"Where do we go now, what of the others?"
"They'll meet up," Mariam said, her breathing still labored.
"How did you even find me?" I asked. "How did you get into the palace and know my exact location?"
Mariam just smiled, her eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief. "I have my ways," she said, leaving me wondering.
Just then, we heard footsteps coming our way, growing louder with each passing moment.
"They're here," Mariam said, standing up and pulling me to my feet.
I brushed off my clothes, my heart racing with anticipation. Finally, I would see my friends again - Noona, Cathy, Olivia, and the others.
They finally got to us, Noona's eyes locked onto mine, and she rushed towards me with open arms.
"Layla!" she exclaimed, embracing me tightly.
"Did anything happen to you?" she asked, scanning my body for any signs of harm.
I chuckled, trying to reassure her. "No, no, I'm fine," I said, forcing a smile. At least, I was physically fine. The truth was, Liam had taken something from me that I could never get back - my virginity. And the memory of his touch still lingered, making my skin crawl. I pushed the thought aside, trying not to let it show on my face.
I exchanged hugs with each of my friends, except for Jackson. I couldn't bring myself to look at him, let alone hug him, after what he had done earlier. Why had he kissed me? Why would he betray me like that? I avoided his gaze, even though I could feel his eyes on me, pleading for forgiveness.
Liam must have really gotten to him, noticing the bandage on his neck and the pale color of his skin. He didn't look well at all.
"Let's get to work," one of us said, and with that, Cathy handed me a bag that felt heavy with weapons.
I smiled, opening the bag and pulling out a gun. "How did you manage to get this back?"
Cathy's smile was mischievous. "We stole it from them," she said, and I couldn't help but be impressed.
With our weapons in hand, we set out, moving away from the garden and into the streets.
We targeted the houses of innocent people, and Mariam and I worked together like a well-oiled machine, showing no mercy. We slaughtered a family of three, slitting their throats without hesitation.
We moved on to the next house, continuing our bloody rampage, just like they had to us done ten years ago.
But this time, we had a mission - to complete what we started. And if possible, we might even take out Liam.
Yet, as I thought about it, I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger. Despite everything, I had developed feelings for him, and it was a weakness I couldn't shake. But I knew I wouldn't let it cloud my judgment. We had a job to do, and we would see it through, no matter what.
Screams echoed from different houses as we continued our rampage, taking innocent lives without mercy.
I was driven by a singular desire - to leave this place behind and erase Liam from my mind.
We prowled the streets and quiet areas, killing without relent, as the desperate pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears.
The day began to break, and we decided to halt our carnage, knowing we had fulfilled our purpose, even if our main target remained elusive.
We had taken back some of the lives lost, but the city lay in ruins - bloodstained, quiet, and littered with dead bodies, broken houses, and burnt buildings. We couldn't erase all traces of our destruction, for this was a vast and modern land, but we had made our mark.
I still felt uneasy, wondering how Liam would react to this devastation. Had he even noticed my absence?
We made our way back to the gate where we first entered coming to this place. The men guarding the gate had been killed.
We slipped out of the gate and onto the sandy floor, surprised to find our boat waiting for us, unharmed and untouched. We boarded the ship, all of us, ready to leave this bloody chapter behind.
As we set sail, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over me. We had accomplished what we came for, but at what cost? The memory of the innocent lives we took weighed heavily on my mind. I tried to push it aside, focusing on the vast expanse of the sea before us.
Mariam approached me, her eyes gleaming with a hint of sadness. "We did what we had to do," she said, as if reading my thoughts. "But it doesn't mean it's easy to live with."
I nodded, knowing she was right. We had taken lives, but we had also lost a part of ourselves in the process.
I suddenly felt the ship lurch beneath my feet, sinking into the sea. Panic set in as I stumbled, trying to regain my balance.
"What's happening?" someone yelled, falling to the deck.
"What's going on?" Another voice echoed the question, laced with fear.
Before I could process what was happening, Jackson wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight. I was still angry with him, but this wasn't the time to dwell on it.
"Let's get out, now!" he yelled.
Without hesitation, everyone scrambled to obey, jumping into the water.
