𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 | 𝐜.𝐛

11

Isabella

Sensitive material ahead.

The guard comes back in with our next meal a few hours later. Standing, I walk over to him. He smirks wickedly and looks down at me.

"I want to speak to Michael," I demand. He smirks and wipes under his nose before leaning closer to me.

"You can't speak to him but you can come with me," he grits lowly.

"You're a pig," I snap, hoping to make him mad. He grabs a handful of my hair. Kendra and April stand.

"Don't hurt her," April pleads.

"Shut the hell up," he snaps. His grip tightens on my hair. "Let's go somewhere more private, shall we?"

He pulls me out of the room and shuts the door. He opens the door to a smaller room and pushes me inside. He pushes me down and locks the door. He hovers over me and undoes his belt.

"Please," I beg, "please don't."

"I don't give a fuck what you say," he chuckles, holding the belt in his hands.

"They won't let you do this."

"I don't know if you can tell, but we're the only ones in the room." Before I can speak, he brings the belt down on my thigh, making me yelp. "I love hearing that."

He hits my other thigh, making them sting. He grabs my ankle and pulls me close before flipping me over. He pulls up the hospital gown and chuckles before hitting me again. My skin burns. He grabs my neck and pulls me back.

"I'm gonna have fun with you."

Colby

They've fed us once. My mind can't escape the thought of Bella.

"You're thinking of her, aren't you?" Hunter whispers. He and I are on one wall while Luke and Bryce are on the other.

"Yeah," I chuckle. "It's all I can do."

"What's she like?"

"She's something else," I smile. "She's a badass."

"So is April. The apocalypse really changed her."

"Yeah, it's done that to all of us. I wonder if this thing was going before the world went to shit."

"It's hard to tell. Everyone here is brainwashed."

"I just want to see her again," I sigh.

"If we want to get out of here we're going to have to fight like hell to do it."

"Yeah." We sit in silence for a while. It's hard to tell how much time has passed before the door rattles. In walks one of the guards. He tosses our food on the ground before walking out. Before the door shuts someone slips in. It's a girl. Her hair is light brown and her skin is tan. She looks around at all of us.

"Are you Colby?" She asks softly. Nodding, I stand up. "Bella."

"What happened? Is she okay?" I ask. My heart is pounding in my ears.

"I don't know. A guard took her out of the room. I managed to slip out and get here. I don't have a lot of time. She got in contact with one of your friends. I think his name was Sam."

"Where is she?"

"I- I don't know, I'm sorry." My blood boils. If they hurt her, I'm killing them all. "They can't kill her. It's against the process."

"What the hell is the process?" Luke asks.

"It's what they go through to sell us. Sam said he was coming on Bidding Day."

"That's in four days," Hunter reminds. "What about April, is she okay?"

"Yes," the girl nods. She looks terrified.

"And Kendra?"

"She's also fine. So are all of the other girls but Bella."

"Fuck," I curse. My hands run through my hair and pull on the strands. "Why'd he pull her out?"

"She asked to speak to Michael."

"That's it?" She nods. "I swear to god. We have to get out of here."

"If she's right and your friends are coming, then we'll strike during Bidding Day. It's when they're most vulnerable."

"Okay," I nod. "We'll do it."

Isabella

He keeps hitting me with the belt. My skin is burning and tears are streaming down my cheeks.

"I needed something to take my anger out on," he chuckles. "You just so happened to be a good punching bag. I would happily do it again and maybe more."

There's a knock on the door.

"Eli, what is going on in there?" I hear Michael ask.

"Nothing, boss," he responds, bending down next to me. He pulls me up, placing his hand on my butt to hold me up.

"You sure? Why's the door locked?" Before he can answer, the door is opened. "Put her down, Eli."

"Whatever you say, Boss." He lets me go and I collapse to the ground. My thighs are sore from the belt. A gunshot is fired, making me flinch. The guard falls down in front of me, dead. A sob passes my lips. Michael walks over and crouches down in front of me. He brushes stray hairs behind my ear before placing his finger under my chin.

"Let's go get you cleaned up, shall we?" He hums softly. He takes my silence as a yes and lifts me up. He places an arm behind my back and under my legs. As we're walking, we pass a room with a guard coming out. There's a guy in the room and we lock eyes. We turn the corner, and I lose it.

He opens the door revealing several showers and tubs. He places me down on my feet before taking off the gown.

"Stop," I say, grabbing his wrist. I'm too weak from the beating to do much else. He uses his other hand to pull my hand off of his wrist. he takes my gown off and I try to cover myself. He grabs my chin lightly and removes my hands.

"Don't cover yourself. We need to get you cleaned." He turns me around and begins taking off my underwear and bra. Tears run down my cheeks as I stand there exposed in front of him. He runs the bathwater and I slip in. He grabs a sponge and wets it before putting soap on it. He begins rubbing it over my body. He brings it over my back and down my chest. I freeze when his bare hand comes in contact with my core.

"No," I croak, grabbing his wrist. He sighs, rolls his eyes, and puts his hand on my neck before pushing me under the water. My hands claw against him as he keeps my head under the water. A few seconds later he pulls me up.

"Speak to me like that again and I won't let you come up," he grits as I cough. He places his hand back at my core and begins rubbing. My mind goes somewhere else as he continues. He finished and pulls me up as he drains the water. He hands me a towel and I wrap myself up. He hands me some clothes and steps back. He wants me to change in front of him. Shakily, I do, remembering what he did only moments ago. "Do you know how long it's been since I've been with a woman like that?"

"N-no," I whisper. He chuckles and pats my cheek, making me wince. He places his hand on my back as we walk out of the showers. It's a silent walk back to the room. He unlocks the door and lets me in before shutting it behind me.

"Bella," April notices. She and Kendra rush over to me. My knees give out. They catch me and guide me to the ground. "What happened, honey?"

"I-I can't," I cry. April rests my head in her lap as Kendra rubs my arm. Slowly, I can feel pieces of me break.