The Alpha's Claim

22

I had no plan. Pain and sadness had overcome any attempt to create a reasonable plan. I only knew that I would do whatever it took to get some of them home. I had to fix my mistakes.

The flight was far shorter than I remembered. I looked around and saw that the base was largely empty. I swooped in as quietly as I could.

If I could find them and rescue them, maybe I could do it without conflict.

I had done this. If it came to violence, I had no reason to save myself. I was worthless. I was a waste of space. Worse than a waste of space, I was a waste of resources. A vulture. A wretch. 

I landed softly on one of the rooftops. Thankfully it was early morning, else these would have been unbearably hot. I lay down flat and crawled to the edge, hoping to catch a glimpse inside. To my surprise I did. Inside were numerous cages with a hallway down the middle. They were concrete, looking like converted prison cells. The cells were carpeted. There was a cot, sink, and adjacent room that looked like a bathroom. A nice prison, then. I caught a glimpse inside one of the cells. A young girl.

I pulled my head up and crawled to another edge of the building on the outskirts of camp. I jumped off, landing in the sand. There was a door. I gently tugged on it, but it was locked.

I walked to the side of the building, scanning for any movement. Nothing.

A gunshot that landed next to me suggested otherwise.

"I did not have to miss, Ele!" the voice called.

I glanced around and saw the barrel of a gun peeking out the window across the street. My hands went to my own gun, and I pulled it out, firing into the window. The gun clicked and I realized the safety was still on.

I had nothing to lose. A small part of me recognized that maybe being shot was a way to atone for my sin. Maybe if I died, people would stop hating me. Energy pumped through my veins as I pushed the safety off. I heard a shout and ran around to the front door of this prison block. As I made it to the door, three gunshots in quick succession stopped me in my tracks. The sand jumped up in front of me. I turned to see an Eyeless with a semiautomatic gun trained on me.

I lifted the gun, aiming at the Eyeless with a gun.

"Let them go," I said. The Eyeless smiled and lifted his gun at me. As I stared down the barrel, I realized that I did not fear death. Not this death.

Three others stepped out of the buildings and stood beside their gunman. One began walking to my left, cutting off that route.

"Let them go!" I shouted.

"You did quite well to show a flaw in our alarm system," the head Eyeless said. Sam. Daria's mate. "It wasn't until you landed on the ground that our sensors went off. If you stayed up on that roof, you could have gotten everyone out without our knowing. Thank you," he said sincerely.

I raised the gun and aimed it at him. My breathing was shallow.

I was willing to die for these people.

Was I willing to kill?

"Hold on," the main Eyeless said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "There may be a peaceful resolution. How about a trade?"

"What's the trade?" I asked. My eyes were focused on the Eyeless with the gun. I switched who I was aiming at. My finger was shaking. Could I really kill someone?

"You. In exchange for all of them," he said.

"They have to be alive," I said bitterly.

He smiled. "Of course. They are alive now. It would be a waste of time and energy to kill them and hand them over."