Anita

Suffice to say, they didn’t return her to her room. Anita knew it was useless to struggle against them so she let them drag her into the basement. She hadn’t even known there was a basement in this place. It was pitch black but that didn’t hinder the Keepers who shoved her into the floor, leaving scrapes on her knees. She couldn’t see anything but she heard as well as felt the steel chains rattle on the floor. The cold metal locked around her wrists and ankles, making it so she could only crouch on the floor.

Several sets of footsteps echoed around the room. The Keepers that escorted her left to be replaced by a few others. She couldn’t tell how many of them there were but it was at least more than two.

She could have sworn she heard growling but with the lack of light she couldn’t be sure what would be making the sound. Anita didn’t have time to contemplate as something hard and blunt suddenly rammed into her skull, leaving her dazed. Shaking her head to clear it, Anita tried to make out her surroundings. The Keepers spoke quietly to themselves, their voices too low for her to make out what they were saying but it gave her an indication of where they stood.

Anita cried out as one of the Keepers struck her leg. The force was enough to shatter the bone and she keeled over, sinking her teeth into her cheeks to stop herself from screaming. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

“Is that really necessary?” Anita could just make out Teagan’s hushed voice.

“Of course it is! She killed one of us and she’s going to pay for it.” The other Keeper didn’t even attempt to keep his voice down.

“It was Robert for Pete’s sake, do we even care?” Teagan argued. Anita couldn’t hold back a laugh, it seemed the Guardians weren’t the only ones who despised him.

“Shut it!” Someone kicked her in the stomach and she wheezed. Another hit the side of her neck before Teagan dragged him off.

“Lay off!” Teagan growled. “Just send her back to her room and let’s move on.” Anita heard a huff of breath and something heavy crashed to the ground beside her. “Are you going to attack your own now?” Teagan spat, pushing herself to her feet.

“We’re not going to fight about this Teagan. If you don’t want to take part, feel free to return to your quarters.” The first Keeper sounded like he needed anger management classes. “Otherwise keep your mouth shut, unless you’d like to join it instead.”

“This is ridiculous! We don’t need to resort to this kind of treatment.” Teagan sounded exasperated.

“If we let this go, the others won’t take us seriously.” A third Keeper joined in, trying to calm them down. “Just go up to your room, we’ll take care of this.”

“He was one of us, Teagan, we protect our own. Don’t forget that,” the first Keeper added.

Teagan sighed but a few moments later Anita could hear her footsteps exit the room, leaving her with the other two.

Anita shifted into a crouch, hissing in pain as it put weight on her busted leg. The pain was almost unbearable and they had barely even started with her yet. She swallowed her fear, she could handle anything they threw at her.

Warm air brushed across her face as a Keeper crouched in front of her. She wondered how they could even see her without any light. “How was your little excursion outside?” His fingers brushed against her bruised cheek. Anita flinched away from him but kept silent, refusing to take part in his game. “Was it worth it, now that you’re here?” he pressed, digging his fingers into her skin.

“It was worth it to know Robert is dead,” she hissed. The Keeper slammed his fist into her face, knocking her head to the side and jerking her neck at an awkward angle. Anita grunted, tasting blood in her mouth and spat in the Keeper’s face, much to his anger. Her eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness and she could just make out his silhouette as he stood.

The Keeper walked around behind her and paused, tilting his head in consideration as he decided what to do. He settled with stepping on her busted leg, putting all his weight on the broken bone. Anita grit her teeth and refused to cry out. You can handle this.

She felt his hands trail along her back and winced at the dull pain. “They really did a number on you.” His voice was full of satisfaction as he brushed the broken stones. “What’d they use? A sander?” He swung his bat against her back and she buckled under the pain. “I expect an answer.”

She maintained her silence, bracing herself for the next hit. The other Keeper had kept quiet so far but she could hear him pacing around the room. The growling picked up, she was sure now that she hadn’t imagined it before, and the Keeper spoke in a low voice. “Come on Takeem. We can leave her with them for a bit, then she’ll be more willing to talk.”

“Excellent idea,” Takeem purred. Anita heard creaking noises around her as the Keepers circled the room, followed by deep roars that made her skin crawl. She’d know that sound anywhere, although she didn’t want to believe it. The two Keepers flicked a light switch and Anita squinted her eyes at the sudden light. She glanced up to see the Keepers standing on the stairs behind a thick, metal gate. One of them grinned and pressed his hand against a button on the wall. A grinding mechanical sound surrounded her and Anita hesitantly glanced around the room. “Enjoy.”

For the first time in a long time she felt real fear, realizing the situation she was in. A group of five Betas were scattered in the room, each one staring at her with vicious and hungry eyes.