The sound of a lock disengaging entered my ears and I looked up to see the man standing there. He was the one who had threatened me that if I didn’t scream, he’d make me bleed.
It wasn’t like I didn’t want to scream, it was more like I didn’t care. And the fact that I had forgotten how to let my mouth make a sound. I used to cry. I used to scream. I used to pray. I used to beg. But I stopped all of it when I learned how useless it was.
In the beginning these monsters would tell me to shut up or gag me so I wouldn’t make a sound when they hurt me. Broke me. Used me. But now these very same monsters didn’t like how quiet I was. Now they try to do everything, they hurt me in every way to make me scream.
I haven’t given them that.
And it seemed to make them more furious.
But I wasn’t afraid of what they would do to me, because they have already done everything that shouldn’t be even done to a human.
The man snapped his fingers, a silent command for me to follow him outside. I stood up from the floor. It was a cell. Like all the other ones I had been before. No windows. No bed. Nothing. It had been years since I saw a bed. Since I slept in a bed. Since I even felt marginally like a human being.
I followed after him. I was as náked as the day I was born. I had been like that since I was thrown into this hell hole.
When I stepped outside the room, I saw another girl. Náked and broken, just like me. We both followed the man down the corridor. I knew what was going to happen. Like always Sean Phillip would parade us around a number of men and then give us to them to do whatever they wish to do for the right amount of money. But I always wondered what is the right amount for ruining a human life. Hundreds. Thousands. Millions.
We turned the corner and came out into the bright hall. But there were no new men to take a look at the helpless girls who didn’t want any of it. Instead my eyes fell on the two girls lying on the floor one of them was coming awake.
I wanted to help them but it wasn't possible. Not with the monsters surrounding us. The head of them said aloud, "It would be a delight to see my sons after such a long time."
His words had me stumbling and a man beside me grabbed my hair and pulled me straight. "Watch it, bîtch."
My heart raced inside my ribcage. My breathing was coming in short spurts. My skin was clammy. And it wasn’t fear. It was the hope that was making all that happen. The girls here belonged to the boys who had once tried to save me. The boys who shared the blood of the monster ruling this hellhole and yet those boys were angels in disguise. The boys who had taken punishment so I could be spared. Mad-Maddox, the youngest of them, I remembered him like it was yesterday. He was the little one who had come night after night to give me something that would bring me comfort. And here was the girl who loved him, who had been kidnapped by these monsters and she was sure that he’d come for him with his brothers.
All those years ago when these monsters were cornered to be put down for an eternity, some of these monsters had escaped and with them they took the ones they deemed most profitable. If I had known that the thin piece of flesh between my legs, a proof of my virginity, would be responsible for them to come after me first I’d have tore through it with my own fingers. When everything was burning and cops were filing inside the building these monsters had drugged and captured the already caged girls that were on the brink of getting rescued and only ended up in another endless cycle of torturé.
Now the thought of those boys, that were filled with compassion and a brotherhood, I hadn’t seen before them or after them, made me fill with hope. Something that wasn’t dark, something that I hadn’t felt before. And now feeling it made it seem like I was having a panic attack.
I looked behind me, making sure that no man was following me. I saw how those two girls, Brenna and Kiara, were with each other. I saw how Brenna tried to protect her friend. And how she even tried to help me. They reminded me of the brothers. They used to be like that too. Now, I just wanted to help them. I wanted to make sure that they didn’t get hurt by these men. For that matter, when it comes to Kiara, I was afraid that it was already too late. Her clothes were torn and her face was bruised. I had been there and far worse. And I didn’t want her to get worse and worse.
Even though I had been locked in the room when I wasn’t being torturéd, I knew where the girls would be. These monsters were cruel but they were stupid. They call me a mute one and think that I can’t hear and see things too. I quickened my steps, my attention divided to the men that I could hear on the other side and then suddenly a hand came out of nowhere and grabbed me by the throat and slammed me against the wall.
My mouth opened but like always no sound came out. But it didn’t matter, because if I could speak the eyes I looked into would’ve rendered me speechless. The sherry colored eyes that were narrowed at me had me frozen on the spot, they were so ethereal. Like an angel was peeking down from the heaven above. Something I never thought I’d see in such a dark place. The golden rings glowed in them like rings of fire.
