Underground Legends: The Hunt (BWWM)

Chapter 33 - Abella

Abella Sterling (Female P.O.V)

October 24, 2074

The unmistakable sound of keys jangling came from the other side of the door. We stared intently in the direction of the noise, anxiously awaiting what followed. Perhaps this would be our first face-to-face encounter with our captors. After that last message, we hadn't seen, heard, or come into contact with anyone beyond these walls.

The slot door slid open before a black-gloved hand shoved a tray with seven bowls through it. RoniReigns grabbed the tray and rested it on her bended knees as she peeked through the opening. I doubted she saw much before the door slammed shut.

She stayed there for a moment longer, just staring at the door with wide eyes, but nothing else happened.

My previous assumption was wrong.

And it seemed our captors were still playing shadow games. Maybe this was their way of assuring us the winner would leave with their loved one in hand and the substantial prize money. Or at least that's what I wanted to believe. My sanity depended on it. And all I needed to do was ensure the winner was me.

"Abella?" Someone called from beside me.

I turned to find Veronica extending a bowl out to me. I took it with a smile, but it quickly fell flat when the bowl's contents came into view. Inside was a hearty serving of oatmeal with a plastic spoon lodged in it. The spicy-sweet scent wafting off it made my stomach grumble but didn't dispel my reservations.

I looked at the others to see them digging into their food. And since there was no immediate adverse reaction, I figured it was safe to consume. I shoveled up a spoonful of the lumpy substance, put it in my mouth, and carefully chewed it.

"How many people do you think are out there?" QuietStorm asked RoniReigns as she passed by on the way back to her cot.

The brunette didn't even spare her a fleeting glance as she sat down and stirred her food. For a minute, it seemed she was ignoring her until she finally said, "I don't know. All I can say is the cops were so wrong about the number of killers."

"Definitely, but it doesn't surprise me." She jammed her spoon into her remaining oatmeal and set the bowl beside her. "There had to be a whole team involved to pull off the abduction of thirty people!"

RoniReigns hummed. "At least. But I don't understand how they knew about my aunt Karen. I haven't seen her in months, and we've only talked over the phone."

"Maybe they bugged our phones."

My eyes bulged at her guess, and the palm of my hand dampened around the spoon.

Could they have?

It would certainly explain a few things.

"Yeah, maybe," RoniReigns muttered, lazily dragging her spoon across her oatmeal. Suddenly she stopped and looked over at QuietStorm. "Who are they, uh...you know."

QuietStorm released a shaky breath and loosely interlocked her hands on her lap. "My fiance... or boyfriend, rather. He hasn't officially proposed yet."

"How do you know he was going to propose?"

"I uh..." Her voice cracked, so she cleared her throat and started again. "I found the ring in his briefcase, and I suppose he was waiting for the right time to ask me."

"Oh, God..."

"And now, I'm afraid that time will never come." QuietStorm softly confessed as tears streamed down her cheeks.

RoniReigns quickly went over and gently rubbed her back to comfort her, but it only made her sob more.

"Quit your whining!" Exterminator X bellowed from beside me as he hopped to his feet. "You're not the only one with a sad story. We've all got one. And we're all in the same fucking position!"

The outburst made Shadowknight freeze midway with a spoonful of oatmeal raised to his mouth. He dropped it back into his bowl and slowly looked at Exterminator X. "Hey, dickhead, let her cry if she wants to." He said, with his lips twisted in a sneer.

"Fine, fine. But if she's working an angle to get people to feel sorry for her, it won't work. Wh-"

"I'm not i-"

QuietStorm's attempt to defend herself went unheard as Exterminator X spoke over her. "When the time comes for her to decide between saving herself and putting a bullet in your head, what do you think she will do?!"

RoniReigns didn't say anything, but her hand stopped rubbing.

"Exactly," he said, forming his own conclusion.

"Well, we already know what you will do. Now, don't we?" I raised an eyebrow in silent challenge.

He inadvertently took a step back and wiped the beads of sweat doting his upper lip when he noticed everyone was looking at him. None of us said anything as we waited for his reply and the grueling silence quickly got to him. His eyes flicked toward the bathroom as if to retreat, but instead, he stood his ground.

"Y-yes, and any of you would too. But I'm the only one with the balls to admit it." He grabbed his crotch as he eyeballed each of us. "So you can sit there and judge me all you want, but the truth is all of you would do the same or wind up dead just like the others."

His words only cemented the wall already erected between us. It didn't matter if we liked it or not. This was our current predicament, and there would only be one winner.