Page 100 of The Cult

“How?” Seven followed up with another question.

Suddenly, the door opened and a guard stormed into the room. “What is that?” he demanded, his voice sharp as he fixed us with a piercing glare.

I ignored his question, tucking the cell into my back pocket. I would no longer be intimidated by them. My jaw tightened and I balled my hands. I wondered if this fucker had something to do with killing my father.

“What are you glaring at?” He grabbed at my arm, but I yanked it back from him.

I stood my ground, my head high.

“You wanna disobey me?” He jabbed my chest with his baton. “Give it!”

“Make. Me.”

“You think you’re tough, huh?” He thrusted his baton forward and I staggered back. Centering myself, I swatted his arm and stepped closer to him. Then Seven and Two stood behind me and, seconds later, the rest of my friends followed.

“Back away!” the guard ordered, but we didn’t budge. The coward swallowed hard, pressing the button of his radio. “Back up to the trainees’ room, NOW!” He retreated when we stepped forward.

I couldn’t explain the glee I felt knowing that we’d rattled him. For just a moment had had experienced how we lived our lives under constant fear.

Five guards rushed into our room, their hands drawn to their pistols. “What’s going on here?” one of the fools asked. He joined the coward, who let out a shaky breath.

“Nothing.” I shrugged. “We’re just hanging out. Aren’t we, boys?” I turned to face the guys. I winked and nodded toward their bunks. They took the hint and dispersed. I might’ve found new courage to stand up for myself, but I wasn’t stupid.

“He has a fucking phone,” the first guard said, picking the phone from my pocket.

“Where did you get this?” one of the new guards asked. He forced me to face him. His nostrils flared when he waved the phone in front of my face. “Are you deaf? Someone better fess up or y’all are gonna see Orcus, and that won’t be pretty.” He swiped the screen and frowned when it asked for the password. “Whose is it?”

The guys looked at each other, probably confused about my rebellion and at a loss for the next move.

“I’ll count to three,” he barked. “If no one comes forward, y’all are gonna be punished. One.”

We didn’t move a muscle. Betrayal in The Creed came with a hefty consequence. He might kill all of us.

“Two.”

“It’s mine,” I confessed. “They didn’t know about it. The phone’s mine.”

The guard’s eyes narrowed. He pocketed the cell and yanked on my tank top. “You’re coming with me,” he spat. He grabbed me by the neck and pushed me into the hall. “The rest of you, stay here.”

I stole a quick glance back at my friends and forced a reassuring smile. “I’ll be okay,” I mouthed.

Another guard pressed his radio, filling the room with static noise until someone from the other end answered. “Go ahead,” the man on the receiver said.

“One of the trainees has a phone. We’re bringing him to the interrogation room.”

“Idiot!” The guard on the other line chuckled. “Which one?”

“Oliver’s kid.”

“Don’t you fucking say his name.” I thrusted forward but the two men dragging me to the corridor snatched me back.

“Knock it off,” one of them demanded.

“We’ll let Orcus know,” the guard on the other end said.

I searched the hallways for Tobias. Should I scream his name? Should I make a scene? I opted to remain quiet, given the situation had already escalated. We cornered a hallway, away from Tobias’s quarters. Where are you, Tobias?

We passed through multiple posts until we reached the room with the bright lights. It was the same room we were taken to during our first day at the Restricted Zone, the one with the giant mirrored wall. My suspicion that people could see through the other side was confirmed when the guards nodded toward their reflections.

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