He cursed, bringing me to the present and his hold loosened a little bit. I didn’t want him to move his hand, for once this touch didn’t seem to burn through my flesh and stain my insides. In a hushed voice, he warned, “Not a word.” I nodded. If only he knew how easy it was to obey that order.
“Cole...” My eyes went to the girl by his side. Brenna. She was holding her best friend, Kiara, up. “Leave her, she’s not going to say anything.” Brenna said and the man, Cole, gave her a look that said that she was a naïve girl to say that.
“You can’t trust her.” He said as he looked at me, his eyes narrowed as if he himself didn’t know what to do with me.
“Please…” Brenna pleaded.
And a moment later I was freed as his rough yet warm hand slid away from around my throat. I breathed in a huge gulp of air. He gestured at me to follow behind them. I kept my head down and did as he commanded. After all, I was good at following orders.
Brenna stumbled with the weight of her half unconscious friend and I helped her. She gave me a grateful, trembling smile. But my body was aware of something else. I could feel the weight of his eyes on me, and for the first time in so many years I became aware of my nakédness. And the need to hide from him came over me. But for whatever reason, I knew he wasn’t looking at me with the gaze of these mônsters. The only reason I wanted to hide was me, not him.
As I walked with the trio I wondered what they planned to do when someone found them and not a moment later a man came around the corner. At first, he was startled when he saw us but then he drew up his gun and opened his mouth to shout… but fortunately the precious second he wasted to get out his gun was all it took for Cole to jump him.
I watched, my eyes wide on the man that sprung into action like a wild animal let out of his cage. Cole punched the man in the middle of his throat and the man slumped down like a dead weight. He then picked up the gun from the floor and as more footsteps sounded telling us that more men were coming, he turned to Brenna and said, “Be ready to run. No matter what, just run for the exit.”
“Brenna, do as you’re told.” He snapped and I realised he wasn’t an angel like his eyes suggested.
And then he focused his attention on the men that came running after us. Cole fired his gun, one of them went down and then the fight began between him and the other two. And, surprisingly Cole was winning, until one of them got him in a headlock and the other one held the gun to his head.
I had thought I had shed them all away, like dead cells from the skin but here, in this moment, I felt afraid for this stranger to die in front of my eyes. But then with a smile that was so out of place, Cole twisted around in such a way that in a second he had the man that was behind him flat on the floor while he fought for a gun with the other. The gun shot rang out in the hallway and I stopped breathing for a second, until I saw the lifeless body of the man under Cole and another one standing perfectly still in front of him.
With a gun, Cole gestured for him to move. The man held up his hands as he moved back and when he was a few feet away from Cole, Cole fired the gun, making the man fall face first on the floor.
I stood still wondering if I hadn’t yet seen everything that men are capable of like I thought. Because this man who had killed not one, not two but four men in less than a few minutes should feel like a bigger mônster than the ones I was acquainted with.
When we came out in the open hall, I knew that Sean Phillip would be there and I imagined him wanting to rip me apart from these people’s side but his focus was on the man beside me. “Well, well, well… what do we have here?” Phillip drawled as he took a seat on one of the sofas near us. “Wasn’t she precious enough that the brothers sent their lackey instead of coming themselves?”
“They both are precious enough that we five are here to kill you for laying a hand on them.” Came the reply from the stairs.
I whirled around, my heart thudded inside my chest. They were here. The brothers, who had once tried to save me, have come to save someone else. Maybe this time I’ll get a piece of my freedom back because I know even after getting out of these walls, I’ll never be free of the invisible chains around me.
The chaos around me went up in intensity and Cole nudged me to walk with him as we helped Kiara, wanting her out of danger as she was still unconscious from the drûgs given to her. I wanted to look back when the gunshots were fired, screams ensued and as if pulled by an external force, I finally peeked over my shoulder and saw a gun fired in his direction. The man with angelic eyes and who acted like a murderous mônster. Without thinking I stepped into him, maybe with this bullet I’d get my freedom. And it felt like a travesty to have this man killed by a bullet in the back.
