17. Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen
Hector
My lungs are on fire.
Water laps at my chin every time the truck hits a bump, cold enough to sting the cracked skin on my lips. I can't move, arms locked tight around myself. Can’t sit, can’t see. Nothing to do but stand here and wait, fear consuming me the longer I'm trapped.
I try to focus on the rhythm of the truck: one-two, one-two, the sway of the wheels. But my thoughts crawl in like insects, buzzing, gnawing, swarming me with doubts I can’t swat away.
What if I turn in here? Kill whoever opens the barrel, change them too, and unleash chaos onto the unsuspecting prison?
Every soldier deserves it. The Judge, too.
But most of the prisoners don’t. Half of them are in here for petty crimes, like mouthing off to the soldiers or not producing enough silver.
Everyone in Aster’s Hollow must work in the mines in order to eat.
No silver means no ration tokens, and no tokens means no food.
A muscle spasm strikes my leg, drawing me from my thoughts, but there’s no room to stretch. I grit my teeth and ride it out, counting seconds between every exhale.
Thirty-two, thirty-three…
The water’s warmed slightly now, probably from my body heat. Or maybe I’m just going numb. Either way, the cold is no longer the worst part of it. Just the silence and my own ragged breathing in this wooden coffin with no guarantee I'll ever get out.
I keep seeing Charon’s face, the way he looked at me last night as if I were more than just a potential threat.
His warm, blue eyes and the emotions on his face were louder than what his tongue could possibly convey as he kissed me.
The memory burns brighter than the pain in my lungs. I wish he were here with me right now.
The rhythm suddenly shifts as the truck begins to slow before coming to a complete stop.
Pressure changes, causing the water to tilt backward and slosh into my nose, choking me.
Muffled voices reach my ears, along with the hiss of brakes and gears grinding.
Something bumps against the side of the barrel, making my heart leap into my throat.
Then another, and another. They’re unloading.
Please, let them be too lazy to notice the one with my body hiding inside .
Charon’s face pops into my head again, that tight, reluctant nod right before he sealed me in.
The way his hand lingered on mine like he couldn't let me go.
It hits me at this moment that I don't want to leave him out there all alone, wondering what happened to me.
I want to see him again, feel his forehead on mine.
Return the gift he'd given me last night. I don't want to die here.
Another thump jostles me, pitching the barrel sideways before I can even take a breath. Water covers my body completely as I bounce off the walls forcefully. Someone’s rolling me off the truck.
Panic floods my senses, limbs rigid as I try to catch a breath every time the water recedes from my mouth, but it's no use; the oxygen is gone.
But it's working. They’re taking me off the truck. Holy shit, Charon’s plan is working.
My heart soars at the thought of getting inside, of finding my sister and getting food, seeing her face again—
“Wait!” a familiar voice snaps harshly. Too close. “Bring that one over here.”
The barrel jerks violently to a stop as I nearly bite through my tongue. I know that fucking voice.
My pulse thunders in my ears when heavy boots stomp closer.
I can already picture that cavernous hole where his nose used to be, now filled with silver, the way he stared at me like he wanted to skin me alive.
My fingers twitch in the water, itching for a weapon that isn’t there, wishing I'd brought my cane with me as my head knocks against the wall when someone pushes the barrel upright .
Please. Don’t open it. Don’t—
CRACK.
Light explodes across my vision as the lid disappears, and for one suspended heartbeat, I meet his cold, heartless eyes.
Jonas grins wide.
“Well, well,” he breathes, pointing his rifle at me. “I knew that freak was hiding something.”
I lunge at him without thinking, fingers bent to claw at his face, but my body’s too slow. He jerks back before I can connect, and the barrel tips over, spilling me out onto cold cement in some industrial-looking building.
“Grab him!”
More water splashes into my nostrils when I roll onto my back in time to see the butt of a gun coming toward my face.
Pain explodes briefly across my brow, fading quickly, but the hit was enough to darken my vision.
I blink blearily at the odd flickering lights above—long, buzzing strips of artificial daylight that burn my eyes.
