Restored (A Caleo Selection)

30 ~ An Epitome So Horrid

The intrusion sent chaos through the room, and the screams were incessant. I instinctively ducked and then ran, searching the walls for an exit, a passageway, a window, anything.

There was nothing.

This place has been build as a last resort. A stronghold. It had not been designed with more than one entrance.

Mercenaries flooded the room, and cries of pain mixed with the cries of fear. In the midst of the panic, I thought, Leo's not here. If nothing else, he's safer than we are.

But thoughts of him would do me no good now. The soldiers stormed around the room, carefully inspecting girls before carrying out judgement. Most of the time, it seemed to be a bullet. Occasionally, a soldier would pull the girl to a corner and leave her there. I shuddered to think what that was for.

It wouldn't be long before they reached me, and I'd have a death warrant on my head for sure. To my left, Echo sobbed as a man grabbed her, looking her over, and I froze. He brushed her jaw with his thumb, then put his gun to her head.

I didn't look away in time.

I knew that memory would haunt me for months and years to come. The way her blood splashed the wall just behind her. The sight of her small body crumpling to the ground, weak, listless.

My head spun as the soldier reached for the next victim. Slipping around him, I dropped to Echo's side, wishing I could cry over her. I wanted to mourn the precious life lost. Instead, I let myself fall onto my back next to her, pulling her head over my chest.

I fought the nausea that rose as her warm blood pooled on my chest. Ripping the knife I carried from my boot, I carved a tiny hole in my shirt in the middle of the stain.

The guards were still making their rounds, and my actions went unnoticed. In front of me, a mercenary carved a design of some kind into Valentina's chest as she shrieked before finally stabbing the knife through her heart. To the left, I heard Lou Ellen pleading with the man towering over her.

Making sure all the soldiers were still occupied, I replaced the knife and rolled away from Echo, letting my head relax and my eyes close. The darkness was a welcome relief from the hideous sights around me, but I could not block out the horror of the sounds. Those cries could never be forgotten.

Finally it quieted, and the only remaining sounds were the few girls crying in the corner and the soldiers scuffling around, looking over their kills.

A shadow fell over me and presumably Echo. I forced my body to relax completely, not allowing a single muscle to twitch. Such things are easier when your life depends upon it.

The man grunted and then moved on, and I almost sagged with relief. My act was convincing enough. I'd done it.

A shallow, wicked victory, won at the expense of another girl's blood.

I opened my eyes just a little, and studied the girls still alive in the corner. There were four: Hazel, Khione, Juniper, and Rachel.

There had been roughly twenty of us. About fifteen were dead now.

Tears brimmed beneath my closed eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I could not fail now. Maybe I could save someone else.

A shout came from across the room. "These are Demeter's girls! Why're they dead? We're to leave the Council members and their family alive for trial!"

Katie and Miranda, then. I'd hardly spoken to them, but they'd always had smiles for me when I was with Leo. Dead. They'd been good friends of his.