Ally, Imagined *hiatus

God Save the Queen

"Someone get Ember!"

"Shut the doors!"

"Get her out the back!"

These were the first things I heard when I woke up.

What I saw was a winding tunnel, but out of instinct I leaped from my captor's arms and sprang towards the front door of the sand house we had arrived at. Outside, I saw guns being fired from black-suited people in gas masks, and the colorful bodies of the ragtag gang. 

"Royal? Court? Where are you? Kehlani?" I screamed among the bullets. But, suddenly, a hand was grasped around my mouth, and a blindfold was next. A cloth was tied in my mouth and my hands were bound.

There were a few more bullets fired before someone shouted to cease fire. "Let us take the girl and we leave. Peacefully. No more bloodshed, alright? We'll never attack again."

"Yeah, right. You're cheats!" I heard Kehlani shout.

A chuckle rang among the battlefield. "Oh, don't be such a pushover."

Hugo spoke up this time. "We'll never let you take her, Ajin!"

A gasp of air was heard close to my ear. "Let. Her. Go." I couldn't pinpoint the voice, but it sounded familiar.

"Never." My kidnapper said.

"If you want her, you'll have to kill me first." Oh, so it must be Royal. Stupid things, this boy has spoken.

"Well, I guess we'll have to." The man, who I assume is Ajin, said. "Do what the boy wants. Kill him."

I heard Royal shout in pain, a hot sizzling and burning flesh filling my senses. "No!" I screamed. Adrenaline pumped through my veins. I ripped the binds off, ditching the blindfold and pulling the cloth from my mouth.

The sight was terrible.

Royal was already bleeding from the mouth, a hot metal crowbar sticking to his flesh. A man in a black jumpsuit was coming for his eyes with a jar and pliers. Except, Royal smiled. He grinned. Then, that grin formed into a wide, evil smirk.

"Do it," Royal challenged. "I dare you."

The man in the jumpsuit jumped back after a long three seconds. Royal stalked towards Ajin, a hollow expression in his features. Ajin responded by holding out a pistol, pressing it to Royal's forehead. "I might have to," he said. "On the count of three, or until you say your goodbyes, maybe?"

Royal still looked the same, and Court looked far more worried by his attitude then his possible future death. "Fine," was Royal's reply.

Ajin began counting.

"One."

"Two."

"Th-"

"STOP!" Someone shouted over the sound of a bullet. I felt Royal's arms wrap around me, slinging me around like the way you carry a princess. Over his shoulder, I saw Court standing over Ajin's body, grasping his shoulder tightly. A few words passed between them, Ajin laughed, then his eyes closed and his head lulled to the side.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Royal spoke after he put me into the passenger seat of the Trans Am.

I was too stunned to speak; I had witnessed a death, been raided by bandits, and called a princess within my first few days of being here.

Speaking of, how long have I been here?

I glanced over to Royal, who was slammimg down on the gas pedal, leaving everyone else behind.

"How long have I been here?" I asked, staring right at him.

He ran his fingers through his hair, taking a deep breath. "Four days. Missing home already?"

I smiled, looking back towards the road. "I guess I am."

Royal's face fell, a sad look gleaming in his eyes. "You want to go home, right?" He asked.

Even though I knew I might have offended him, I still nodded. But, why would he worry? I can't go home, no one knows the way. I looked down at my hands, thinking about what I should say. "Yeah," I said after a short pause.

"Oh," he said. "We're no where near where Court and I meet when we get separated, but do you think I could pull over real quick?"

I looked at him, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Why? What's wrong?"

Royal turned to face me. "Nothing's wrong. There's just something right about to happen," he said with a smirk. I kept my gaze locked with his, but feeling his hands cup my cheeks, my palms sweaty from anticipation of what he was about to do.

"What are you going to do?" I whispered.

Royal leaned hardly a centimeter closer.

"This."