Marital Law Page 18

  A small trickle of sweat rolled off his brow, but Colin knew better than to wipe it away. Every time he was in the presence of this dark human being, Colin knew he was being tested on his ability to maintain discipline, self-control. He sat upright, hands on his knees, shoulders back.

  Lucius walked into the room about ten minutes later and looked down upon Colin as he stepped around to the back of his desk. Placing his long hands together, he tapped the two index fingers together while he eyed Colin intently.

  Colin did his best to hide his disgust at seeing the dirt and other detritus built up underneath Lucius's nails, but he was certain his nose had wrinkled slightly at the sight. He cursed himself inwardly for allowing the display, praying it had gone unnoticed.

  “Have I offended you, Colin? What is it?” Lucius said as it suddenly dawned on him. Curling his fingers inwardly, he smiled as he took in his long, dirty nails. “Ah, I see. You probably think I'm unclean, unfit to be in your presence? Is that it?”

  “No, sir. Not at all. I-I just lost my bearing. I apologize. It won't happen again,” Colin managed to get out through the fear and worry coursing his veins.

  “I should hope not, Colin. You've come a long way over the last year and a half, and I'd hate to think it was all just a waste of my time. I called you in here because we have a special guest I'd like you to meet, but now you have me wondering if you're ready for the next phase of your training!” Lucius said, his voice rising by the time he reached the last sentence.

  Colin felt himself shrink even deeper into the large chair. “Please forgive me, sir. I can assure you that I'm ready. I have pledged allegiance to the Capitol. I've even renounced my family, the forest, and everyone there. I would die for MOM, for the order.”

  “Would you really, Colin? Because it just might come to that. I need to be certain that you are on our side, that you won't lure my monitors into the forest where those nasty people of yours are waiting to take their lives.”

  “They are no longer my people! I belong here! I...” Realizing his voice had raised a few more octaves than he'd ever dared in front of Lucius, Colin backed it down. “I will do whatever it takes to make you believe me, sir. Jeremiah is the reason my brother, Thomas, is dead. For that, I will see him pay!”

  “Time will tell, Colin. For now, I believe you have proven yourself worthy to meet our guest.” Lucius said, getting up and coming over to stand in front of Colin.

  When Lucius reached out his hand to him, Colin felt like a toddler being led around by his father. But Lucius was no one's father. The man was known for taking life, not making it.

  The basement area, the dungeon as it was referred to by the other monitors, wasn't a place where Colin ever wanted to find himself. He'd heard the stories. This was where the savages were created, where Lucius tortured and killed anyone who got in his way. The dungeon was also where the savages lived, their base area where they returned every morning after roaming the forest in search of the dwellers.

  During his first few months in the Capitol, Colin had heard the tortured screams of his people as they were led into the dark passageways below and never heard from again. Colin shivered at the thought of the madness that went on below. All at the behest of the crazy man currently walking alongside him, Lucius.

  As they descended the steps, Colin caught wind of a foul odor. His nostrils stung, his eyes immediately began to water. Lucius looked back at him with a wide grin on his face, and all Colin could think was that the man was certifiably insane. Regardless, in a twisted sort of way, Colin felt he owed the man his very life. Lucius had pulled him out of the slums of the forest and into the glory of the Capitol. And now Colin was about to be named a monitor, the highest position a male in Providence could ever hope to achieve—if he could make it through to the end. Problem being, he was having trouble keeping his cool in his present location, with his present company.

  “Those faint at heart have trouble at first adjusting to the smell down here, but they get used to it after a while,” Lucius said.

  Colin didn't want to get used to it. What he did want was to shove Lucius down the steps, to watch him bounce on his head all the way to the bottom. Anger was his new companion. He hated his parents, his fellow Manumissionists, the monitors that had trained him, that had beaten him, and possibly Lucius. He was unsure of the latter, but in the back of his mind Colin knew he had good reason to kill Lucius as well. He just couldn’t remember what that reason was.

