Page 86 of Leave Me Behind
He nods. “It just got my plates.” I look at his bleeding ear. A portion of it is gone and the sight of him bleeding and missing a part of himself makes my chest twist painfully.
“Damn it. So much for us trying to infiltrate their headquarters without detection,” Bradshaw mutters once we reach the trees and fall to the ground, splayed out on our bellies.
I pull out my sniper rifle and quickly wipe the scope, wincing at the pain as I try to steady my aim. “That explosion would’ve given us away anyway. Do you think Eren set it off?” I load a round and fire it. The closest soldier’s head tilts back and he’s down.
“Nice,” Bradshaw mutters as he waits for the ones I don’t pick off to get in range. “I hope not. That would be really fucking stupid and Eren is anything but stupid.”
Sweat rolls down my temple as I pull the trigger again. Another headshot. There are only two left. If it wasn’t Eren, then was it Hades?
“Maybe they thought we were in there,” I say slowly, firing again but missing this one. “Shit.”
Bradshaw lifts his M16 and pops the guy I missed. He hits his shoulder and throat and the soldier falls. That leaves just one.
“Maybe, but that doesn’t feel right either.” Bradshaw looks troubled and it distracts me from the last soldier charging us. I let my partner finish him off, watching thoughtfully as he falls ungracefully. What a stupid approach. They just ran at us, knowing we had the better cover and upper hand.
Sharp fear prickles through me.
No.
I turn too late. Men are on top of us before we can react.
thirty-four
. . .
Nell
“Fuck, this one bit me!”the soldier seated on top of me shouts. He punches me square in the jaw and the world flickers for a second. My head drops back and he fucking laughs at my slackened, defeated state.
I try to stay alert, but remaining conscious is the best I can do for now. Two men restrain me and tie up my wrists. Bradshaw fights viciously. Our eyes catch multiple times as he thrashes and stabs a few of them with his knife. It’s not a fair fight—ten to one.
He doesn’t have a chance, but he takes out three of them before they get a hold of him. If they were intending to kill us we’d already be dead. The dread of what’s to become of us builds inside my chest.
Bradshaw is thrown to the ground and three soldiers dressed in black Hades gear use the back of their guns to break his body. All I can do is watch as silent tears fall from my eyes. Bradshaw grunts and protects his head as his ribs and back get the brunt of the assault.
Part of me breaks as I watch them ruin my cruel, lovely partner. In these moments that feel like eternity, I realize that this might be it for him. With each groan and pained glance he steals at me, my heart shatters irrevocably.
“That’s enough. We needbothof them alive,” snaps one of the soldiers. The others stop and chuckle as they lift up Bradshaw. His head hangs as they force him to walk between them. Bradshaw can barely stay on his feet. He watches me through swollen eyes and blood that trickles down his face. The man carrying me tosses me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes—his arms are hooked around my knees while my torso hangs down his back.
I wish I could hear Bradshaw’s thoughts. I know I should be thinking of how to get out of this situation, but all I can ponder is what his kisses would be like in a life different than this. What books he hasn’t read yet. How many nights we’d stay up late and watch TV until we fall asleep.
I hold onto those warm dreams for as long as I can, but they fade as we’re taken to their fortress. The forest breaks and opens to a meadow. A lake sparkles in the moonlight in the distance. But the fortress is by far the most gripping sight.
The building looks new, the walls still untouched by the weather. The frame is cream-colored and modern, with black vertical windows, doors, and edges. It’s in the shape of a rectangle and the smooth matted surface almost makes it look like a natural rock formation. Once we get closer, the camouflaged exterior paint is more noticeable and it’s evident how they’ve been able to keep such a low profile out here. Armed men stand every twenty feet of the damn place and my hopes sink further into my chest as we pass four auto-locking doors.
What the fuck is this place? Who pays for all of this?The soldier finally sets me on my feet once we reach an elevator.Bradshaw is kept from entering and it’s just me and two soldiers in the contained space.
A surge of panic rushes through me at the idea of being separated from him and I thrash, screaming and fighting to get to Bradshaw. His head is limp. Tousled, blood-smeared hair and flexed shoulders are all I get to see before the doors close.
My body stills and the men wrestle me back between them. “Damn, that was cold. He didn’t even look at you.” The one that carried me chuckles. His eyes move down my figure and it raises the hair on the back of my neck. He cups a hand between my thighs.
Bile rises in my throat. I know what happens to hostages in remote, untouchable places like this one. I keep my mouth shut and try not to give away the terror circling inside my chest. These monsters like it when you’re afraid. They get off on it.
I shut my eyes and ignore him as he continues to fondle me and whispers disgusting promises for what’s to come later tonight in my cell.Stay calm. You’ve trained for this.Techniques on ripping off a dick from a male’s body filter through my mind and keep me relatively calm.
It’s a mercy when the doors finally open on the B4 floor.We’re underground.At least the soldiers aren’t being unnecessarily violent with me. I’ll remember that when I’m killing them. I’ll make it quick for the ones who don’t touch me.Handsy,however, I’ll gut the motherfucker after I cut his dick off and shove it down his throat.
The fourth level down is the cell block. It’s the nicest mini prison I’ve ever seen and I’ve witnessed my share of how degrading and filthy they can be. It’s clear these have never been used. The white tiles are shiny and reflect the bright fluorescent lights above. The cells aren’t barred except for a small square at the top middle of each door for communication. Our footstepsecho in the empty hall; only one armed guard stands by the elevator.
