He nuzzled my face in answer, and I took a deep breath as I lowered him into his crate. I couldn’t look at him as I closed the door and brought him out to my parents. I didn’t want to see the hurt in his eyes as he realized he was being taken from me. I couldn’t bear it.
My dad stepped forward and took the carrier from me, kissing the top of my head. “Give them hell, darling.”
A chuckle came from me as I recalled how I told them that if I was ever selected, I’d be such a pain in the ass to the monsters that they’d have no choice but to hand me back over.
“I will,” I swore, steel straightening my back as I internalized that thought.
“I love you, honey,” Mom said as she pulled me into one last hug, her floral aroma comforting me. As her head pulled back to look up at me, her kind gray eyes looked broken. I wondered if they’d ever be able to move on after this. I had to show them that I wasn’t defeated by this and that there was hope.
Pulling my shoulders back, I looked at both of them and said, “I refuse to be another woman added to the statistic of sacrifices that never return. My name is Serafina Adler, and I’ll be back.”
Chapter Two
SERA
My parents ruined the moment by giving me mirror looks of pity, as if my words wouldn’t come to fruition no matter how strong they knew I was.
“Of course you’ll be back!” Mom sniffled without conviction, glancing at Dad out of the corner of her eyes. She really was trying her best to not fall apart all over again and lend me strength, but it just wasn’t her forte.
“Better get going,” Dad sighed as he took her hand gently to lead her out of the apartment.
“I will be back,” I said in a soft but sure tone, the words both for them and myself.
Dad slowly nodded, a spark of intensity within his words. “If anyone could return, it would be you. I love you, Sera.”
His words made my mouth tremble. Biting down hard on my bottom lip, I tasted blood while I desperately blinked tears away. I wouldn’t leave here sobbing—I promised myself I’d be strong for them.
For me. For Gizmo.
“I love you both,” I responded before looking in Gizmo’s direction one last time until they disappeared from my view.
Looking at the empty doorway for a few minutes, I took this last moment with them to heart, tucking it away for the tough times ahead.
Crossing my arms resolutely over my chest—an absolute show of false bravado—I inhaled deeply and decided it was time. I’d accepted my fate and was ready to take this on.
Grabbing my keys I marched out of my apartment and dropped them off in the landlord’s mailbox. As I left the building, I saw neighbors watching my progression, their eyes harboring the same defeat as my parents’ for my fate. I didn’t acknowledge anyone but walked on with my head held high. They didn’t believe I was coming back, but I would fight tooth and nail to return to The Above, even if I had to claw my way out of there.
Frustration mixed with apprehension fluttered like a swarm of angry bees in my stomach. The only bright side of this mess, if you could call it that? We were well compensated for our sacrifice—or should I say, our families were. A monetary compensation for their loss was handed out after the successful transport of the chosen women. With more than enough to cover the funeral costs most families held after the woman left.
My parents just became very rich at the cost of their daughter’s life, a deal neither would have taken if given the option. But they were stuck in this fate the same as I was, and if I wanted to ensure my parents continued to live, down to The Below I went, like a good little citizen.
Sliding into my car, my hands instantly gripped the steering wheel tightly as rage bubbled and brewed deep inside of me, creating a toxic concoction of emotions. If only we could overthrow the leaders… No, Sera.
I stopped that dangerous thought in my head before it could even fully form. No one would ever join me on that quest to topple our government. They led viciously and with an iron fist. Being sent to The Below was kind in comparison to what our leaders did to traitors.
Shuddering at the thought of the public tortures held in the Citadel Plaza for weeks, I glanced at the car screen, counting down the time on the GPS until I reached the Unified Capital of the world. Previously known as Times Square, but with major remodeling, it was barely recognizable as the same place shown in history books.
Not much further to go until my life ended and another started. The acidic bitterness of the situation left a shitty taste in my mouth. I doubted I could ever rinse it away, even if—no, when—I came back.
When I reached the Citadel Plaza, the heart of the Unified Capital, I blew out a breath of relief. No one was being disemboweled today. That was the last thing I needed to see right now. My nerves were already frazzled enough, my grip on my thin confidence waning with each step closer to my fate.
