The Masks We Wear (Rewrite)

Prologue

"Sometimes hope is all we have."

~Robert M. Drake

Drip... Drip...

All too often, the only sound that permeated the dusty walls of the underground slums concealed just under the bustling capital of Mitras was the water that dripped from the sections of exposed pipe that littered the sky of dirt and rock. One such section happened to have a leak that dripped perfectly through one of the numerous holes in the ceiling of my makeshift prison, the repetitive sound only heightened by the drugs that had been forced through my system.

How long had I even been trapped here? Months? Years? Days and nights were hard to track in the underground for the average person. In my drug-induced haze, keeping track of time was impossible, and I had long since given up on trying. My only coherent thoughts were rare and solely focused on escaping, on getting out of this hell-hole alive. But my captors knew better, and I was kept drugged to the point of delirium almost constantly, kept just lucid enough when necessary for me to service the men they sold me to when the drugs had left me needing the high to reduce the pain of withdrawals.

Like a starved dog, I was made to crave the opiates they would inject me with, only for them to refuse me the drug in order to make me desperate and... weak. Weak... Weak to the drugs. Weak to the lack of sunlight that affected my body every day I was in this hell. Weak to the men that captured me in the first place. And worst of all, I was weak to the men that they sold me to because I was weak to the idea of death. I didn't want to die. Not here. Not like this. How many times had this horrid cycle repeated itself? How much longer till I found a way to escape? Would I ever escape...? No, I was weakened, but not so weak that I could give up on escaping. What would Er-

"Hey, Angel. Got you a new customer. He's real excited and is paying good money for you to be hand-delivered to him," the slimy voice of my captor, Friar Reed, a tall, burly thug infamous in the underground black market for selling "the best women in the business," completely broke my already unstable train of thought. He bragged about this fact often if only to remind me that he was making loads of money from selling my body.

The first time he had done so, I had tried to strike him only to be immediately reminded that without my ODM gear and with the effects of the drugs, I had no chance again the bastard. I was knocked out at the time and woke up to a searing pain between my legs that made me sick as I realized my innocence had been taken while I was knocked out. The thought still sickened me, but since I wanted to survive, I had to accept it and utilize the one advantage I had in this situation: my body. If I played the part long enough, an opportunity would arise, and I would escape. I had to believe that. If I didn't, I was as good as dead.

With that in mind, I needed to fully utilize this rare chance to escape the disgusting damp closet space I was confined to. Utilizing a meek smile that I had unfortunately mastered during my time here, I looked up through my strawberry blonde lashes, my clouded blue eyes just barely meeting his, knowing better not to look him straight in the eyes. At that moment, I was the prey, and the man in front of me was my predator, or in his eyes, my master. That was only solidified when a metal collar was secured around my neck with a thick rope attached to it along with my almost always shackled hands and feet.

"Yes, sir. I'll be sure to treat him well," I answered in a soft voice, and the self-satisfied chuckle that rumbled from the man's chest made me want to hurl, but I kept my same soft and meek mask plastered onto my face, praying that somehow my opportunity would arise for me to escape before it cracked. Because if my mask cracked, there was a good chance it, along with me, would shatter to dust.

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The lights of the underground seemed almost too bright considering that I hadn't seen light outside of the cracks in the ceiling of my prison in what had to have been nearly a week. I knew I had no sense of time at this point, but I still tried for short periods of time. The dirt streets were full of small pockets of people, perfect for the various pickpocketing children that could be seen weaving in and out of the groups as though they were lost and looking for their parents. Despite my drugged state, I tried to pay close attention to my surroundings. I was a soldier before any of this shit, and luckily, my instincts were not completely gone.

Whirr! Whirr!

That sound... It was familiar but made no sense to hear in the underground. I heard Friar curse under his breath and paid attention as the streets started to clear quickly.

"Damn Levi and his wannabe thugs caught the attention of the fucking military," I heard him curse quietly, and it took all of my willpower not to freeze or react outwardly to what I was certain I was not supposed to hear. The military... That meant that it could be someone who could help me if it was someone I knew or who knew my older brother. The thought would have almost made me laugh if I hadn't been so desperate for a semblance of hope.

To my surprise, the sound of ODM gear snapped to stop behind us on the large and mostly empty road. Unable to stop my reaction, my head snapped to the direction of the sound, and a flash of sandy blonde hair among a puddle of forest green cloaks caught my attention. It couldn't be... Why would he be here? Please... Let me be right on this... A strong tug on my collar brought me back to the reality that my escape was far from guaranteed. I wasn't even sure my voice in my weakened state would even reach the soldiers or if they would even care, but I had to try. This could be my last chance.

With that thought I turned to Friar and lifted my knee with as much strength and as high as I could with the shackles on my ankles to hit him directly in the balls, before turning and yelling out with as much volume as I could, surprising even myself.

"ERWIN!!!"

A gunshot sounded immediately after, muffled by the adrenaline rushing through my abused veins as my vision blurred to where I could just barely make out the wave of green rushing towards me as my skull met the pavement and everything went dark.

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