We hadn't gone far from shore, so it was a relatively easy to swim back to land.
Exhausted and shaken, we collapsed on the beach, watching in disbelief as our ship slipped beneath the waves, taking all our belongings and weapons with it.
We were left with nothing, stranded and vulnerable. We had to get back home, but how?. We couldn't go back there, or they'll surely kill us. So what do we do?.
"What do we do now?" Cathy asked.
But before anyone could respond, a familiar female voice echoed through the air.
"You return and face the consequences of your actions."
We turned to see the Queen standing before us, flanked by maids and guards. My eyes widened in shock - how did she manage to appear so suddenly?
Noona stepped forward. "We've done what we came here for. We're returning, so let us go now."
But the Queen's expression was unyielding. "I'm really disappointed in all of you, one of you particularly." Her gaze seemed to bore into me, and I'm really sure she was referring to me.
"I hoped you would change your motives as you stayed, but you didn't. You went on to prove yourselves as fools."
One of my companions erupted in anger. "Why do you call us that? Do you know how painful it was to witness my parents and siblings die?"
The Queen's smile was enigmatic, and it sent a shiver down my spine. "Revenge is not always the answer, boy. And oh, to let you know, those people you wasted your bullets and arrows on weren't real people." She paused, chuckling to herself.
"Do you think you have an advantage over any of my people without me knowing?"
I felt a chill run down my spine. What did she mean? Had we been played?, Again?.
Had we been fighting illusions? And how did she know our motives and actions so intimately?
I felt a sense of unease creeping up my spine as the Queen's gaze seemed to bore into me. I tried to meet her eyes, but mine kept darting away, unable to hold her piercing stare.
"You've been played, my dear," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Those weren't real people. And now, you'll have to face the consequences."
Consequences? What consequences?. We had accomplished what we set out to do.
This is the same as the first time. We fought with clones before, and we did it again. Wow, we're indeed really foolish to have thought we'd be able to get away with this.
"What do you mean?" Noona asked.
The Queen smiled again. "You'll see," she said. "You'll see soon enough. But for now, let's just say...I won't be the one to make the decision."
And with that, she turned and disappeared, leaving us standing there, confused and unsure of what lay ahead. Her maids followed, leaving us with the guards.
The guards disappeared, and I felt someone twist my arms from behind, holding them together.
It was the guards. They had captured me and my friends.
"Let me go!" I demanded, struggling to release myself.
The environment suddenly changed, revealing the Grand hall the Queen had made her first judgement to us the other time. Could Liam be here?
I raised my head to search for Liam across the sea of faces, but the guards pushed us to walk, with our heads facing the floor. Why do I feel regret for my actions?.
They pushed us to kneel on the hard floor.
The Queen's voice echoed through the Grand Hall, silencing the murmurs and gossip of the crowd.
"The other time, I made the decision myself to make them work as slaves for a while before returning home. And now, it seems to me that they're requesting a stricter punishment."
I didn't dare look up, my head bowed in shame as the Queen continued, "Well, in that case, I'll leave you all to decide what you want me to do to them."
The crowd erupted into suggestions, their voices cold and unforgiving. "Let's kill them!" someone shouted, followed by agreements from the crowd.
But the Queen intervened, "That won't happen. I won't play the role of a heartless monster like they did, so erase any suggestion of death from your minds."
The crowd murmured, then a new suggestion emerged, "They should be flogged and severely tortured!" The agreement grew wider, and I felt tears pricking at the corners of my eyes as I listened to their cruel suggestions.
My heart raced with fear, wondering what fate awaited us. The Queen's mercy seemed to have run out, and now we were at the mercy of the crowd. I could feel the weight of our foolish decisions bearing down on me, and I knew we had to face the consequences. But the thought of being flogged and tortured was unbearable. I could only hope for a miracle, but it seemed unlikely to come.
The Queen raised her hand, and the crowd fell silent once more.
"I agree with your suggestions. Let them face the consequences of their actions." She turned to us, her eyes cold and unforgiving.
"You will be flogged and tortured, and then you will be sent back to your homes, as a reminder of the price you pay for your foolishness."