Killer Empire

Chapter 12

THE CHOPPER WHIRLED loudly, the sound of its spinning blades and trembling vehicle thumping rhythmically in Devora's ears even as she drifted in and out of consciousness. The nights hadn't been forgiving to her and having spent many hours awake, her fatigue was finally taking a toll on her attention span and energy.

They've been flying for what felt like hours but there still weren't any signs of nearing their destination much less landing anytime soon. It certainly didn't help that the whole cabin was a dead eerie silence, furthering Devora's need to succumb to sleep.

After the verbal fight that had broken down when they had taken off, neither one of the siblings had spoken ever since. Travis had been staring emotionlessly at the metal bars that were right next to their feet, his eyes unwavering as if he was stuck in a trance. Leah, on the other hand, had been fidgety the entire journey. Her eyes kept darting back and forth, examining her surroundings cautiously as if making sure that the men that were seated a single wall away from her would not bust in and take her out with a bullet through her skull. She had already stripped the entire aircraft's interior bare with her eyes but it didn't seem like she was satisfied no matter how long she observed. The possibility of ending up like her own younger sister played with her nerves, filling her with anxiety that reflected in her actions and behavior.

The final person in the cabin, Nathan, was now a silent statue. He had moved away from the window that separated the men in suits from the prisoners, now seated in a corner far back and away from all three of them. He didn't move that far away, of course, and if it was needed, he was still within range for him to easily pull out a gun and shoot them down. Nonetheless, when crouched in a dark corner with his eyes trained to his own two feet, fingers fiddling, and jaw clenched, Devora felt utterly unnerved at the sight.

Out of her three current companions, the one she trusted the least was Nathan. He was a wild card that could switch faces as quickly as he needed to as soon as the situation called for it. One moment he could be laughing and offering words of advice. In another moment, he could pull out a gun and aim straight for a person's vital points. What's more, Nathan was also the only one out of the four of them with a loaded weapon that could take their lives within seconds.

Devora didn't dare to speak up first. She didn't want to be the first one to start a conversation with such a questionable group of people. Some of them hated her guts while others she couldn't trust. There was no use in being friendly nor cordial. What's more, one wrong word could cost her the lives of everyone in the cabin. The blood on her hands would only increase, including her own.

Even drifting in and out of sleep hadn't been easy. The seats were deadly uncomfortable. The bars of metal dug into her skin and muscle, pressing against her bony hips. She had no shoulder to lean on, no pillow to cuddle with, and not even an even surface for her to lie on. What's more, they had been flying for who-knows-how-long and it was starting to make her feel nauseous. Her stomach gurgled every time the aircraft lurched a little, her ears popping and eyes watering from the desire to retch her guts out. However, there wasn't anything for her to heave out. She hadn't had a proper meal in too long.

When she awoke once more it was to the sound of creaking metal and a steady hum of the engines. She cracked one eye open as a warm hand snaked around her shoulders, pulling her into a comfortable embrace.

"Are you cold?" Nathan asked.

She was, very. The high altitude brought about dipping temperatures and the cold metal against her thighs served as another bitter reminder of her discomfort. However, no matter how uncomfortable she felt or how sinfully pleasant Nathan's embrace was, she refused to seek solace in his arms. It was her fault. She should've asked who was the one that had him save her. If she had known that it was such a questionable team... If she had known... What would she have done differently?