I have seen some shit in my life. I have seen how people exploit and abuse the weaker ones. And, believe me when I say that it’s not limited to men. No, I have seen selfish women plotting against weaker women. I have seen women with power hurting weaker men.
But, today for the first time in history, I saw two women putting their own lives in danger for the men. One was Brenna, who had come in front of the bullet that was meant for Brandon. It wasn’t as selfless an act as one would think, no. It was the act of love. You see, when I was not talking and participating, I was always observing. I see everything. And, I saw that she loved Brandon too, but not as much as she loved Maddox. No, they were the real deal. I know it, because I’ve seen it.
But what I haven’t seen were the eyes as vacant as hers- the girl with blue eyes and hair as if a snowfall. There was no emotion, no fear and no desire in those blue eyes of hers. They were clear and bottomless.
I wondered for the hundredth time now what must be she thinking as she stood there, blood leaking from her arm because of the flesh wound she got while trying to save me. Me!? Can you imagine that? I wasn’t to be saved. I wanted to grab her and shake some sense into her. She looked so pale and....
“Why don’t you go with them? You are hurt.” I said and managed to keep my voice moderate as I looked at her. At her face. She was still naked and it was like she didn’t even care. Her eyes flickered to me and then again she dropped her head.
Alex was dragging the bodies in a pile, shaking my head at the girl standing beside me, I decided to help him. Now was not the time to be consumed by this waif of a girl who hasn’t said a word since I met her. And I was still fûcking furious that she stepped between me and the bullet. I didn't need saving, especially not from someone like her.
We had collected all the bodies that were inside. And, was just straightening up when we heard the crunch. Both our heads snapped to the side and we watched as methodically, one by one, she pounded the back of the pistol she was holding in his fingers- Phillip’s. She had his fingers spread out as she broke them one by one. Her arm was still bleeding, and now bloöd was smeared all over her náked body.
There was not a sign of what she was feeling on her face, but by fucking god, I had never seen a sight so beautiful. She looked like a warrior princess. Maybe a little broken. Alex nudged me from behind, his brow arching up in question. I shrugged in response and looked back at her not wanting to miss any part of it. It was fascinating to watch her. An angel in the drags of hell. An outcast princess.
Heaving a deep sigh, Alex went to the unconscious body of Phillip and the girl who was sitting beside him with her legs crossed in Indian style. “What are you doing?” Alex asked, but she didn’t look up.
At least, not until she had all ten of his fingers broken. Then, she looked up and for the first time I saw her eyes showing all the emotions she was hiding. Pain. Rage. Fear. Devastation. Disgust. Torment. Anger. Misery. Violence. Hurt. I had to look away from her because it was all too much for me to take in. Because, I could see the pain in her eyes that I had felt before. It was like looking in the mirror.
When I looked back, Alex was crouched down beside her. He was saying something to her, but she wasn’t replying back. She wasn’t speaking and come to think of it, I hadn’t heard a word from her since I had met her. Alex held out his hand and she put the gun in his palm.
Standing up Alex pulled off his t-shirt and held it out to her, but for some reason now… I didn’t like the thought of her wearing his shirt. And, it pleased me to a degree when she didn’t take it, don't fûcking ask me why. She just looked at the shirt in his hand like it was something alien.
“Wait…” I said the word before I even thought about it. “She’s bleeding. Soon she’ll start to feel dizzy if she doesn’t get treated.”
With long purposeful strides I went to them and took the shirt from Alex, I wrapped it around her arm and tied it off to stop the bleeding.
She took the bullet for me. She was bleeding because of me. I wondered what drove her to do that. Looking at her eyes and then meeting Alex’s gaze for a second I murmured, “I have a fresh set of clothes in my gym bag, she can wear them.”
I ignored the look Alex gave me, the problem was he was too keen an observer like me.
But neither of us knew that she didn’t just save my life that day. Somehow she became the center of my universe. Someone who put my heart back together, piece by piece.
Hopefully you will all like reading this book.
For pointers, both Violet and Cole live with Carter family, Maddox Carter is Cole's best friend. Both the main characters have found century in Carters and they try very much to forget their respective pasts. I have Carter brothers book on other platform if you want to read them.
Thank you
@Gupta
