ELBINA 3

Chapter 22

Chapter 22
I try not to think about the fact I'd been stupid enough to look back, letting myself slow down and letting myself be caught for a brief moment.
Because if I hadn't, then Nero wouldn't be bleeding out.
My heart aches, thumping hard in my chest trying to get blood to my muscles and it aches because I've left yet another person behind to die.
"Don't think. Just stay with me." Lucas coughs it out now, the run bringing out shit from his lungs that had probably been sucked in at the time of the explosion. I nod at him, skidding to a stop when I see armed figures pass ahead in the distance.
I quickly push him to the right, hoping we might be able to bypass them again. How did they keep finding us!?
We skid to a stop again, ahead are another set of them heading towards us and so we're forced to take the left.
"They're funnelling us Lucas." The panic sets in, it was obvious. Every way we went they were there, forcing us through different alleys until suddenly we broke out into open space. Ahead of us is an open warehouse, I almost want to stop because there is no one around.
Our footsteps slap loudly against the concrete in the silence of the space, there's not a single person around us. We had no other option but to go through the building, they were behind us, to the side of us. We had no other option but to keep running through in hopes that we could get out the other end.
His hand slips out of mine briefly as he slides open the door, rushing through but he doesn't take more than a few steps in before he's slammed to the ground. A breathy grunt forced out of him as my eyes followed his body sliding along the concrete floor.
Before whoever has chance to gain on him, I slam into them too. They fall to the ground in a heap having hit their head from the sudden drop.
"Lucas!" He's winded, sucking in as much air as he can and leaning on me once I've got him up.
"We have to keep moving." My voice starts shaking, watching the soldier stand up. I let Lucas go, pushing him away so I had enough space to fight. They come at me, reminding me of the girl I fought so long ago now. His movements sloppy and all based on brute force more than anything, I block each one. Swiping his unbalanced legs from under him and bringing him to the ground. Grabbing his handcuffs attached to his belt, I quickly secure them onto his wrists. 
The key stuck in and so I jam that in my pocket when Lucas pulls me with him, already the sounds of people filing through into the building. A thousand echoes of feet hitting the ground can be heard throughout the building but we had no idea where they were.
I pull him with me, a number of pallets either side of us that rise high up so we can't see anything.
"There's probably a door near the -" I'm cut off, the butt of a gun smacked into the side of my head the minute I pass the end of the aisle. It forces me to the ground in a heap, hitting the cold concrete as it takes me a few moments to grasp a hold of what just happened.
"You asshole!" I open my eyes, a slight fuzziness to them when I see Lucas getting kneed in the gut. He's pushed against the stacked pallets, a growl breaking from his lips when he fights more. His eyes dropping down to me on the ground, a panic setting in once he realises I'm finding it difficult to stand.
My knees crumble beneath for a few tries whilst he still fights off the other soldier.
COME ON
Finally, I shake my head clear. Grabbing hold of the pallets to the side of me as a means to pull myself up. Which is when the soldier is dropped to the floor between us, a sweaty and worn out Lucas looking back at me.
"The door." I try, it comes out quieter this time though. I'm still reeling from the hit a little. It made following him even more difficult, his hand keeping me up by my elbow.
"Hold on Ella. We're nearly there," Until suddenly, when we turn the final corner. He stops suddenly, skidding to a halt so I trip into the back of him.
His arm circled behind him, keeping me there and keeping me between him and the soldier in front of our escape route. A smile on their face telling me that we weren't making it out of this building no matter what.
He steps back away, head flitting between any other escape routes but before we can think of anything else a pair of hands grabs me from behind.
Lucas' grip slips from me as I'm dragged back away from him, my knees crumble beneath me.
"NO!" He goes to step forward but he's hit down too by the one who was guarding the door. His body slams to the ground quick,
I'm knocked to the ground, a boot pressed down into my ribcage so I let out a breathy shout of pain.
"STOP! JUST STOP!" Lucas shouts.
And he keeps shouting, an ache in his voice from seeing the soldier pull me up and slam me against the pallets. My body sliding to the ground under my weak legs.
By that time, another one has arrived. Both of them grabbing me and pulling me up onto my feet, I use the last of my energy to fight them. It doesn't do anything, they only drag me with more force back along the aisle till we reach the open space where we'd first entered.
The more of a break I have the more energy that I get, my head whirring away trying to get back to normal from the hit.
"Lucas?" I shout into the air away from me, not sure where he is until they force me to the ground onto my knees.
"I'm right here." He's somewhere behind me, my gut churning as we wait.
Arden's voice suddenly speaks behind me, light and airy in the atmosphere, "Turn her around so she can see."
This time I fight, when they try to bring me up to turn me I kick at them forcing one to drop me and giving me enough leeway to swipe out his legs. It was easy enough, none of these soldiers had a good stance. And then I turn over my arm, so the other grip on my wrist stays put but I end up twisting his arm behind him in one quick movement.
"Enough, Elbina." She chuckles,
"Ella, watch it!" Lucas shouts from the ground, he was right of course. The one I swiped to the ground is back up and aiming for me. Quickly I pressed down hard on the other one's arm, his painful shout echoing into the space and dropping him in time to avoid another hit. It isn't until I've got him in his own headlock that I kick him at the back of the legs and force him down onto his knees.
"Come on guys," She sounds frustrated, "What am I paying your salaries for!?" Before I can stop it, there's another three soldiers pulling me off the other one and by the time they manage to force me off him he slumps to the ground unconscious.
My breathing comes out erratic, pulling as hard as I can against them all but it's like I'm chained down to the ground. My knees aching under the pressure of their weights pushing down on me.
"Boy, did you guys make that interesting. Most would have just waited, at least you gave my soldiers a run for their money." I glance up, her eyes twinkle with humour above me.
"Did you train them?" I said, a hint of taunting. "Because they're a bit shit if you ask me."
I receive a twist of the arm for that, a groan falling from my lips.
"They still got you didn't they." She steps closer,
"Only because you outnumbered us fifteen to three." It comes out as a hiss, and she shrugs in response.
"It's not my fault you were ill-prepared."
She stalks towards Lucas this time, "You're friends mighty tough too,"
"Get away from him!" I wince when they twist my arm again, a warning from them not to interfere.
"He'd have been a great soldier, don't you think?" I don't say anything to that and neither does Lucas. But I see his expression from here, I keep mouthing that I'm sorry. His head shakes on instinct until my eyes catch the reflecting light of a gun.
"Shame really." A sigh falling from her lips standing beside him. The gun thunking metallically in the room as she looks at the cartridge before snapping it shut.
"DON'T HURT HIM!"

