’t know for how long, and I don’t care.

My screams have turned into hysterical laughter as I rip motherfuckers apart in any way that I can, training be damned.

I feel the first gunshot graze my leg, the second my stomach.

I laugh harder in their faces before my teeth sink into someone’s neck. I flip backwards bringing them with me to the ground. Taking masses of meat out on the way down and effectively using their body as a shield.

“Harlyn!”

Blithe... Oh God, he's here.

“Take him alive!” Marcus.

This is the longest my collar has ever been activated, and I fear I won't have any skin left on my neck after this.

The man above me stops flailing. I toss his off of me to jump to my feet quickly. Only when I stand, something sharp pierces the back of my neck, following my arm.

I groan.

My legs start to sway, and I struggle to continue standing. My vision tunnels.

I glance the room now and notice that only the gold acolytes came for me. Everyone else stands slack jawed. Most have tears trailing their cheeks or hands covering their mouths.

Do they pity me, or do they fear me? I'm not sure which is worst.

My eyes shut and my legs give.