Page 71 of Wrath

Summer joins us, led by another woman in uniform. I turn to the warriors. “She’s nervous around us, so be nice.”

“Suddenly you’re the boss?” mutters Zeus.

“We’re all in the same boat here,” I reply, “and these women are afraid of us after what we did. Do you blame them?”

He shakes his head, offering a small smile Summer’s way. She doesn’t return it, instead taking Wynter’s offered hand.

We’re led to the next field, where doctors and nurses are rushing around assessing some of the villagers. I glance over to where a small child is crying and notice the long line of warriors-to-be, all sitting on the ground huddled together. A sense of pride fills me. Wynter has saved them from suffering years of torment.

A nurse approaches me cautiously. “I’m Helen,” she introduces, smiling. She makes eye contact with the three other warriors. “If you all come with me, we can get started.”

Wynter kisses my cheek. “Go. I’ll come and find you.”

“The ambulance is this way,” adds Helen, leading us towards a vehicle. “Don’t worry, we’re not taking you anywhere, we just need to run some tests.”

“What kind of tests?” asks Abe.

“Your friend, Martha, told us you might have been given a cocktail of medication, but she wasn’t sure what. We need to determine that so we can find a way to wean you off it. If that’s needed, of course.”

“Steroids,” I mutter, and she turns to me. “I saw a label once.”

“Viagra,” adds Zeus. “They were the blue pills.”

She nods. “Okay, that doesn’t sound too bad, but we’ll still need to run tests. Some medication has to be withdrawn slowly so you’re not hit with bad side effects. Can we take some blood from each of you?”

I nod, stepping into the back of the ambulance.What’s one more day of being prodded and poked?

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

WYNTER

Isip the hot water and close my eyes in appreciation. The police officer, Jayne, watches me through curious eyes. “Are you sure you don’t want anything in that?” she asks. “I have some herbal tea.”

I shake my head. “Just having a warm drink is more than enough,” I say, smiling.

She glances at her partner, Detective Carl Stern, with raised brows, and I suddenly feel stupid. Call me cautious, but I don’t trust these people yet. I’ve spent hours in that field, rushing from one villager to the next to reassure them that these people will help us. Convincing them that this was the right choice, even when I’m not convinced myself. So, now that I’m alone in this police station, with these two strangers, the gravity of the situation is hitting me full force.

I glance around the nice room. It’s warm and cosy, with two couches and some blankets. On the door is a sign saying ‘Interview Room’.

“So, Wynter,” says Jayne, tapping her pen on her notepad, “we have to record this interview.” She points at the two cameras, one in the corner of the room and a funny-looking device pointing at me from beside her. “That’s for evidence.” Inod. “And I’ll be making some notes. Is that okay?” I nod again. “We have officers talking to some of the other villagers too. Everyone seems worried.”

“They’ve spent a long time in that place.”

“What is that place called?” she asks.

“I didn’t really know it had a name until someone told me different.” I sip my drink. “Paragon Village.”

“And you were born there, is that correct?” she asks.

“Yes.”

“Who are your family?”

I think over her question. “I have a sister, Summer. My mother, Grace, and my father, Anthony.”

“And you lived on top of the hill in this house?” she asks, turning a picture of my family home towards me.

“Yes. Another woman, Annastasia, joined us too. She married my father.”

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