Cardinal

Chapter 36

TW: Abuse, torture, mature situations. 

---------

Pain exploded across my temple as I awaken tied to a chair. There was a familiar smell of death all around me and I gagged at the smell. 

I had trouble focusing my vision and all I could gather was three or more people I didn't recognize. 

"She's awake." One of the guys says. I didn't recognize his face or his voice. What terrified me was the cynical look on his face. He had the crazy smile pat down. 

"Wake. Up." He slaps my face with a force that made me focus my eyes on him. But I couldn't. I was too groggy and too nauseous. Whatever they did to me, or whatever they gave me, it was still in my system and I was working through it now. 

My head was pounding with pain. I pretend to pass out so I don't have to deal with them. I need to find Julie. 

"Fucking Jack used too much sedative on her. It's probably still working through her system. I told him not to use too much in the car." The other guy explains in the room. 

I was getting more alert by the minute, my headache going away. At some point, they transferred my limp body into another room and another cage. They had handcuffed my arms to one of the bars of the cage. It was larger than a dog's cage, so they've been keeping humans in here. There was that distinct smell of ammonia and feces that slapped me awake. It made me sick that they had kept people here. They were still doing this to people and from the number of cages in this room, they've been doing it to A LOT of people.

I needed a plan...I needed to find Julie and get her out of here. 

There was a dampener in the building. A strong one. I couldn't feel death but I could use my other powers. 

I had no choice. I had to do it. My mother made me promise her that I wouldn't use it but I was going to have to. 

I'm sorry, Mom. 

Death always came easy to me but the three fates all combined in one body was something that my parents expected to happen. 

There have been many names in Greek Mythology for my power- all personified into the three Moirai sisters...Lachesis, Clothos, Atropos. 

But it's true, I wished I was Death personified. But no, death was the only one of my three powers. I was the spinster of fate. The one who could alter lives, shorten it, lengthen it...or cut it. 

The life forces...I could feel it in my chest like threads. Everyone's life force. Even mine. 

It was a huge mistake to give me this. I was the dealer of fates and what a fucking weapon I would be if Mortem even found out. 

It's a great secret and only I know the full extent of my power. 

Death was just the surface. 

I closed my eyes and took deep breaths while I looked for Julie's thread. 

She was nearby but I could feel her thread getting more and more mangled. They were doing something to her and I was scared I wasn't going to get there in time. 

I could bring her back if needed but my power was finite and I used most of it before we were taken. My links were my anchors to reality, and life, and without them, I was weaker. I needed to get to Julie...now. 

I was handcuffed to the bar and I tugged and pulled but there was no give on the bar nor the handcuff. 

My thumbs were in the way. I needed to break my thumbs. There was no other way.