In The After Life

Chapter 49

The moon hung low in the sky, it's pale light casting shadows across a wasteland. The rain came to a halt leaving behind a scent of something long and forgotten.

Everything seemed still. I could feel the sludge beneath my knees as I'm forced to wait on them. It was a silent tension between us all. We were waiting for something to stir from the darkness.

Miles dirtied face stared longingly at the sky. The guns pointed at our direction gave us no choice but to submit to those holding them. Draven looked furious that he was bound with rope after he managed to hit a few unconscious in his attempt to get us away.

I on the other hand could barely breath. An invisible weight settled on me since reading that note and being dragged into the middle of the camp. The realness squeezed every breath from my lungs.

It was how accustomed I'd become to the quietness of the camp. There was no one left. Not anyone they didn't want alive. They had taken this camp within hours. Left just blood and decay behind.

My fathers presence was unpredictable but I know it would be violent. He had these people wrapped tightly around his finger. They'd never dare to defy him. These were soldiers. His dream of power was coming true.

"Vera look at me" Draven had tried to get my attention but I couldn't find it in me to look his way. I didn't want him to see how I truly felt right now this silence was my refuge.

I learned early the signs to read when he was close by. You only had to watch others behaviour. It still followed me long after I'd gone. I saw it. The shoulders straighten. The eyes cast to the floor. A final deep breath. The warning of danger.

His slow, paced footsteps squelch under the mud. His face was sharp his jaw covered in a light stubble. An effortless authority that washed across the air as he came to a stop. He has learned how to thrive without walls and fences which only makes him that much more terrifying.

His dark eyes unyielding, indecisive on who they'd lay on. It was a tactic to unnerve you but make you aware of the power he held. I made my decision and I'll have to prove that I don't intend to beg for his forgiveness.

He shortly found my eyes the small glisten in his irritated me to no end. My harsh stare seemed unappreciated by him as his jaw clenched. "It's been some time Vera, you don't have anything to say to me?" His playful tone rattled my core. What did he expect a hello? How have you been?

"I wasn't aware I owed you words." I was hesitant to talk abrupt. He seems too calm and calculated. I had no idea what intentions he had. I had to be firm because as soon as he saw the little girl he'd take me back to square one.

He chuckles deeply. "You owe me a lot more than that." His smile fades his expression turning cold again as he looks at Draven and Miles. He looked around like he expected there to be more of us.

"They're dead. You came here expecting a bigger audience. Let me save you the disappointment. Your bombs and your men killed them. It's just us." He stops his wondering eyes as he puts his hands into his jacket pockets.

Miles fists clench and I know it would be hard to hear but I'd say anything to make this man think he's wasted resources and his time. "Pretty little lies Vera. Unless.... I've lost my mind and these two just so happen to be ghosts." I frown watching as he snaps his fingers.

The sound of harsh breathing and struggling pulled my attention away from my father who was grinning and to the two people being dragged aggressively over to him. Her pale skin and blue lips shook with fear. Her small frame no match against the man holding her. "Evelyn" her name left my mouth before I could stop myself.