On the day martial law is announced and put into effect, the whole city of Nova Aria is on fire.
Lou is stuck on her way home from work. She calls Robert, her distant ex-boyfriend for help, right before a bus crashes into her car. Little does Lou k...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I heard metal scraping against metal. Cold, hard sounds that drilled into my brain. Strong winds constantly blew my hair all over my face. The sterile smell reminded me of the hospital, but it couldn't be right. We had already left.
Something moved in front of me, wiggling in and out of shape. Blue and sparkle. I had a headache every time I tried to focus on it, but I couldn't stop. I wanted to know what it was.
"Ugh, what..."
I opened my mouth, but my own voice made me wince. It sounded a thousand miles away but, at the same time, right inside my head. It felt as if someone had shoved me in a can, then banged on it from the outside. Suppressed whispers from an unidentified source were the next thing that came to me. Whoever was talking seemed to try their best not to scream.
"Damn, what's that?" I mumbled, then winced again.
My body was twisted in such an unnatural way that I couldn't feel my arms and legs, but, at least, I could slowly see better.
I was tied to a chair, hanging by the edge of a giant swimming pool. A groan startled me. Biting my lip, I turned in that direction.
Next to me, on another chair, was Vince. His head was off to the side. His mouth gaped open. My brother's tall body draped on the chair like a dead fish. His face and hair were covered in blood. I wanted to turn away, but my eyes were glued to the blinding red.
"Vince...Wake up...Please..." Panic rose in me as I realized the whispers had stopped.
I heard footsteps. Small and controlled paddings. The person moved with feline grace. I didn't know who would walk like that.
"You're awake!"
The familiar chirpy voice made me jump. The person stood there with their back to the light. I could only make out a thin silhouette.
"Oh honey, did you say something?"
The person came closer and hunched down with their hands on their knees. We were almost nose to nose. A wide, friendly smile plastered the familiar beautiful face.
Meg was barefoot. There was something not quite right in her turquoise-colored eyes. When the woman pulled out a pistol from the back of her dress and cocked it, I couldn't mistake this situation for anything good or normal.
Meg hummed the same tune she had done in the car while playing with her gun. Her eyes glanced at her watch every so often.
My neck was sore and stiff. Dizziness overwhelmed my senses. It wouldn't leave me alone. Another groan from Vince turned fear into anger.
"Who are you? Why are you doing this to us?" I asked.
"Shhhhh...One question at a time, honey. Don't exert yourself."
Her sweet voice drove me crazy. This morning—if I assumed right, and it was still the same day—we had not even known about her existence. Now, we were tied like two pieces of ham by her. Talk about craziness.
Meg tiptoed over and sat by the pool with the gun in her hand. Her toes dipped into the water.
"Ooh, hot day!" Meg pointed the gun at my face and laughed. She sounded like a wind chime. "Aren't you a feisty one, Lou? Right from the start, I knew you were trouble! Your brother... Not so much. Well, for a start, my name is Meg, really." She giggled and looked down at her watch again. "I was sent here to ask your daddy a few questions, but ooh, he is a tough one to crack, and I've tried every trick in the book. Oh, come on, lighten up!"
Meg laughed at my disgusted expression. Her phone rang out of nowhere, saving me from the conversation, but the next thing that came out of her mouth got all of my attention.
"Hello... Oh, yes. The cubs are here. They are ready for the delivery." She tapped a finger on her chin, then handed the phone to me. "Do you want to say hi to your Daddy, honey?"
