44

44


LUCIANNA

"Please! Listen to me! It's a mistake!"

Screaming at the top of my lungs did absolutely nothing. Rough hands gripped my arms tight enough to leave deep purple bruises. Kicking and thrashing, my bare feet scraped against the hard stone steps. The guards ignored my cries completely. They dragged me deeper underground, passing the familiar cells and heading into a completely different section of the dungeon.

This place smelled like rotting meat and stale urine. Damp walls closed in on us. Reaching a heavy iron gate, one guard shoved me forward. Stumbling hard, my knees crashed against the freezing floor. The heavy iron door slammed shut behind me with a deafening clang. The lock clicked.

"Don't leave me in here!" Scrambling to my feet, my hands grabbed the freezing iron bars. "I'll do anything! Just let me talk to him! Please, come back!"

Their footsteps echoed away down the dark corridor. Nobody cared. Gripping the bars tighter, my knuckles turned completely white. Hot tears streamed down my face. "Somebody help me! Please!"

"Save your breath, newbie."

Freezing instantly, my breath caught in my throat. Slowly, turning my head, my eyes adjusted to the dim light of the cell. A girl sat in the far corner. Leaning against the damp stone wall, she picked casually at her dirty fingernails.

"Yelling won't get you out," she muttered, not even looking up. "It just makes you thirsty. And water only comes once a day here."

Panic surged through my chest again. Ignoring her completely, my hands pounded against the iron bars. "Guards! Please, I don't want to die!"

For hours, my voice bounced off the empty walls. Eventually, my throat felt like raw sandpaper. Exhaustion finally took over. Sliding down the bars, my body collapsed onto the freezing floor. Whimpering softly, curling into a tight ball felt like my only defense.

"I'm Mara," the girl said. Her voice sounded totally nonchalant, almost bored. "What did they throw you in here for?"

Pulling my knees tightly to my chest, my mind flashed back to the old maid. Agatha had acted nice. She brought me food, gained my trust, and told me to confess. Her severed head still haunted my vision. This had to be another trick. Another trap to make me say the wrong thing. Pressing my lips firmly together, ignoring Mara seemed like the safest option. Not a single word left my mouth.

The next morning arrived with the harsh clatter of metal. The guards hauled us out of the cell before the sun even fully rose. They shoved us toward the lower washrooms where mountains of filthy clothes waited for us.

Scrubbing heavy fabrics until my fingers bled, a shadow suddenly loomed over me. A tall, beefy maid glared down with pure hatred. Before my brain could react, her heavy boot kicked my bucket over. Soapy water flooded the floor.

"Clean it up, you stupid whore," the maid spat. Grabbing a fistful of my hair, she yanked my head back and slapped me hard across the cheek.

Stinging pain exploded across my face. Cowering instinctively, my arms flew up to protect my head.

"Back off, Helga."

Stepping directly between us, Mara shoved the massive maid backward. Mara didn't look very big, but her eyes held pure, unhinged violence. "Touch her again, and I will snap your fucking fingers one by one. Try me. I've got nothing to lose fatso."

Helga scoffed, but she took a step back. Muttering a string of curses, the bulky woman finally turned around and stomped away.

Trembling, my hands slowly lowered. "Thank you," slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it.

"Don't mention it," Mara replied, going back to her washboard. Remaining on guard, my body stayed tense for the rest of the shift. Earning my trust would take more than one good deed.

That afternoon, a strange quiet settled over the courtyard. A man wearing long grey robes stood on a wooden crate. He was speaking softly to a small group of inmates.

"He preaches to the ones on death row," Mara whispered, nudging my shoulder. "You should come listen. It helps ease the mind."

Looking at her sideways, genuine confusion knit my brow. "Aren't you scared of dying?"

Mara shrugged casually. Staring up at the cloudy sky, a small, sad smile touched her lips. "Death is just a door closing. We've been trapped in the dark for a long time anyway. At least passing through the door means the waiting is finally over."

Her answer sent a weird shiver down my spine. Slowly, following her toward the crowd, my ears tuned into the preacher's words. He spoke of the Moon Goddess bringing peace to restless souls. He talked about pain ending. Sitting there on the cold dirt, a tiny shred of comfort washed over me. Even though my execution was coming, a small feeling of hope blossomed in my chest. Maybe death wouldn't be so bad.

Later that evening, the guards forced us upstairs to serve drinks to the visiting Alphas. Balancing a heavy silver tray, my hands shook violently. The dining hall smelled of roasted meat and expensive liquor.

Approaching a large oak table, a familiar, scarred face made my blood run cold. It was the Alpha who had been drinking with Roman.

