I'm Not an Animal (Slow Updates)

Chapter 19

Tears spilled down my cheeks, blurring my vision. The two guards dragged me along the twisting, turning corridors--I had stumbled about ten minutes ago, and Zaki had brought his hand down on my cheek. Hard. I had given up then, and let the guards drag my limp body wherever they were taking me. I tripped over the stairs the first time they had pulled me up them, but now I pushed myself up the steps.

Zaki stood behind me, pushing me forward. These final steps lead to the roof, where I knew my fate resided. I forced myself to walk up the steps, wiping the tears from my face. I gritted my teeth and stepped into the light. Alyssa stood beside the steps, a grin plastered in her face.

"Smile all you like," I muttered. "It won't do you any good when you're rotting in your grave!" I snapped, whirling around. My teeth lengthened, and a growl burst forth from my throat. Suddenly, a rough pair of hands grabbed my shoulders, holding me back. Alyssa laughed, producing a needle.

"Do you know how this is going to work, Tora?" She asked. "I'm going to give you this small dose of the Control Serum, just enough that you'll do as I say until you can't get out of it. And I've injected your pretty little boyfriend with just enough that he'll snap out of it the second before he pulls the trigger, letting him see you die by his own hand." She handed a pistol to Zaki. "All while your little friends watch, of course," Alyssa continued, motioning towards the edges of the roof. Marion, Eleanor and Ruby were chained to poles. The second I took my eyes off Alyssa, she jabbed the needle into my neck. I hissed as I felt the liquid enter my bloodstream, then I couldn't feel anything.

Everything was numb, as though I had just pulled myself from freezing water. The edges of my eyesight were slightly fuzzy, and I could barely hear anything. I heard the sounds of speech, but didn't understand what had been said. However, some part of me did. I moved, uncontrollably, towards a wooden wall, which had chains hanging from it. I, my body, stood before them, then my arms raised. Alyssa clipped the chains around my arms and legs, then everything became clear again.

"Ah, your eyes are clear. You're back, aren't you?" She smiled. I growled and spat on the ground at her feet, which just made her laugh.

"Tora!" Ruby screamed. "Tora, hold on! If you can keep Zaki away long enough, the serum will wear off!"

"Oh, shut up!" Alyssa snapped, pulling another pistol from her belt. She pointed it at Ruby, who shrank back a little. Alyssa then turned to me and smiled. "Any last words?" She beckoned Zaki over.

"Thank you," I whispered. "Thank you for showing me how strong I am. Thank you for giving me this life. Thank you for being the ultimate bitch, giving me something to fight. Thank you." Alyssa smiled, then tapped Zaki on the shoulder. He nodded, then put the gun up to my chest. "Zaki," I whispered, looking into his eyes. "Please, just fight it. I know this isn't you. Please."

I saw something flicker beneath the surface of his eyes, then it was gone and there was only cold blankness. He jabbed the gun into my chest and I whimpered. Alyssa was studying her watch, when she suddenly snapped ear head up and shouted, "Now!" Zaki's finger pressed the trigger and I cried out, begging him. I closed my eyes and forced down tears.

Bang.

Shock coursed through me. I was alive! I opened my eyes to see a helicopter hovering above us, blades whirring madly. A second helicopter hovered above it, and rope ladders had been lowered from the doors. The people in the first helicopter were firing tranquilliser darts, but the people in the second were shooting real bullets, many of which hit the Officials and Officers that were running for covers.

"Tora?" A dazed voice brought me back to the present, and I looked forward to see Zaki, a horrified look on his face, the gun still pointed at my chest.

"Zaki!" I cried, my face lighting up. His eyes fell on the chains and he lifted the pistol, aiming it at the metal links. He fired the gun and the chain dinted with a clang. "Crap!" He cried, throwing the pistol to the ground.

