WORLD 4: AWAKENING

Chapter Nineteen: The Head of the Snake

I screamed more loudly than I’d ever remembered in my life. I couldn’t help but wonder if it had hurt that badly when my mother died, if I felt the same amount of pain. She had left us so long ago that I couldn’t quite recall the level of anguish. But the agony of knowing that Baylen was gone hurt more than any kind of physical harm they could possibly have done to me.

“NO!!!” I screamed over and over again. “BAYLEN!!!”

Writhing against their grip, I began to fight again. But it was no use. Finally, I let my legs relax and fell to my knees in despair; I wasn’t going to do what they wanted, even if it was just to walk. Oberon let go of my shirt and chuckled over me.

“Get up!” shouted Trace. I sobbed on the ground and didn’t move. Grumbling, he tried to lift me up to my feet but I sank right back down again.

“Got a problem?” Oberon mocked Trace with a smirk.

“I’m handling it,” snapped Trace. Again, he tried to pick me up, but I wouldn’t cooperate. Finally, he resorted to hitting. Trace lifted me up and backhanded me again, sending me flying to the ground, finally silencing my cries. My face pressed into the dirt, my blonde hair spread out in a messy heap everywhere.

“Well, you did one thing right,” said Oberon. He bent down and easily lifted me up and over his shoulder. “At least you shut her up.”

“I can take her!” Trace yelled to Oberon as he began to walk with me slung over him. “I said I’d handle it!”

Oberon shot him a deadly look. “Relax. You’re too slow and we need to hurry up.”

Trace clenched his fists, trying to keep pace. He wanted to come off as tough and independent, but I could hear the bit of terror in his voice as he spoke. “I don’t want Arison to think I’m incompetent, Oberon!”

“Keep your mouth shut, Trace!”

We walked in a heated silence the rest of the way. Trace’s assault to my face had quieted me down, but it hadn’t stopped the pain. Agonizing, torturous pain from watching people I loved die. First Wes, then Baylen, not to mention Ceres and the others. It was too much to bear.

Oberon gave three hard bangs to the Tech Shelter door. Leasor answered. Her red hair was down and she carried a casual smile on her face.

“Hey, finally, we were beginning to worry,” she said and looked Oberon up and down with a wry grin. He returned it right back to her.

“Trace needs a lesson on how to control his women,” he said. Trace glared at him from behind.

“Ah! Good to see you, brother. Put her there,” said a man walking toward us.

I was brought in and flung down violently into a chair. Trace huffed into the room behind us and angrily took his position standing next to me while Leasor plopped down at a nearby station, leaning back and putting her feet up on the metal table, playing with her hair like the whole situation was no big deal.

“I’m Arison, and it is so good to finally have you with us, Mayla,” the man said.

Arison wasn’t brutish and powerful like his brother Oberon. He was thin and well-spoken, with a long, pointed nose and dark eyes. He wore the same black military shirt as his brother and held his hands behind his back with perfect posture. His brown hair was cut into a short, military style with three lines shaved into the side to show his rank, just like his brother. My heart raced as he walked toward me. Right away I could tell that Wes was right — Arison was far worse than Oberon.

His face took on a look of genuine sympathy. “I see they’ve hurt you,” he said softly and stroked the back of his hand down my bleeding cheek. “I’m so very sorry about that. I specifically asked them not to.” His eyes shot over to Trace and Oberon with a very brief, livid expression, then back to me.

“Let me go,” I said as bravely as I could.

“Not yet, my dear. You see, I have a purpose for you.”

My eyes narrowed into slits. “I won’t do anything you want.”

“Ah!” Arison said with a smile. He held up a finger. “And why is that? Come on, tell me.” He raised his eyebrows like he expected an actual answer. I screwed up my face and gave him a weird look instead. “Well, I’m guessing the answer to that question is that you won’t help me because I’ve hurt the ones you love, and you’re afraid I’ll hurt more. Is that right?”

