Sanctum (The After Light Saga) (2 page)

Even with all of that going on, my biggest concern was
Finn. He was healing quickly, and I hoped he wouldn’t find out about me being put into a cell. A glimpse of him busting down the cell walls, coming to my rescue, put a temporary smile on my face. He was my knight in shining armor…but also in recovery, and I needed him to stay there.

After
washing up, changing into the official white garb, and pulling my hair back into a ponytail, I sat on the bed to wait for the enemy to come and cart me off. Minutes felt like an eternity. My nervous hands twisted around each other and my restless knees bounced up and down. It sucked being alone. And this was only the beginning.

A few
minutes later, I heard footsteps heading down the hall. With each step, my heart beat faster and louder.

Someone was coming.

As the guard walked past my window, horror surged through my body, sending a shockwave from head to toe. It was the same soldier who threatened me the last night I was with Finn. A dark, purple bruise still marred his nose and left eye from our last encounter.

Why the hell would they allow him
to transport me?

A wicked
grin adorned his thin lips. His dark, evil eyes narrowed, focusing on me, making my skin crawl.

This was
so wrong, completely wrong. There had to be a mistake. Could the General really be this cruel? He had to know this guy would be out for revenge. As I looked at him, panic rose, and the air in the room felt like it had been sucked out, choking me.

Not now, Abi. Keep it together.

“I hope you’re ready,” his words dripped with malice.

Yeah, ready
for another chance to hurt this bastard, even if it meant getting extra time.

He took a step toward me.
“I’ve come to take you to hell.”

“Don’t you mean cell?”
I corrected.

“Oh, e
ventually. But first, I have
other
plans for you.”

I was just about to scream
, when he held up a gun. It was cocked and ready.

“Make a sound, or try to
get away, and I’ll shoot that pretty little face of yours.”

A cold
chill shot down my spine. How the hell did this freaking ass-hat have any position of authority? Power was supposed to be earned, not handed to the first idiotic dimwit willing to abuse it. But then again, thinking about the leadership of the facility, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

“Get up,”
he said coldly. His strong fingers wrapped tightly around my arm, squeezing with force. The pain was real, but I didn’t show any emotion, burying it deep within me. I would not give him
any
satisfaction. Right now, I’d rather face a group of Arvies than go with him.

I had no weapon and was still weak from my injury and
the medication. Where was Dr. Banks? Where were my parents? Please God, someone find me.

My legs started to f
eel tingly, my breath quickened, and I felt weak and helpless. What the hell was happening to me? I was falling apart at the seams.

He yanked
my arm roughly and turned me around, quickly locking my arms behind me with a zip tie. It was so tight, I immediately felt the blood pooling in my hands.

I wanted
to cry out, but I dared not say a word. My parents needed me. Finn needed me.

I felt his
breath on the back of my neck. “You’re all mine now,” he hissed. “And believe me…payback will purely be
my
pleasure.”

I allowed my hatred to fester inside. Right now, it was the only
thing keeping me in the moment. I knew if I fed the flame, it would make matters worse. For now, I had to keep my wits, and remember everything Uncle Frank had taught me. I prayed there would be a chance, even a small one, to fight back.

He thrust
me down the hall.

The hall
way was empty. There were no signs of doctors or patients. I tried to stall, to walk slowly, but he only tightened his grip, pushing me forward, the gun pressed tightly to my back.

I glanced up at a clock on the
wall. He was ten minutes early. That’s why he was pushing to get me out of the infirmary as quickly as possible. I purposely tripped and fell down.

“Ge
t up, bitch!” He yanked me back up with such force it felt like my arm disconnected from my shoulder. We stood there, face to face. Sweat dripped from his brow. The veins in his eyes were bright red with fury. “If you hesitate again, I’ll kill you. Do you understand?” Spittle sprayed my face.

I
nodded.

This dude had completely
lost his mind. He’d snapped, and now he was taking it out on me. I must have been the first person who ever stood up to him, and most likely embarrassed him in front of the other guards. They’d probably harassed him about the damage to his face, put there by a girl.

M
y hands were now completely numb, and there was no way of getting relief.

A
s we left the infirmary, all hope of being rescued, died. He led me down a series of empty hallways, ushering me further and further away from those who could rescue me. For the first time in my life, I felt completely helpless. I was weak, powerless, and unable to defend myself. Fear wrapped itself tightly around me, strangling me from the inside out.

This can’t continue.
Don’t let him defile you.

He swiped a
card along a box, which opened another door.

“Get in,” he demanded
, pushing me so hard I flew to the floor. I couldn’t catch my fall, and my head hit the ground. Before I could get my bearings, the door shut behind him. We were in the dark. He was suddenly on me. This was my hell.

He
grabbed my hair and dragged me deeper into the darkness. Tears pooled in my eyes, but I held it all in.

Freaking bastard!

I
immediately envisioned Hellfire in my hands, pointed directly at the middle of his face.

A dim light was turned on. I
was thrown onto my back and in a flash, he was on top of me, straddling my stomach. A sharp blade, unsheathed from his back pocket, was pressed into my neck. I felt the sting and froze.

“Scream…and I w
ill gladly swipe this blade across your throat. It would be so easy.”

Fear gripped every single part of me. There was nothing I could do
. My hands were fastened behind my back, completely numb, and his weight kept me from moving. There was no way for me to fight.

