Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Iwas frozen in fear, the deafening noise of the helicopter thrumming through my body.
The men around me, still wearing their metal horse masks, sat silently along the perimeter of the vehicle.
Shimmering faintly in the dim light, their white robes brushed the cool metal floor as we flew through the sky.
Did I really just get kidnapped by humans?
My lip snarled behind the contraption affixed to my face.
The cool metal of the helicopter rested on my fingertips as my arms were still handcuffed behind me.
I was trembling, both from fear and the cold temperature, but I refused to let them see.
My mind was reeling, a jumble of terror at the possibility of death and a torrent of unanswered questions.
Surely my father had a valid reason to offer me to the rebels, right?
The light-haired man who surprised me in my penthouse stared at me through his mask, his eyes glinting from the controls at the head of the helicopter. He was slightly shorter than the other men, his blond hair pulled back tightly.
“Sir, we’re descending,” one of the men piloting the helicopter gruffly said in the front seat.
He nodded and crawled over to me with a metal contraption clenched around his fingers. “I’ll remind you,” his voice was stern, “cooperate and you will not be hurt.” With a sharp snap of his fingers, two men, one on each side, grabbed me and pinned me down. “Open your mouth.”
The rough fabric was pulled from my head, and I stubbornly refused to open my mouth.
I wasn’t following their direction. Two strong hands, rough and calloused, wrapped around my jaw, forcing my lips apart.
The man’s hands moved quickly, attaching the complex metal device to my mouth.
The arms of the contraption extended and latched onto the hook toward the back of my neck.
They must not know I don’t have fangs. Idiots.
“This is for our protection,” he explained. “Is it too tight?”
Ignoring the question, I craned my neck, peering through a tiny, square window at the world outside.
The ground was covered in a thick layer of untouched snow, snowflakes whipping past, obscuring my vision.
A hole in the ground below opened inward.
The black rectangle looked ominous as we headed straight for it.
The helicopter shuddered to a halt, its descent slow and measured, reminding me intensely of the smooth, silent elevators in Elysium.
As we disappeared into the dark hole, bands of white lights sprang to life within the helicopter cabin, illuminating the metallic surfaces and our anxious faces.
The man’s hand, resting on the cold, metallic handcuffs, signaled me to stand, and I flinched at the harsh, blinding brightness.
I stirred, my knees cracking like twigs as I extended both legs with a grunt.
“Did he just growl at you?” A man in front of her laughed behind his mask. “Make sure the thing around its mouth is tight.” Lifting his black boot, the man exited the helicopter and twisted a silver-handled flashlight.
“Idiot,” a man behind me muttered as he pushed me forward.
Stepping from the helicopter, I was met with a dozen blinding circular orbs of light, each flashlight held by a robed figure, their beams intense.
I squinted, unable to shield my eyes from the harsh glare despite struggling against my bonds.
The lights swung wildly, and he gestured me toward a large metal cart, its wheels rusted and set on two ancient, groaning tracks.
“Get in.”
I nodded, taking a moment to try to see through the mask placed over the man’s face.
A glint of unexpected kindness shone through the mask’s eyeholes, piercing me with their warmth.
I inhaled deeply, the musty scent of damp earth filling my lungs before settling onto the frigid metal seat.
The robed men joined me, and the cart rumbled to life.
Two orange lights blinked on at the head of the vehicle, casting an eerie glow on the damp tunnel walls ahead.
A loud, ear-splitting screech echoed from beneath the cart, making the wooden structure shudder violently before it lurched forward.
The only sound in the dark tunnel was the rhythmic click of the cart’s wheels on the tracks, the orange light ahead cutting through the inky blackness.
Where were we? The jarring turns and bumps made the ride feel precarious.
It felt unreal, like a movie set, but the bumpy road made me fear I’d be thrown from the vehicle at any moment.
Peering through the inky black surrounding us, the beam of light cutting through the oppressive darkness, I almost expected something to jump in front of us, scaring me nearly to death.
But nothing did.
The cart came to a stop, a gentle bump that jolted me back to reality, and I realized I’d lost all sense of time.
It felt like I’d been in the cart for hours, although my sense of time was skewed from the helicopter to where we were now.