Her head snaps to mine, a smile growing further on her lips. "Hurt him? Oh no, Elbina... I'm not going to hurt him." I breathe harshly as I watch her step closer to me this time, the gun in hand.
The grip on my arms won't let up, the more I struggle the more they twist my arms into my back.
"You can do that for me."
"What are you talking about?" I spit at her.
"You know very well what I mean." I tilt my head up to see her, the closer she steps the more painful it is.
All at the same time, as I watch her bend down and balance on her toes in front of me, I envision Nathaniel doing exactly the same.
Slowly, a gun is slid onto the floor. The metal grating against the concrete as it's edged towards me.
"You're going to shoot him for me. And don't get any funny ideas, one slip up and we'll kill him. But it won't be as quick, believe me... I know how to make a man suffer." The sweat seeps down the side of my head, mixing in with the blood. Suddenly her eyes flick over to them behind me and I'm dropped to the floor.
My cheek in contact with the cold metal, stinging away and terrifying.
I look up, he's staring back just as scared.
"Get up."
I can't look away from Lucas, my knees and arms stuck to the floor unable to move.
I'm too scared.
I can't do it... So where the fuck do I go from here?
"GET UP!" She drags me up onto my knees, shoving the gun into my hands with a thud against my chest.
Her eyes dead set on me before it curls into a god forsaken smile, running her thumb along the edge of my jaw forcing me to flinch from her touch.
I gulp the more she looks at me, "It's time."
Fuck, the tears are surfacing.
I don't want to.
"No." I almost pleaded with her but even now I'm too stubborn too... And I didn't think it would make a difference.
"Get on with it, it's not like you haven't done something like this before... Is it?" I shake my head, my cheeks wet at the sheer volume of tears falling from my eyes.
"I didn't do anything to you so why are you doing this to us?... I didn't ask for any of it." She pulls me up now, so I stumble on the ground beneath me.
My hands still clutching at the gun at my chest, unsure what to do with it so I hold it tighter in my grasp to try relieve some of the fear.
She shrugs, "No, you probably don't deserve this."
"But... You are a Milderson, and Mildersons are the ones who tried to ruin a good thing. MY good thing... And my pride just cannot let that go."
I take a step back, trapped by the soldiers behind me. "I can't hurt him."
"Of course you can. It's easy..." She leans forward, whispering into my ear with a smile on her lips. "Put him out of his misery."
"No. I can't-" I try again but she cuts me off and the soldiers push me forwards, preventing me from escaping.
"No, Elbina... that's not what I'm looking for." She shoves me towards him, the gun still in my hands.
He's shaking on the ground, breathing heavy through the pain and the fear.
She pushes me closer until I practically stand over him.
Why isn't he saying anything?
He's silent below just waiting and it's fucking terrifying.
I shouldn't have asked him to come, I should have deterred him to another part of the country where he'd have been safe.
Safe from this and now... Safe from me.
"If you don't, do you want to know what I'll cut first?"
No.
"I like to start with the eye." She circles me till she's standing in front of me, "it's the most sensitive part of the body, incredibly painful when you've scratched the surface. It'll be agony. Every blink is painful, every move of the head... He'll never get away from it."
I'm sorry.
I can't look at him.
I'm sorry.
"Then I'll go down to the obvious places, but I'm sure you can use your imagination."
She manoeuvres my hand around the gun, fitting the handle into the palm of my hand. My grip was shaking under her hand covering mine.
"Make the right choice, although of course I have a preference."
No.
No
Don't make me.
Do I have a choice?
If I don't, it'll be more painful.
And if it were me... Would I prefer this over the latter?
I already know my answer.
But that's my answer, not his.
I can't do this.
She grabs my wrist, my arm limp unsure what to do as my eyes flick around the room to the others standing watching us, each with their own weapon ready and waiting.
Slowly, the gun makes contact with his shoulder, I let it rest there too afraid to move and resisting her.
"No, no." She raises my arm further. "Right there, wouldn't want to prolong it." I let out a muffled sob, sucking in a sharp breath as the butt of the metal edges along the black hairs on his head. The more I shake the more the hair moves, I'm looking at him through blurry eyes now as well.
"Now do it."
Suddenly he manages to raise his head, it's the worst thing I've ever seen..
Don't smile.
Not that smile.
Those dimples, he's trying to make this okay for me.
Even though I can see him shaking, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallows down emotions.
"Do it!" She shouts at me, moving further to the side watching me.
His eyes turning to the gun etching against his head, they're wide as they take it in for a moment.
It's gone as soon as it came.
Before he's looking back at me, and he smiles again even if it wobbles slightly.
Cause he's looking at me like it's fine, like I should do what she says.
But I'm selfish because I can't do it, even if it'll be what he wants.
I shake my head at him, tears forming at his eyelids, pooling and threatening to escape.
"DO IT!"
Stop shouting!
I close my eyes, trying to imagine anything but this. Trying to pretend this isn't happening whilst her shouts become more aggressive.
I open them again, those innocent eyes staring back blurred and he's nodding partly.
I'm sorry.
I'm a coward.
I can't do this.
I can't do this.
I can't fucking do this!
"DO IT!" She smacks me over the back of the head so I jolt.
My finger over the trigger.
I let out another shuddered breath, too afraid to say anything to him.
Too afraid to say goodbye, I wasn't ready to.
I close my eyes.
I can't do it.
I can't do it.
I can't do it.


