World of Hiroku

4. it hurts me

"Do it, bitch," Celeste spat at her and broke free of her grip. She jumped on the table and kicked back Olga in her useless armor onto the floor across from her. Celeste's neck bleed hot blood and dripped heavily onto her leather attire. She screamed and moved on top of Olga, sending chains of rubies flying around her.

"Gladly," Olga hissed through her teeth. Celeste brought another powerful hit to her cheek, then another on her nose. The room smelled of iron and made Willow's stomach turn.

Olga's hand covered with flames touched them to the side of Celeste's arm and dragged down, hard and hot. The skin on Celeste's arm looked much like the bubbling burns on Willow from last night, only larger and more cooked. The rest of the girls in the room shrilled and gasped, jumping back away from the action and miss fire. Celeste cried out but she continued to grab the hidden dagger on her belt and slashed Olga's chest repeatedly. In reaction, Olga smoldered bright with red fire.

"No!" Willow heard a girl call out.

Willow quickly leaped from her chair. She can still feel the heat as she moved to the corner of the room ready to fight for her own life. She balled her hands in tight fists, hoping it doesn't come to that.

The hall doors burst open, and Eshan rushed in. The person Willow hated the most. The nastiest thing of them all.

"Stop!" He shouted and everyone jolted afraid of what he'll do if they disobeyed. Guards in silver suits with his crest on their chest filed in. One of them went to the fighting pair and yanked Celeste off by her hair. The guard was quickly met with a swift elbow to the groin.

"Enough of this," Eshan stated harshly. He looked over at Olga, laying on the floor in her own pool of blood weakly breathing. Willow saw his breath quicken as the rage continued to grow inside of him. His hand clenched closed and rapidly tightened, turning white.

Gina shook and bowed down to the king. Birdy lowered her eyes, kneeling to the floor. Willow took a shaky breath trying to stop the cold tears from falling on her face. The tears had already stained the new article of clothing. She pushed herself closer against the wall, hoping- urging herself to disappear.

"You idiot!" Lucy screamed, appearing from the edge of nowhere. She rushed to Olga's side and looked sharply at Celeste who continued to shake off the guards- that tried their best efforts- to restrain her. Just as quickly as Celeste's anger had consumed her, leaving its mark of destruction, it left. Her eyes glassy with regret, she looked over the corner to see Willow's eyes wide, making her doll like appearance more vivid.

"Esha- my dear King, please forgive this reckless act... it was made from an ungodly anger... p-p-please just help her," Lucy cried in hysteria. Her long, honey colored, bangs cling to her clammy skin. She picked up Olga and placed her in her lap changing its white color to red. She shuddered as she took Olga's limp hand and squeezed it in hers. "She needs help! My God Eshan please!"

"Get away from her and leave. Now." The kings stare brought a shiver down Willow's spine, his response just as cold. Lucy took her free hand and moved Olga closer her chest then stroked her cheek softly.

"No," she replied with a quivering lip. Olga coughed blood and almost instinctively Lucy wiped it away and pushed her raven back. "Oh my sweet baby, my poor sweet child. It's okay, you'll be okay. Shhhh," She told her, squeezing her even tighter, watching as the slash marks ooze more dark liquid. She held her limp body into a hug and cried into Olga's shoulder.

"You monster! You horrible creature! You- defiled- y-you made her this way!" Lucy screamed between breaths and tears. Willow wasn't sure if she was talking to Celeste, or the man who stood before everyone not doing anything to help. Whoever it was, Lucy spoke as if she had nothing more to lose. He raised his arm and the guards that entered with him departed.

The King moved to Lucy and placed his hand around her throat, clenching it. "Know your place," he sneered, shoving her to the floor and away from Olga. Lucy coughed placing her hand where Eshan's once laid.

"I might be your fucking whore," she rubbed at the red print that has set on her neck, "but you should remember yours as well your majesty, you're starting to do an awful job." In that instant he slapped her across the face leaving behind a bloody lip. Lucy touched her fingers adorned with red lacquer to it and smiled. She laughed and threw her head back.

"Is that all you have? You're pathetic." Another hit across her face. The sounds brings everyone in the room gasp. Gina lowered her head more and Birdy tried her best to avert her gaze. Gina placed a hand over her heart and began to mumble inaudible words into the air.

"That's what you like to hear isn't? Those lonely nights when your lovely wife couldn't do the job... how long has it been since you killed h-"

His hand to her throat once again, he pushed her against a nearby wall. The sounds, the choking- life slowly leaving her constricted throat filled the room. "I should slit your throat right here, like I should have done a long time ago when I found you begging.

"I'll watch as the blood gushes from that neck of yours I've bruised so many times. Watch you choke to death as you gasp for air and hold your pretty little hands to stop the bleeding." Lucy scratched at Eshan's arm, her face losing color and her eyes filled with emptiness. With his mouth close to her ear for a moment, he released her.

"Enough." Birdy stood. A red headed girl close by grabs her arm and tries to pull her back down from where she once kneeled. She stiffened herself and gently moved her arm from the redheads grasp. A final gasp of air and gurgle of blood leave from Olga's mouth and she too stiffened like Birdy. Celeste coggled from the doorway, in shock much like everyone else.

"No!" Willow croaked to obviate whatever he was thinking of doing to make Birdy pay for her foolish rise to action. If Birdy falls... we're all dead. She thought trying to justify why she would ever put herself on the line to save people who were doomed to their fate long before. Eshan looked curiously at Willow. A sinister grin spread on face and all he thought of in that moment was how much he wanted to see more of her. He craved an intimacy unlike any other ever since he met Willow. It stunned him sometimes too, whenever he thought of her, how much he dreaded lusting over her approval. This exotic pet, unlike any other he had acquired, stirred feelings within him he couldn't describe. It made him feel powerful, beam with joy.

"As you wish," he replied with such delicateness it made Willow disquiet. The eye contact with her only added to the speed of her beating heart drumming against her ribcage it felt as if it were bruising.

It hurts me to hurt my pretty things. Is her last thought as her vision and thoughts became black and everyone fell to the floor into deep slumber with a simple snap of his fingers.