Forced Cooperation

Forced Cooperation
ARIA
The sound of something scratching against wood makes my eyes spring open. 
I look around for several seconds while blinking desperately and my vision doesn't clear. Before the paranoia that I might be blind truly sinks in, I realize that it's probably nighttime and there's no light in here, which is why I can't see a thing. 
The scratching sound continues, and that makes me look around. It's hard to navigate in the dark, but I crawl my way to where I can hear the noise and to my surprise, I see a hole the size of my fist in the wall. 
Someone's on the other side. 
I move closer to the spot and stare at it while trying to figure out who it could be. I could peer out of it, but what if it's one of Yarina's people? I definitely wouldn't want to get hurt because of any carelessness on my part.
Staying silent isn't an option, though, so I clear my throat and say softly, "Hello?"
"Aria?"
I frown. "Luca?"
"It's me."
I press the side of my head to the ground and he does the same on the other side. I see his face and relief floods me, for some reason. 
I don't feel completely alone. 
"I was worried," he admits. "I've been trying to wake you for the past two hours and I didn't hear a thing. I saw it when they dragged you in here earlier. Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine. Can you get me out of here?"
"There's a giant padlock on the door. We don't have the tools to do it. Plus, the front is being guarded. I'm sorry. I'll think of something else."
I take a deep breath and try not to feel demoralized. Something has to be done. I can't stay here and wait for the worst to happen. I test the wall in the barn but the wood won't budge. "Is there a way we can make this hole bigger?"
"Not without attracting much attention, but we can definitely try. I'll grab a few tools and—"
"How long would it take?" I ask before the answer occurs to me. Too long, that's what. We would never be able to finish on time. "Forget about it. We have to try something else. You have to send word to Ryder. I don't know how—you have to try. He's the only one who can help us at this point. These people...they're not who they're claiming to be."
The more I think about this, the surer I am that they've done terrible things to rise to power and they're prepared to do even worse. 
The finality in Yarina's voice was unmistakable. 
If I stay here much longer, I'll be waiting for certain death. Plus, I hurt her. She'll definitely want payback. 
"I'll do what I can," Luca promises. "But I came here looking for you for another reason."
I frown. "What is it?"
"There's some talk. Most of it is hard to make sense of and I don't know where it's coming from, but they're saying that the higher-ups are scared of you."
This has come out of nowhere. "Why would they be scared of me? I'm not a threat to them. Look at where I am."
"That's not what they're saying. It's something about the pregnancy. It makes you stronger than them. I don't know. I came here to warn you. You have to be careful, Aria, and I promise you that we're trying to find a way out of this."
"We?"
"There's a great number of us who're sick and tired of things going on this way. I told people that you were locked in here and they're angry, Aria. You're our Luna and our only hope. If something happens to you..."
I suck in a breath. "Will you try to send word to Ryder?"
"Absolutely."
"Thank you, Luca."
He stands up and I hear him walk away. I feel lonelier than ever in this empty, dark barn. I rest my back against the wall and close my eyes as I hug my knees. If what Luca heard was true, why are they afraid of me? I remember when Anne told me about the pregnancy and how it would affect me, but I never thought it would be enough to scare people.
I look around the dark barn and think about shifting. Maybe in a stronger state, I'll be able to break these walls or do something. I can't stand the thought of being so helpless. 
I stand up and start searching the walls for more weaknesses. I push against it and hope for a certain spot to move in any way, but I don't get lucky. Eventually, I feel tired again and my stomach starts grumbling. I haven't had anything to eat all day. 
Just then, Zach's warning returns to me. I'm not supposed to eat or drink anything. Then again, I don't even know if he should be trusted. It's clear to me now that he and Yarina had some intimacy of some kind. He was sitting close to her and the vibe was just...off. 
When did that happen? Why? What was he promised? Or am I wrong in assuming that he's against us? If he were, why would he warn me?
Goddess, I have so many questions and zero answers. 
I fall asleep without even realizing it and wake up in the morning to the sound of the barn doors opening. I don't think twice. I shift and start toward the door, but one of the guards sees me and he quickly closes the door. I throw myself against it and when that doesn't work, I start scratching the wood. 
Great. Now, I'm still stuck here and I don't have any clothes because they tore. 
I'll have to hang around in this form. 
I'm even hungrier than before and that's when I start to feel a bit desperate. What if they keep me in here and wait for me to die a slow and painful death? 
As soon as this question crosses my mind, the door opens once more and I stand up, feeling more alert. It opens just enough for Yarina to walk in, followed by Zach. He eyes me with a blank expression, but I don't waste too much time looking at him. 
It's Yarina I'm interested in. 
"Don't even think about attacking," she claims before pointing a gun at me. The bandage on her cheek wrinkles every time she speaks. "I'll shoot you, bitch. I'm not even worried about it. You've done enough damage to last us a lifetime."
I growl at her, wishing I could hide behind one of the stacks of hay or something. If I get shot, my baby gets hurt and I become fiercely protective of it all of a sudden. I can't stand the thought of losing my child for anything. 
"Go on," she says, jerking the gun. "Step outside. Move slowly or you're done for."
I can't take any chances with that weapon pointed right at me. I eye her while inching closer to the door, which Zach then opens wider. Looking at him makes me feel sick to my stomach, but I don't want to jump to conclusions. 
Not that any of them matter anyway. He's still helping her and I'm still here, forced to do her bidding. 
As soon as I step outside, I see a group of guards standing in a half circle around the barn. I eye them all warily. Yarina appears behind me, saying, "Get ready to meet your new owner, mutt. He's inside waiting for you. Go on."
He. I let the word swirl around in my mind as I step forward, thinking of some plan. 
Just then, something hits the barn and shatters, and then it happens again and again. 
Fire. 
The whole barn is on fire, and a large mob dressed in overalls starts toward us, shouting.