Deemotay

Chapter 18

KETLIN

"So you are the one who caused all this crap," he said, assessing me with his eyes.

"Who are you?" I demanded, my eyes widened.

He laughed, but I didn't understand what could be that funny if you're stuck like this. "I'm Derek, but this name is long forgotten. Here they call me XX. And you can't imagine how I hate it." He kept laughing his creepy laugh.

I was really confused. They're holding him here? Like a prisoner, stuck in a cage? "Are you a deemotay?" I asked suspiciously.

"Is it hard to guess?"

I should go. But I couldn't tear my eyes off him. He might be very dangerous, but it was just wrong to keep someone like this. It was inhuman.

"I've been here over thirty years already," he said. "They treat me like some thing, not a living being. And then say that we are evil?" He laughed again. "Don't you think they have crossed the line? You should know. They aren't really treating you like royalty either, are they?"

I didn't answer, just stared at him. He had long dark-brown hair, deep dark eyes and strong muscular body, though I didn't know how it was possible, as he had been here for so long. Or maybe he has a change to work out here? And he wasn't wearing any shirt.

"Of course you know. Those people here would break you inside, and not regret it, just to get two deemotays, who haven't done anything to them. They say they do it for you, but they cant't see what will happen to you. Every single one of them would go around the world, to kill their own child, if it has become one of us."

His words startled me. It can't be true. My granny won't do it, and my aunt... But if to think of the things I have gone through here...

"They keep me strong enough to use me as a detector," he continued, "by letting certain people touch me for a short moment. Too short, I can't even make them dizzy. And it isn't enough to break myself out of here. I'm just alive, not strong. And I'm their tool. They threaten me, to make me detect deemotays, so they can take them down."

I was still startled, unable to say anything.

"I could help you out," he said then.

Wait, he tells me all this, so I would free him?

"I can't let you out," I said quietly. I felt guilty.

"Why not? Those people are cruel. Worse than me."

"You can kill me to get stronger."

He snorted. "Yeah, I suppose I hoped too much." He smiled. "You'll better run now."

I heard loud steps, as someone was running towards me. I turned around to escape. I saw stairs and ran up. Then I probably got out from underground, I recognized the corridor. I tried to remember which way was the exit, but the steps got closer. Too close. I saw three men coming from the end of the corridor. I turned around and went the other way, but at the last moment four more men came out behind the corner, and it was too late for me to turn around now. They caught me. They put handcuffs on me again and then they took me with. I tried to get free, but I was too weak.

They took me to a small room. Two men stayed there to look after me. Because of my try to escape, I was now very tired and felt even more weak. So I didn't make any new attempts and stayed silent.

I felt a tear coming down my cheek. I wanted to get out. Somewhere far far away and never return home. I never wanted to see any of them again. Maybe I would miss my mum, but I haven't seen her make any tries to get me out. She like had accepted with the situation.

Someone came in. I raised my head to see granny.

"Go away! I don't want to see you!" I yelled weakly, tears coming from my eyes. Before all that, I would never had yelled at her.

She sighed and her eyes looked sad, when she came a bit closer. "Could you please leave us two alone?" she asked from my guards. They nodded and went out.

I looked at her furiously, when she came in front of me, opening my handcuffs with a key.

"Can you crawl through there?" she asked, pointing at a small window.

I stared at her confusedly. "What...?"

"Can you crawl through there?" she repeated.

I looked at the window. "I think so..."

She walked to it and opened with another key. "Then go, and make sure no one sees you. Run to that small house you'll see right when you're out. And run straightly to it, not any other round way. It's door is unlocked and no one is inside. There you will see a cup with very little yellow liquid on the bottom. Drink it and run out through the other door and into the woods, as far as you can." I've never heard her talk that fast. And her words surprised me. She was gong to help me escape? I stared at her, my eyes wide.

She then stepped closer, putting something around my neck. It was my necklace, that I had refused to wear, when they brought me here. "Just in case," she said. "And now hurry."

I did like she said, sticking my head out, to see if anyone's there. I saw no one. Then I went out, legs first, so I wouldn't fall and hurt my head.

I still saw no one, so I ran straight to that house I saw about twenty metres away. There was only one room, full of some junk. There was a desk, on what I saw a cup with yellow liquid. I hesitated for a second, as I didn't know what it was. But then swallowed it all fast. It tasted very bitter and made me wrinkle my nose. And then I ran out as fast as I could. I crossed the road and rushed into the forest. I didn't slow down, though I felt like I was going to collapse at any second. But I still fell many times.

"Ketlin?" I heard a voice somewhere near.

I recognized it and turned my head. Lucy stood only a few steps away. I was suddenly so happy and thankful, and I ran towards her. But she stepped back. At first I got confused, but then I remembered my necklace.

"What are you doing here?" I asked between strong breaths.

"We didn't believe they'd do something like this to you. If Adam heard about it, he wanted to come here. But I didn't let him and came myself."

Lucy agreed to do that? She really had some humanity still in her.

She looked at the way where I came. "Hurry now. I have a car waiting there," she said and started running, slowly enough for me to follow her. I heard dogs barking, and I used all my energy that I had left.