Duplus

Chapter 44

–––Saira's POV–––

Fear.

A primary emotion feeds more emotions.

Shame, guilt, anxiety.

Those feelings ate me from the inside as I dealt with the trauma of hopelessness.

Years ago, I had accepted the harsh reality that death, for me, could be quicker and easier than others. But, what I was truly afraid of was not being able to live my life to the fullest. What scared me was departing from this world before making a place here. Before engraving a mark on the ground I walked on that a girl named Saira once lived here.

I turned around to see Junior not too far away. He sat on the hard floor with his head hanging low. Seeing his bruised knees peeking from the tattered part of his trousers reminded me of the fear I felt not an hour ago.

The fear of losing Sufiyaan.

Another feeling I developed over the course of the last two months or so.

When Junior was taken to the prison camps on Lx2's order, Eileen, Lx45 and I couldn't sit still out of worry and concern. Eileen, though my duplus, was better at showing her emotions. She cried and hugged Lx45 for emotional support but I bit my tongue and fought back the bitter tears. I felt guilty to think about one person only and that was Sufiyaan. If something happened to Junior, his life would automatically be in danger.

Junior was thrown back into our secluded trap room twenty minutes later. He couldn't walk and Eileen had to support him to help him move. He had been tortured. Just for Lx2's entertainment.

From Junior, I looked towards Eileen. She sat by him, constantly asking him if he was thirsty or needed anything. We were prisoners there but until the war started, Lx2 promised us he would show his "best hospitality". His idea of psychologically torturing us just to make this more fun for him.

I felt sorry for Junior but I couldn't express it. I didn't know what to say or ask and froze when he entered the room with torn clothes, bruised knees, and swollen eyes. The only motivation that held me straight at that moment was Sir Jaber's words,

"I won't give up on you guys if it's the last thing I do."

I shut my eyes for a minute and imagined him ordering Usama and the others around, making up a genius plan to free us. I knew they were on the move. I could feel it.

At the very least, I could pray.

"Don't worry, Eileen. Sir Jaber must have sent someone for us. I'm sure of it." Finally, I spoke. At that, Lx45 looked at me, a look of disbelief and hopelessness shadowing his worn-out face. "Lx2 has surrounded the whole community with your soldiers. You think it's that easy for someone to just walk in here and free us? We're talking about the most high-ranked duplus of The Auctrix! This is no joke!"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "And Sir Jaber is the original Lx2. That's just an imposter, like all the others! Don't underestimate him."

He got quiet at that but his expression told me he wasn't convinced. He hadn't sat down for the past hour and his large body loomed over all of us. He gritted his teeth and suddenly threw a punch to the wall beside him. I almost jumped in shock but quickly recovered, knowing he was too far away to hurt me.