Page 101 of The Cult

They yanked me down, forcing me to sit on a cold metal chair before they zip-tied my wrists behind my back.

“Where did this come from?” the guard holding the phone asked. He leaned forward and pressed it against my face, causing the broken glass to scratch my skin.

My silence was met with a slap across my face. I winced as the force of his unexpected blow caused me to see black spots. My eyelids fluttered trying to regain focus. A salty metallic taste hit the roof of my mouth.

“What’s the code?” He swiped the cracked screen, waiting for me to give him the numbers.

They would find out what we’d been planning for a year once he got hold of those messages. We were so close to freedom, we might not get another chance to escape.

“Answer me!”

He punched my stomach. I coughed up a mixture of saliva and blood, and before I could recover, he followed up with another blow.

The metal chair skidded back as my body folded from the pain. The guard tugged my tank top to keep me upright. “I can do this all day,” he warned. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. You choose.”

“Go fuck yourself,” I said, spitting in his face, sealing my fate.

The guards’ blows rained down on me, each taking their turn at my flesh. But with each punishing strike, my defiance burned stronger. I refused to be broken. I gritted my teeth in agony and stood my ground.

“What’re you hiding in here?” someone asked. I couldn’t tell who; my consciousness was teetering on the edge of blacking out. A door I hadn’t noticed before because it blended with the sterile white wall swung open.

Like a dark omen, Orcus emerged, clad in his military uniform adorned with medals that held no significance in The Creed. Maybe for his people, but not for me. He strode toward us; my awareness sharpening again with the break from the beating. His expression shifted from puzzled curiosity to simmering anger as his attention landed on my battered face. “I can’t say I’m disappointed,” he sneered. He gestured to his men, and one of the guards pulled over a chair and placed it in front of me. “I’m actually surprised your little rebellion took this long.” Orcus’s tone was laced with disdain. “Guess the apples don’t fall far from the tree, after all.” He settled into the seat, basking. “Just like your father.”

I wiggled my arms. What I wouldn’t give to pin him to the ground and strangle him until his eyes went dark. I fantasized about my face being the last thing he saw when he took his final breath. “We’ll make you pay,” I growled.

Orcus shook his head and outstretched his palm. The guard dropped the phone into it. “Where did you get this?”

I remained silent and veered my face to the side. Orcus hated it when we didn’t acknowledge him.

“Answer the question.” The guard grabbed my chin and forced my head back to the object of my hatred.

I didn’t budge; my determination was unshakable.

With a subtle nod, Orcus signaled to his minion. He waved a cattle prod, its menacing crackle reverberating through the room.

“The passcode?” Orcus asked.

I ignored his presence once more. “Ahhhhh!” I screamed. Searing pain jolted through my body, clamping my jaw. I would not rat out my friends. I endured the pain and remained resolute.

“What’s in here that you’re willing to die for?”

He would never know.

The torment continued and Orcus’s face began to crack. He started to lose his ever-loving shit; his face contorted with frustration. He wasn’t used to anyone defying him. In The Creed, Orcus was God and his word was the law. He scooted his chair forward, his face looming in front of mine. “Listen to me, you little shit. Unlock this or you’ll pay.”

“Go to hell,” I barked. I hacked up phlegm and spat the load at him.

Shocked and disgusted, Orcus stood and kicked the chair behind him. “Take care of this.” He pulled a white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face.

Two men snagged my arms to prop me up.

“Get your hands off me!” I yelled.

One of the guys muffled my mouth with duct tape.

“Take him to the quarry where his dad was.” Orcus let out a sinister laugh before exiting.

They yanked me outside through the door we came in, but instead of heading in the direction of my friends, the guards proceeded to drag me to the back door near Tobias’s quarters. My muffled protests sounded like grunts. I kicked and thrashed against their grasp, fear and fury fueling my movements. Because of my strength and size, three guards were required to restrain me, and they still struggled due to my resistance.

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