A heavy boot presses against my ribs, pinning me down hard enough to restrict air as rough hands press my shoulders and legs into the floor.
Jonas stands over me, lips curled over his teeth. “Filthy fucking animal. Pretty sure the Ferryman just signed his own death warrant. The Judge won't like this.”
“No, he wasn't—” I try to lift my head, opening my mouth to tell them that Charon had nothing to do with this, but another boot connects with my temple.
“Shut the fuck up, rotter!”
Fractured light bursts behind my eyes as the world tilts sideways, the ache more intense than last time. Blood drips into my eyes, obstructing my vision. Distantly, I swear I hear Nyx caw, but maybe that's just my brain bouncing around from the blow.
“What do we do with this thing, boss?” a soldier asks, holding my legs down while eyeing me in disgust.
I try to kick out with a snarl, but she grips tight, arms thicker than my torso.
Jonas leans down and rests an elbow on his knee, pressing into me harder. I wheeze but keep my glare locked on his face, refusing to look away. His eyes drag lazily over my body, searching, cataloging for weaknesses. When his gaze snags on my neck, a sneer twists his ugly face.
“What's this?” he murmurs, fingers brushing the skin beneath my jaw with a mock softness that has me flinching away. “Love bites, eh? Ain't that sweet. Lookie here, grunts, the freak’s got himself a boyfriend.”
One of the men snorts. “Figures. Rotters are only good for fucking.”
“Fuck you,” I snarl, jerking against their grip. “Let me go or I’ll rip your fucking throat out with my teeth.”
Jonas chuckles, stepping harder on my ribs until something cracks. “Save it for the pit, sweetheart. My boys’ll want to test that filthy little mouth of yours, anyway.”
I bite down on my tongue so hard it bleeds, flooding my mouth with copper.
Pure agony spreads throughout my chest, but I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me wince.
Instead, I turn my head and chomp down on the closest soldier's wrist, shaking my head side to side until flesh separates from bone.
Blood fills my mouth again, but this time it’s not mine.
The soldier's scream echoes off the walls as he yanks his arm back with a wet pop .
I spit a chunk of his skin onto the ground, jaw aching.
My lungs heave beneath the boot as I bare my teeth like the rotter I am, aiming my nails toward the other one's eyes before they pin me down once more.
“ Fuck ! The fucker bit me! Has he turned?!”
Jonas removes his boot, replacing it with a knee as he studies me closely. “Nah, he's still in there. But just in case.”
Pulling a pistol from his holster, he lifts the gun and pulls the trigger without another word.
I flinch, squeezing my lids shut when a body hits the ground beside me, brain matter splattering over my face.
Fingers grip my jaw harshly, forcing it apart, and my eyes fly open as Jonas shoves the muzzle of the gun into my mouth.
“You just cost me a good soldier,” he spits, close enough to my nose that I gag around the metal invading my throat. “Search the other barrels, see if we got more nasty surprises lurking inside.”
“Yes, boss.”
Behind him, boots scrape across the floor, the sound of sloshing water filling the space as the others move to obey. My muscles ache, the bitter tang of gunmetal thick on my tongue. I growl around it angrily.
“Still got some fight in him,” the woman at my legs mutters.
Jonas hums, patting my cheek roughly. “Bet the freak liked that. Did he fuck you good and hard, rotter? Rip you open with his monster cock?”
“Shit, I'd kill to see that,” another soldier groans, gripping his crotch next to my face.
Something sparks in Jonas’ eyes, like an idea taking hold, and he yanks the gun from my mouth before standing up. “Come on, then. Flip him over. Let's see how wrecked and sloppy his hole is.”
Terror fills my lungs in the form of a scream, reverberating off the walls when they attempt to turn me around.
I buck in their grasp, broken ribs burning as my heart races a million miles a minute, but it's no use.
Three to one, they pin me on my stomach next to the soldier's corpse, someone's palm pressing my face into the bloody ground.
Jonas sits on my thighs, fingers curling into the hem of my pants before yanking them down past my hips.
Cold air hits my skin as I holler through my teeth, fighting fruitlessly.
