Chapter 43
Chapter forty-three
Liam
Fuck I feel like shit.
Bones aching, I whimper like a pussy as I adjust the most uncomfortable position in the world to fall asleep in. Seriously, how much did I drink last night to have to pass out sleeping upright in a chair?
‘Arghh,’ I groan as a blinding pain stabs my brain.
Something hard whips across my face and that snaps me awake in an instant.
‘The fuckk.’ I roar, ready to go toe-to-toe with whichever one of the lads just smacked me.
From the force of it, there is no way it was someone’s fist, which I think makes it worse, since getting bitch slapped by one of the lads is more humiliating than anything. A punch I can take, I welcome it actually, but a slap is just unnecessarily painful and I never know how to respond.
Like I don’t want to start slapping back because then it would be a never ending cycle of you slap me so I slap you back then—
Another slap sears across my cheek. Ouch, that one fucking hurt. A metallic tang burst across my tongue, and I'm dealt yet another bitch slap to the face.
Ready to put my recent thoughts about the matter aside, I prepare myself, firing up the mightiest slap of my life, but there's one problem.
I’m tied up.
So not only is someone using me as their slapping practice but I’m also being held against my will for this training exercise.
‘Shut up,’ a feminine voice says sounding further away than I imagine she actually is.
Then it all comes back to me. The subway tunnels, Malcom and the equipment and most importantly the sly sister of his that took me by surprise.
I suppose they always say, Don’t judge a book by its cover.
We knew she was a genius, but we didn’t put her down to be the evil genius of this organisation.
More so the scared one that did everything her brother demanded.
So what is this? Is she the evil genius behind all of it and we’ve had Malcolm wrong this entire time?
I blink my eyes open, preparing myself for some shape-shifting goblin because that is the only reasonable explanation I can think of for what has happened. The sister must be something much more than I assumed because how would… just what?
Why the fuck would someone who is capable of taking down a Skull not take down her weasel of a brother?
Another slap rings in my ears and is accompanied by the numbness of my cheek.
‘You gunna stop doing that?’ I mumble.
‘No. I don’t think I will.’
Right nice. Just bloody brilliant that is, isn’t it.
I’ll have to put that on my list of achievements in the apocalypse — getting bitch slapped more times than I can count. Oh, how my mother would be so proud.
‘What is fucking going on?’ I ask myself.
But of course she hears, her eyes narrowing on me. Bitch must have shifted into a bat or something.
‘You’re not going to hurt anyone else.’ She screeches, sounding a little further on the batshit crazy side than my princess and her group. ‘I’m sick of it all. I’m fucking sick of it!’
Okay, okay. I think she’s having her moment.
‘All you do is take take take. And its fucking draining you know.’
I consider humming in agreement, but my sixth sense doesn’t think that will help. Whenever Isla has been on one of her overstimulated rants, it never seemed to work in my favour, so I opt for the silent listening approach. Poor lass looks like she needs to get a bucket load off of her chest.
‘Kate do this,’ she paces back and forth her arms flailing.
‘Bitch get me that.’ She stops directly in front of me.
Her height makes her at eye level. ‘I’m not here to baby a bunch of grown fucking men!
Before the virus, I was a doctor, a well-respected fucking scientist!
And I’ve been turned into a fucking babysitter, and I’ve had enough.
Enough of it all. Enough of men taking what they want, what they think they are entitled to! And it starts with you.’
I’m met with a lethal-looking scalpel as she waves it a rather uncomfortable distance from my face.
Ahh fuck, not the eyes. Seriously, anything but my eyes.
Isla will never forgive me if I come back unable to see her beauty.
My heart sinks.
How long have I been down here?
I try to look around for any semblance of light but there’s absolutely nothing but that coming from the subway cart behind me.
I clear my throat, trying to put as much kindness into my voice. ‘How long have I been down here?’
‘Why?’
‘Well I have something I needed to do so—‘
She cuts me off. ‘You are not going back to torture those poor women. I will castrate you and hang your balls from the stadium gates if I have to.’ I should really introduce her to Luna.
‘Were you never taught right from wrong? Because raping women is wrong. Forcing them to have babies is wrong. Being a nasty fucking person is wrong.’
‘I agree.’ I nod, not thinking better of it.
‘Oh, you agree, do you? And why were you here getting birthing supplies then!’
My ass cheeks clench in fear as she points the shiny metal scalpel an inch from my eye.
‘You and your masks don’t fool me.’ She uses the scalpel to flick the fabric of my mask. ‘I know what you are and I’m sick of it. Sick of it all.’
Slow clapping sounds from behind me accompanied by two sets of footsteps. ‘Tell us how you really feel, sister.’
So I didn’t kill the fucker when I knocked him out. How unfortunate.
‘You,’ Kate glares at her brother. ‘Should fuck off.’
‘Or what?’ Malcolm's tone has a pout to it and I wouldn’t be surprised to find his bottom lip sticking out.
‘You really think I’m scared of a pathetic piece of shit like you? You were always the disappointment of the family, Malcolm. And you’ve never made up for it.’
‘You bitch,’ he spits. His steps sound uneven, almost like he’s stumbling. ‘What the…’
‘I’m not stupid. I know you’re stronger than me but you always forget that I’m the smarter one. The one who has kept us alive.’
‘I kept us alive,’ he seethes.
Kate tips her head back, the motion similar to an annoyed child’s.
‘No, you kept up the story of big scary subway dwellers. That was the only thing you were good for, and I thought I could do it if it meant the rest of us would be safe, but you kept taking and taking. Nothing is ever good enough for you. Then you had to go and make a deal with these monsters.’ She points my way.
‘You’ve been obsessed with them for years. ’
Obsessed with us? Now that’s a little pathetic. I almost feel sorry for the guy. But he is a piece of shit who clearly got off on the idea of us breeding women, so I’ll save my sympathy for another.
‘I’m not obsessed!’
‘Kind of are,’ mutters the annoying shit who is Malcolm's shadow.
‘Fuck off.’
A rustling sound of clothes comes from him. Is that some trouble in paradise I hear?
‘Look, this all seems like a personal family matter. Don’t mind me, I’ll be going now.’ I offer as I work at the ropes behind my back.
‘No,’ both siblings shout.
I groan.
This was supposed to be a simple transaction, one where I popped in for some supplies and went on my merry old way like every other time.
Isla is so going to kill me. And if she wakes up before me, I’m definitely dead. I promised my princess morning foot rubs and I’m no lying man.
The pressure from one of the ropes securing my wrists loosens, granting me more room to move.
Bingo.
Before I can get to working away at the rest, an almighty bang sounds from deep into the darkness of the tunnel followed by the bright illumination of… is that fucking fireworks?
All three of them look at each other, the wash of fear and confusion on their face.
Then the beautiful harmony of a very pissed off mama bear echoes towards us.
‘Where is he!’
‘Who… who’s’
‘My queen,’ I grin. ‘Better run now because she’s raging.’