Page 169 of The Order

Readjusting my uniform, I scowl at the guards. There are groups of Officials making their way in and out of the building.

“I never ordered any of these men to work a detail here. They said this building was only used for confinement. Why so much security if the Marked and Unfortunates are detained with the collars?” I question in observance of the influx of men surrounding the premises.

“It would seem your authority doesn’t supersede the Commander's directives,” Adam mutters. His absolute allegiance to the dictator of New Haven society is something I've never fully understood.

“Any particular reason they’re searching us?” I question, unnerved by the unwelcome pat down.

“We have quite a few unpredictable new arrivals for the Lottery this year,” Adam says with a smile. “The Commander wants to make sure everything goes smoothly with their transition into the games.”

Pushing past the large set of metal doors, we enter the small lobby. Men wait at the front, guiding us down one of the many twisting hallways.

I see the familiar fortified doors of the holding cells and can hear audible screams from within.

“The Commander requested you two personally… he would like to see Andrew first,” one of the men guiding us says, keeping his gaze forward, moving closer to the end of the hallway where a large office is located.

On my first Lottery night, I remember coming to this office to try and hide rather than watch the events of the night play out. I couldn’t stomach the amount of blood and brutality in the pit.

The door is slightly ajar as the flames of a fireplace illuminates the floor. Pausing, Adam motions me to proceed in front of him. The rest of the men remain outside.

“Alright,” I whisper, moving forward, feeling a hand shove me into the dimly lit space. The door slams shut behind me.

Turning on my heels, I reach for the door handle, shaking it with rage.

The door is locked. My hand slams against the solid construction of the door.

“Adam! Let me the fuck out of here!” I hiss, ready to tear down the door. My mark rubs against the cuff of my shirt in a burning heat.

“What's wrong now?” I whisper, rubbing my thumb along the course skin.

A slight movement behind me grabs my attention, my eyes snapping to a body thrashing in a chair.

Narrowing my eyes, I look at the body, my hands frantically reaching through my pockets, feeling a bit of security once my fingers find the small flashlight I keep on hand.

“Who the hell are you?” I question, getting nothing but silence.

“You have a limited time frame to answer my fucking question before I start kicking your teeth in,” I hiss, their voice nothing but a murmur.

Grabbing the back of the chair, I brace myself.

“Listen here, you asshole-” I begin, turning the chair on its legs, my flashlight raised.

His blue eyes widen. His mouth is gagged. A firm metal collar is latched around his throat. Blood trickles down the side of his face, his eyes sunken, his energy drained. Along his side, his mark sticks out, his shirt torn from the sheer number of lashings he’d received. He continues to thrash against his bindings, sweat accumulated along his forehead. I pull out the gag from his mouth, watching him gasp for air.

“Fallan?” I question, keeping my hold on him, doing my best to transfer him some of my energy.

“What -”

“He fucking took her, Andrew,” he spits, his wrists raw from his struggles. “You have to let me out and get this collar off. I have no idea where she is. I swear I will fucking kill everyone in here once I have this off-”

“Took who?”

“They have Forest,” he spits out, my stomach dropping. “And Kai.” His teeth are bared as he continues. “I tried to save them from all of this…. but he got to them-”

“Who got to them?” I push, his head shaking.

“Andrew, use your Hold. Take this off-”

My knees buckle, hitting the ground with a painful thud. I have no control over my body. My head twists behind me, forced to look away from Fallan.

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