  He envisioned throwing all of them into a deep pit, dousing their bodies with oil and watching them burn. It would be a slow, agonizing death, one they all deserved.

  As Lucius led Colin down the long corridor, Colin took in the small rooms with the even smaller entry doors. There were hundreds of them, and it drove Colin crazy to think what might be locked up inside each one. The doors were all concrete with the exception of a tiny opening of six-inch steel bars.

  It took everything in Colin not to drop to his knees in front of one of them and see what Lucius had caged up there. At an earlier point in his life, he would've sought to free them, if they were his people from the forest. But that time was long past. Now, he was simply curious.

  When the screams and maddening howls of agony, anger, and hatred began, Colin clamped his hands over his ears like a vise. They had obviously awakened the savages. Their sound one Colin knew all too well. All bearing was lost in that instant. Colin wanted to flee, even turn back towards the stairs.

  The feel of Lucius's long, bony hand on his shoulder held Colin in place. “Be still, boy. They won't harm you as long as I'm around. I command them. They know better than to go against me!”

  Slowly Colin relaxed a bit. He kept his guard up but managed to fall back in step behind Lucius. At every door, Colin felt his shoulders tighten, his heartbeat quicken. He envisioned one of the savages bursting through its door and ramming into him. He could smell its foul breath, feel its sharp fangs.

  Colin knew he wasn't strong enough or fast enough to ward one of them off if it were to break free. This was the one instance in his time at the Capitol where he actually wanted to be closer to Lucius.

  As they rounded a corner, Colin thought he heard a female voice. It was soft, pleading. He knew in an instant that it was Sidnie. He'd know her tone anywhere, even if her voice sounded weak, broken.

  With his curiosity in overdrive, Colin came up alongside Lucius and peered inside the small hole by the door where he'd stopped. His heart broke when he saw her. She was lying on the floor, staring up at the concrete ceiling of the cell and she was calling out for someone, anyone to set her free. It was heart wrenching, and in an instant all of Colin's anger fled him. He found himself back at his grandfather's house, staring intently at Sidnie, admiring her beauty, her strength.

  Realizing Lucius was next to him, Colin pulled back and with as much bearing as he could muster said, “What is she doing here? Isn't she a citizen of Providence?”

  “It seems Ms. Sidnie here has decided to turn against our people, Colin. Ironic how she has become our enemy and you have become not only a resident of Providence, but part of MOM's royal guard. Don't you think so, my son?”

  His mind reeled, all his anger turned towards Lucius. Colin started to strike out at the man but remembered the savages and Lucius's command over them. He knew he'd never be able to escape with Sidnie if they were sicced on him. No, he had to play it cool, had to plan his escape wisely. He just prayed Sidnie would be okay during that time.

  “Why have you brought me here, sir?” Colin asked, playing his part. Studying him before answering, Lucius finally said, “For your final test, of course.”

  “Test? I don't understand. I thought I met all my requirements, yesterday,” Colin replied, confused.

  “All except one: you have to kill a dweller.” Lucius said, clearly mad, out of his mind.

  The walls felt like they were closing in on him, his mind ceasing to function. He couldn't move and momentarily stopped breathing. Finally, he said
, “But she's not a dweller. She's always been loyal to MOM.”

  “I told you already, Colin, that Sidnie turned against the order. My sources tell me she even moved out into the forest and lived with your old clan. She must understand there are consequences for her actions. Some lessons are only learned with the shedding of blood.”

  “But I don't understand. What is it you want me to do?” Colin asked, fearing he already knew the answer.

  “You are a smart boy, Colin. You can figure this out. That is, unless you're not up for the task. Unless everything you've been telling me over the last year and half is just a lie, and you believe in the way of the dwellers. Is that it, Colin?”

  “What? No, of course not. It’s- it’s just hard to believe you want me to kill one of our own, a previous citizen of Providence,” Colin offered.

  “Believe it, Colin! You will kill her, and then take her body to her family and dump it in front of their house as a lesson, a deterrent to future defectors, if you will. And then you will have proven yourself to me, to the order.”