No, no. Not again, please—
The minute they spread my ass apart, I go feral, clawing at the floor until my nails break, but their hold on me won't budge.
“Damn, look at that little thing,” Jonas whistles, gripping me tightly. “Either the Ferryman has a tiny prick, or this ass hasn't been properly fucked yet.”
“ I'll fucking kill you,” I snarl, blood and spit flying from my lips.
That only earns me a sharp smack.
“Well, grunt, looks like you got your wish,” he chuckles, the sound of a buckle coming undone making me gag. “I'm about to fuck this rotter to death. You can have him after.”
“Thanks, boss.”
All of the fight evaporates when he spits onto my hole, muscles growing limp.
His body lies across my back, pressing me harder into the concrete, making it difficult to breathe.
Bile rises into my throat when something nudges my opening, but I can't even brace for the pain that's about to follow because my limbs are no longer my own.
They don't move; they don't respond to my brain signals, as if my motor functions have been severed.
All I can do is lie here and wait for him to do what he says he's going to do before he kills me.
The corpse's face fills my vision, half his head blown off, but I don't want to see that kind of brutality in my final moments, so I close my eyes. Imagine Charon instead, that kiss beside the waterfall, his fingers brushing over my scars. He’s probably pacing the boat right now, waiting for me to come home.
His name beats in my chest like a second heartbeat, loud enough that I swear they can probably hear it.
Please, whatever you do, don’t come after me. You don't belong here.
The first time I met him, I thought he was the monster, but I was so wrong. It's not him at all.
And then there’s her . Lena.
My sister’s face is blurrier now, fading around the edges, but the sound of her voice is still burned into my bones— I'll come back for you.
She said she’d find a way. Said she was working on something big, something that could help us all. But she never came back.
And now, at the end of the road, I'm alone like I've been since the day she left.
Jonas grunts, pulling me out of my thoughts as he grabs my hips, preparing to push forward. I want to shout, to scream at him, tell him to just get it over with already—
A loud, screeching caw in the air makes him pause before he can breach me. I glance over my shoulder in time to catch him flinching, eyes jerking upward just as Nyx drops like a curse from the rafters, talons outstretched .
She hits him square in the face, wings flapping wildly across his cheek. He roars, the rifle clattering to the floor beside me as he jumps to his feet, swatting her away.
“ GET IT OFF ME!” he bellows, blood pouring from a fresh gash above his brow as Nyx digs in harder, beak snapping dangerously close to his eyes. My captors release me immediately, rushing forward in panic, but she’s fury and pure vengeance.
I choke in air, lungs burning as I grab the rifle and roll away, aiming it at the other soldiers before pulling the trigger, spraying bullets with a scream. The weapon jerks violently, nearly dislocating my shoulder, but their bodies hit the ground one after the other.
Nyx's voice cuts through all of the mayhem, raspy and ominous enough to send a chill down my spine. “Eye for an eye.”
With a shriek that curdles the blood, she dives at Jonas’s face again, talons raking down his cheek in perfect precision before her beak plunges into his eye socket.
Jonas’s howl is instant. “GET THIS FUCKING BIRD OFF ME—”
There’s a wet pop , and something round splatters to the ground at my feet, trailing gore.
An eyeball.
He drops to his knees, clutching his face as blood streams through his fingers. “MY FUCKING EYE!”
Nyx launches up, wings snapping out wide. She lands hard on the ground beside me, blood dripping as she picks up the eye and swallows the entire thing whole.
Jonas and I both freeze.
Cocking her head, she turns to me with a proud little puff of her feathers, beak snapping twice. “Pass. ”
Despite everything that just happened, I can't help but bark out a laugh, coughing through the pain when I hold out my arm for her. “Good murder bird.”
She hops up happily, talons piercing my skin as she climbs to my shoulder, but the sting is nothing compared to the fury flowing through my veins.
That asshole just tried to stick his cock in me.
Nose-less, eyeless son of a bitch.
“Well, well,” I drawl, mocking his tone as I get to my knees, the rifle trained on his mutilated face. “Whatever shall we do with you, now?”