People in black clothes with red bandanas tied around their necks, foreheads and wrists had climbed down the ladders and were firing tranquillisers left, right and centre. One of them, a tall boy with hair dyed a dark blue and a lip ring, ran around counting. He cursed under his breath and pulled out a walkie-talkie.

"We don't have enough people," he yelled. "There's forty-four of them, and only forty of us! We only have room for forty!" He lifted his tranquilliser gun and aimed it at Ruby, shooting first her, then Marion, the Eleanor.

"Oi, you!" I cried, and he turned his attention to me. "You say you can only take forty? Get someone who is willing to travel a long distance. If they take five of us, there'll be enough room in your helicopters for everyone. A group of six is harder to find than a group of twenty, and we,re used to this stuff. Tell them to take me, Zaki, and the three girls you just shot."

The boy stood there for a moment, before he shouted something into the walkie-talkie and rushed over to us. He pulled a pair of small bolt cutters from his belt and clipped at the links around my wrists. He then moved on to my ankles, before shoving the bolt clippers into Zaki's hands and pointing to the girls.

"I'm coming with you," he cried, pulling a small box from his belt. He pressed one of the buttons and it opened up, a long rope curling out. I'd heard about these things. X-Ropes. They could fit in a tiny space and could hold a lot of weight. It took a few more moments for Zaki to free the other girls, but when he did the boy was quick to scoop up Marion and pull her to the rope. Zaki lifted Eleanor, and I grabbed Ruby.

"Come on, Ruby!" I cried, pulling her up. I wasn't the strongest girl around, but this was crazy! "Come on, Tora! Come on!" My Tiger suddenly sprang to life and I pulled Ruby up, clutching her tightly. The strength rushed through my veins and in three long strides I had crossed the roof to stand beside Zaki and the blue-haired boy.

"Zaki, you go down first. I'll tie the girls on, and that way you can catch them if they fall." Zaki nodded and grabbed the rope, bounding down the Sid elf the building. I helped the boy tie the girls in, then he lowered Eleanor and Marion down. "You go next. I'll send the other girl down, then come down myself." I nodded and grabbed the rope, throwing myself out into the air. I spun around, the rope twisting over itself. My feet hit the wall of the building and I ran down it, pushing off at about the third story only to spin around and run down the last couple of floors.

"Send her down!" I called. The boy nodded and reeling in the rope, then lowered it down with Ruby tied in. Once we had untied her, the boy slid down the rope. He pressed the other button on this end of the rope, and it coiled in on itself, dropping down in front of us. He tucked it back in his belt and then lifted Marion. Zaki picked up Eleanor and I slung Ruby over my shoulders, then the boy bolted off and Zaki and I ran after him.

We reached the gates and the boy pulled a pistol from his belt, pointing it at the guards. However, they were slumped over, blood trickling from their chests from where the gunmen in the helicopters had shot them. I kicked the gate open and ran through, praying no one from the Society came along and shot us in the open.

It was a long way to the cover of the trees, but when we arrived it was only a short walk to the town. Exhausted, we stumbled into the restaurant, begging for a place to stay. The bartender gasped when she saw us, then rushed forwards, calling for someone to help carry the girls. We were lead to a small room at the back of the restaurant, where I collapsed on the floor, burying myself in the carpet. I had somehow managed to hold on to my precious satchel, and I lay it beneath my head.

"Who are you?" Zaki asked, ripping sheets from the bed and making a cocoon around himself on the floor.

The boy didn't seem to be tired whatsoever. "My name is Kaden, and I'm a friend."

"How can we trust you?" I asked, completely dismissing the fact that this boy had just saved my life.

He turned his eyes on me, and I saw hardships and loss in them. Then he spoke up.

"I'm with the Resistance."

***
Dun dun dun!
Shock horror! Did you guys actually think I'd kill off Tora? No way! I'm not that mean- well, yeah I actually am. But I didn't-not this time anyway.
Attached picture is Kaden. Hope you liked the chapter and the cliffhangers. And can you guys please comment, because it really makes me happy to see what you think!
See you on the flip-side.