Impurities

Eleven

Everyone's conversations grew silent. I wasn't sure how we all knew to stop, but we did. A shiver rolled down my back as I turned around. To my utmost displeasure, Zima's predictions were brought to fruition. Rhino was approaching our small group with a smug look on his face. The only thing that brought me satisfaction in this moment was picturing my palm slapping that look off. It would feel so nice. And totally get me killed.

"Ah," Rhino greeted cheerily. "If it isn't the girl with the baby."

His voice was so obnoxious I wanted to throw up all over again. Maybe I could get away with being sick for the rest of my life. Maybe Rhino would leave me alone. Probably not, though.

"Flora, correct?" he asked, stopping a few feet away from me.

"Y-yes," I stammered, blushing. My gut was in a nervous heap of butterflies.

Goose waddled up to me, wrapping her arms around my legs. Her presence didn't bring me comfort, not right now anyway. I wanted her to be as far away from this monster as possible.

"And are you feeling better?" Rhino crossed his arms over his chest, flashing the red patches on each of his shoulders at me. "Nurse Ana told me you're almost ready to go off medication."

I swallowed. "Um. Yes?"

A burst of laughter exploded from the monster's mouth. Everyone within hearing distance jumped. He was so loud! My heart rate had skyrocketed in a matter of seconds.

"You're terrified! That's good!" he howled, still chuckling to himself. "Now, you are officially being discharged from the hospit—"

The nurse interrupted him, babbling something off in their language. Her facial expression suggested worry. Evidently, enough worry to make her interrupt the big man's orders.

Rhino cut her off, slicing the air with one of his hands. His mouth and tongue moved with impossible speed as he shouted a bunch of nonsense at her. Then he turned to me. My blood turned to ice.

"No one disobeys me!" he yelled, blue eyes boring into mine. "Come now, little Flora! We make you into my soldier."

Now? Oh, God. Please, don't let this happen. Save me, Jesus.

My prayers weren't heard. Grabbing my wrist, Rhino jerked me forward. An involuntary cry escaped my lips as I was dragged on. Goose began bawling, and I couldn't stop from looking back at her. He was separating us! Impulse overcame me without warning.

"No!" I screamed, planting my heels in the ground while trying to run back to her.

Rhino's grip on my wrist only tightened. He slung me back to his side and held me so close my stomach pushed against his. Discomfort found me in my hot tears, snaking through my organs like a serpent.

"You want to see what happens when you fight me?" Rhino snarled, his spit flying onto my face.

I shook my head. My other muscles wouldn't work to verbally respond. All of me was trembling in pure terror. He would kill me. I was replaceable. That much was certain.

"Then shut up!" he bellowed. "I will kill that baby if you do not do as I say!"

In an instant, something shut down within me. The tone of his voice and the glint in his eyes promised what his words meant. He would kill Goose if I was disobedient. He would murder and destroy the one good thing left in my life. I couldn't live without Goose and my brain did what brains do: it did what was necessary to keep me alive. So my brain shut off that part of me that wanted to fight.

Rebellion died in me the way light dies at the end of the day.

Out of sight for now.

Yet soon to return.

***

The room was simple. Like a prison cell. There was a sink situated between two small, barren closets, a twin bed pushed against the right wall, and a barred window. Rhino had locked me in one of the college dormitory rooms.

He hadn't told me how long I would be in here or even why I was here in the first place. By this point, I'd already assumed Zima was right; Rhino was ready to brainwash me.

I felt like a moron. Zima had warned me about this, and I had shrugged him off, confident in my strength. Not even for a second had I paused to consider Goose's role in this. It never crossed my mind that she was a potential weakness. Why hadn't that occurred to me?

Of course, Rhino would threaten Goose's life. Of course, he would use what little I cared for against me. Of course, things would always come down to this. To the bad guys using love against the good guys. Because the only true weakness someone had...was people they cared about.

Sitting down on the bed, I put my face in my hands. Almost every bad thing that could possibly happen had happened to me. Everyone I loved was dead. The only person left alive who I cared about had just been threatened. The survivability of my own life was up in the air right now. This was a mess. Everything was a foul, rotten mess.

It's so unfair.

Those words seemed to haunt me for hours. They replayed in my mind over and over again. I just couldn't fathom why God would ever let this happen. We didn't do anything to deserve this.

My parents' faces came forth in my closed eyes. I missed them so much. The idea of never seeing them again was inconceivable. Not to mention devastating. How was I going to live without them?

Every thought shriveled up on the white tile floor when I heard a knock at the door.

~Sorry for, yet again, another short chapter! So much happened here that I felt the need to give you a breather:) Feel free to comment and vote, as always! Thanks for reading!~