It could’ve been minutes, but it could’ve also been much longer.
A dim, white bulb sputtered to life, its weak light barely illuminating a cold, metallic ladder ascending into the darkness above.
The blond-haired man behind me pointed toward the heavens. “You three climb up and let us know if the coast is clear. I’ll need to free his hands to climb, but as soon as he gets to the top, I want him in handcuffs again.”
The white-robed men nodded, then scurried up the rusted metal ladder one by one, leaving me alone at the bottom. I shook my head, the murmur of their voices washing over me like a wave, as they spoke of me as if I weren’t there. A lesser human. A monster.
The man beside me seized my hands, his whispered breath hot against my ear. “I trust you not to try anything sneaky. We have men armed, and we’ll not hesitate to shoot you.”
I nodded, and with a click, the pressure of the handcuffs eased on my wrists. I tried to talk and ask where I was being taken, but the metal constraints made my words sound nothing more than a jumbled mess.
A slow shake of his head, followed by a finger to his masked lips, conveyed a clear message of silence. “You won’t be harmed as long as you cooperate.”
Hesitantly, I nodded. He sounded genuine, like I could trust him.
But to what extent? He’d been true to his word thus far; I just needed to know where I was going before I made a move.
With a deep breath, I placed my foot on the cool, metal bottom rung of the ladder and carefully climbed upward, following orders.
Reaching the summit, I was suddenly surrounded by a snowy tundra, the biting wind whipping around me.
Pulling myself from the cold, damp darkness of the hole, my eyes burned from the sudden brightness of the blinding white landscape.
Even though I may not be human, I do still get cold.
It’s just not as much of a shock as it is to humans.
Two hands fastened themselves under my arms, and the sudden pressure was alarming as they secured fresh metal restraints around my wrists.
A cold wind swept across the open ground as the remaining abductors crawled from the hole, quickly pulling their hoods low to protect themselves from the elements. “Let’s go,” one of them said, gesturing to me. “This quell will slow us down. Do you need a jacket?”
I shook my head. The cold pierced me to my core, but my body would soon acclimate.
If we didn’t keep moving, my body would begin to use as much blood as needed to feed me until I ran out and started becoming an Exile.
Plus, I didn’t want to ask them for any favors.
I was strong, and I wanted them to know it.
The wind felt like a wall in my face as we traveled through the waist-high snow.
Due to the quell, we were unable to see too far in front of us.
The inky darkness reminded me of being in the cart, but wisps of white danced around us and continued to coat my eyelashes.
The swirling snow obscured my surroundings, a biting wind whipping around me as the white-robed figures huddled closer, rubbing their arms for warmth.
I thought I saw a flash of red catch my eye, but when I turned, it vanished. Paranoia was seeping into my body.
A high-pitched yell cut through the quiet as a man behind me screamed. With a twist of my body, I saw a horrifying splatter of blood, stark and shocking against the untouched white of the snow. I followed the glistening trail of blood, each droplet falling from an angular metallic mouth.
It was a Dog, up close and personal.
The Dog ripped off one of the robed men’s arms, the severed limb dangling grotesquely from its jaws, blood dripping down its snout.
Its black eyes narrowed, the red irises gleaming like embers through the swirling snow.
Its sharp teeth were bared in a snarl, its ears perked straight up, and a growl rumbled in its chest.
“Fuck,” one of the men yelled. “A pack of Dogs is heading our way.”
My heart stopped, and my body froze. I hadn’t seen a Dog or been in danger since the night my mom died. Am I next?
A rapid series of gunshots shattered the silence, immediately followed by a Dog’s entertained yelps.
One bullet reached its mark, the impact sending a spray of dark liquid spurting across the cold, white snow.
With worried whimpers, the pack of Dogs formed a protective circle around their injured brother, allowing it to retreat.
A tremor ran through me. I’d never been so close to death in years, and the fear was paralyzing. A thought struck me—don’t the humans control the Dogs? Reaching to my face with my bound hands, I pulled at one of the contraption’s arms, breaking it off into my hand. “Can’t you turn them off?”
“What are you talking ab—” The man’s words were cut short as a Dog, barking fiercely, leaped and knocked him to the ground.