My chest began to heave more quickly, sparked with anger at hearing him mention the ones I’d lost. I absolutely refused to answer him.

Oberon chuckled. “Don’t let her silence fool you, she’s tougher than she looks.”

Arison kept his eyes right on me. “Oh, I have no doubt, brother. Mayla, you don’t want me to hurt people that you care about, but what you don’t understand is that I’m actually saving people from being hurt. Oh yes, I am!” he exclaimed with a smile when I scoffed loudly. “You weren’t involved in The Five Years, so you have no idea what our leaders can do. Our government committed horrible atrocities during that time, so horrible that a precious one like you wouldn’t even be able to handle hearing about it.”

There was no hiding my displeasure. “You participated in those horrible things pretty willingly, I heard.”

“Well, you heard wrong.” His whole countenance darkened. “They convinced my wife to leave me for Kyrone. That disgusting, tiny little nothing of a man forced my wife to leave me for him. They manipulated me into thinking I could bring my parents along if I just cooperated. Said that since I had no children I could bring my mother and father.” Arison looked over to Oberon. “Told my brother that he could bring his family along as well. But if I even showed the slightest ounce of hesitation at what we were doing, they threatened to kill my family. Oberon’s family.”

“You murdered hundreds of people!” I shouted.

Arison straightened quickly and his face grew angry. His ever-widening eyes bored directly into me. His hands clenched into fists. “What would you have had me do, Mayla?!” he screamed. “I had no choice!” Breathing rapidly, he closed his eyes and was slowly able to re-group. He cackled out a disturbing sound of laughter. “And, my sweet girl, your father isn’t an innocent bystander like I’m sure he’s led you to believe. Oh, no!”

“At least he’s not crazy.”

“Perhaps. Although, if insanity is trying to save your people at all costs, then I guess I’m proud to be that,” he said. “Your honorable, strong Commander father knew all about the work Oberon and I did. He knew exactly who we were killing and yet did nothing about it. You know why? Because the government would have killed you had he tried to stop it. He stood by and let terrible things happen because,” He walked over to me and touched my nose, “of you.”

I shook my face from his touch. “You think that makes what you’re doing okay?!”

Arison put his arms behind his back and paced the floor quickly. “I am doing the things that have to be done! If I hadn’t taken care of the leaders on Colony Three when we landed, they would have picked up right where they left off! They would do whatever they want with our lives again!”

“Then why not just kill them and leave everyone else alone, you stupid disgusting waste?!”

Trace gripped onto my shoulder as I shook with anger. Arison signaled for him to let go. He stood in front of me. “Now, now,” Arison said more calmly. “My followers from Colony Three had to kill your citizens outside or they would have revolted against me. My work would have been compromised. But I’m not completely heartless — I spared some of your people. My followers are holding them inside two of the shelters.” My heart skipped a beat with hope; there was a chance that at least some of the people I cared about were still alive. Arison motioned out the door. “I ordered my people to wait in the shelters until I’m done with my work inside the ship. After it’s all over, the others inside of Colony Four will see the necessity of obedience, and eventually will all be willing and grateful.”

I shook my head in disbelief. The guy was an absolute sociopath.

Leasor began to giggle. “She’s just mad because her stupid boyfriend got offed by Roscoe.”

My body stopped trembling immediately and I tensed up with an absolute firestorm of livid, seething anger. I could only whisper, my control was so close to being lost. “Let me go or I will kill you, Arison. I will murder you all and will never do what you say.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” he sneered. A slow grin curled its way upward. “All I have to do is find someone else that you care about and torture them in front of your eyes. I’m guessing that would be enough to persuade your cooperation.”

I couldn’t take it anymore. I pounced up from the chair and clamped my hands around Arison’s neck, softly enough to keep him breathing, but hard enough to make a statement. Trace and Oberon both lunged out at me, but Arison held up his hands as a signal for them to stay back. He let out a small sound of delight from inside his tightened throat.