CLICK.


Nothing.
I open my eyes.
Nothing.
I let out a gasp of a breath and I dropped the gun to the ground, clattering against the gravel.
Shuddered breaths that don't bring air into my lungs begin, they don't do anything but make me feel like I'm suffocating.
I'm hyperventilating, falling back a step with my hands to my face and hiding away from it.
I did it.
I can't believe I did it.
My hands are shaking over my mouth, running along my skin with the rough texture. Tripping over my weak knees and falling onto the floor.
And I stare at him feeling sick.
"There you go, that wasn't too hard... Was it?"
I can't stop crying, her taunting voice echoing in my ear but it doesn't matter.
I did it.
I pulled the trigger.
Me.
A whirling of helicopters can be heard in the distance, relentless and circling around the city. Looking for something, but it's certainly not us.
They pull me up again, dragging me towards them and I don't put up much of a fight.
A mumble of voices in the air around me, except all I can hear is Arden's malicious words as they drag me behind her to god knows where.
"Shame really. I really should have checked the bullets beforehand, guess he'll just have to die with you." I can't look at him, in the corner of my eye being pushed forwards too.
Because I pulled the trigger.
I gave up on him.
"Poetic really, don't you think?" She grabs the gun from the floor before we're following her.
Now that she's had her fun.
Now that she's broken the last part of my humanity.
I already feel dead inside, and she knew that.
So I don't put up a fight anymore.
I trudge along behind her, barely pushed by them anymore whilst Lucas shouts in frustration behind me.
But I'm done.