Uncaged (An Omegaverse Novella) (Open Novella Contest) (ONC Entry)

Chapter 20

 My head throbbed as I came to, the world around me dark, except for a small red pinpoint of light pointed directly at me from the corner. A camera, most likely there to let my captor know when I was awake.

The floor beneath me was cold, cement I guessed, as it leeched my bodies warmth from me. My clothes were gone, the rough floor scraping against tender skin. Shiver's raced through my body, making my many aches and pains flare up.

There wasn't an inch of my body that didn't ache or throb in some way. The last few days had been miserable, even if I could barely remember them. Foster's scent clung to my skin, making me want to gag as it brought back a rush of sensations I never wanted to remember.

My arms wrapped around me, trying to hug some warmth and comfort back into my body. How much longer were they going to keep me here?

Daven would be looking for me. I don't know how long they had left my phone on during the ride here, but I could only hope it had been enough for them to track it. I tried reaching out to him through our bond. I'd been able to feel his emotions faintly through it once or twice before. Now however the attempt just made me double over in pain, the throbbing in my head intensifying.

Tears rolled silently down my cheeks as I curled in on myself. The sound of sobbing soon reached the room I was in, confusing me. I hadn't been crying out loud, I knew better than to make any noise, less it upset Foster.

Painfully I rose to my feet, each step sending pain radiating through my core as I moved toward the door, a faint light coming in from under it.

Fear bubbled through my body, the only time I'd been able to hear anyone was if they stood just outside the door. Swallowing hard I forced myself to move and press my ear to the wood.

"Please! You can't do this!" The voice was faint, warped by the wood to be hard to distinguish, though it was faintly familiar. "I did what you asked me to, Foster please! He's all I have!"

The sound of sobbing grew louder, and underneath it there was a soft squalling sound, almost like that of a baby. Confusion at what I was hearing bubbled through me.

"Well maybe you should have thought of that before you let the girl get away, Mercury." I had expected to hear the deep timber of Foster's voice, not the high, almost nasally quality of a female. "You knew we wanted her just as much as that other useless omega."

Mercury! If that was Merc begging than surely... surely the sound of the baby must have been his son Aiden. But what girl did he let get away? The couldn't possibly have meant Ana could they?

"I'm sorry Mistress Veronica I forgot you wanted her as well! Please take it out on me but don't sell my Aiden!" Mercury's voice cut off, the sound of skin on skin hard to hear through the wooden door, but still unmistakable.

"Liar!" The female screamed sounding more than a bit unhinged. I struggled to place her. Veronica... I know I'd heard that name before. "You didn't forget you just wanted to make sure that a message was delivered to Daven. And because of that you will pay, starting with your son!"

Of course! Veronica was Daven's last mate's sister. How her and Foster had found each other was beyond me, but it was all slowly starting to make sense.

"Take that squalling welp to its new parents and this omega back to the breeding cells. He'll forget all about this as soon as we have him bred up again." Fear and horror cut me to the core. I'd known Foster was evil, but to hear that he was using his own brother for breeding was beyond horrendous.

My stomach turned, cramping when nothing was able to come out. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks, but even they didn't last that long thanks to dehydration.

Silence fell beyond my door, but I didn't imagine it meant the area was empty. How large Foster's network had grown I couldn't say, but I knew there were enough sick people out there that he had more than a few members of staff.

My hands pressed protectively to my stomach, as if to protect the maybe baby that I had been praying was there. Now all I could think about was how much I hoped I was wrong. Because if Daven didn't find me, and I was carrying, there was a frighteningly good chance that I'd lose my child either through the abuses, or not long after he or she was born.

Exhaustion must have pulled me under at some point, claiming my consciousness and pushing away my fears.

A jolt that seemed to run through the entire building woke me, panic racing through my tired body. My breathing caught, every inch of my body tensed, waiting to see what would happen next. Was the jolt real or just something from my own mind?

My racing heart struggled to slow back down when nothing else seemed to happen, the world falling silent once more. Maybe it had all just been a bad dream.

Curling back up, I closed my eyes, praying sleep would take over again. At least in my sleep I didn't hurt. I'd almost succeeded in when a crack louder than lightning echoed through my space. The sounds of screaming followed after, footsteps pounding through the halls.

Then I smelled it, a scent I'd prayed I'd never smell again.

Smoke.

Already the air seemed to thick, hard to breath as panic bubbled through my system. Each breath was becoming shallower. My heart raced, muscles screaming as I forced myself up and to the door once more.

The door wouldn't open, no matter how hard I twisted the handle, the wood seeming to become warmer under my hands. Frustration warred with the panic inside me.

This can't be happening! Not again!