DIVISION 52 - BOOK I

CHAPTER XVII

– M A K A Y L A –

I woke with a start in darkness.

A sharp pain stabbed at my stomach and throbbed my head at same moment. Then everything from the past 24 hours came rushing back... All the death. The fear. Everything.

Everything she had caused. I gritted my teeth in pain. Never, in my life had I been put through such hideous horrors as the ones I witnessed then. My eyes flicked around the darkened room and I knew I was in that cursed room that I had once been in. Only this time I was not only eager to leave but eager to end the monster's life known as Scorpion.

Movement caught my eye in the darkness and I hadn't notice the shadow slumped in the chair near to the bed. My fear dissolved as I soon realised the figure was asleep.

I glanced around the room looking for anything. A weapon at least.

The shadow remained motionless once more with a thick hood drawn over the face. A guard no doubt assigned to make sure I don't cause any trouble...

I'll cause trouble alright.

I silently edged out of the bed and searched for anything sharp. Unlikely that they'd leave anything to chance but--I suddenly caught the glint of a dagger hanging at the figure's hip. I slowly edged towards the sleeping form. As slowly as possible, I removed the blade from the sheath and gripped it tightly.

My eyes traced over the shadow again.

I had to be sure... With one hand holding the dagger, I used my other to shakily draw back the hood. I suppressed my gasp as soon as it fell away from her face.

Of course. It had to be her.

She was completely at peace. It was as if the cold faced killer had never existed. My hand shook even more as I kept it hovering over her. I grit my teeth. No. This was the same heartless woman that left me in some god-forsaken hell knowing that I was as good as dead. She didn't care. She probably only kept me alive so that she could use me to whatever end...

I willed steel into my veins as I held the dagger tighter and pressed the cold metal against her neck.

Her eyes flashed open the moment it touched.

I flinched but held it in place. Those golden irises darted between my blue ones in the dark bedroom. It felt like an eternity of us just staring at each other. Then she moved. Not in the way I expected.

She pressed her neck closer to the blade and grabbed the hand that held the dagger.

"Do it." She whispered.

I frowned into the darkness.

"Wh—"

"No one would stop you." She continued barely above a murmur. "Many more will die at my hand, you know this."

"So that means I have to become like you?" I gritted out in a growl. "Become a killer."

She watched me as if she was trying to peer into my soul. "Sometimes we become the things we hate the most to salvage the things we love the most."

My breathing hitched in my throat.

"And who did you become a monster for, Scorpion?" I asked quietly.

Her eyes seemed to go far away for a moment. An endless sadness had found its way within them and I had a sudden urge to wrap my arms around her and never let go.

"It's in the past." She said. "The things I've done... the things I will do, they're not in the name of anyone anymore." Her eyes found mine again and they burned with intensity. "So, I suppose now I truly am a monster. Because all of these things are now meaningless."