Page 13 of The General's Captive
We all knew there were those in the government who wanted to but as much as they tried to hide people had drones. They had seen too much to know there were still thousands of survivors spread out across the land which meant there were human rights groups out there who had become a voice for us. They filledthe streets with protesters and spoke at congress, on our behalf. They refused to let the government act against us.
All of which gave some of us hope.
Not me though.
I had seen too much to lose hope in humanity, to believe they would ever have our best interests at heart. The ones who were in charge of our fate weren’t the ones with their lives on the line.
I feared the Myths, as anyone should, but I feared the world leaders more. Although, it did have to be said that there was one person I feared more than both of these things.
The General.
I shivered just thinking ofhim,the man who had conquered my dreams more and more with each year that passed… usually after the times I had caught sight of him. And there had been numerous occasions these past three years, whether it was from a distance or when I was hiding from him, like I had that first time.
Seeing him was like a catalyst.
What was more concerning was when the nature of these dreams began to change. At first it was him standing at the cabin, but instead of letting me go, he would leap onto the winged creature I know knew as a Gryphon. Or sometimes even worse, the fabled dragon that most of us had never seen. Then he would fly over to me and land in front of the truck. For a while, the dreams ended there. But then it evolved into him dismounting the beast and striding over to me with purpose.
Sometimes, he disappeared the moment he reached the driver’s side of the truck. Other times, he actually pulled me out and into his arms. He would call me something in a foreign language, before collaring my throat and keeping me captive as he kissed me. Claiming my lips and slipping in his tongue the second I gasped.
Each one forced me to feel things I wish I didn’t.
His hands would grow impatient, sometimes tearing at my clothes, sometimes lifting me up so we were equal in height before he would then deepen the kiss.
It was maddening.
Like a curse.
I could barely go a day without thinking about him.
I would catch myself and feel ashamed for the rest of the day. At least when sleeping I told myself that I had no control, but when I was awake, there was no excuse.
He was the enemy.
And speaking of enemies, the second I heard the first of the sirens, I closed my book and, with it, the face I had secretly drawn too many times, filling precious pages with elements of his handsome image. Like some fucking teenage crush. I loathed myself as much as I couldn’t help it. Nor could I bring myself to tear them up like I know I should have.
I slipped the journal into my private box, something that everyone at the base had. It had a lock and a key, and my name written across the top in marker. Along with the warning…
‘Touch my shit and see what happens’
With my journal secured, I stormed out of the dorm straight into hell. Not my hell, but for the people screaming and running to safety, it was certainly theirs. I walked calmly and observed as people continued to scream and run in the opposite direction to where I was going. My scars burned all over and all I wanted to do was relieve the pain by scratching them.
“Alex! Run! You need to run!” A civilian grabbed my arm, sheer panic on her face. As she pulled me with her, I dug my feet into the ground and wrenched my arm from her grasp.
“Let go!” I snapped angrily. She gawked at me like she wanted to say something more, but I turned away from her, continuing on toward whatever evil was terrorizing the base this time—the place I now called my home.
Smoke rose in the near distance, and I could smell something burning, but I couldn’t see a fire. Pulling out my radio, I pressed the button and said,
“Come in. Alex here. Anyone got a visual yet? Over.”
Static sounded before a deep man’s voice came through, it was sharp and confident but also held a hint of breathlessness.
“Alex, it’s Brad! Location of creature is at the south wall. We have a class three. I repeat, we have a class three, a Chimera on base. Over.”
“In other words, get the fuck out there and stop it before it turns everyone to toast crispies. Over,” I joked, making him sigh.
“Something like that. Over.”
“On my way. ETA, two minutes. I have to grab something but you get the Goat Bombs. Remember, focus on that fucking goat! Over,” I ordered, clipping the radio back to the pocket of my camouflage combat pants before sprinting the way I had come. I headed straight back to the dorm for my secret weapon.
