Page 55 of Pet: Genesis

It suddenly feels impossible to breathe, my lungs screaming at me, and my legs trembling as Margot wrestles with the idea. She looks between me and the weapon on the ground, her brows furrowed as she battles herself. She looks back to Zaya, hope in her eyes.

“Freedom?” she asks. Zaya nods.

“Whichever one of you can deliver the final blow will walk out of here, and we won’t stop you. You’ll be an honorary citizen or return to frolicking in the wild. Your choice,” Zaya says.

Margot’s eyes are wide as she studies the blade. She’s actually considering it. And when I look at Remus, he has a smug grin on his lips. He then shrugs, shifting his attention back to Margot.

“Margot, please... don’t do this. They are baiting us,” I say, drawing her attention.

As I think of the facility, a shudder ripples up my spine. It was bone-chilling just being there, and Margot lived in it. I slowly close my mouth, thinking of what I am asking her to do. I’m selfish for asking this of her, and I can’t expect this from her. Remus is right.

Just as the thought crosses my mind, she shakes her head and approaches me. She grabs the blade on the way, her eyes brimming with tears.

“I’m sorry, Iris... you don’t know what I went through in that place... you don’t know what living with an inhibitor is like... you just... don’t know,” she whispers, tears streaming down her face.

I slowly shake my head, letting my tears fall as well. I slowly reach for the blade in front of me, rising to my feet. This is what Remus wanted. And even after one of us cuts the other down, I doubt he’ll follow through on the promise. It’s a lose-lose situation. He would never let me go, and he would never let Margot live after killing me. I understand clearly what he meant.

Freedom is an illusion.

I toss down my blade, my eyes remaining on the ground. My tears drip down my cheeks as I find the strength to speak. “Kill me,then. Take your freedom. I won’t fight you... and I won’t ask you to give it up,” I say.

I hear Margot’s footsteps falter, and when I look up, her eyes are wide. Her grip on her own weapon tightens, and she looks away, closing her eyes with a pained expression.

“I’m sorry.”

Those are her last words.

She brings the blade up, swiping it across the thin skin of her throat. My eyes widen, and a scream escapes my lips. I’m sprinting across the ring as she collapses in front of me, choking on her own blood.

“No, no! No, Margot, please!” I scream. Her eyes are wide as she stares at the ceiling, waiting for her life to end. The sticky warmth of her blood coats my fingers as I try and plug the deep wound, my eyes finding Remus in a panic.

“Help her! Please, I’m begging you!I’m begging you!” I sob.

Remus doesn’t move. He watches me in satisfaction as his lesson is quickly and easily burned into my brain. Even if we won. Even if we fight, even if we choose not to turn on one another, there is no freedom. We will never be free. The horrors of our lives, our decisions, and the world as it is have been seared into our minds.

Margot’s body slowly stills under me, the blood still coming fast. I don’t stop my screams. I scream and scream and scream, never letting it end. I know in the back of my mind this was made to break me. Remus wanted to show me that I will forever be his prisoner. But he has no idea the fire he has brought unto himself. He has no idea the pain I will bring him and his race.

He has no idea how he has changed me in a matter of seconds for the worse.

Chapter Nineteen

Iris

Is this truly what awaits us in the end? Is this really all that humanity has to look forward to? Our deaths by either one another’s hands or Remus’s? A life where we are unable to escape the horrors we have endured at the hands of this alien race? My eyes shift to Margot’s still body. She’s been placed in a glass chamber. For once, there’s a soft expression on her face. She looks to be at peace in her permanent slumber. It’s my first and only time seeing her look so peaceful. I’ve lived more of my life alongside Margot than with my own parents, and in an instant, she’s gone.

The wound in her throat finally stopped bleeding, but every time I blink, I still see blood gushing from the wound, taking her life with it. I still feel the warm and sticky substance coating my hands, crusting under my nails. I still see Remus pleased with my suffering. I suck in a shuddering breath, unable to tear my eyesaway from her. I did this. I provoked Remus, and in turn, he took the one person left in this world that I care for. The worst thing about it is that he didn’t have to lift a finger to do so. He just had to prove his hold over us, and she broke.

I tense when I hear footsteps. I know who it is without looking. My flesh crawls at his presence from the sheer amount of hatred and fear I feel combined. I feel his looming presence behind me. I haven’t the slightest clue what he could be thinking, but his voice comes off as gentle.

“It’s time to say goodbye, Iris.”

I’m not sure how I ever stopped, but at the realization that I have to leave her, I immediately begin to cry again. My sob fills the room, and I quickly place my hand over my mouth to staunch the sound. But it does nothing. The level of despair I feel at leaving Margot for good is suffocating. I place my hand against the glass that separates us, taking in her form.

“I don’t want to,” I whisper.

I slowly turn to face Remus, letting my tears flow freely.

“Why? Why did you have to take her from me?” My voice trembles from the pain. He doesn’t seem to hold any remorse for what he’s done. His face is once again impossible to read as he studies me, but he doesn’t respond.

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