21
I’ll sing for you if you scream for me.
Khalani jolted, waking up in a dark tent.
She blinked, her brain foggy as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.
Where the hell was she?
Khalani vaguely realized she was seated in a metal chair.
Her eyes darted around, frantically searching for Takeshi in the small enclave, but she was completely alone. The brown tent flap fluttered slightly, the barest hint of sunlight peeking through.
Khalani moved to stand, but her legs were tied to the chair, thick rope wrapped tightly around her body. She gritted her teeth, trying to break free, but the bindings were too tight and her arms were pinned behind her.
After nearly ten minutes of struggling and using all her energy, she sagged in the chair.
She had no idea how much time had passed.
Or if Takeshi was alive.
“Hello!” she called out.
But the only response was the tent flap rustling in the wind.
She scanned the small space, trying to find anything that could be of use. Her eyes widened when she spotted her backpack placed at the edge of the tent. It was only three feet away.
Her knife might still be in there.
She twisted her arms, trying to slither out of the rope, but her wrists were tied to the point of cutting off circulation.
But the backpack kept taunting her, forcing her to keep trying.
Khalani swayed side to side, trying to gain momentum to slip free when the chair tipped over. She crashed sideways on the ground, still tied to the chair.
“Shit,” she muttered, in an even worse situation than before.
But she kept pushing her body closer to the bag.
It was at that moment when two male figures strode into the tent. The angle of her head on the floor made it difficult to see who’d walked in, but one of them chuckled.
“Trying to escape, are we?”
One of the men moved behind her, out of view. She felt her body being lifted as he righted the chair on all four legs. The rope scraped against her skin, and she flinched as a loud thud reverberated through the tent.
A short man with blond hair, tan skin, and a scar splitting his right eyebrow plopped into an identical metal chair across from her. He wore brown pants and an off-white tunic that was cut at the shoulders, revealing muscular forearms with black geometric tattoos covering his skin.
He leisurely sat in the chair, steepling his hands in front of him.
“I know you came from Desert Spring,” he said, his beady eyes making her feel naked. “But I don’t recognize you or your friend. So, you’re either one of their recruits or...you’re something else.”
His voice hardened, and he nodded to the man behind her.
She heard a soft click. Turning her head, she saw the brutish man pull out a sharp switchblade. Her eyes widened as he stepped closer.
“Whoever you think I am, I’m not.” Panicked breaths escaped her as the man’s large frame stood inches away now.
“That remains to be seen,” the blond man said cryptically before nodding to his accomplice.
All Khalani could hear was her ragged breathing as she tried pushing against her restraints, but the man gripped her wrist. A moment later, his knife prodded her forearm, and he started slicing.
Her cries ricocheted across the tent as he drove the knife deeper into her skin. Her limbs quaked as she begged for him to stop, but the man seated across from her showed no emotion.
Torturous seconds later, the knife was finally pulled away, and she had a tiny moment to catch her breath. But then, the man knelt and stretched the wound apart.
That’s when Khalani truly screamed in agony.
She had no idea what the man was doing behind her.
She didn’t care to know. All she wanted was for the pain to end.
She needed Takeshi.
Tears of misery streaked down her face.
When the man behind her finally released her wrists, he made some hidden gesture to the blond figure across from her.
“You sure? Just like the other one?” he asked with a deep frown.
“Yes, Ansel.”
Khalani’s blood turned cold.
Ansel.
She recalled everything the Chief had said about him.
He was the leader of the Sinners. Violent. A cannibal.
Her palms continued to shake, and she felt warm blood sliding down her wrist as Ansel scratched his chin, staring at the ground.
“How did you come to be with Desert Spring?” Ansel raised his scrutinizing gaze, locking eyes with her.
“I’m not telling you shit until I see the man you shot. Is he in a different tent? Where are the others?” Khalani fought to keep the desperation out of her voice.
“The others in your group escaped. We only grabbed the two of you. But it’s funny.” Ansel tilted his head. “He said the same thing about you.”
“So he’s here?” Her heart beat a chaotic rhythm as Ansel’s lips curved into a cruel smile.
“Tell me what I need to know, and I’ll let you see him.”
Khalani’s jaw tightened as he slouched back in his seat like time was an infinite resource.
But the impatience in those blue eyes betrayed his interests. Ansel appeared deeply invested in whatever she knew. She had to choose her words carefully if they had any hope of making it out alive.
“We were traveling across the Death-Zone when we made contact with Desert Spring. They let us stay with them.”
“Traveling from where?”
Khalani hesitated. “Apollo.”
That detail got his attention. Ansel straightened in his chair, leaning forward. “The underground city?”
“Yes.”
“Those people are still alive?”
She furrowed her brow. “Why would you ask that?”
“Just answer the question.”
“Yes. As far as I know, they’re still alive.”
“Interesting,” he mused, deep in thought.
“What is it that you want?” she dared to ask.
Ansel didn’t answer as he casually pulled a sharp blade from his back pocket. She tensed, waiting for the inevitable pain, but he didn’t move to cut her throat. He used the knife to pick under his fingernails. She swallowed at the glinting edge as he finally spoke.