  Lucius's words had been heard, even received, but Colin couldn't form a response. If he harmed Sidnie in any way, he'd never forgive himself. If he didn't do as Lucius ordered he would die alongside her.

  “Well, what will it be, Colin?” Lucius pushed.

  “I, I will do as you say.”

  “Good boy. You have made the right decision, Colin. She's nothing but a traitor anyhow. If you don't kill her, I'm certain her own family will.”

  It was still hard for Colin to think straight. His mind felt like it had gotten stuck in low gear and the transmission had just given out. He glanced in again at Sidnie, the only girl he'd ever fallen for completely. He'd had crushes on other girls, but nothing like this.

  It had been well over a year since he'd seen Sidnie, and in that time, he was almost certain he would never lay eyes on her again. But here they were, and Colin could feel his heart ache at the sight of her. Even with the dirt and food caked on her face, the gunk trapped in her once beautiful hair, he still saw the girl from 585 days prior.

  Colin had forgotten much during his time with the monitors, but Sidnie would never fall into that category. Truth be told, he not only had the days memorized since they'd last been together, he knew the hours: 14,043 to be exact.

  Feeling Lucius's eyes upon him, Colin pulled back and said, “When do you want me to kill her?” He did his best to get the words out without breaking down, all his resolve expended. He suddenly felt exhausted mentally and physically.

  “That's the exciting part, my boy. Your graduation and official entry into duty as a monitor is in two days. We normally celebrate with a large feast—and an execution, of course,” Lucius said with a wicked grin.

  “An execution? You execute someone every time a monitor graduates training?” Colin asked incredulous.

  “We do. Want to know the best part?” Lucius asked.

  “I…” Colin started.

  “Of course you do. Your people have graciously been providing us with subjects for our viewing pleasure for the last twelve or so years,” Lucius said, stoking the fire.

  Colin had felt just in his anger towards his people, his family. But this was different. Lucius and Marcella Munford were murdering people from the forest simply because they could. No one deserved such a fate, even if they were misguided in their cause. Are they misguided? Colin tried to reconcile everything he'd learned over the last year and a half, with his life in the forest, his friends, his family. Something wasn't right, but he couldn't quite get through.

  Chapter 25

  The boy looked familiar, that much I was sure. But that was all I knew. My mind was mush from being locked up for so long without companionship and a lack of food. I could also smell myself, and it was anything but pleasant.

  I suddenly remembered, I'd always been one for cleanliness, never going more than two days without bathing. The river had provided so much for us: a place to wash and store food, swimming leisure, and a nice bath. The temperature often fluctuated, but I'd learned long ago to deal with the ups and downs.

  In the winter, bathing in the river wasn’t an option, so we would carry buckets of water to the stove, heat them, and pour them into the large tubs that we'd managed to salvage from the homes ravaged by the war.

  Looking up at the concrete ceiling, my memory slowly began to come back to me. The temporary madness relenting. Colin. The boy was Colin. How could I forget him? What were they saying? Lucius ordered him...to kill me. Oh no!

  I had to get out, had to save the children from the forest, and Colin as well. What did they do to him? Brainwashing. They had somehow turned him against me. Or maybe he wanted to kill me all along. You did turn him over to the monitors, Sidnie.

  Guilt hit me like an arrow ripping through the heart of a large deer, and made me want to go back inside, into that dark place where I thought no more. But I couldn't do that. Colin and the dwellers were in this mess thanks to me. I had to save him, save everyone.

  Pushing up from the floor, I made it to a kneeling position. Every joint in my body ached from inaction. For the next thirty minutes, I did my best to stretch. Once I felt semi-pliable, I lay out in the prone and tried my hand at pushups. It was slow, painful going, but good old muscle memory kicked in and before I knew it, I was knocking them out in similar fashion to my days prior to my incarceration.

  From the ticks I’d made on the walls inside my cell, I’d been locked away for nearly a week. I prayed the children from the forest were safe, that I hadn’t already failed them.

