Page 70 of Marked

Jackie’s asleep. She won’t be able to fight them. She’s too tired.

Mom’s crying gets more intense. She must see them too.

“Oh, god! There they are!”

It’s pitch black in here, but there’s enough light from the hallway that I can see three figures lying on the floor.

Gasoline and oil smells fill my nostrils, dragging up memories I don’t have time for. Fighting back the flashes of figures walking through shadows, echoes of screams long past faded into the darkness, everything in me clenches.

This place is a war zone. Demons and monsters clash, and only the strongest will survive.

Proudly, my demons walk with me as I move toward the three figures folded into themselves on the cold, concrete floor.

“It’s gonna be bright as hell. Cover your eyes,” Zack announces just before he flips the lights on.

“Shit.” The girl in the middle puts her hands over her eyes. “Too bright.”

“Can you turn them down?” I look to the switch. There’s no dimmer. Of course not, it’s a mechanic’s shop. There’s on or off.

“Sorry. No.” Zack frowns, then turns his attentionto the three women. The one on my left is asleep, the one to the right is a tearful mess.

“Oh god.” I run to the sleeping one. “Is she all right?”

“Who are you?” the girl in the middle demands. “Don’t touch her!” she screams at me when I reach for the sleeping figure.

“See. I told you I heard screaming,” I say to Zack.

“Don’t touch her!” Chains rattle as she lunges at me.

“It’s all right.” I back off from the sleeping figure. “We’re going to get you out of here,” I say. Zack helps me get back to my feet and pulls me away from the girls.

“They’re scared, let’s give them a second,” he reassures me. “They don’t know who we are.”

I nod, looking them over as terror bubbles up in my stomach.

“This is the place, Zack.” My whisper is hoarse. “I was there.” I point to the middle girl. “Quinn was there.” The sleeping girl. “And Mom, when they had here in here, was there.” I point to the oldest of the three women.

“You’re not there anymore, little bird,” he reminds me. He’s so patient with me.

“You were here?” the girl in the middle asks, dropping her hand from her eyes and blinking against the light. They’ve been darkness for days, maybe longer. It’s going to take a while before their eyes adapt to any light.

“I was. Right where you are.” I nod. “I know you’re really scared right now, but we are here to help you. The others aren’t coming back.” I step toward her. “They arenevergoing to hurt you, or anyone, again.”

Dirt clings to her blonde hair. It’s matted and tangled all around her head. Black smudges cover her cheeks. Dried blood is everywhere; on what’s left of a nightgown, her arms, her chin, her thighs.

I groan when I see the dark brown spots on her thighs. How many times did she have to endure their touches? Myinsides clench so hard at the anger boiling up, I’m afraid I’m going to vomit.

“He hurt you so badly,” I whisper squatting at her side. “Don’t worry, I hurt him even worse.” I hope I did these women justice.

“You hurt him?” she asks moving her gaze to Zack who is digging through tool benches.

“The first thing we cut off of him was his dick,” I assure her with a smile.

Her lips spread into a grin. The white teeth are a stark contrast to her dirty face.

“Which one was he? The big one?”

I nod. “Vince. Yeah. Artie’s gone too; he can’t touch you again.” I pick up the thick chain links. They’re heavier than I remember. My ankles had bruises from the shackles for weeks. The same marks are on her.

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