Violet stared at her hands, covered in all different colored bandaids, as the butterfly knife Harper let her borrow flipped around her hand slowly. Harper had been so fast with it, expertly twisting it around her hand without getting a single nick.
Violet's black hair was braided thickly on the top of her head and down her back almost like a Mohawk. A girl named Sai had done it this morning while telling her stories of friends that had died in triumphant ways. She liked it here, which is why Kyle trying to ruin it for her was starting to piss her off.
"Did you ever think, maybe, they hand cuffed him because he's a man. They don't trust men here. You said he was healing, they're probably going to let him go once he's better."
She defended the group of girls that had done nothing but help them since they'd got here.
"They let us in."
She turned to Ollie, a look of betrayal written on her face.
"What're you trying to say?"
"I'm saying,"
He started, speaking slowly as if she was stupid.
"He probably saw something he wasn't suppose to. So they're keeping him locked up. But they need him for something."
"That's smart."
Ezra butt in with a nod of his head. Violet huffed and Ollie's brows knitted.
"And what about the pills?"
He continued to argue, refusing to let it rest.
"Medicine for his wounds."
The dark headed girl growled back.
"Sedatives."
Ollie yelled defensively.
"They're sedatives so he can't fight back."
He suddenly stood to his feet, his fists clenched at his sides as he glared down at Violet.
"Why're you acting like this?"
"Me? You're all turning against the people who helped us with no proof of anything."
"Jude was cuffed to a bed, he was terrified. That's all the proof I need."
Kyle stated in a stern tone, trying her hardest not to loose her cool with the young girl.
"Fine."
She yelled at Kyle, standing up from her seat.
"Take them and leave. I'm staying."
Ollie looked as if he'd been physically punched.
"You'd pick them over us?"
His angry facade broke for only a second before it was back again.
"You'd pick a big group of dumb girls you've known for two days over me?"
Kyle felt like she was watching something intimate, something that should've been shared between just the two.
"You wouldn't understand."
"What about Cash? What about the bunker? You're being stupid!"
Violet turned on her heels, heading towards the door without another word and this only angered Ollie more.
"Fine! Go!"
He growled as she opened the door,
"We don't need you anyways!"
She slammed the door behind herself before he fell into his seat with a huff and the cross of his arms.
"She'll come around."
Kyle comforted, resting a reassuring hand on her younger brother's shoulder.
He shrugged it away,
"Let's go over the plan again."
He stated, his eyes not meeting hers as he spoke in a stern tone.
"I'll sneak the sedatives into Harpers drink."
Ezra started,
"Once everyone's asleep we'll sneak into the infirmary, there'll probably be a couple girls on guard so we'll have to keep them quiet if we run into them. Ollie your job is to find a way to get out of here fast in case things go south. A get away car or something."
"Do you think they'd have a car?"
Kyle asked, giving Ezra a skeptical look.
"I'll look. If I can't find one, I'll let you know before things get out of hand."
Ollie stated confidentially.
"You should talk to Violet too."
The red head commented with a sympathetic smile, Ollie nodded as their green eyes finally met.
"I will."
He sighed,
"And after we leave we should look for Cash and Tabb. They're probably still waiting for us by the bridge."
A small smile pulled at his lip.
***
"Kyle, right?"
As soon as Kyle closed the door to their cabin Heidi's voice lit up her ears. How long had she been standing out here? How much did she hear?
"Yeah, and you're Heidi."
Heidi smiled, her teeth unusually white for someone living in an Apocalypse.
"I was just wondering if you and the boys knew about the feast tonight?"
Kyle's brows knitted.
"Once a month, every month, we have a feast with wine to appreciate the food we're given."
Kyle made her way down the steps of the cabin, Heidi following by her side as she walked aimlessly.
"It's a tradition, and I'd really like you to be there with Violet."
"Violet knows about this?"
Kyle hesitated for only a second, hoping that Heidi didn't notice.
"She didn't tell us about it."
"Well, to be fair, she did say you guys weren't interested in the way we do things here."
Kyle glanced at Heidi and she held up her hands defensively.
"Which is fine! We're just glad Violet is getting into the traditional spirit. It's nice to have a young face here. To have someone to teach new things and spoil. She's really smart, you know."
Kyle listened to the girl praise Violet with an enthusiasm in her voice she hadn't heard in a while.
"She likes it here."
Was the only positive thing Kyle could think to say.
"But she has a brother we're suppose to be looking for. I'm sure she's worried about him."
