Apocalypse of the Pretty - a Marcus and Martinus fanfiction

Rebels

The sudden light made me squint my eyes. It was overwhelming, after having been in the dark for so long. The base had been much closer than I had anticipated, but it was a welcome surprise to arrive in time for a proper meal. The sight of a stew cooking over a fireplace in one corner was so beautiful, I wanted to cry. But that wouldn't be proper, given the fact that we were in a completely foreign environment. These people would, no doubt, use anything possible to turn against us. They had absolutely no reason to trust us, given the fact that we beat the hell out of three of their men, and then proceeded to drag them to their base. I sighed, and closed my eyes, collecting myself. When I opened them again, I found myself much calmer, and able to walk through the door without fear. Though the fear from before had been an unwelcome companion, it had still been a companion, and I felt empty without it. I took a deep breath, and walked through the open door, into the lit room. I dragged the bound rebels behind me, into the room. Marcus followed, supporting his brother.

As we stepped into the cave, heads turned at the sounds of our feet. Eyes widened, and people whispered together. Someone shouted an order in code, and we were suddenly surrounded by men and women carrying guns, the weapons aimed at us. A man walked towards us, the fighters parting to let him through. He was tall, and had a solid build, with wide, well muscled shoulders. His greying hair was cropped short. A scar ran through his left eyebrow, and past his eye, stopping at his jaw. It gave him a menacing look, yet his face was handsome. I gulped, and backed up, tightening my grip on our catch. It sent a jolt of pain up my back, forcing me to stay put, no matter how hard my instincts told me to flee. To run, and never go back, no matter how scarred my feet might become. I gasped in pain, trying to draw air into my lungs. The man in front of me looked down at my frail figure, disgust in his eyes. There was something else, too, something I couldn't quite define. I groaned, before straightening. I sent a new wave of pain through my body, but all I could do was grit my teeth and wait it out.
"Sir," I said, once able to breathe.
"If you would allow me to introduce myself, my name's Noora, this is Marcus, and Martinus." I continued, pointing at the boys in turn.
"Your men here, they have been following us for the last couple of days. We're runaways, and so they had no reason to do so. Anyways, a couple of days after we entered the caves, we started hearing footsteps. And then, two days ago, I think, we were caught. Your men, they dragged us, me'n Martinus, that is, away from Marcus. And this, let me show you, is what the did to us." I paused, to turn around and show them my wounds. I pulled up my dress, not caring that they would see my underwear. Where there before had been quiet chatter, there was now a silence so heavy it was stifling. I let the fabric fall, letting it cover me completely, before turning around. The whole room had their gaze focused on me. The older man studied me with an unreadable expression, a slight frown marked with a line of wrinkles on his forehead.
"I apologize on behalf of my people. They did not follow our rules of behavior, and will be punished as written in our set of rules. You three will be taken care of for the time being, and then, when you are well, we shall figure out what to do with you." He paused, seemingly looking around for someone in the crowd.
"Anna!" He yelled, and an elderly lady emerged from the crowd.
"Sir?" Her voice was sweet and soft, and her face was warm and welcoming. Her cheeks were blushed, probably from the heat of the fire. I assumed she had been making food, seeing as she was wearing an apron over her clothes.
"Would you take care of these three? Give them medical attention, get them a room, and such. And I'd like to take my dinner with them, if you'd take care of that as well." The man said.
"Yessir." Anna replied, before turning to us.
"Come, children. We'll have you fixed up in no time." She said, as she scurried us out of the crowd, towards a lit hallway. I took Martinus' hand, nervously squeezing it, a feeble attempt of comfort.

As we walked further into the hall, the light began to fade and darkness engulfed us. We walked past several openings in the rough walls, and I assumed they were entryways to sleeping quarters. They were all dark, empty, and so when light shone out of one of them, I assumed this was our destination. My assumption turned out to be correct, for Anna walked into the room, motioning for us to follow. Observing the room, I noted that there were several beds, in a long row against the farthest wall. Curtains hang around them, most likely for privacy. This must be the hospital wing. It was close to empty, with only two of the beds occupied. In one, a sleeping female lay, her long black hair a billowing curtain around her head. In the other, a dark haired boy sat, reading peacefully. He looked up from his book when we entered, curiously scanning our features, one by one. He reached me last. Our eyes met. His dark eyes widened in shock. I shook my head, desperately trying to get my mind to tell me it was deceit. But it wasn't. I took a step back. He ran a hand through his shoulder length hair, cursing under his breath, distress clear in his handsome features. Fuck. This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not now.