Everlasting #Wattys2018

Sleep

I wanted to sleep.

Everything could happen later. I thought begrudgingly, curling up next to Andi in the small cage we were placed in. He was still crying silently, but my need for sleep overpowered any other emotion. Every other emotion except hunger, my stomach growled.

I couldn't believe it when the sun started to peek through the window outside of our small cage. My eyes burned, begging for rest. The lady was sprawled on the couch, her mouth agape. I didn't see any reason why I shouldn't sleep too...

My eyes opened again at a bloodcurdling screech, Evelyn had awoke. Not only that, she was tied up. Andi's head was resting on my shoulder, a trickle of drool falling out of his mouth. His cheeks were both tear stained. I couldn't imagine how I looked.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH THE CHILDREN," Evelyn screamed through her gag, tears dripping off her chin as she struggled.

"Evelyn!" I cried weakly, trying not to move so Andi could get his sleep.

Evelyn screamed again, but it was the most painful scream I've ever heard. It's as if it ripped through her vocal chords, enough to make my eardrums bleed, so chilling that it sent shivers down my spine. I started to cry once more. "DON'T TOUCH THEM, TAKE ME, NOT THEM, NOT MARS- just-" my heart skipped a beat, Evelyn said a very rude word. "-take me!"

My heart beat crazily. "Evelyn!" I cried again.

Andi finally jerked awake, his eyes bloodshot and puffy. I gripped onto him, shaking. He hugged me tightly, trembling. "What did you mean, what is a monster clown?" He whispered hoarsely.

"You don't want to know," I whispered back tearfully.

The woman finally woke. With Evelyn still screaming I felt unpleasantly surprising how she can sleep through it. She walked up to her slowly, looking at her through her cage. "I recognise you," she finally whispered. "I..."

Her eyes lit up. "Evelyn," she said with a smile on her face. "JINAN!"

A young girl rushed straight into the room, a look of terror on her face. She looked extremely young, about three or four.

"Another..." Evelyn croaked.

"I needed someone to replace you," She grinned. "And old Amet didn't have enough meat on him to last us long,"

I whimpered.

"She doesn't look like she'll survive though," The lady's eyes trailed to the frightened girl. "She's way to frail and can't take a hit without falling unconscious,"

"YOU BEAST," Evelyn screeched, bursting into fresh struggles.

"But that's all solved, I bet she'd survive a few years at most and we have a load of meat now," she glanced over at me and Andi's cage, and then at Mars'.

"DON'T YOU DARE," Howled Evelyn.

The man walked into the room. My heart skipped a beat, I wasn't sure if it stopped. A whip was in his hands... a whip.

Evelyn immediately quietened. I could see the look of trauma in her eyes as if she was reliving her whole life. Mars let out a strangled yell. I burst into renewed sobs.

"Jinan, go open the kids' cage," The woman ordered. "We'll have them as pets until they're ready for slaughter... I think eight will be a good age,"

The trembling girl scurried over to our cage and yanked it open, falling down as she did. She immediately jumped back up in fear. Tears spilled down her eyes.

"Are those the twins?" She asked venomously, mock-fully playing with Evelyn's hair.

Evelyn let out a disgusted yell and squirmed.

"Oh they'll make delicious meals..." she taunted cruelly.

I stepped out of my cage, a plan forming in my mind. Andi didn't wait a second, he charged at her at full speed. He jumped onto her and started punching and kicking every little part he could reach. "ANDI!" I yelled, watching her attempt to yank him off.

"This won't do," she said as he continued to try and kill her, his small hands rapped around her neck. "Punish him, Max,"

She yanked him off and threw him onto the ground. She looked over to me. "And you?"

I glanced back at the small girl. She looked oddly similar. Her hair was the same shade of ash blonde, the only difference was it was straight while all of us had wavy hair. Her eyes weren't sharp, but big and round. She had freckles sprinkled on her cheeks. She looked positively frightened. I looked back at the woman, trying to breathe.

"Hit her anyway," The lady said passively. "She'll be more disciplined then,"

Evelyn started screaming horrible things and the lady kicked her in the stomach to shut her up.

A crack sounded and I heard the most pained yell. I burst into renewed sobs and ran over to Andi who was withering in pain on the floor. The man picked me up by the collar of my shirt and stroked my hair as if I was a wild beast that needed soothing. I started kicking and screaming as loud as I possibly could. This is dumb, someone should've heard us by now.

"YOU-" I couldn't believe my eyes when Evelyn ripped through the rope. It was unbelievable, but the wounds on her wrists revealed her struggle. She charged at the lady and managed to tackle her to the ground, unlike Andi. She rapped her hands around her neck and started to squeeze. The lady kicked and squirmed until she went unconscious. I wasn't sure if Evelyn was going to kill her but she stood up and looked over at the man, thankfully proving me wrong.

"It's your turn, my dear father," she whispered venomously, a insane look in her eyes. She slowly stepped forward. Her father was prepared, he whip in his hands his weapon as he got into a defensive pose.

Father... her father... she's my sister...

No. No way.

I closed my eyes and opened them again. I helped Andi up and set him leaning against the couch. Then I sneaked my way into the kitchen. The amount of blood I saw the second I walked in made me- almost- scream.

I grabbed a Knife, another one and another one. And even more... and more. I stepped out with the craziest smirk I could muster, and I slowly snaked my way. Evelyn stepped forward and the man stepped forward after her. They continued slowly, each with the look of insanity carved onto their faces.

They attacked.

But I couldn't do anything. I started crying again. Andi was still withering in pain on the floor and blood started seeping through his shirt as if he'd been stabbed. Evelyn was tackled onto the ground and he gripped her tightly, locking her back into her cage. He looked over to me and I dropped my knife and kicked it so it slid right into the kitchen, praying he hadn't seen.

"If you do anything funny and whip you to a inch of your life," He hissed threateningly, he kicked Andi. "Get up you little weakling, if you can't take that then wow begone you if you think you'll handle a beating,"

Andi shockingly stood up, he looked me straight into the eye. "Run," He mouthed.

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I'm complementing having a sequel or just completing the book as one... I think I'll probably do it was one, we'll see.

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Ailani.