Chapter 2

Chapter 2

~Emily~

“Water, please,” Steph begged, crumbling on the hard floor as she gasped for breath.

“Pull her up,” a guard shouted, his voice sending chills down my spine.

“Please, she needs water, it's been days,” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.

It's been days since we were captured by the lycans, forced to travel under the scorching sun of an unforgiving desert.

The lycans rode on horses, while they held our chains, pulling us as fast as they could, as though we were nothing but animals.

“Get up you bitch,” the one eyed guard thundered, his loud voice echoing as he dismounted his horse. He was the leader of the guards and the most heartless among them.

“Move bitch!” He growled, wielding his wooden spike in his hand with his eyes blazing like primal fire as he glared at her.

Steph remained unfazed, unable to speak with her slow shallow breaths. “I need water,” she mumbled incoherently, her voice barely audible.

“How dare you!” he barked, raising his spike as he prepared to strike her.

“Leave her alone,” I screamed, my voice low and even. He abruptly stopped mid-air , his face twisted in a frown as he turned backwards.

“Who said that?” He asked, walking closer with his eyes moving from one prisoner to another but no one seemed to budge, I guess they gloated at him as much as I did.

“Are you guys dumb?” He sparked, his eyes blazing with fury. “I said who did that?” He barked.

My palms suddenly became sweaty as I gulped down an invisible lump in my throat. A few people were beginning to face me and I knew it won't be long before I'm fished out.

“I'm the o…..”

“Enough!” Another guard shouted, cutting me off. “Enough of this charade,” he added, his voice cold and firm.

“And who are you to challenge me?” The one eyed guard growled, his voice laced with contempt as he approached him.

The guard who interrupted remained mute, his gaze fixed on the one eyed guard. 

“What do you think Zayne will do if he finds out you killed children too?” He asked, his brows raised as a sly smile crept on his face.

“Shut the fuck up!” The one eyed guard growled, his fists clenched as they engaged in a face off.

“Get back in line, all of you,” he growled, glaring at the guard who interrupted before mounting his horse. 

I immediately grabbed Steph's arm, putting her arm over my shoulder. “Thank you,” I mouthed at the guard who Interrupted. 

“Next time, keep shut,” he muttered. “Thorn could be reckless atimes,” he added, nodding at me before mounting his horse too.

“Everybody move!” 

____________

“Open the gates!” Thorn shouted, his loud voice echoing through the walls.

“Are we there yet?” Steph whispered, her voice barely audible as she leaned on me. “We are here,” I replied, my eyes fixed at the gigantic gate in front of me.

Lycans were said to be extremely attractive but I guess it wasn't applicable to all of them.

“Welcome to hell motherfuckers,” the lycans screamed, laughing hysterically as we marched inside, bounded on both arms and legs.

The walls of the city were painted red with scary old statues littered at every corner.

“All hail Akash, queen of the damned,” Thorn shouted, prostrating before one of the statues. “All hail our great queen,” the others chorused.

“I'm tired,” Steph muttered, squeezing my shoulder tightly. Her breathing was tense and her legs jittery.

“Move,” a guard growled, nudging me forward as he shot me a deadly glare.

As we walked deeper into the city, I couldn't help but ponder on the eerie feeling I felt within.

The stench of dirt and blood that filled the air, the odd looking lycans that glared at us as we walked, all these made my skin crawl. 

Thorn led us deeper into the castle, until we arrived at a worn out cell, filled with other slaves roaming about in chains.

“Welcome to your new home,” he sneered before pushing us into the cage-like structure.

We stumbled on one another at the entrance. Our chains clanking noisily as we crumbled on the heap of racoon’s faeces littered on the cold floor.

“Ouch,” I whimpered, my legs trembled as a colony of spiders crawled on them. 

The cell was just as distasteful as the lycan s, with cobwebs hanging at the edges and corners.

“Ema,” Steph called, holding onto my leg tightly as though her life depended on it. “Grab my hand,” I muttered, stretching my hand towards her.

“You all should get some rest, some of you might not survive the night,” he said, laughing hysterically before locking the cage.

“Huh! What did he mean by that?” I wondered, my eyes clouded in fear. 

As much as I despised the beastly nature Thorn possessed, I couldn't deny the fact that he wasn't one to make jokes at a time like this.

“Steph, wake up,” I muttered, tapping her gently with my eyes darting back and forth.”Hold my hand,” I added, my voice laced in fear.

The other prisoners were either too weak or too scared to make a move, as they all laid still, unfazed.

After a while, in what seemed like a short notice, it was finally dark. The cries of bats filled the air with lycan  guards chanting war songs just outside the courtyard.

But even though every other prisoner was either asleep or resting, I couldn't, my gut wouldn't let me.

As I looked around the cage, with Thorn's last words still lingering in my head, my eyes caught a figure watching us from across the other end. It was a girl, she looked more or less my age but with blue piercing eyes, her gaze was intense and it only made me crawl closer to where she sat.

“Uhm, hi,” I stuttered, unsure of what to say. “Go away,” she whispered, her voice cold and harsh.

Her response caught me off guard as I had expected her to act friendlier judging by the fact that she had been staring at us all along but I didn't let it get to me as I had a more pressing reason for coming.

“Uhmm, I'm sorry if I'm bothering you but I need your help,” I muttered, my voice barely audible as I stared at her with pleading eyes. 

“Pfft,” she scoffed. How can I help you?” She added, turning her eyes towards me this time.

“Uhmm, you seemed to be here longer than most of us, I need your help?” I muttered, staring at her with pleading eyes.

She stared at me keenly, her face void of emotions. “You want to know if you will be dying tonight?” She asked, her voice low and firm.

“Y-yes,” I stuttered, leaning closer. 

“You are already dead,” she replied, turning her back on me as she leaned on the wall.

Suddenly, the door creaked open as Thorn barged in, his eyes glinting in the dark. “Who goes first?” He asked, smiling mischievously.

His eyes darted back and forth, as though he was scanning our faces, then it landed on Steph. “Found one,” he squealed, grinning from ear to ear.

“No, no,” I muttered, rushing towards Steph. She was deeply asleep, oblivious of what was happening.

Just before Thorn dragged her, the girl from earlier spoke. “They are virgins,” she muttered. “Human virgins.”

“I don't believe you,” Thorn replied, his face twisted in disgust as he stared at me.

“You can find out if you want,” the lady retorted, her face twisted in a frown. 

Her words seemed to get to him as he grabbed another prisoner before walking out. 

“Thank you,” I mumbled. “Don't thank me yet, you will still die anyways,” she replied, closing her eyes gently.