Chapter 7
EMERY
Despite my pride, last night was probably one of the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time. I fix my hair into two braids and toss them over my shoulder. A few pink strands border my face, my bangs crest just over my brow.
Cameron wasn’t in bed when I woke up.
It’s early, so I’m surprised that he’s already awake.
Everyone else is still either lightly snoring or tossing and turning in a fit of unrest. I quietly get dressed in my tactical gear, including the vest. If there’s anything I learned yesterday, it’s that I don’t trust anyone down here.
They’re all practically feral and ready to fight at a moment’s notice.
I pull a black hoodie with DF embroidered on the left sleeve corner on over everything.
Everything down here is cold.
I think of how close Cameron was pressed against me last night. His arm wrapped around my center and his lips buried in the crook of my neck. My cheeks burn and I shake my head to clear away the dark thoughts forming in my brain as I recall his boner against my ass at some point.
A flash of movement draws my attention to the door leading to the arena. Cameron?
My feet are quiet as I slink across the vast cement room and peek around the corner. The heel of a combat boot slips from view and down a different hallway. I glance over my shoulder to make sure no one has woken up before following the person.
I didn’t get to explore by myself last night, so curiosity keeps me moving forward. I don’t remember this path being on Cameron’s little tour.
A beeping sound around the corner makes me pause at the edge before peeking. Two men stand at a metal door with a keypad next to it, just like the one leading into the Under.
The shorter man in front is without a doubt General Nolan, I’d know that pristine haircut anywhere. The taller one behind him is harder to recognize since he’s wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled up. My eyes narrow as his head turns enough for me to see his dark brows and sharp jawline.
Cameron? Where is he going?
The two of them step through the door, and it shuts behind them. There are no windows to peek through or other ways to see where they went from this area. I even go as far as to search for a vent in hopes I can find a way to listen in and gain information, but this place is locked up tight.
What lies behind that door? If Cameron knew it existed, then why didn’t he include it on the tour yesterday?
Stop thinking about him, I tell myself as I pick through a bland bowl of cereal in the cafeteria. It’s been an hour and I still can’t get him off my mind.
This area looks identical to the barracks, minus the beds and filled with tables.
I sit alone and try to ignore the glares that the girl with Damian is shooting me from across the room.
I overheard one of the other cadets calling her Bree.
She’s clinging tightly to Damian’s arm like she owns him.
A loose smile spreads across my lips. I can’t help that I enjoy her ire toward me.
A tray slams on my table and scares the shit out of me.
I blink up and immediately sour at the sight of Cameron.
He slides into the seat beside me and gives me a wry grin.
His sage eyes are clearer today. Did he run out of pills?
His hood is still pulled up like it was earlier, but I can see his tactical clothes underneath.
He’s wearing the vest too, so I feel confident in my decision to keep it on.
“Hey,” he mutters as he scoops cereal into his mouth.
I look around, everyone has fallen silent and stares at him with wary eyes. Quite frankly, I don’t blame them. Not after he kicked Damian’s face yesterday. But something tells me that it’s more than that.
“Why is everyone looking at you?” I whisper.
He isn’t fazed by my question, nor does he look up to see for himself. “I’m guessing word got out that I’m a soldier already on the Fury Squad.”
I don’t know why the idea that even the cadets may have heard of his little problem of killing people didn’t cross my mind before.
“That popular in the Dark Forces, huh?” I say in a playful tone, deciding that I’m going to show everyone, including Damian, that I’m not afraid of Cameron. He lowers his head to take another bite and as he does, I see a small needle mark on his neck.
He got a shot? More of those unorthodox medications, I’d bet.
“Popular isn’t the word I’d use,” Cameron says sarcastically as he pushes the rest of his cereal to the center of the table. He leans his chin against his palm and glances at me. There’s a sorrow so silent in his eyes that I almost don’t catch it.
“Hang on, does this mean we’re going to be targeted more in the trials? And you thought I was the liability between us?” I retort. One of the soldiers blows a whistle and everyone starts rising from their tables. We follow behind the group.
“I’m always the liability. You can handle being it while we’re down here.” Cameron nudges my arm and I glower.