Three more Dogs emerged from the swirling snow, their sharp teeth bared in a guttural growl that vibrated in the frigid air.
Perfectly triangular teeth lined their mouths, glinting ominously.
With each step, a rusty, mechanical creak echoed through the air, like an old clockwork toy.
White tendrils of smoke curled into the crisp morning air as the Dogs’ breaths hitched, heavy and ragged, their oil-slicked tongues lolling from their mouths.
“Someone help me!” The man punched the Dog that was pinning him into the snow.
As the blow landed, the Dog’s metal eyelids flickered shut, reducing its red pupils to two tiny points.
A gasp of horror escaped my lips, and my body froze as I watched the Dog’s jaws clamp down on the man’s face with a sickening force.
Fresh blood pooled over the white snow, dripping from the mechanical creature’s chin.
Their tails curled along their spines, and the Dogs crouched down with their hindquarters in the air.
The next few moments were a chaotic blur of snarling Dogs, lunging bodies, and the deafening blasts of gunfire echoed through the air.
A spray of black oil splattered the ground as the men’s terrified screams echoed around me.
I watched as one man was thrown to the ground, the impact muffled by the thick snow, while another stumbled, his useless gun clutched in the Dog’s jaws.
A large man in front of me expertly shot at each of the Dogs pouncing at us, keeping them at bay as more emerged from the snow.
It was like they were hiding in the swirls of snow in the wind, biding their time in the middle of the storm until they’re needed.
I needed to get out of here.
While the Dogs were focusing on my robed captors, I ran.
My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the roar of the Dogs and the shouts of my kidnappers as I focused on escape.
The cold wind rushed into my face, like a frostbitten punch.
The snow was so deep and powdery that with every step, my knees rose higher and higher as I ran.
I knew I had to keep pumping my legs to get away.
A sharp yank on my loose pants pulled me to the ground. With a wad of tattered cloth clutched firmly in its teeth, a Dog stopped me from fleeing. Without a second thought, I yanked on the pant leg, the fabric tearing with a satisfying rip.
Though still cold, the snow felt almost warm against my frozen skin. A powerful force slammed into my back, sending me sprawling into the powdery snow. A bloodthirsty Dog, its eyes burning red with hunger, glared at me, its low growl vibrating in the air.
It sprang at me again, its weight pressing me into the soft, cold snow.
The impact knocked the air from my lungs.
Its metallic breath reeked of gasoline on my cheek.
My ears caught a faint whirring behind the Dog’s head before they turned to black.
The creature paused, a strange familiarity in its stance, and I screamed, a futile sound in the carnage around me.
Knowing my fate was sealed, I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for my life to end.
Would my father be sad I was gone? Maybe it’s wishful thinking.
A gunshot rang through the air, hitting the Dog with a metallic clank. With a sharp jerk of its head, it shifted its gaze from me to its new prey. The creature’s body slid off my shoulders, its legs spreading wide as if to shield me from the gunshot.
The light-haired man in a unicorn mask dashed over, his fingers trembling. “Are you alright?”
My breath was heavy, but I managed to nod. I stretched my bound hands towards the man’s, and felt him pull me upright. “Come with me, I need to make sure you’re safe.” His voice was light, yet concerned.
A snarl ripped from the Dog’s throat as it sprang between us, its jaws snapping shut inches from the masked man’s face. It looked back at me with its coal-black eyes before throwing its heavy, muscular body into me, sending me sprawling to the ground once more.
“Don’t touch him!” The masked man jumped into the air, a knife glinting in the moonlight.
With a snarl, the Dog’s head whipped around and lunged at the man, who was arcing through the air.
With his arm outstretched, the blade sliced through the beast’s underbelly, a wet, tearing sound accompanying the swift motion.
A single, piercing yelp escaped its lips before it disappeared into a billowing cloud of powdery snow. It was dead.
He saved me.
The man ran back to me and asked again, “Are you okay?”
The world was melding together. I wasn’t sure if it was a trick of the snow or if something was wrong with me.
My head spun, but I managed to whisper, “I-I’m fine.
” He lifted me from the frigid, snowy ground, and a wave of dizziness washed over me as the world swam in and out of focus before darkness closed in, and I collapsed.