My voice was raging; I put my face right up close to his. “You think you can scare me?” I growled at him. “You don’t know what scary is. What terrible, debilitating horror is. Horror is watching innocent citizens murdered. Terrible is witnessing the death of two people you love deeply. Scary is knowing that you could have done something brave, but just didn’t take the chance.” My breathing intensified as I came even closer. I whispered, “I’m not going to pass up my chance to be brave and kill you, Arison. You think you’re scary?” I shook my head slightly. “I’m not afraid of you.”

Arison’s mouth pulled up into a smile and he moved his eyes to Oberon. He could just barely breath enough to squeak out the words. “I think she just might be the feistiest little creature we’ve hurt yet.”

All in the room broke out into laughter but me. Arison peeled my fingers from his neck and stroked my face. His dark eyes pierced into mine. “I know you think that you’re brave, my dear, but you’re not. All the brave ones end up begging for mercy by the end. You really think you’re that special?”

I answered his question by spitting in his face. He wiped my saliva from his eyes and looked me up and down closely, almost in admiration. Then he slapped me hard across the cheek. My hand flew up to it; the gash it carried throbbed terribly with all of the assaulting blows I’d received.

“That one was for Oberon. You disfigured him pretty badly, you know.”

I glanced at Oberon; he touched the huge gash I’d given him, still gaping open from the day before.

“Take her,” commanded Arison. Trace swept everything from the table that Leasor sat next to and pulled her forcefully off the chair. Oberon yanked me over to it and bent me down to the table on my stomach. He pinned my cheek against the table with his hand.

“What are you doing?” I demanded. Trace pulled my right arm straight across the table and held it firmly. His grimy fingernails cut into my skin as he pushed me down.

“Do you have her?” Arison asked and walked over to us casually.

“We’re ready,” said Trace. A pulse of dread throbbed inside of me just imagining what exactly that could mean.

“Leasor!” shouted Oberon. “Take her!”

Leasor pressed down onto my face and switched places with Oberon, digging her knee into my back to ensure I stayed put.

“Brother, I’m leaving,” stated Oberon.

“What for?”

“I’ve got things. Need to get some stuff from the transport.”

Arison waved his brother off without another word.

My bravery was slipping; I was finally getting nervous again. “Listen, this doesn’t have to happen. Just go away, take all the Colony supplies and live off somewhere else exactly how you want to!”

“Ha!” Arison threw his head back. “You would kick us out, would you? Just because we don’t fit in? Do you see now, why I have to do this? Why WE have to do this?!” He made a sweeping gesture across the room. “Our government would kick us out for nothing, just like you would…you’re no better than they are.”

My voice shook. “You’re insane!”

He stroked my forehead. “I’m doing this to protect people…I’m surviving. This is how we survive, Mayla.”

I flashed back to when Wes had said almost the same thing to me on the waterfall. A huge, bursting surge of sorrow overwhelmed me as I remembered witnessing his death. “What are you going to do with me?” I asked, tears flowing freely onto the table.

He wiped one tear away with a long finger. “Your father locked the main Colony doors, my dear. We couldn’t get in after we took down our communication jamming device, which is quite a large problem. I need to persuade him to somehow change his mind and open it up.” He came down to my face. “Let’s see if your father is as smart as people say he is.”

Straightening up again, he marched over to a live communicator at the next table and slammed his fist down onto the top button. “Commander Archauus,” he ordered it in a flat voice.

Moments went by, then too many moments. He tried again.

“Commander Archauus!” Arison said more urgently. Finally, he began to scream. “Archauus, I know you can hear me! It would be wise for you to answer!”

Still nothing. I smiled knowing that my father refused to cooperate with such filth.

Arison turned to me with an odd grin. “Fortunately, I’ve prepared for this scenario. Your father is a stupid, stupid man, my dear. And now I shall have to force his cooperation.”

“Wh — what do you mean?” I sputtered.