"Oh, she is. She deserves better though."
"What?"
"No disrespect or anything, but from what she's said it sounds like she gets ignored a lot. She doesn't feel like she's actually apart of the family they built."
"She told you that?"
Heidi nodded.
"It's amazing what you can get out of kids if you're just nice to them."
When Kyle stayed silent, a thoughtful look on her face Heidi finally stopped.
"Well, I just wanted to remind you of the feast. We all hope you and the others come. Think about it. Okay?"
Kyle nodded, a fake smile plastered on her face.
"Okay."
***
Tabb waited by the edge of the stairs silently as he heard the door start to creak open, his heart was racing so fast he swore they'd be able to hear it. He glanced nervously over at Cash, who was hiding on the other side with an intense expression. Tabb's grip on the key between his fingers tightened. As soon as the small figure made it to the end of the stairs, her eyes widening as they adjusted to the darkness, Tabb quickly stabbed the key into her jugular with as much force as he could conjure. He looked away as he felt warm liquid run over his fingers, a high pitched gargled noise burning his ears. He twisted the key in her neck and ripped it out with a grunt. Rory caught her as she fell to stop the thud from alerting anyone who could be listening upstairs.
Cash lifted a finger to his lips, gesturing to both of the men before slowly making his way up the stairs. The door had been left open and dim lights blinded him for only a second. The unbearable jazz they'd been listening to for days on loop came from a record player right next to the door. Cash had to stop the strong urge to tear the thing to shreds right then and there. They'd turn that terrible thing up so loud they could barely hear their own screams while they were being tortured. He glanced down at his hand where the wrap was drenched in dried blood.
"Concentrate."
Rory's hoarse voice brought him back. They hadn't had water in days and it made his head pound.
"Is the coast clear?"
He nodded, stepping into the small room and glancing at the two doors. One was plain and wooden, the other large and metal with locks sealing it closed.
"Pass me the key."
Tabb listened, handing it over without question. Cash wiped the blood on his pants before trying to force the key into the metal door's locks. None of them fit.
"Shit."
He huffed.
"I hear someone."
Tabb's whole body turned pale white as he spoke the words, taking a shaky step back as the steps in the hall got closer.
"Shit."
Cash growled a little louder this time. They had no weapons, they were weak from being starved of water for days, and his muscles felt sore from being chained up for so long. They were at a complete disadvantage but they'd die trying.
"What's the plan leader?"
Rory asked in a stern yet mocking tone, this was the first time Rory had called him that, as if it was his job and his job alone to fix this situation.
"You're the one who had the key."
"You're the one who makes the plans-"
They were out of time and the door was suddenly opened. Red, the girl who they had named after her short bright red bob, gasped and Cash tackled her to the ground, covering her mouth before she could yell for back up. She held a syringe in her hand that she almost stabbed into him but Cash grabbed her wrist and slammed her hand to the ground causing her to drop it. Without hesitation Rory ran to the sedative, grabbing it and shoving the needle into Red's neck, quickly emptying it into her just like she'd done to him.
The struggle left her eyes within a few seconds and Rory felt a shiver run down his spine at the memory of losing control of his body. Cash lifted himself off of her, uncovering her mouth as she went completely numb.
"How are you alive?..."
Her words were barely above a whisper, confused even through the sleep that took her over. Rory felt his heart drop at her question. Did she?... Did she remember throwing him in that freezer? No one else remembered him dying.
He cleared his throat, trying his hardest to keep his tone from giving any hint to what he was thinking.
"Lock her in the dungeon, see how she likes it."
Cash nodded in agreement before he reached down, lifting her shirt and grabbing the gun that was tucked in her jeans. Red was too drugged to fight back, only staring at Rory with wide eyes as if looking at a ghost.
"You..."
She tried to speak but the drug finally took her over, her eyes rolling to the back of her head.
"I'll scope out the place and look for the others. You two lock her up."
"What?"
Rory's tone was offended as if Cash had just told him he was ugly. The long haired man's jaw clenched as he glared at Rory.
"You said I was the one with the plan."
He growled back but Rory stood his ground.
"I'm going to look for Jude. Finn said he was here somewhere. Tabb can lock her up."
"You don't even have a weapon."
"I don't need one."
Cash was about to argue back when Tabb cut in,
"I'll lock her up, you guys do what you need to. I'll come find you when I'm done."
