Page 63 of The Cult

Guilt took residence in the pit of my stomach, causing me to stop walking when I remembered his late wife. Aurora. Remembering her set my emotions in a tailspin. I was the worst person. Selfish. I knew he was straight, I knew he was grieving, but still I seduced him. Kill me now.

“What now?” Tobias confronted me with a forceful exhale. We were standing in a small clearing, bathed in the dim moonlight peeking through the dark clouds. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his eyes raking my body from head to toe. His annoyance was replaced with concern. “Are you hurt?” He took three long strides to reach me and held my shoulders, then checked my arms and legs. “Are you still cold?”

“I’m okay,” I said, yanking my arm back, even though I hated the absence of his touch. His touch made me feel at ease. Safe.

“Then why did you stop?” Tobias searched my eyes, but I didn’t have the courage to meet his stare.

“Nothing.” I shook my head. “I’m okay.” Get it together, Abel. You’re all over the place. “I’m fine. Lead the way.” I motioned to the nonexistent trail.

“Abel, look at me.” Tobias’s voice was soft but determined.

I ignored him. “Let’s go,” I urged.

We hiked through the woods in silence but not in peace. He glanced my way occasionally, uneasiness increasing between us.

Tobias wasn’t leading me to one of the gates to sneak out or one of the walls to scale. Instead, we passed through bushes of wild plants as we hiked up a ridge. At the top was a huge flat-top boulder where we could look over the forest below. If he is at least bisexual, am I good enough for him? I doubted I could even compare. I had nothing to offer him. “How do you know this place?”

“Doesn’t matter.” His perma-frown was back. Even his temperament was ice-cold. A gust of wind swept around us, tousling Tobias’s hair and carrying with it an unsettling tension.

“Then why did you bring me here?”

“There’s somethin’ you need to know.” Tobias stared at the trees below.

“And what’s that?”

“You’re not safe here, Abel.”

“I know that,” I blurted. Was that all he had to say? It wasn’t the revelation I thought he’d disclose after bringing me out here. I could’ve told him that none of us were safe at The Creed. None of the chosen ever came back; and people around us disappeared without a trace. Who knew what the hell happened to them, especially to those like my dad, who had defied Orcus’s made-up rules. I hoped he was somewhere safe; I couldn’t bear to lose another parent. Although I still physically had my mom, mentally and emotionally she was gone. I blamed Orcus and his cult. “I know that already.”

“No, you don’t.” Tobias faced me but kept an arm’s-length distance between us. It was probably for the best, because he was irresistible, even as I was reeling from my guilt. I was a moth to his flame. “Orcus has something fucked up planned for all of you. They’re leading you to the slaughterhouse.” He rubbed his face with his palm. “Fuck!” he cursed. “I’ll kill that motherfucker when this is all done.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. Did it have anything to do with us being plucked from the rest of the Center Compound? Why would Tobias want to kill Orcus? We had our reasons, but what was his?

“Orcus is bringing guys from outside the compound to fight you and your buddies to death.” He gritted his teeth, flexing his jaw. “For fucking fun and money.” The cadence of his breathing increased, and he started pacing.

“What do you mean?” My head was spinning from his words.

“You fight in that fucking ring until one of you is dead.” He pointed to the compound below. “Someone dies is the only rule.”

Clouds continued to drift, casting us into darkness. A shiver ran down my spine. We had an idea how sinister Orcus and The Creed were, but I didn’t know they were that evil. Everything was starting to make sense—the rigorous training, the martial arts, the way they’d been feeding us. It was as if a bucket of ice had been poured over my head. My body shook, and I staggered back until I bumped into one of the trees. I don’t wanna die here. I sat on the ground and pulled my knees up. “Are you sure?” I asked, resting my trembling hands on them.

Tobias towered over me. “Positive.”

“What if … What if I win? What happens then?”

Lines on his forehead deepened. He was deep in thought, as if he hadn’t expected my question. “I don’t know, kid.”

I ignored the last word. This wasn’t the place and time to have a tantrum over the fucking word kid.

“I need to get you and your family out of here tomorrow,” Tobias declared.

“What? No!” I said, shaking my head. “What about the others?”

“What about them?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“There’s no fucking way I can leave them here.”

“Forget them. They can fend for themselves. You have to worry about yourself and your family.”

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