Rebels

Ch. 37

Tom stopped Jack just before a room with golden doors. He let go of Jack's wrists. "This is where I go. If I go in there with you, the King will kill me instantly. I'll wait out here and stand on guard. If these doors open," he pointed to the golden doors, "then I'm dead, and so are you." He gave a pat on Jack's shoulder before turning around, a blank expression on his face.

Jack bit his tongue. He did not know what he would find on the other side of the door. He did not know what had brought him there in the first place, for he could not remember why he had been unconscious. He did not know what to expect, so he prepared himself for the worst.

He pushed open the golden doors, and immediately they closed behind him. Two people abruptly grabbed his arms, and he noticed they were guards. One kicked his knees, and he fell down, kneeling now on the ground. He began to feel as if Tom had tricked him, and anger slowly seeped through his veins.

He noticed guards circling the entire room, and there was a staircase on his left and right, both of which led up to a balcony branching off into multiple rooms. Before him was a large throne, of which sat the King. Another man stood next to the King, and Jack assumed he was the King's advisor.

The guards who were holding him down aimed their guns at his head, and Jack swallowed down his fear. A muffled scream came from within the room, and Jack looked towards the source of the noise. Next to the king on his left, guards were holding both Luca and Lyla down. Their mouths were gagged, but Jack couldn't find any detectable injuries on Lyla. His eyes skimmed over Luca, and the breath hitched in Jack's throat. Luca was pale and his head was drooped down, seemingly unconscious. He didn't know how bad Luca had been injured, but he had hoped neither of them were in too bad of a condition.

The King stood, walking over towards Jack. He did not wear any sort of crown, nor any sort of cape that Jack had expected. Rather, the man seemed Jack's age, maybe even younger, and he wore all black.

Jack smirked, "You're the one who did all of this?"

The King frowned. "What happened to your voice? You don't sound too good."

Anger boiled through Jack's veins. He struggled against the hold of the guards, and they kicked him senseless until he succumbed to the pain. He lifted his head to face the man before him. "What are you doing to the people?"

The King scoffed once more. "The last rebellion leader was much more wise than you. It's a shame he's gone now."

Anger coursed through him, and he breathed heavily through his nose. "Why are you killing these people?"

The King sighed, growing frustrated. "I am not killing these people. I am simply..." He struggled to find the correct words, "beginning a new generation."

"What are you going to do when all of your people are dead?" Jack spoke quickly. He spotted Lyla from the corner of his eye behind the king, eyeing him in a pleading manner to stop. Luca was still unconscious beside her, and he wondered what had happened to him. Jack remembered the explosion. His mind wandered back to the bomb that had supposedly brought them there. Luca had had two more in his bag. Jack's stomach twisted.

The King stopped pacing before him, and eyed Jack as if he was getting tired of the conversation. "I can always get some more." A malevolent smile crept across his face. "Bring out my pet!" He shouted for all the guards to hear.

A sickening feeling formed in Jack's gut as he saw Arin walk out from a hidden room, being escorted by two guards. His arms were bound in front of him, locked in handcuffs. Jack immediately knew that Arin was not in the right state of mind. His skin was pale and his eyes were glossed over. From where Jack had gotten a glimpse of him, it seemed Arin had huge shadows over his eyes, making him look ghostly, and he seemed to haven't had slept in years.

The King unlocked his handcuffs, and immediately Arin headed towards Jack.

The guards' grasp tightened around Jack's arms, and his heart began to pound heavier in his chest. He knew Arin was not going to listen to anything Jack had to say, so he did not bother to protest as Arin reached him. With a tremendous amount of speed, he punched Jack across the face with such force that he saw stars. Jack felt his body growing limp but he shook himself back awake, feeling the soldiers' fingers digging further into his arms.

Arin punched him again, and Jack once more saw stars. He felt an immense amount of pain run through his skull. Showing no mercy, Arin slammed his foot into Jack's chest, knocking the wind immediately out of his lungs. The soldiers struggled to keep a hold on his growing limp body.

Arin did not hesitate to beat Jack once more. With his fists, Arin began beating Jack ruthlessly all around him, slamming his knuckles into the side of Jack's head and his ribs. Jack squeezed his eyelids shut, and all he could feel was horrible pain. He tasted blood that had seeped into his mouth. His chest suddenly burst with new pain, and he nearly collapsed if it weren't for the soldiers' hold. Jack had never known such pain could have existed. Even when he was young and his abusive family was still around, he couldn't imagine such agony. He felt once last hard punch that sent him partially unconscious, and this time the guards let go of him, and he fell to the floor. Jack felt pressure against his neck, but his thoughts were scattered, and his eyelids were heavy.

"Don't kill him until we are done with his friends," Jack could hear the King say, "you adorable pet of mine."

Jack felt the pressure release from his neck, but all energy in his body had left. For once in his life, he felt truly defeated, as he drifted from consciousness.