I didn’t listen to him and ventured into the chaos anyway. The chaos swarming around my head and heart. I couldn’t see anything, but I could hear screams, so vicious and violent. I pushed past the crowd, going the opposite way and froze at the sight of men in black swarming the Pit. A few bodies lay on the ground, unmoving. My breath caught in my throat, heart pumping wildly.
This—this was an attack.
A cry caught my attention and I turned, seeing one of the Aphrodites trapped beneath a massive man, gripping her throat as he tried to drag her toward the entrance of the building.
I gritted my teeth and rushed forward, grabbing a metal tray and bashing it over his head.
When he only groaned, I did it again and kicked him in the gut, watching as he rolled off of her, face twisted in pain.
The girl panted in effort, staring up at me with bloodshot, lifeless eyes. Her makeup was smudged all over her face, with long teary streaks running through. “Thank—”
I forced a smile, but it broke into a gasp when something hit my head, knocking me to my knees. Pain flared at the back of my skull and black dots filtered my vision. I tried to stand, collapsing back into my hands and knees. Glass cut into them and I clenched my fingers out of reflex, collecting the shards in my palms.
“Little fucker,” a raspy voice said behind me. “You’re coming with me.”
Someone gripped my shirt and lifted me up and I gazed back to see an older man, dressed in black with a sick smirk on his face.
I raised a trembling, bloodied hand and slashed the glass stuck in my palm across his face, escaping his grip as he hissed in pain. Little red dots of blood appeared on his skin, quickly turning darker and darker as it seeped out from the wounds.
“Fucking bitch!” he roared, and I made a quick move for the crowd in an attempt to slow him down and escape. I pushed through, barely missing a flying knife from embedding itself into my side. When I looked behind me, it was only to find the man shoving after me, his eyes dark and deadly.
I threw myself into the hallway, desperately clawing at each door handle but they were all locked.
“Huh,” that sick raspy voice said, filling the space around us.
I glanced back, seeing the man marching casually down the hall. There was a deep sneer on his features, blood dripping down his cheek and darkening his black shirt further. He flexed his hands, knuckles cracking in anticipation.
I had nowhere to go from here, I was trapped. And he knew it.
Fuck!
“Cozy little private spot you found us there, love.” Gesturing to his bloodied face, he added, “How about you fucking pay for what you did.” A smile formed on his lips, a nasty smile that promised violence and retribution.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
I gagged when one of his hands went to his belt, undoing it with purpose. I scanned the space around us frantically, finding nothing new. “A little piece of cunt like yourself… I can’t let you run away unharmed. Untouched.” He continued approaching slowly, unhurriedly. His gaze roamed the walls around us, his sneer dripping with cruelty.
“Get away from me,” I snapped but my body was visibly shaking despite my best effort not to show any weakness.
“You fucking Scorpios. All so fucking weak, so fucking useless,” he hissed, shaking his head in disgust. “You’re trapped, it’s over for you.”
I froze at his words about Scorpios. He wasn’t from here then. He wasn’t a part of Scorpios. He was older, I noted. With greying hair, in a nice black suit, a white, too perfect, too vile smile that made me want to smash his teeth in.
“Bend over, kitten,” he repeated, gesturing to my legs as he kept unzipping his pants. “Put your claws to good use and grip onto the wall like your slutty mom taught you because it’s gonna be a bloody, bruising fuck.”
“Fuck you!” I shot back and regretted it as the back of his hand hit my cheek. My head snapped to the side painfully, my neck cracked, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from crying out. The whole side of my face was throbbing. Too distracted by the pain to offer much of a fight, he gripped my shoulders easily and forced me to my knees.
But the cold, hard floor on my skin ripped me out of my pain filled daze.
I thrashed against his hold, but he used both of his hands to trap me against the wall, his front touching my back as bile filled my mouth, burning my throat.
No.
No.
No!
I needed to get out of here. I need to—
I paused, waiting for him to think I was done fighting. He gripped the edge of my shirt, the fabric tearing when I pushed back, using my body weight to knock him off his feet and onto the ground.
I scrambled, his hand catching my ankle and he dragged me back.
I clawed, scratching his face and neck, but he held me down with his weight. All the memories of the hunters beating me, hitting me and holding me down flooded my mind. I choked, I thrashed, in vain, in panic, in terror.
“Please, please, stop, don’t!” I cried out.
His hand clasped my throat and tightened, my lungs burning as the air fought to get in.
I won’t let him hurt me.
I can’t let him win.
Don’t give up.
Don’t be weak.
BEAU
Chaos filled the Pit—screams of panic and fear shaking my body with each step forward.
Men in black coats swarmed the second floor with daggers. People shoved to the entrances, crowding, pushing violently to escape.
I fisted my hands as one of the men in black surged forward, a shout leaving his mouth. His fist flew in my direction and I dodged, only to get sliced with a dagger I hadn’t noticed in his other hand. It cut through my t-shirt and sliced my skin. Fire seemed to erupt from the wound as blood soaked through my shirt, I hissed.
Fuckers.
I reached out and gripped his arm, breaking his wrist. The fucker cried out, shaking in my hold.
I saw a few other fighters joining in, fighting back against the intruders, but there were already many victims laying on the floor. Dead, or gravely injured.
A hand wrapped around my throat from behind and I thrashed, flipping the guy over my back and onto the floor. I glared at the man dressed the same as the other fuckers and bent down, gripping his collar—then snapped his neck.
And at the sound of bone cracking, I lost it—the beast taking over and viciously attacking anyone that was a threat. These bastards didn’t stand a chance against me, not against a beast who craved power and violence and rage.
Each time I took a man down, another seemed to pop up. I noticed as I got closer to the ring, a small bomb had gone off down below, but it wasn’t powerful enough to do any big damage to the structure.
It had been used as a diversion.
In the darkness, I thrived, I raged, and conquered any person in my way. Their cries, their screams became the ringing in my ears. The energy that filled my blood.
I spotted Tegan, punching a man repeatedly over and over, her face red with fury.
When my eyes caught the corner of the Pit where I’d left Lex, a vicious growl tore from my lips. She wasn’t there anymore.
My chest tightened, body shaking as I searched for her, but it was too dark and chaotic to tell where she’d gone.
I moved fast, pushing past panicked people and trying my best not to curse them out.
At the sound of a cry, I spun, catching sight of someone on top of another in the back hallway.
I didn’t think, I just moved, my body responding to the sound like it was its lifeline. I marched forward, the blood rushing to my head, my fists tightening at the sight of Lex withering in panic underneath a man.
I reached out and gripped the man by the back of his shirt, jerking him off of her.
His face, full of blood, transformed into a scowl. The man didn’t waste a moment and dug his fingers into my chest, where the cut still burned and oozed. I threw him back, shoving him into the wall.
A hiss left his mouth and he threw his head forward, crushing into my forehead. Ringing filled my ears, but I didn’t let go.
A knife slashed my stomach and I growled, jumping back as he swung again.
I eyed the white-haired man, blood running from his nose, over his shaking mouth.
His foot edged forward, directed at Lex and I lunged, only for him to back away.
And then laughter left his mouth and he grinned.
He straightened his tie and without a word, he rushed down the hallway.