Page 1 of Beast

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BLAKE

The clang of a door slamming echoes through the stark, empty cell. I jump to my feet. Being cooped up in this cell is driving me insane. I need to get out. Never before have I been in such a small space with nothing to do for so long, and I don’t have my meds either.

Kali tenses, glancing at me. “What is it?”

“I don’t know.” Tapping my foot on the floor, I turn away from her. “I’m about ready to chew my way through those fucking bars at this point.”

Kali bites her lip. “I know it must be hell for you even more than us in here.”

I narrow my eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She gives me a look that already irritates me. “With your condition.”

I grind my teeth together because everyone sees my ADHD as a disability, but I beg to differ. I like to see it as a strength. I’m never too tired to do something and always ready to put my all into things, even if I might get sidetracked at times. “You know I hate people calling it that.”

She sighs. “Sorry, I know.” She runs a hand through her dark locks. “I’m so stressed.”

Luna paces up and down the cell, muttering something under her breath. For the first God knows how many days we were separated. Alice and Luna were in one cell and Kali and I were in another.

They started our “training” yesterday and we were all placed in one cell together afterward. Why they waited to start training us I’ll never know, but after yesterday’s first session we’re all struggling to hold it together.

To say it was perverse is an understatement, but I know it could have been ten times worse. It will get ten times worse.

“They’ll no doubt start our training soon,” Alice says, sitting on a hay bale in the corner and staring blankly at the bars of our cell. “We’ve got to remain strong.”

I take a deep breath, trying to calm the restless energy coursing through my veins. Being cooped up in this cage is absolute torture. I need to move, to do something, anything. The minutes drag by at an agonizing pace.

Kali gives me a sympathetic look, no doubt noticing my agitation. “We’ve got to hold it together,” she says softly. “For each other.”

Luna nods, her usual bubbly demeanor subdued. “Kali’s right. We can get through this if we lean on each other.”

I appreciate their words, but it’s not that simple for me. The itch beneath my skin is maddening. I can’t keep still and decide to join Luna pacing back and forth across the tiny cell.

Suddenly there’s a loud clang and echo of footsteps approaching. Luna and I stop pacing and move toward Alice on the hay bale, as does Kali. And then they appear. The three men in charge of our “training”.

Taren, Matias, and Thiago. My heart sinks. It’s time for day two of their fucked up training. It appears Taren is in control, but there seemed to be a lot of tension between the three men yesterday.

He unlocks the cell doors and steps inside, looking at us emotionlessly. Although, I notice a slight flash in his eyes when he looks at Alice. “Strip,” he orders. “Everything off.”

Kali and I exchange uneasy glances, but we comply and remove our clothes. Gritting my teeth together, I toss my shirt, shorts and underwear on the floor.

“Now on your knees,” Taren orders.

We witnessed what kind of violence we’ll be subjected to if we don’t comply yesterday. Luna still has a bruise across her face from where Taren struck her. Immediately, all four of us drop to our knees, painfully aware that they hold our lives in their hands.

What fresh hell will they put us through today?

The coarse surface of the floors scrapes against my skin while I adjust myself. Vulnerability is like a second skin wrapping around me under their hungry, watchful gazes. Kali is to my left, her breath coming out in quiet pants. Luna is to my right, her head bowed and eyes fixed on the ground.

They may force us to our knees, but I won’t bow my head. Instead, I watch the three. Taren stands in the middle, scanning us with an unreadable expression. Matias and Thiago flank him on either side, smirking like they’re watching their favorite show unfold.

“Keep your eyes down,” Taren instructs, his voice a steel thread weaving through the tense air.

Motherfucker.

A part of me longs to defy him, but I comply, lowering my gaze despite every muscle muscle in my body screaming to fight, lash out and claw my way out of this nightmare.

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