Turned

Chapter 13: Guilty Pleasures

      The sun rises, it's thirsty rays licking the cold horizon, kicking it into action. I march by Destiny's side, my armor and her fast pace causing me to lag behind at times. Locradis leads the group of fives.

       Destiny shook me and Matt awake in the wee hours of the night. She pulled me from Matt's chest and stood me up as I struggled to focus and break out of my sleep induced state. She didn't poke, prod, or tease us, but my face flushed anyway. 

         Despite our disagreements, he had calmed me last night. I'd never admit it, but his warmth was comfortable and with his heavy arm around me, there was safety. 

        Not that it matter, because as soon as he awoke, his resumed his cold stature.

     With sleep in my eyes, and the freezing night air in my bones, I strapped up my armor with my num fingers.

      Locradis explained that we were going to get more information on the ineligible letter. Back to the Justice Building, as I've nicknamed the building of pure white marble.

     As we pass Base 8, there stands a military graveyard from my first battle. When we reach it, Destiny stops the group, pushing Locradis back with her elbow. She stoops down to kneel at a patch of fluffy bushes covering two roughly dug graves. Beneath the dirt, I knew, laid a boy and a girl, twins. I prayed they still had their grey streaks.

    Water droplets caressed the dirt. Destiny's tears served as a reminder that war left no one untouched, even the smallest of children, even the toughest of soldiers.  I fall to the ground next to her, my knees digging into the wet dirt.

      "These are the berries they used to make the streaks,” she tells me, pointing to the bunches. The berries are light blue, lighter than blueberries, the color of the sky. I don't understand how the juice from such bright berries could be so dark.

       I reach over and grab a berry. I squeeze it to its breaking point. Gray juice cascades down my finger tips. I take another cluster and a strip of Destiny's blonde, unruly hair. She tenses, and then understands. She sits there, staring at the graves as I carefully streak her hair with gray juices. When I'm done, I'm careful not to stain her elbow when I pull her up. She leans her head on my shoulder and buries her face in my hair. Her once stiff body shakes as her sobs echo through the forest. We stay like this for a while and I hold her as she cries, sorrowful memories leaking onto my shoulder.

     There's a weak snoring sound from behind the door. I hesitate to open it, but I realize there's no time for hesitation. When the team realizes I'm gone, it'll be minutes before they find me and Locradis' spears my head. Technically, I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm just looking for information in a different part of the building...

     And information I find. Behind the door is a balding man snuggled up in the corner of the room. His head is pressed against the floor, a threadbare sweater separating his ear from the floor. He is fast asleep. Even with my awful vision, I can see his name tag. It reads Senator Fectorus.

    Anger boils inside of me. I know it's a cliché thing to say, but it feels real. There's a sensation that spill over me head to toe. My head spins and I feel myself about to do something reckless.

   "Having a nice nap?" I snarl. He dolts and wakens, surprised at the fact that my face is inches away from his. He immediately tries to scamper away but I grab him by the front of his shirt, throwing him against the wall across the room. I'm surprised at my own strength but then again, he's wasted away. He doesn't look like much anymore.

    "What's the matter? Why so slim? You're chip isn't feeding you right no more?" I ask him, walking towards him, taking my time. He cowards at the wall.

    "Answer me!" I scream suddenly, my anger escaping my control.

     He mumbles something ineligible.

    "Not good enough," I tell him.

   I'm not sure how but I manage to remember how to get back to camp. I park him at the base closest to camp. Using the rope I found in the office, I tied him to a gnarled tree. He's shaking, pale as snow, and I'm angry, shoving him around to where I need him. The walk here has been silent. It consisted of me prodding him with the butt of my hilt and sometimes with my blade when I grew weary of his slow pace. Now, he's backed to a tress, tied down, struggling against his bonds.

    "Don't struggle, you'll get rope burn," I tell him, acting like I care. I roam around his tree. I find a dry stick that could hold fire well. Using my sword hilt, I start a fire. He whimpers at the sight of the cackling flame.

   "Don't worry. I'm not going to burn you at the sake hon," I say to him in an airy voice. "I'm just going to ask you nicely about a certain letter I found in your offices. And you’re going to tell me about this letter. You know what letter I'm talking about, don't you sweets?" I purr venomously.

    "N-n-no," he trembles. It doesn't take Athena to figure out he's lying.

     "Now baby, let's do this without lying to each other. We both know you know what letter I'm talking about. You know who sent it, you know you received it, and you know what it says All I ask is that you transfer all your knowledge to me," my hands are on either side of his ears, which are turning redder by the second and my face is inches from his. He's gulping in air like he's never tasted it before.

      "No clue....no-no-no clue what you're talking about," he manages to get out. 

      "Well, I thought we'd be able to do this the easy way. But I guess you were always one for games,"

         I poke my stick into the fire, holding it there until the stick holds the fire too. I leisurely stroll towards him with my torch and his eyes widen with fear as he realizes what I'm about to do. My torch makes its way towards the ground and I smother the flames. 

        "Hold still, babe," I mutter into his ear. I quickly press the extinguished branch into the thigh of my victim.

      My guilty pleasure? 

     Every scream that echoes from his mouth, every groan, every cry, and every sweat bead that breaks upon his face. I'm not sure what this makes me. I don't know whether this makes me sick, war-crazed, a psychopath, or a sadist. I just firmly know that I enjoyed drinking his tears as he screamed for mercy from the pain. I just know that I enjoyed digging my smothered into his thigh, his arm, his shoulder, and his stomach and I enjoy watching his agony. I enjoyed watching his pain.

     But all good things must come to an end. Soon after, he falls unconscious from his many burns. I poured water onto his wounds from my canteen and I exited the clearing. Calm and collected, the tortured human behind me in the woods, his fate undecided. 

    All in a good day's work.

Hey there! I'd like to thank you guys so much for the 1000 reads on this book! Thank you tons! I really appreciate all my readers and all my voters and all my commenters! Any silent readers should start commenting, I'd love to hear your suggestions and what you have to say. I will respond to EVERY SINGLE COMMENT because I value all your ideas and feedback! Let's get to 2000 reads now, I know we can do it! :D

P.S:Sorry for the extremely short chapter :) To make up for it, the next chapter shall be posted today :D

~LilySnape who's extremely happy with all her fans right now <3