Page 2 of Fleeing from the Monster

“I think she would have met some guy who swept her off her feet,” I begin, smirking over at Leah. “Oh, she would have fought it like hell, but he would have won her heart in the end. She would have had a gorgeous wedding with us beside her, raised a beautiful family for us to spoil and dote on. She would have grown old and smiled at all that life gave to her. At every way it gave her good to make up for all the bad she endured.”

Leah smiles, more sincere this time, her eyes softening. “She would have been the best mother. She would have protected them from everything.”

I swallow. “Just like she did for us.”

Leah nods. “I have so many regrets, Keri.”

My eyebrows furrow. “About what?”

“All the pain she took so that I wouldn't have to. She lived a life of pain and hurt and died just the same. It's not fair. Not for a person as good as her.”

“It's not fair,” I agree, “but she would never want you to blame yourself, or for me to blame myself. We protect each other because we love each other. It's what we do.”

She comes forward and I rush to open my arms to her, but it's in the silence of our hug that I hear words that I hoped I never would—that I assumed I never would.

How foolish of me.

“This year's sacrifice is Keri Palmer.”

I know Leah hears it too, from the way her body turns to stone in my embrace. An ice-cold dread settles deep in my stomach as my heart begins racing. Yet, my mind is telling me that this isn’t real, is demanding this to not be real. Demanding the woman to take the words back. To take my name back. Demanding I look at the TV screen to make sure it was a lie and my name isn't truly there.

“No. This can't be happening,” I utter low.

Leah's hands grip me so tightly, there's pain from her fingers digging into my skin.

Grace Palmer one year ago. Keri Palmer today. It can't be real. I'm still sleeping, having a nightmare about getting drafted and leaving Leah all alone. No sister had ever been chosen, let alone sisters from the same family one right after the other. So, if this is real, surely, they're going to realize that they've already taken far too much from my family and pick a new name. I've already lost my sister. I watched her walk out of this house a year ago to her death. I cannot suffer the same fate. I can't.

But the wretched, heartbreaking cry that leaves Leah tells me it's real. She can see the screen from the way her cheek presses against my chest as she faces the TV. My name is truly there, and now I'll be given to the monster. I don't want to turn my head and look at the TV, but I must look. I need to see it for myself.

I slowly turn my head, a shuddering breath leaving me as I convince myself to lift my eyes. They do, and then I see it. My name is on the screen in bright red letters, confirming my worst fear, and my end.

“My, my. A sister of last year's sacrifice. How honored this family must be to have two of their women drafted in protection of our great quadrant.”

I have never hated her more. For lying. For acting like giving me to the monster so everyone else can remain safe means anything when I'll be leaving behind the only person who still matters to me. Alone. A sick sort of déjà vu rushes over me as the people in the audience clap even louder. I watched them do the same thing last year while Grace sat beside me on the couch that’s still just feet away from me. Her hand gripped mine to the point of pain after they'd called her name. Until the doorbell rang, and she let it go. That thought brings reality crashing into me.

“They're coming,” I murmur. “They'll be here soon.”

I only have a few minutes more with Leah. I have so much to tell her, so much I need her to understand before they take me away. I should have written her a letter like Grace did for me last year, instructions on what to do if she'd been drafted, but I had honestly believed there was no chance of it being me or Leah. How could I be so dumb? I try to set Leah back so I can speak to her, but she only holds me tighter.

“No!” She screams with a broken voice. “No, no! Not you, too! No, Keri. Please!”

“Leah, please,” I croak. “We don't have much time.”

I push her back and stare into her panicked, wide eyes. Their redness kills me. The tears streaking down her cheeks breaks my heart. Except I don't have time to wipe her tears and hold her now. I need her to hear everything I'm about to say.

“Leah, I need you to listen to me.” She just cries harder, but her haunted eyes are on me, so I continue. “The money we were saving for Edwin to be able to leave, father's money, you take it and make yourself a nice life. You use every single cent to make your life everything that you want it to be. Do you hear me?”

She shakes her head as her chest rapidly rises and falls with her panicked breathing. Somehow, worry for her overcomes the dread I feel for myself. She cannot do this right now. Not when men will be here any moment, ringing our doorbell to take me from her.

“Keri, Keri…we have to run,” she pants. “We have to go right now.”

She quickly breaks out of my hold on her arms and stands, trying to pull me up with her. I snatch my hand from her grasp.

“You know what will happen to us!” I shout, horrified at what she's suggesting.

Escaping our quadrant and faking papers is one thing. Fleeing being drafted as the sacrifice is another, with a much worse punishment.

“They'll put us in prison,” I continue, desperate for her to grasp the gravity of the situation. “We won't survive.”

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