“Why are you do
ing this?” I asked. My voice, shaking.

“Bitch,
you shamed me in front of friends and authorities. I have been ridiculed, because of you. Look at my face!” His eyes were dark and evil, and I saw something familiar in them. Something I’d seen in the Arvies. Revenge and hatred. Right now, he wasn’t any different than them.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered
, trying to diffuse the situation. But inside, I was letting my own hatred and disgust burn. I wished with all my heart that whatever I was feeling inside would jump out and strangle him, or at least get him the hell off of me.

“Sorry?” He growled, gritting his teeth
together. “Here’s to your sorry.” He balled his hand up into a fist and cocked it back. I knew, right then, I was in deep trouble. I tightly squeezed my eyes shut, not only to block out the evil in his eyes, but also the impending doom.

I’d been hit before
in training, but never on purpose, or with so much hate and vengeance behind it.

The
power of his strong fist came crashing against the left side of my face, immediately turning my world black.

I was
violently shaken, and thrust back into consciousness. He was forcing me to be awake for this nightmare. Everything around me had become a blur; my head and face were throbbing, and there was not one thing I could do.

My own demons
assisted him, shredding whatever layers of strength I had left inside. I tried to hold back my tears, refusing to give him the pleasure of watching me cry, but I couldn’t keep them from falling.

The
pressure of him on my stomach was almost unbearable, my hands felt like they were about to be cut off from my body as the ties tore through my skin from the pressure.

H
e started unbuttoning my shirt, the action confirming this evil bastard was about to destroy my life.

I hated this new world.
Every part of it was cruel and diseased, or at least the parts I’d experienced.

I thought we
were all supposed to be survivors—allies. But I was quickly learning that some of these survivors were worse than the Arvies. At least the Arvies had a good reason to be so wicked and hate-filled.

“Help,” I croaked
, not realizing I’d spoken it out loud. That single word was a silent prayer, and had simply escaped my lips in hopes of reaching someone. Anyone.

He
roared with laughter, bone chilling and vicious. “No one can help you now, bitch.” He leaned down and forced his cold lips on mine. Sweat that had been threatening to drop from his nose, was now leaking to my lips. I gagged as I tasted the saltiness.

Flinching, I finally
turned my face away from him. Blood from an open wound, on my battered cheek, dropped into my eye, blurring my vision even further. I shut them, trying to ease the burning sensation.

“
What? You’re not enjoying this?” he spat. “Look at me, bitch!” He squeezed my face.

I open
ed my eyes, and blinked rapidly, trying to clear the blood and tears. Behind him, I swear I saw a light and the silhouette of an angel standing in the doorway. But it couldn’t be. There were no angels in hell, only demons.

I closed my eyes, wish
ing the angel had come to carry me somewhere far, far away from here.

My tho
ughts immediately went to Finn.

I’m so sorry.
I love you.

“
Titus! What the hell are you doing?” A deep voice yelled.

Did I actually hear that, or w
as I lost in my dream?

Then there
was definite yelling and cursing, and suddenly, the heavy weight on my chest was released.

“Get that
lowlife out of here,” the same voice yelled.

I heard a scuffle
off to the side of me. I struggled to open my eyes, but couldn’t see anything past the hazy liquid. I felt someone kneel down beside me, and cover up my chest.

“
Abi, are you okay?”

“Pike?”

“Yes. Where are you hurting the most?” he asked.

“My hands. I can’t feel them,
” I whimpered. My voice was trembling, almost as much as my body. Tears of relief and deliverance streamed from my face. He’d saved me. He came to my rescue and kept me from danger. He was an angel, my angel.

Pike cursed
under his breath, and then carefully lifted me to my feet. In a few seconds, my hands were free.

“Loo
ks like we made it just in time,” he sighed.

“Thank
you.” I sobbed, carefully rubbing my hands together to help get the blood flow back into them. The zip ties had cut into my skin, leaving each wrist cut and bloodied. They stung and ached. After a few seconds, it felt like thousands of needles pricked my skin as the blood rushed back into them.

“Let’s
get you back to the infirmary,” Pike said, taking hold of my arm.

Everything inside of me
suddenly caved. The walls I had so desperately tried to build up around me had suddenly collapsed and came crashing down. My body started shaking uncontrollably, and everything around me began to spin. My head was on the brink of exploding. The air around me was thick and suffocating. My heart was racing, and I started to feel hot. I needed to get out of this dark room. This cell. My personal hell.

It
was the weakest I’d ever been. Mentally and physically—I was broken.

I gasped for breath
. My knees buckled and I fell to the ground. Pike bent down and gingerly lifted me, cradling me in his arms. I felt like a shell that had been dropped, cracked but not completely broken.

“E
scort that bastard to the cells. Lock him up and I’ll deal with the paperwork later. In case anyone asks, I’m taking her back to the infirmary,” Pike ordered.

The two
others who’d come in with him had Titus in custody. His hands were tied behind his back and each of them had a firm grip on his biceps. His face was hard, his brows were pulled down, slanting inward. His bright red eyes, filled with hatred, narrowed on me and Pike. I turned my head toward Pike’s chest. I didn’t want to look at him again, for as long as I lived. I hoped he would rot in a cell, or get called out to duty and eaten by an Arvy. He deserved it.