Cash glanced at Tabb with worry behind his eyes but Rory was already opening the door to check if anyone was in the hall. No one was there and the music was too loud to hear what was happening beyond the closed doors lined up on either side.
"You check the right, I'll check the left."
He commanded. Tabb grabbed Rory's arm, handing him a sharp pocket knife with a shaky hand.
"It was in her boot. You'll need it more than I do."
Rory nodded thankfully at the man before quickly turning to the first door on the left and putting an ear against it.
No noise came from the other side and he took the chance to open it, sliding in and closing it behind himself.
It was a rather large room with white walls. A long metal table with straps on each end sat in the middle, taking up most of the space in the room. He could only imagine what sick things they'd done to people in this room.
A long rectangular cabinet sat to his left and he quickly opened each door, finding all types of medical aid inside ranging from pills to gauze.
Jackpot.
He thought, a smirk crawling on his face.
Cash didn't like the idea of leaving Tabb alone, especially without a weapon, but he didn't really have a choice. They needed to keep Red from being able to call for help, they needed to find their friends, and they needed to make sure no threats were around. They also needed a get away plan, but that could come later. The point was, it was never a good idea to split up. Yet here he was searching room to room alone with only a gun, Tabb left alone and defenseless if anyone were to find him. He cursed himself for being so distracted.
The first room he went into held nothing but a toilet, a shower, and a long mirror which he tried his hardest to ignore, not ready to face his beaten state yet.
The second however was much larger. It was a kitchen with a perfectly good stove. Cooking utensils still dirty with blood filled the sink and the cabinets were filled with spices and cans of food. Cash stopped at the stove raising a hand over it to feel the warmth still radiating off of it. Someone had been here recently.
He chose to ignore this slight detail, instead his attention falling on the plain white door at the end of the room.
He held the gun tighter in his hand as he stepped towards it, opening it without a second thought. Cash jumped, aiming his gun as he was met with a wrinkly face covered by blood. He lowered his weapon once he realized what was actually in front of him. His eyes widened as he looked the room over, his heart pounding in terror.
Mannequin heads lined the walls like trophy's with large, bright lights shining down on each of them. On each head was a face, skinned ungracefully from a human being. He swallowed hard at the sight, hesitantly taking a step forward. The skin of each face was shriveled and wrinkly as if it had dried up over time. As he got farther into the room the faces started to become less butchered and more recognizable as people. How many were there? He couldn't even keep count, not that the sight wouldn't make him sick first.
He finally got to the end of the long, brightly lit room and stopped in his tracks. His his whole body clenched as one in particular face stood out to him.
It had no eyes. No hair. But it was undeniable. Dark bruised skin held freckles that speckled across his snub nose, plump lips opened in a relaxed position, and top rimmed glasses sat folded perfectly right in front of him. Cash's breath became shaky at the scene in front of him, his stomach threatening to push up the acid inside it. He reached for Xzavier's glasses, his hand trembling as he picked them up and held them tight. How could he let this happen? He was suppose to protect them. Xzavier, Mable, Finn, Ollie, Violet, Tabb.
Tabb.
He had to protect Tabb. He centered himself, his grip tightening on the gun in his hand. His teary eyes and pinched brows were exchanged for an angry, determined scowl. He slid the glasses in his pocket before cocking his gun.
Foot steps came from behind him and he spun on his heals as he realized he'd left the door open.
Three women suddenly stopped at the entrance, yet another severed face on a mannequin head held by one of them. It was Finn's face, pale skin bruised to a barely recognizable extent and lips sewed together. But it was undeniably her.
"They've escaped!"
One girl yelled and another reached for a weapon on her hip. Cash was too quick shooting both the girl within a second, leaving only the one holding the mannequin head.
He stepped closer, his gun not budging it's aim from her head.
"What have you done to them?"
He wanted to sound stern, authoritative, and scary but instead his voice betrayed him, coming out crushed and defeated.
"They're sacrifices have saved so many from famine."
Famine? His brows knitted. Cannibalism? That's what the fuck this was? He knew the people here were sick and twisted but god damn.
"And the faces? Is this some kind of sick game to you?"
He bit his lip, his poker face especially hard to keep up. When she didn't answer he yelled,
"Huh?!"
She bowed her head, holding the mannequin with Finn's face attached even closer.
"They deserve to be remembered. They're sacrifice means so much to-"
Before she could even finish her explanation Cash shot her. His jaw clenched as he stared at the mannequin head that had fallen with her, rolling towards him until it hit his boot.