Page 76 of Captured By the Monsters
SERA
It took a few hours, but finally the telltale sound of rumbling alerted us to our ride out of here.
The shuttle descended from the opening in the hole, and the sight of it made my stomach clench. I pulled out Sylan’s hold and raced over as the hatches opened. To my surprise, there were only two women inside of the five-seat shuttle.
Where were the other three?
The girls startled in their seats when I appeared, staring at me with round eyes of wonder. I could imagine how they felt, expecting to see monsters but instead seeing a fellow human first thing.
“Everything you know is a lie!” I blurted out.
Smooth. Real smooth, Sera.
Behind me, my Trifecta walked up, and Rowen snorted. “You might need to give them a bit more information, Sera.”
If possible, the girls’ eyes grew even wider at the sight of my monsters.
I rushed to explain more before they freaked out. “The Above, everyone, everything, it’s all untrue! The leader is telling us all lies about what’s going on down here in Para—I mean, The Below. I have to go back up to make things right and end the oppression.”
One of the girls nodded. “It’s already begun,” she stated, swallowing sharply as she eyed my Trifecta warily.
Before I could question what she meant, the soft hiss of the hatches sounded, indicating they were about to close. It was going to return to The Above.
“Quick! Get in!” I yelled at my mates as I jumped in. They scrambled to follow suit, and we ended up in a jumbled mess. The shuttle was intended for five human women, never three gigantic monsters and three humans.
We somehow managed to position ourselves so that we were scrunched in the back with the two girls in their original seats, just as the shuttle started to ascend once more. I remember the flight going down was stomach-dropping, but it was no different going back up.
The darkness that surrounded us was disorienting, and I felt sick and queasy. Rowen was at my back, Axton to my left, and Sylan squished into my right. Behind me, Rowen rubbed soothingly against my back, and I clutched my crystal necklace anxiously.
Nobody said a word as we went up. It felt like an eternity, but eventually, we came to an opening that spit us back out into the caves from The Above. I recalled how dark they seemed when I first entered them on my trip to The Below, but now they seemed filled with light in comparison to the dark hole we’d just emerged from, the light growing even brighter as the shuttle silently sifted out of the caves and back into The Above.
The bright light of the sun pierced my eyes and I blinked painfully, not used to such intensity anymore. The light in Paratiisi was much gentler, soft glow. Allowing my stomach to settle first, I pushed myself up a little off of Rowen and moved closer to the girls, trying to pick up on their conversation.
“I’m sorry. What were you saying?” I asked, but both women seemed stricken. “Is everything alright?”
“We didn’t get out,” the one who had spoken before whispered. “We’re traitors now.”
My heart clenched at her words, and I felt terrible for putting either of them in such a predicament.
“It’s okay,” I soothed. “We’re going back to make this right.” The woman nodded, but she did not look reassured. “You mentioned something wrong with The Above?” I prompted.
This time the other woman answered. “The other three didn’t join us because there’s dissent.”
“Dissent?” I questioned while arching a brow.
“Yes. The rebels banded together and are fighting the leaders,” she muttered, flicking her eyes back and forth between my face and my Trifecta.
Although I understood the seriousness of her words, my heart soared with joy. The humans were fighting back! This was incredible news.
“And the three other girls?” I prompted.
“They decided to risk it and stay behind,” the first girl answered, “but I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t risk seeing my family tortured and killed before my own eyes if the rebels don’t win.”
I nodded. She didn’t have to explain to me—nobody wanted to see that. I knew the women were worried that by not getting out they would be killed, as would their families, but I was hoping that the presence of the Rumilus would turn the attention away from them.
If the rebels were rising up against the leader, it would surely cause enough chaos to distract from our arrival—at least, I hoped. I also hoped that it would be the perfect opening for my monsters and I to talk with the leader. To make changes that would appease everyone.
Before I could ask any more questions, the two girls started peppering me with theirs. I did my best to answer honestly and to disband all the lies that they had been fed. It was a lot to take in and even harder to believe, but the two girls seemed open to what I was saying.