“Are you going to be able to hold yourself back from killing me? That’s your real test after all, isn’t it?” I cross my arms so I stop bumping into him.
“Why do you look so disappointed?” Cameron says emptily, reaching up and brushing his finger down one of my braids like he finds it amusing. “This will be fun.”
Cameron opts out of the morning jog around the gym. It’s not really fair that he gets to skip out on things he doesn’t feel like doing, but I’ll take the small reprieve. It’s a chance to gather information from someone other than him.
Reed’s warning echoes in my mind. “Never trust the words of only one person.”
Cameron watches me run a few laps from where he leans against the far wall, speaking with Drill Sergeant Adams. His gaze shifts to mine frequently as he’s talking, and I have to force myself to stop looking.
I get shouldered a few times by other cadets I don’t know yet. I make it a point to memorize their faces so I can ensure their demise in the trials. One looks back, eyeing me up and down with a scowl. Arnold, from what I’ve heard the others call him. He’s intimidating. Flag him.
Damian jogs up to my side on the final laps.
I ignore his widening grin the longer I refuse to acknowledge him.
Bree flanks my other side, boxing me in between the two of them.
My eyes dip down to Damian’s metal teeth that were implanted to replace the ones Cameron knocked out of his face yesterday.
They really do treat us like test rats down here, I note as I take in how his face is hardly swollen.
His eyes are bloodshot with whatever high he’s on, and his skin is extremely bruised, but he doesn’t seem incapacitated at all.
I doubt those teeth are permanent, but they’re in place and he doesn’t seem to be in pain.
It’s astounding. I realize I’m staring and force my attention back forward.
“What is Mori doing down here?” Damian asks with a clipped tone.
I debate on conversing with them. What’s the worst that can happen? We already hashed shit out yesterday, so it can only go up from here…I hope. “He’s in boot camp just like the rest of us,” I mutter, keeping my focus solely on the ground.
“I see that, but why?” he says, already losing his patience.
I glance at him and raise a brow. “I wasn’t born yesterday. I’m not going to tell you whatever it is you want to know just so you can use it against me later.” I fume over Cameron’s loose lips comment again. I’m not about to let him be right.
Damian laughs. “At least you’re keeping your mouth shut. I’ll find out why from another source then. We still have a few weeks down here, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get information from an officer.”
“Why is everyone so scared of him?” Obviously, I already know why, but I’m hoping for something more specific. What exactly has this man done that’s so heinous it makes his name known even to the newbies who’ve yet to get on a squad?
Bree huffs. “You seriously don’t know?” I give her an innocent stare and shake my head.
She studies me carefully before her eyes flick to Damian’s.
“He’s the equivalent of a campfire slasher story down here.
The guards use his name to scare the shit out of us.
He’s torn men apart with his bare teeth.
” She shudders and looks over at Cameron.
I don’t buy that. Cameron? The same guy who didn’t want me to sleep on the floor? No fucking way.
I follow her gaze and no matter how long I stare at him I don’t see what they do. I don’t see a monster, I see something hurting and wounded. Feral and rabid from a cruel world, only trying to protect what’s left of himself.
“His teeth, huh?” I say skeptically.
Damian tuts. “You don’t believe us? Have fun finding out the hard way.
He has no morals. Though I guess you’ll need someone like him to carry your ass through the trials.
” His eyes flash with the threat. They really think I’m getting a free ride with Cameron.
That must mean they don’t know that he specifically kills his partners.
They just think he’s deranged in the way he kills his targets.
Bree chuckles at his jab. Honestly, Damian is the least of my worries, I’m more concerned about Bree and the way her eyes don’t give away any ideas or plots she may be devising.
Changing the subject, I ask, “Do either of you know anything about the metal door down the hallway from the barracks?” They’ve probably been down here for a while, so one of them should know something.
Damian’s eyes widen and he shakes his head.
His hair is slicked to the side with sweat.
Our breaths are loud between the three of us as we jog around a corner.
“I’ve only heard rumors that some soldiers went in there a few weeks ago and never came back out.
Why?” He studies my features like I’m withholding information.