“I want my people to prosper on the surface,” he said. “And once Desert Spring is out of the picture, we can finally start rebuilding. Become more powerful than our ancestors ever dreamed.” His powerful voice strengthened with each word, and the other man in the tent puffed out his chest.
“But what does that have to do with Desert Spring?” She frowned. “They just want peace, too.”
Raucous laughter boomed from both men, and Ansel wiped an invisible tear from the corner of his eye. “Oh, you have no idea, do you? I’m sure they told you my people are cannibals too, right?”
Her silence was answer enough.
“What I thought.”
“But you’re the one trying to kill them!” she shouted. “I saw it with my own eyes.”
She remembered the stench of burning wood. The woman who reached for Khalani’s hand, right before an arrow pierced through her heart.
Ansel sneered. “My only regret is most of them survived. But that won’t last for long. The next raid will end their town. Want to know how I’m so sure?”
Khalani didn’t answer, refusing to take part in his mind games.
“Because you’re going to help me do it,” he said.
At that, she jolted back. “You have no idea who you’re talking to if you think I’d ever help you.”
His awful grin widened.
“Spoken so brazenly for a girl tied to a chair.”
“And yet here you are, asking this girl to fight your battles. I’m sure your ancestors would be proud.”
His cruel smile vanished.
The other man stepped forward and struck Khalani across the cheek. Her head snapped to the side, and she bit her lip, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth.
Ansel sat with a smug look on his face, enjoying her pain.
“Are you going to behave now?”
Khalani spat blood at his feet.
He stood, calmly lifting his switchblade.
She tried pulling away as he inched closer, a sick, twisted gleam lighting his expression.
“Do you know how easy it would be to kill you?” He grazed the edge of the blade up her stomach, not sharp enough to pierce skin, but one gentle push was all he’d need to gut her like a cloned pig.
“I wouldn’t lose one bit of sleep over it,” he whispered, dragging the knife past her breasts. “If the Chief insists on calling us cannibals, then we might even see what all the fuss is about.”
Her pupils blew wide as he crouched down, relishing her fear like it was a feast.
“Consider yourself lucky that I have better uses for you,” Ansel said through gritted teeth. She flinched as he snapped the switchblade shut, the sound harsher than a gunshot in the small tent.
“We have plans to destroy their precious wall, but that could take months. But with you on our side? We could end them in days.”
“You can’t make me help you,” Khalani hissed.
“Oh, but you will. I guarantee it.”
Ansel leaned forward and gripped her chin. She shook her face, trying to dislodge his hold, but he dug his fingers deeper.
“If you choose not to cooperate, your friend will be the first one we kill. But you already know that, don’t you?”
Khalani’s heart pumped faster, her blood boiling to cataclysmic proportions. If they dared touch Takeshi or anyone else in her family, she’d find a way to use that knife to carve out his tongue and feed it to him.
“But I’m going to let you in on a little secret.” Ansel’s eyes danced with amusement. “I don’t need to convince you to hurt Desert Spring, because once you find out their truth, you’ll be begging me to kill them.”
“And what truth is that?”
“Ah, ah.” He released his grip on her chin and wagged his finger. “No one ever believes it unless they see for themselves. When you return to Desert Spring, go to the Chief’s house. Make sure she doesn’t see you. She has a library, and once you open Olympus, you’ll find their photo albums.”
Her forehead crinkled, not understanding. “And what am I supposed to find?”
“You’ll know it when you see it. It should take a day to travel back to their precious city.
Tomorrow night, after you discover the truth, you’ll tell the Chief to gather everyone in the food hall for an important announcement.
But instead of going to the food hall, you’ll raise the gates for us.
They usually only post two warriors at the bottom entrance.
Handle them, and we’ll take care of the rest.”
Khalani could scarcely breathe as Ansel crowded her, his fears and lies twisting through her mind like poison. A dark energy surrounded him that awakened her senses. Made her skin crawl in its presence.
She’d met many men in her short time on Earth.
Khalani had no doubt he was among the worst.
But she knew he wouldn’t let her or Takeshi go unless she agreed to his sick plan.
“Fine. You have a deal,” she said through clenched teeth.
“Smart girl.” He patted her thigh and if her legs weren’t tied to a chair, she would’ve kicked him square in the face.
“And before you think about betraying me,” Ansel casually remarked, “know that if you don’t raise the gates, we will find another way into the city.
I have my men posted outside the walls, and they’ll kill anyone who leaves.
And once we’re inside, we won’t just slaughter everyone.
We’ll torture them in front of you. After that, my men will pass you around like a souvenir and let the desert have your remains after. ”
The monster inside reared its head.
The fire surging through Khalani’s chest prevented her from speaking. She studied every inch of Ansel’s face, burning him into memory, hoping he did the same.
Because one day, she would kill him.
“Nod for me like a good girl so I know you understand,” he whispered.
It took all her self-restraint not to spit at him again, but she glared at him and silently obeyed. Ansel signaled to the other man, who stepped forward, undoing her restraints.
Once she was free, Khalani stood, rubbing her raw wrists. Blood still leaked from the wound in her arm and dripped to the floor.
But Ansel didn’t care or offer her any type of bandage.
“Follow me,” he ordered, turning toward the tent flap.
She held her breath, not wanting to spend another second in his presence. “Where are we going?”
“Don’t you want to see your friend?”