BREATHE FOR ME

Chapter 28: The Man In Black

"I'm glad that you both found this place." The cold, cruel voice of William cuts through the quiet air of the warehouse. It's starting to go dark outside now yet Morgan and I are still clumped together in the same position that we've been in for hours. The crying stopped a long time ago, filling the room with an eerie, almost sinister, silence. Since then, we've sat amongst the dust and simply stared out at the desert from one of the back windows, as it changes colour from its Arizonian deep red, to a faded orange. The sky, which was a clear blue, is now darkening into a mix of navy and pink shades. If the circumstances were different, the view would be beautiful, perhaps even breath-taking. But right now, it's tragic. Even though tonight is the night of our escape, I can't help but feel so isolated and trapped, more trapped than I've ever felt during my time here. I've lost pretty much any hope of a rescue now. Tragedy after tragedy keeps striking us. What's to say that the boys won't get caught during this mission? What's to say that we don't mess it all up?

I watch silently as William makes his way past the collage on the wall, stopping a couple of meters from us. The individual pictures are going dark now, stolen by twilight, but I know exactly which one he is looking at. He makes me sick. Morgan doesn't look up, her steady breathing doesn't even change. Instead, she carries on clenching and unclenching the material around my wrist. Her face remains buried in my shoulder.

"Are you going to tell me how the pair of you got up here?" William asks calmly, picking the picture off from the wall and studying it closer.

I don't grace him with an answer, only a glare, which he seems to find amusing.

"Well, I must say that you've thrown a spanner into the works girls. This wasn't the plan at all. But now that you both know the truth about-"

"Don't you dare say her name." I cut him off darkly, not recognising the sound of my own voice. Morgan remains bundled up in my arms, not moving and not speaking.

"Hmm." He responds, pinning the picture back up on to the wall. "Does it hurt?"

I stay silent again, too angry to even string a sentence together.

"Do you feel anything at all Genevieve?" He pushes, taking a step towards us.

I refuse to rise to the bait and clutch Morgan tighter instead.

"She was a lovely girl, you know. So well mannered, so patient with us. She actually believed that we would let her go home to her family. She believed that she would see Enzo again. How naïve. But I must admit, she was particularly intelligent. It took us months to capture her because she was so... involved. You two however, well, you two are stupid. Morgan practically volunteered to come here. Gen, you stepped straight into our hands. Yet here you are, and you have the audacity to talk back to me, to act like my equal. You silly, stupid, naïve, little girls. I can tell you right now that you will not share the fate of-"

"Don't you dare say her name." I shout, trying but failing to keep my emotions under control. "You are disgusting."

"No," he replies quietly, releasing a small smile. "Your fate shall be so much worse-"

"Sir!" William is cut off by three distressed-looking guards dressed head to toe in dark colours, as they run into the room, creating a large dust storm. They're wearing their combat clothes; black steel-capped boots, black combat trousers, navy utility jackets, tight bullet proof vests, and ski masks, so that we cannot see their faces. They look larger and more serious than they normally do in their workout gear. Strapped to their legs and chests, knives and guns are displayed. A cold pool of dread diffuses into my stomach.