  My stomach began to rumble, and I couldn't remember the last time I’d had food. I had a vague image of some sort of mushy stuff being shoved into the opening of my door, but whether I partook in the elegant feast was still a mystery.

  Plotting, I bent over at the waist, put my head between my legs and started yelling, “Help! I need help! Please, someone help me!”

  Within minutes, two monitors showed up at my door. “What's all the commotion about?” one of them peered in through the opening and asked, clearly irritated.

  “My stomach! Something is wrong! Aw! Help me! I, I can't take it!” Even I was impressed with my ability to fake it. I just hoped they would buy it.

  The two men cursed amongst themselves and after a few minutes of deciding which one would go in and “help the smelly girl,” I heard the key click and turn in the lock on my cell door.

  As soon as the monitor reached out to touch me, I lifted my head and rammed it into his privates. The other monitor started to go for his baton, but I sprung on him like a mother bear trying to protect her cubs. My head connected with his chin, and the impact caused his legs to buckle. He went down, taking me with him. I didn't waste any time. Grabbing the baton from his right hand, I whacked his across the skull, just enough to send him into a long rest.

  Hearing the other monitor still moaning from behind me, I went back into the cell and gave him a similar smack against his skull. With both men out cold, I dragged the one who was outside back into the cell and laid them on their sides, facing away from one another. Locking the door, I gazed in at the two men and they appeared to be spooning. I couldn't help but smile. Marcella Munford's elite monitors spooning like a newlywed couple.

  Grabbing the keys from the floor, I turned and headed in the direction from where I'd seen the monitors come. At each intersection I stopped and peered cautiously around the corners. Five minutes into my sweaty, nerve-wracking escape, I almost ran right into one of monitors conducting the nightly rounds. I'm still not sure how he didn't see me, or at least hear me. I had to clamp my hand over my mouth to keep from shouting profanities at being surprised by him.

  It felt like an eternity for the guard to pass, reminiscent of waiting for a large turkey to come out from behind cover and into my crosshairs. The difference here was that I didn't want to engage this man. I needed the element of surprise to remain on my side in order to snag Colin and make our escape.

  Eventu
ally, I found the stairs leading back up to freedom, but I still didn't have a clue as to where I might find Colin. Slowly, I opened the heavy metal door at the top and looked out. The coast appeared clear, so I gingerly stepped forward and closed the massive structure, doing my best to keep it from clanging in its tracks.

  I suddenly found myself looking around in what appeared to be a kitchen, a very big one. This place could've fed an entire army, but was most likely only used for the monitors, and MOM’s dining pleasure.

  Soft footsteps stole my attention like a thief breaking into a home. Although in this instance, I would be considered the criminal. When a rather large female suddenly appeared in the open doorway leading to who knows where, my breath caught in my chest. She had short hair, barely touching her shoulders...Oh my! “Ellen? Is that you?” My words were barely a whisper, as my throat didn't want to cooperate. My hands covered my mouth in shock. “I-I thought you were...”

  “Dead? Obviously not. I've actually been expecting you, Sidnie. Took you long enough,” Ellen said cryptically.

  “What? You've been expecting me?”

  “Yes, I knew you'd eventually come around, that you'd see the truth about MOM.”

  “But, but you...” I started again but stopped because I didn't really know what to say.

  Not more than three feet in front of me now, Ellen opened her arms and said, “I've missed you, Sidnie.”

  Everything in me wanted to close the gap and give her a fierce embrace, but as I took a tentative stepped forward I began to question. It had been five years since I'd last seen Ellen. Hannah had told me she was working on the inside for them, but how could I be sure? How could I trust that Lucius hadn’t somehow gotten to her, changed her?

  “What have you been doing all this time, Ellen? When the monitors took you, I thought they were taking you straight to jail. How are you...?”

  Cutting me short, Ellen said, “We don't have time to go into everything right now, Sidnie. We have to get out of here and take Colin with us.”