“Now, listen to me,” he leaned in and said close to my ear. “I am going to push the button on that live communicator and you are going to call out for your father to help you. He is stupid and ignorant and won’t answer for me but he will for you, Mayla.” His forehead gathered and he spoke fervently. “I need you to do this for us, alright? For everyone.”

“Never, you pathetic coward,” I breathed heavily.

Arison pulled my head off the table by the hair and slapped me hard again. Leasor giggled uncontrollably while I struggled to regain composure; I couldn’t help but wonder if she was just as psychotic as Arison.

While Leasor pushed my face to the table again, Arison grabbed the live communicator and slammed it down onto the table right next to me, then slowly pulled his dagger out. The blade made a sickening sound as it slid against its metal sheath in front of my face. He crouched down and held the dagger’s tip right next to my eye. I gasped and struggled to stay calm.

His voice was smooth and haunting. “This is what will happen if you keep causing me trouble, little girl. See the blade? It will hurt quite a bit and there will be a lot of blood.” I could feel his hot breath flowing against my cheek. He began to nod repeatedly with lunacy. “See, your father is being difficult, which means I have to persuade him, which means I have to hurt you. It’s just what has to be done. If you cooperate, I’ll only hurt you a little bit. If you continue to be difficult, I’ll stab this through your eye…do you understand?”

I refused to answer him. Partly out of defiance, but mostly out of paralyzing fear.

“DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!” Arison screamed directly into my face.

I gave a sharp, whimpering nod. He touched his mouth to my ear. “Good girl.”

“Leasor, you have her?” Trace asked and planted his feet. She nodded and her knee dug into my back even harder.

Arison looked at Trace. “Ready?”

“Yep, let’s do it.”

Arison slammed the button on top of the live communicator. “Commander Archauus,” he said calmly. Instead of waiting for an answer, he raised the dagger and swung it down straight through my hand. I screamed as loudly as I had when Baylen died, but much more high-pitched and frantic. The blade hit the metal table underneath me and blood began to pour out from the wound. My screams intensified as I tried to break free.

Arison smiled at my pain. He pressed the live communicator button again. “Commander Archauus, I suggest that you answer me or I shall be forced to stab your daughter in worse places than her hand.”

The communicator came to life. My father’s horrified face burst upward from it in digital form.

“Mayla!” he cried. His eyes turned to Arison. “You let her go or I swear I will come there personally and rip your head off!”

Arison giggled. “Ah, Commander, that would actually be wonderful if you would come here personally. I need you to open the Colony doors and approve my bio-identity so that I can control the ship.”

“There’s no way you’re taking this Colony, Arison,” my father seethed.

“And there’s no way that your daughter will survive this unless you cooperate,” Arison stated matter-of-factly. He kept a tight grip on the dagger’s handle as I struggled. “It’s nothing personal, just business. Of course I would rather not kill a sweet thing like her but I will if that’s what it takes to persuade you.” Arison ran his finger through the pool of blood next to my hand and licked it off. “Hmm, this one really is sweet. What a shame.”

My father’s face was livid and desperate. His eyes darted back and forth between me and Arison, trying to weigh the sides — save his daughter, or give up the Colony and its citizens. It was a terrible choice.

“I imagine this is unpleasant for her,” Arison said calmly. He began to twist and angle the blade in my hand. My squeals of agony intensified as I felt bones moving.

“We can talk about this!!!” my father bellowed.

Arison ripped the dagger out of my hand and held it over my head. “The next task will be to cut her ear off, Commander!”

“NO!” I screamed in instinct. It did the trick.

“STOP!” my father roared.

Arison lowered the blade with a wide grin. “What was that?”

My father closed his eyes and sighed. “Stop this and I’ll do what you want.”

“Wise choice! Meet us at the Colony doors in five minutes,” Arison replied happily and straightened up. He turned to Trace. “Take her.”

My father’s face disappeared back into the live communicator and I was yanked off of the table. Trace held onto my upper arm and put his face close to mine. He motioned to the ABW at his hip. “If you try anything, I’ll put a hole in your skull just like that one in your hand,” he said.

