sleepless club ▸ c.g [ 𝐈 ]

𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚍𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 ⇢ 𝟶𝟸𝟺

"Ana. ."

Viewing the silhouette standing before her through blurred, squinted eyes; the maiden took a soft breath, watching as the figure inched closer─ Carl's visage appearing somewhat clearer.

   Her heavy lids struggled to remain open, but she fought the urge to shield them to a close─ a battle she believed she'd fail at any given second.

   "Ana. . It's okay."

"C. . Carl?"

"I got you."

September 11th ┆03:45 am

Eyes suddenly sprung open wide after a forceful closed-hand making hard impact to the female's cheek.

Searching the room through anxious optics, they failed to set upon her immediate attacker due to the lack of lighting in the room.

She'd attempt to move, only to discover the tight grip from a rope around her ankles and hands preventing her from doing so.

"That's what you get for killing my boys, you little fucking─."

The unknown, raspy voice was cut off to Anais as the door creaked open to glow a bright light into the room; prompting the girl's eyes to instantly squint over before they could adjust.

"Enough of that now, Kyle." Another male began, rather calm to Ana's surprise.

Feeling her lower lip falling numb after the crimson liquid leaked down from her marked skin, the teen's head hung low in defeat─ merely to be tilted back upward by the hand of the male.

She could only stare at the bright orbs peering back at her; the pupils laced around with the cold blue iris expanding at the very sight of her battered face.

"Kyle, kindly leave us, will you? I'd like to have a little chat with our guest here." Emitting a huff, Anais listened to the footsteps descend down the hall─ finally leaving her, and the unfamiliar face to their own company.

Her lips slightly part as the tip of his thumb graced the sensitivity of her skin, swiping the drops of blood from her jaw with ease, "I'm sorry about Kyle's behaviour. . He's incredibly upset over the loss of our people recently. You should know that, right?"

Anais remained in silence as his contact left her chin, before she'd watch cautiously as he'd turn on the heel of his boots to swing the door back to a close. That quiet click of the latch sent an unnerving feeling to her chest.

"I'm General Philips. . You're more than welcome to call me George─ I mean, if you are suicidal." A chuckle escaped him at his own words.

Anais would roll her eyes if her tired orbs were capable of doing so in that moment.

"What's your name, little lady?"

Upon his question, Williams lips press together as he began to circle the chair she was held down on by the tight grip of the rope forcing her hands behind her back.

"Not very talkative, are you?"

Before Ana could even think about making a reply, her blood ran cold as the head of a screwdriver is roughly shoved into her upper thigh. A bloodcurdling scream followed to echo the small space not very long after.

As tears began to trickle down the flushed, lightly freckled cheeks possessed by the female; Philips' digits wrapped around the screwdriver's grip, giving it a slight squeeze─ threatening to give it a turn and pop out the kneecap, "Your name."

"An─." Closing her eyes tight, Williams voice choked as more hot tears seeped through her lids, "Anais. . My─ My name's Anais."

As Philips removed the screwdriver that once penetrated into her skin, a cry left the adolescent as her eyes squint open; watching as blood spilled down her trembling leg through the optics layered over with tears.

"See, Anais? You help me, I help you."

He replied in a sardonic manner before he kneeled, cupping a hand over the maiden's cheek to brush away the tears, "No need to cry now, darling."

Ana's teeth grit together as she stared at him, eyes once bright with hazel quickly transitioning to a much darker shade. Many words fought to leave her mouth, but she wouldn't dare leave them from mind─ not just yet, at least.

His cold gaze scanned over each and every one of Anais's features, not one detail upon her visage was left unveiled.

"You know, I should kill you for what you've done to my men. ."

George began, sighing out as he reached down, tucking a hand in the pocket of his jeans to eventually pull out a cigarette; placing it between her plump lips, "But that'd be stupid of me, wouldn't it?"

The older man quietly scoffed to himself as he proceeded to light the tip of the cigarette, watching with a slight smirk as Anais inhaled. It became apparent to him that it was something she deeply yearned, "You, a little girl, capable of killing men twice your size and double your body weight. . Now, that is incredibly impressive. The perfect asset to my army."

"What are you getting at?" Parting her lips just a bit to breathe out, the cigarette clung to her lower lip before she'd go to inhale the cloud of nicotine heavily.

Merely by her reply, his smirk stretched out somewhat wider. "Join me and my men, and we won't blow your brains out all over these walls. ."

Feeling her tears dry over, Anais lightly sniffled as thick brows narrow over at his proposal. She didn't exactly expect to hear something like that.

After that short period of silence, George leaned in that tad bit closer to her face; pinching lightly at her chin with his thumb and index, "Aren't you tired of being out there? Alone? Hungry? No one to watch your back? No one to rely on? Here, you won't have to worry about that. . That's why we fight. That's why we hunted you down. We protect our people. But for you, we can make an exception. . You are way too valuable to let go just like that, Anais. I will not pass up this gift from God."

Briefly stopping herself from taking drags from her cigarette, Ana's lips somewhat part─ unable to come up with the correct set of words to give as an answer.

"So, what do you say?"