Fate Breakers

Chapter 7

Gannon

Two Years Later

"What is your name?"

Silence. "Gannon Ramirez."

"What is your age?"

Silence. "Twenty... two... I believe."

"What is your blood type?"

Silence. Too silent. Too long. I have to answer.

"O positive."

Her only response is a nod. I fight the shudder of relief.

The female in front of me keeps asking questions. I keep answering. I'll speak when spoken to. I don't want to anger her. She'll send me back. I can't go back. I won't survive.

Those weeks after ordination were only the beginning. So, so, so many beatings followed after. Some of them, Makatza claimed to have a reason for. Little things, always little, insignificant things. I had to focus on everything and anything, all at once. If I didn't—and, really, even if I did—I would get beaten. Makatza did all sorts of things to torture me. His favorite: outright strangling me.

I like the feel of life giving way to death. He said that many, many times over to me. Just picturing the laugh that followed that statement makes me shudder and forces my stomach to clench.

BAM.

Against my will, I jolt.

"Follow me," the female says.

I stand. "Where are we going?"

No, no, no! Shut up. Shut the fuck up!

Calmly, she turns to look at me, waving me forward. "Sergeant Ramirez, you're being assigned your foot team."

My chest tightens, my feet stick to the ground against my will. Sergeant Ramirez...

She must see the confusion on my face, because she pauses. Then she, herself, seems confused. "Did... did no one tell you that you've been promoted?"

Slowly, I shake my head—no! Not good enough. "N... No ma'am. I... I was never made aware."

"Odd..." She shakes her head. "No telling what you know, so I suppose I'll catch you up now—" She gives me a patch, one I've seen before: three golden rings, all intertwined. The patch that all sergeants wear.

Slipping it on, I keep up with her as she walks and talks. "Makatza is being transferred, and unfortunately, you've none of the qualifications to leave the Aeolian Corps yet. While under training, you will answer to Specialist Adriana Guerrero." The female pauses. "You may know her better as Specialist Fox."

She keeps talking, but I stop listening. I feel like I'm levitating. Makatza is... gone? This can't be real. It can't be true. He's gone, and I'm being promoted? This is all his doing, it's gotta be. Makatza is fucking toying with me again. He can't be gone. He wouldn't just let me slip by like that.

This woman's likely leading me straight to my demise... and I can do nothing but follow her.

↻

I'm mesmerized by Fox when I meet her. I've never met a short female who commands this much attention simply by existing. It's a different sort of power. Makatza holds power because people fear the consequences. With Fox... this feels like respect.

"Ears and eyes open, Sergeant," Fox says to me, glancing over her shoulder. "I'm not a fan of repeating myself. You're moving out of tent city and you're being moved to the rickety cubes they try to convince us are actually cabins. Don't worry, you and your other three teammates have all been given immunizations for lock-jaw disease, and I personally had as many rusted nails removed and replaced prior to you being moved in."