“Maybe it will match the hole in yours when my dad blows your head off,” I said defiantly in between gasps of pain.

Trace grabbed onto my hair and pulled it back violently. “You want to say something else stupid to me?”

“Now, Trace,” Arison said sweetly, stepping over to us. He gently took my hair from Trace’s hand and patted me on the back. “We don’t treat people like her this way, do we?” Arison beamed down at me with sincerity, like I was his own child. “Listen, dear, I meant what I said to your father. I really don’t have a desire to hurt you. I have to do it because that’s how we survive, but I hope you know that I wish I didn’t have to.”

I had no doubt that he meant every word. It was even more disturbing than before.

We took off out the Tech Shelter doors. I lifted my hand to get a look of the damage. My warming shirt’s sleeve was soaked red up the length of my forearm while blood seeped in thick lines down my fingers, dripping to the dirt. There was a gaping hole clean through my hand with ragged pieces of flesh dangling from its edges like strips of cloth. My knees weakened and I doubled over to the ground, fighting a sudden wave of nausea.

“You’re pathetic,” mumbled Trace. He forced me back on my feet, then ripped off a strip of fabric from the bottom of my warming shirt. He shoved it into my good hand with a growl. “Take care of it.”

I wrapped up my wound and stumbled onward, still trying to hold back vomit.

The Colony doors had been sealed shut. We stopped directly in front of them, Trace still holding as tightly to me as he had in Tech Shelter.

Arison was getting impatient. “Your father better be here soon, sweet girl,” he warned.

It was all I could do to keep myself calm for the next two minutes. Shifting my feet, my heart pounding, trying unsuccessfully to control my breathing. I was preparing myself for the possibility of meeting Arison’s blade again when I heard it: the doors were creaking in their attempt to open. Finally, they slid freely revealing a tall, broad figure standing outlined in the shadows.

“Thank you for deciding to be reasonable, Commander,” Arison said with a formal bow.

My father’s features appeared as he slowly came into the light in the door’s frame. He was solid as always, brave and unflinching. “She comes with us.”

Arison’s face beamed brightly. “Of course!” He grabbed me out of Trace’s grip and held my upper arm. “That was the plan all along. Wouldn’t want you two to be separated any longer.”

“Dad…” I whimpered. He started toward me and I couldn’t take it. I jerked myself free and ran into his arms. “They killed them! Wes and Baylen — they’re dead, Dad, they’re dead.” I sobbed uncontrollably. He held me close, resting his cheek on the top of my head while I cried out all the horror I’d been forced to be a part of. As I leaned against him I could hear his heart racing deep inside his broad chest.

“That’s enough,” snapped Trace. He pulled me back to him by the elbow. My father looked down at himself; his crisp white shirt was streaked with my blood.

“Hold up your arms, Commander,” said Arison. “You understand that I have to make sure you haven’t brought weapons with you.”

My father reluctantly raised his arms above his head while Arison patted him down.

Arison nodded and backed up again. He turned sharply to Leasor. “Stay outside. Wait for Oberon back at camp and then make rounds to check on our followers.”

“Yay!” She giggled and skipped in the opposite direction.

Arison’s cool demeanor melted away; he darkened and held up his dagger. For the first time, I could tell he was slightly afraid. “You see this, Commander? I’ve got this blade, and Trace there has his Air Burst Weapon. If you cooperate, then nobody gets hurt. If you cause me trouble, then I stab your daughter’s eyes out, this time right in front of you. Got it?”

My father narrowed his eyes and kept his mouth pressed together. He kept his gaze directly at Arison but refused to honor him with a verbal answer.

Arison’s voice rose. “It would be wise to answer me, sir, or I just may start to get angry,” he warned. My whole body flinched just imagining another bout of torture from him.

“I won’t give you any trouble,” my father said in a flat and lifeless voice, his lips barely moving.

“Excellent! Let’s go.”