“You,” I say angrily to Dunk.
“You,” he hisses back at me as he walks closer. His cut still sits proudly on his chest, dirty jeans cover his legs.
“Does he know you’ve done this?” I ask referring to Zeke. He knows who I’m talking about, I see it on his face.
“He does now,” he replies smiling. His smug face pisses me off.
“And you betray your friends like that?” I ask him, to which he becomes angrier and I wonder if it’s a smart thing to poke the angry bear.
“Mika is my brother,” he says squatting down, just like Mika did earlier. He looks at me and I can see the hatred in his eyes, for me. I’m not one hundred percent sure. “Didn’t see that one coming, did you? Did you get my package, Bexley?” His smile is forced, it’s goading me. He sent that to me, the vest with the blood.
“So you used him?” I ask wondering how I really fit into all of this.
“He was a means to an end, he had what we wanted, control. He has control over almost everything. Mika has control over certain aspects, but he wants it all, and I don’t want Zeke to have it anymore. He’s gone soft and it’s because of you,” he spits the last word at me.
“If you think he has gone soft, you’re strongly mistaken. He has a purpose now. That’s all it will be, and I’d hate to be you when he finds you.” He stands, angry at my outburst and slaps me hard across the face. Blood coats my mouth and my eyes start to water from the contact.
“Don’t piss me off, bitch. I’ll do worse, and make him never want you,” he spits down at me. I cringe again.
“He’s going to kill you, and you know him better than me. So you should know that,” I say turning my head to show him he doesn’t affect me.
“He can try, but this place has men all around it. They have orders if he comes to shoot on sight.” My heart squeezes at that thought. The thought of him getting hurt or possibly killed. It shouldn’t, I’m trying not to love him, to not care. Though, I just can’t seem to do so.
“You betrayed him, but you still care for him? Or still even love him?” he asks.
“You don’t know anything,” I say turning my head trying not to look at him. Instead, I look to the plain white walls in this bare room.
“But it’s written all over your face. I can see it clearly, this is going to be good,” he says stepping toward the door. I get a rush of adrenaline and charge him when his back is turned. My front hits his back, sending him face first into the door. I bring my knee up and try to knee him anywhere I can. He pushes me back trying to remove me, but I don’t stop. When he manages to turn around his face is red and full of anger. I stomp my foot down hard on the top of his foot, and when he drops his head from the pain, I karate chop him in the neck. He whines and manages to push me hard backward, my back and head slam down heavy onto the floor. It gives him an advantage over me, especially since I don’t have full use of my hands in this position to push myself up.
“You little slut, I’m going to break you now,” he says limping as he takes a step toward me. I prepare my body for the impact. But it’s worse than what I was expecting, I feel a rib crack when his boot slams into my side. My mouth rips open with the pain. Screams tear from my throat. He doesn’t stop as he lifts my head by my hair, bringing it to his face as he leans forward.
“You need to be taught a lesson. You’re lower, you always have been,” he says then punches me hard in my jaw. I feel the impact, my jaw screams in pain, and my mind is trying to switch off, switch away from the agony. He pulls my hair hard, ripping it from my scalp. I wait for the next punch, the punch that will more than likely knock me out when his hands disappear from my head and I’m slammed backward.
I manage to open my eyes, just to see where he is when I notice that he’s gone. And in his place is Mika, he looks down at me and shakes his head, then he bends down to lift me up. I cry from the movement, my ribs ache with pain. He hushes me, and places me on the mattress, then walks out.
Not long after a soft hand touches my face, a cold cloth is being used. I see Mika’s face, he stops and drops the cloth, ripping open my shirt, tearing it from my body. I’m left in just a sports bra, and I can’t even move to cover myself if I wanted to. I’m afraid it will hurt. He lifts me slightly, and I bite my lip until I taste the metallic taste of blood. He’s wrapping something around me, and when I look down I notice he’s bandaging up my ribs. When he stops, he places a blanket over me and stands so I can see him clearly.
“I warned you, I’ll try to keep him away. You shouldn’t have hit him,” he says looking sad. I don’t talk to him; I try not to even look at him. He must hear my thoughts because he leaves without a word, and shuts and locks the door on his way out. Not that it would matter, there’s nothing I could do, I can’t even move.
It is sad not to love, but it is much sadder not to be able to love.
~Miguel de Unamuno~
I wake to noises, loud noises. Gun shots, yelling. I got next to no sleep the night before, waking in pain. I haven’t eaten for a full day, haven’t been able to use a proper bathroom. My body aches; my mind aches from over thinking. I want to go home, I want to leave all this behind and I particularly want never to see any one of these people’s faces again. And Zeke, well I can’t even think of him. I think that relationship is over, even though it was never a real relationship, more a one-sided connection for the both times we tried.
The voices get louder, closer. I recognize one of the voices. It’s Aria, and she sounds pissed off. The door to my room is kicked open, and I can’t even lift my head to see who it is. I can’t move my body without crying out in pain, so I stay perfectly still. Not knowing who it will be.
“Pixie?” I wave of relief shoots through me. He came. “How badly are you hurt?” he asks standing in front of me. His face is torn as if he can feel my pain. He’s wearing a black shirt that hugs his body and jeans that sit on hips. He leans down and lifts me up, not getting an answer since I can’t answer. When his arms circle around me I cry out. His face scrunches and he carries me like a baby toward the door, Aria in front of him talking fast and harshly to Mika. Dunk is shot, and lying on the ground, not moving.
“You hurt her?” Aria says harshly to Mika, he looks taken aback by her words. Kind of mesmerized. He looks back to me and his face winces.
“No,” he says shaking his head. He looks down at his brother, who’s dead or knocked out.
“All this for me? You know I should kill you, torture you the way I do the rest,” Aria says smiling, he smiles as well. He’s not scared of her one little bit.
“Aria,” Zeke says and starts walking with me. Mika goes to reach a hand out to touch me, and Zeke growls loudly. He walks faster and when I meet the sun, my eyes shut. He places me on the back seat of a car trying his hardest to be as gentle as possible with me. Closing the door, he climbs in the driver’s seat. Aria opens her door and slides in the passenger seat, turning her head she looks back to me.
“You look like you’re having a shit day,” she says. I want to laugh, but all I can manage is a weak smile.
“Don’t make her laugh, Aria, her fucking ribs are broken,” Zeke says angrily from the driver’s side.
“Should’ve broken his,” she says one side of her lip quirks up in a smile.
“How did you get in? People with guns?” I say, just not able to get the full sentence out properly.
“We tracked him, and you forget I’m good with a bow, Sweetie. I can shoot from a very long distance,” she says holding her hands up showcasing how she shot them.
“Hospital,” I say. Aria shakes her head and the car comes to a full stop. Doors are opened, then his voice is there.