Victim

Chapter 11 - Shock

Xander's POV:

Xander grabbed his throat, trying to relieve the dull pain. He glared at the broad man, knowing he should behave, but it was getting harder as his frustration increased. Xander quickly stood up to his feet and squared his shoulders.

"Get started with what, exactly?" He asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Listen here pal, I don't have any extra money just lying around for you." He expected to see their eyes lighten with disappointment or anger, but instead they just calmly stared at him, he barely noticed the slight curve on their mouths as the broad man narrowed his eyes.

Xander scoffed to himself, feeling extremely confident for some reason. His mother always told him that his short temper would get him into trouble one day.

Guess that day is today.

The man who seemed to be the leader growled and curled his hand into a fist, hitting the bridge of Xander's nose, blood splattering all over the ground of the van. He hit Xander again in the chin, and he tasted blood.

Come on Xander, get up, fight the bastard.

The man grabbed Xander's head, his fingers digging into his scalp, and lifted him until he dangled on the tips of his toes. The man slammed his hands into Xander's chest, and he winced, the pain rippling through his chest.

"I said, no talking until I say you can." He breathed into Xander's ear, the action sending shivers into his spine. He could feel the strength radiating off of the man, and at that moment Xander knew that this guy could demolish him to pieces without any effort.

He gulped and nodded, rewarded by being dropped to the floor. His scalp ached, but he made no move to try and soothe it. He stared straight into the man's eyes, challenging him to say more. The man stared down at him but made no attempt to do anything, He gave a tiny nod to the rest of the men.

"He should be good, feisty. I like it. Send him to the inspection room, let's see what he's made of." He snickered, and in response, the other 3 men lifted Xander by his shoulders.

Xander hated feeling so weak, so reliant on the mercy of these men. He growled as the men carried him out of the truck, and he decided to inspect the area. Before he could have a good look, one of the men quickly put on a blindfold, covering his eyes. He growled to himself but stayed quiet.

"Not so fast bud, you still need to be accepted."

Xander almost snapped at the man, on the edge of his patience. Accepted into what? For what? He had so many questions but no answers. He could feel his jaw tightening with pure anger, but it loosened as he heard the most horrifying screams.

The kind that just made you want to puke.

He could smell smoke, and it almost choked him. He could smell the dusty fumes, and the shrill and deafening cries were making his ears hurt. They belonged to a man, he realized. He strained his ears to listen for more, and beneath the shouts there was laughter. Pure laughter of utter joy.

He shivered, and he mumbled out the words "what's happening." Too shaken up to put on a brave act.

He heard the same man who'd blindfolded him reply. "That's none of your concern, but I'll let you in on a secret." He whispered the next words into his ear, sending shivers down his back.

"I caused it."

Xander's mouth gaped open as the words sunk in, terror sneaking its way onto his face. This man had somehow caused pain to the screaming man and seemed so proud of it. He knew he should be scared of him.

"Who are you" he whispered, and he felt himself go numb with fear. The man just chuckled and tightened his grip on Xander's shoulder even more.

"Gerald" The name somehow seemed familiar, but his mind was overrun by more important things. They continued walking, Gerald's hands becoming tighter and tighter as the screams grew nearer. Xander listened as the man's screams quieted down, abruptly going silent, and he knew that he was probably dead.

Where have they brought me?

"Master, before we start the inspection, do you think we should let our new friend here see the rest of the welcoming ceremony?" He heard Gerald speak, spite dripping from his words.

After a moment of silence, the man whom they called "Master' replied back. "It would do no harm; he can see how we live since he's to become one of us."

Suddenly, his blindfold was taken off and Xander glanced at the men. They all looked excited as if it were their birthday, except Master. He just coolly stared at Xander, looking him up and down, a light in his eyes that seemed to look into Xander's.

Creep.

"What's going on?" He muttered the words mostly to himself, but somehow Master, Gerald, and the other man heard him and glared at him. Master walked forward and Xander tried, but failed, taking 2 steps back. He grabbed Xander's arm and tightened it so much that Xander let out a shriek, he could feel his circulation cutting off.

His arm was becoming numb, and on reflex, he gave Master a shove with his open arm.

Nothing.

Nothing at all happened. Not even a flinch. The broad man just stared down at him, dry laughter in his eyes.

"As I said, no talking. But right now, we need to show you what might happen to you if you don't cooperate, dog." He seethed the last voice out with glee. His voice was deep, rusty, sending off dark and inky energy. He looked menacing, and Xander's blood boiled with rage. He knew he should hold onto his temper. He really did.

But he didn't.

He did the only thing that came to his mind.

He spat in his face.

"Go to hell."

Time seemed to move in slow motion. Slowly, Master's eyes turned snakelike, his broad shoulders flexing and his breathing rapidly increased. No, skyrocketed. He seemed to grow taller, or so Xander thought. The hit came faster than he had expected, it was a stern blow to his shoulder, just missing his collar bone.

Xander screamed in pain as he felt a huge pain blazing in his shoulders. Another hit on his chest, and he fell to the ground, unable to regain his balance. Master looked at him in the eyes.

He looked like a psychopath.

He breathed heavily as he stared up at the outraged man. Gerald ran to Master, whispering something in his ear which seemed to calm the gruff man down. Regaining his composure, Master kneeled down and grabbed his face, squeezing it so hard that Xander knew there'd be a bruise later.

"You will pay for that." He growled and let him go. Xander just stared at him, imagining what it would be like to rip the bastard's throat out.

"Let's bring him to the ceremony now, Master" Gerald told him with respect, it disgusted Xander. How could anyone respect this cruel man?

Gerald and the man took hold of Xander's shoulders once more and led him to a clearing. There, in the middle of the clearing, was the man who had once been alive. Xander could feel the bile rising in his throat as he inspected his burned flesh and exposed bones.

He felt as if he were watching a movie. But this was real. Way too real. He was here, alive, and he needed to find a way to get out. This wasn't supposed to happen to him, this only happened in shows. The thought made him slightly amused at his situation, he was doomed.

He looked around the clearing, and he noticed several girls, most of them younger than even him. They had metal leashes around their necks, and with horror he saw the several wounds. Xander noticed many of the youngest girls were bleeding on their legs.

What the fuck.

He stared in shock at the realization, dread finding its way into him. He could feel his eyes starting to glisten, holding back the tears of pity he had for the girls. He looked away, unable to look at their numb and unemotional faces any longer.

He glared at the men, who seemed to be enjoying the act, when he glanced back to the dead man. Another man grabbed the body and threw it in front of a girl. His eyes followed the pathway, and he glanced at the girl.

His jaw dropped with dread, seeing who was on the chair.

No, it can't be.

"Marley!"

Hi Im back from the dead, schools killing me these past few days. I'll try updating more frequently.