Lucky 13

Chapter 45: Numbers

Lily's POV

Riley parked the car in a driveway from an ordinary house. "We're here," She got out of the car, to which I followed her example. "Welcome to my house." She motioned to the rather tiny house behind her.

I smiled politely.

"Come on," She walked to the front door and opened it. "Get in."

I entered and looked around. But when I walked in the living room, I gasped. In front of me, in the living room, were 4 women, one of which was Suzy.

"So these are the people I wanted you to meet," Riley said, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. "These are Amanda, Ella, Hanna and Suzy."

I slowly nodded, what was happening here? Why am I meeting these people? 

"Girls, this is Lily," She said to the others. "She's number 13."

Right when she said that, they all nodded, seemingly understand why I was there. Though them calling me number 13 actually made me worried.

"So Lily, these are numbers 9, 10, 11 and 12. And I'm number 7." Riley smiled at me.

I gulped, I was seriously getting worried and scared. "Why am I here?"

"Right," Riley then pushed me down so I'd sit in front of the group. She then took a seat next to the girls. "We want to warn you."

"What for?"

"Catherine." Amanda said, or was she Hanna? I knew she was number 9, I'll call her that from now on.

I raised my eyebrows. "Catherine? Why?"

"Do you know who she is?" Number 11 asked.

I nodded. "Why?"

Number 11 showed her bite marks, the ones they all shared in common, including me. "This is how she gets you."

"Gets me?" I was so confused.

Riley scooted closer. "Catherine is dangerous, very dangerous. She's on a mission and she won't stop for no one."

"What do you mean?" Why do they keep talking in riddles? "Explain it better."

Suzy groaned. "We all were Catherine's girlfriends before you. At first, she's nice and affectionate, but then she marks you," She pointed to the bite mark in my neck. "And you're done."

"As soon as she bites you, she can start her mission." Riley continued.

"Which is?"

Riley reached for my hand, holding it in hers. "Getting you pregnant."

I blinked a few times. I couldn't and wouldn't believe that. "Getting me pregnant?" I chuckled. "Do you hear yourself? How is she, a woman, supposed to get me pregnant?"

"It all happens through the bite mark, that thing has many uses." Riley continued. "Hasn't she tried to have sex with you yet?"

I looked down.

"And I bet during sex, she bit you again." Riley went on, once again saying something that Catherine indeed had done. "When she does that, that's her trying to get you pregnant."

I looked back up at her, suddenly fear overtook me. "Why?"

"Because she needs to have a child before she's 30."

I looked down, processing this new information. "How do you know that?"

"Before I escaped her, I learned all this information out of documents and books I found in her office."

I looked back up at Riley.

"I learned so many things, and ever since then I'm trying to save humanity, I'm trying to save other numbers like you now." She gently squeezed my hand. "She has to die."

"Why?"

"If she dies, all of them die." Number 10 continued. "If she succeeds in finding the right number, she'll get a child."

"And then her kind's saved." Number 9 went on.

I looked down, this was so much information all at once. I actually had a hard time processing all of it.

And Riley noticed. "Listen, what's most important now is that you stay away from Catherine. She can't get you pregnant."

I slowly shook my head. "I can't do that," I looked at them. "I fully depend on her, I left my parents' house."

They sighed.

"Maybe I can ask Esmee for help?" I suggested.

"No, not Esmee." Riley shook her head. "She's just as bad as Catherine."

I looked down, I really didn't see those bad and evil people they saw. Maybe that was because, as Riley was saying, they expected me to deliver.

"Look, just get out. If she notices you're not delivering, that's when you're in great danger." Riley caressed my hand now, she really wanted me to feel comfortable.

"What happens then?"

That's when they all looked down. "As you may notice we're not complete. Numbers 1 till 6 aren't here, as is number 8."

I slowly nodded. "Where are they?"

"They're dead," Suzy said. "Catherine and Esmee killed them. They're monsters."

"I managed to escape in time and, ever since then, I made it my mission to save others. But I failed saving number 8, I won't fail again." She then caressed my face. "Don't make the same mistake we all made."

"But you all escaped, you're fine now."

Riley shook her head and then looked at the others, who looked down as well. "She injured us," Number 10 went on, placing her hand over her lower belly. "We can never carry a child."

Ok, this was a bridge too far. "How would she even do that?"

"She's the Mother Superior," Riley went on. "When she bites you, she can inject you with some things."

I gulped, this wasn't something I needed to know... "Such as?"

"It depends, it's either: blood, seeds or poison." Riley counted on her fingers. "Blood to strengthen you or turn you into one of them, seeds to impregnate you and poison to effectively harm you or even kill you."

I gulped again. Was Catherine really that dangerous? "What did she inject me with then?" I went over the bite mark. "Last night."

"Probably seeds," Suzy said to which the others nodded in agreement. "Now you've got one month."

"One month?" I was really getting worried. I looked at Riley, since I felt like she knew the most.

Riley sighed. "If you don't deliver in one month, that's when they get rid of you." She said to which they all nodded. "You have to make an escape plan before that."

I looked down.

"But don't worry," Riley squeezed my hand once more. "We're here to help you, you're not alone. And if you need a place to stay, you can stay here."

I looked at them, they all seemed so nice and really wanted to help me. But their explanation stuck with me. It felt wrong, I couldn't believe all the things they said about Catherine and Esmee. Maybe I should investigate on my own...?