Setting a glass down next to him, his massive hand suddenly shot out. Gripping my thigh roughly, his fingers squeezed hard.

"Well, well," he chuckled deeply, his breath reeking of alcohol. "If it isn't Roman's little used toy. Wonder what you taste like."

Disgust and terror choked me. Yanking myself out of his grip, the silver tray tumbled from my hands. Glasses shattered loudly across the marble floor. Without waiting for his reaction, my legs sprinted out of the hall. Hiding in the kitchen pantry, silent tears streamed down my face until the event finally ended.

The next day at work, the nightmare returned. Scrubbing the long stone corridors, Helga cornered me again. This time, she brought a thick wooden rod.

"Thought you could embarrass me yesterday?" the bully growled.

Before giving me a chance to run, the wood cracked hard against my ribs. Searing pain stole the breath from my lungs. Hitting the ground, heavy boots rained kicks down on my stomach. Gasping for air, the world started spinning.

Suddenly, a loud cry echoed down the hall. Mara launched herself through the air. Tackling the fat maid to the ground, my cellmate went completely feral. Fists flew in a blur of motion. Mara punched Helga repeatedly in the face until a sickening crack echoed off the walls. The bully went totally limp, knocked out cold in a pool of her own blood.

Heavy footsteps thundered toward us. Three guards rushed around the corner. Seeing the unconscious maid, they drew their batons instantly.

"Get up!" one yelled. Grabbing my collar, he dragged me forcefully away from the fight and shoved me out into the courtyard.

Behind me, the sickening thuds of batons hitting flesh echoed clearly. Mara didn't even scream. They beat my friend mercilessly while my helpless body remained locked outside.

Hours passed in the pitch-black cell. Sitting in my usual corner, dread gnawed at my insides. Around midnight, the iron door finally groaned open.

Two guards tossed a limp body onto the floor. They locked the door and walked away laughing.

"Mara!" Crawling desperately across the freezing stone, my hands touched warm, sticky blood. Her face was bruised beyond recognition. One eye was completely swollen shut. Her breathing sounded horribly shallow, rattling wetly in her chest.

Panic consumed me. Rushing to the cell bars, my hands gripped the iron tight. "Guard! Please! She needs help! Is there a first aid kit? Anything! Please!"

A burly guard strolled over, a nasty smirk plastered on his face. Looking at Mara's broken body, he chuckled. Then, his dark eyes locked onto mine.

"I might be able to find some bandages," he drawled slowly. Leaning closer to the bars, his breath smelled like stale tobacco. "If you let me fuck you first. Spread those legs, and maybe your friend lives."

Bile rose in my throat. "Please, just help her! I'm begging you!"

"Suit yourself, bitch." Shrugging lazily, he turned around and walked back to his post.

Running back to Mara, my trembling hands pulled her head into my lap. Tears dripped onto her bloody face. "Hold on, Mara. Please hold on."

Her remaining eye opened slightly. Looking up at me, that same nonchalant smile barely touched her broken lips. "Told you... death is just... a door."

A long, ragged sigh escaped her lungs. Her body went completely limp. Staring down at her lifeless face, absolute devastation shattered my heart. Leaving her body on the floor, crawling to the far corner felt like the heaviest journey of my life. Burying my face in my knees, loud sobs violently shook my entire frame.

Hours later, the locks clicked again. Throwing the door open, two guards stepped inside carrying stale bread. Stopping in their tracks, they stared at Mara's corpse.

"Well, shit," one grunted, kicking her leg. "She's dead."

The other guard sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Damn. What a waste of good pussy. I was going to use her tomorrow."

"Grab a burlap sack from the hall," the first one ordered. "We'll bag her up now and dump the body in the morning."

Sitting completely still in the dark, my ears tracked their every move. They returned with a large, heavy sack. Shoving Mara's body inside, they roughly tied the top with a thick piece of twine. Leaving the wrapped corpse on the floor, they exited and locked the door behind them.

Deep sadness still weighed heavy on my chest, but looking at the sack, a totally crazy idea suddenly formed in my mind.

Tomorrow, they would carry that sack out of the dungeon. They would dump it outside the pack borders. They were going to execute me soon anyway. Since death was already knocking on my door, why not just take the ultimate risk?

The plan was absolute insanity. But surviving meant doing the unthinkable.

Waiting until midnight, absolute silence blanketed the dungeon. Crawling across the cold stone, my hands reached the rough burlap material. My fingers trembled as they worked the knot loose. Opening the bag, the metallic smell of blood hit my nose hard.

Tears blurred my vision. Looking down at the only person who had defended me, my heart ached terribly.

"I'm so sorry, Mara," I whispered into the dark. “But I have to do this.”