My parents took me to the Unified Capital once when I was ten for the yearly Pledge of Allegiance, where everyone over eighteen was required to go and get down on bended knees before our leaders and swear their fealty. My parents had to bring me with them that winter as they couldn’t find a sitter to watch me at home, and it was their biggest regret.
Three defectors who attempted to help a chosen female escape from the Selection had been caught, and a public torture and execution was held in the Plaza for all to see—a warning to anyone foolish enough to go against our leaders. We came on day five of the torture. The three men were slowly having their intestines pulled from their body, inch by agonizing inch, prolonging their inevitable death.
This is why hardly anyone shirked their duty if chosen to go to The Below.
Our loved ones wouldn’t just die if we refused—they would be made to suffer in the most excruciating manner possible first.
Swallowing thickly, I got out of my car on trembling legs that threatened to give out. Steeling my spine, I started to walk but didn’t really know where to go. I pondered my dilemma as I came up to a soldier with an assault laser strapped to his back. From what I read, they were similar to the tasers from long ago but stronger and deadlier.
I watched a video of one in use once, and I had no desire for it to ever be used on me, so I’d comply with whatever he said.
“Citizen status?” the soldier grunted as he ran his eyes over me.
No one could pass into the Citadel Plaza without stating their caste and providing their identity card. When the Unified Capital was formed, the population was broken into three castes: Upper, Middling, and Lower. This was based on your family’s monetary standing at the time and could not be changed once determined.
“Middling,” I announced, pulling out my citizen card.
When the man read my name, his gaze swung to lock with mine, annoyance simmering in their dark depths. “We’ve been waiting for you. You’re the last Selection to arrive.”
My brows raised in astonishment. I didn’t live far from the Unified Capital and figured I would be one of the first to get here even though I’d spent two hours bawling. I’d been hoping that the others wouldn’t show up for another hour or so, giving me time to maybe learn about The Below while I waited.
Wishful thinking.
Shoulders sagging, I followed the soldier as he escorted me to a room inside the giant capital building for the “inspection” that all of us were to receive. Inside were the other Selected, along with leader representatives and licensed healers.
Outwardly I slapped on a brave face, but inwardly I cringed. What were all these doctors doing here? The soldier waved me in, shutting the door behind me. I heard the soft snick of a lock being latched and tried not to panic at being trapped.
“Welcome, Ms. Adler,” a leader representative barked in a voice that did not sound welcoming at all. “We’re on a tight schedule. Please step forward for your public inspection.”
“P-p-public inspection?” I stammered, cursing my quivering voice.
“Yes. Before we begin, have you ever enga
ged in intercourse?”
“Engaged in intercourse?” I repeated out loud like a robot repeating his words. I was up to date on my inspections and they should know this. Having to talk about it publicly like this felt degrading in a whole new manner.
“Yes. Answer the question,” the man demanded, clearly not appreciating me taking up so much of their precious time.
My mouth dropped open, no reply coming forth.
“She hesitated,” another leader representative said, frowning.
“Hesitation noted,” a healer spoke, jotting something down on a chart in her hand.
“Of course I hesitated!” I snapped, recovering myself. “I wasn’t expecting the question!”
My outburst didn’t seem to faze anyone in the room, all of whom just regarded me with detached apathy.
“Please step behind the screen and strip,” the healer who spoke earlier requested. My head shook of its own accord, negating the order. “We must confirm you are still intact before we send you to The Below.”
“I’m a virgin!” I bellowed in embarrassment, not sure why they were doing this when I’d just had an inspection days before.
Women between the ages of thirteen and seventeen were required to have yearly examinations to ensure they were untouched. However, once you were between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, you were required to undergo monthly examinations. Our leaders assumed you were more likely to lose your virginity between those ages, so we were placed under a tighter observation. This was because the monsters didn’t want anyone else sampling their playthings, and heaven forbid anyone not be a virgin upon examination. The price women paid for breaking their hymen—even by accident—was exile.
These women were shipped to the other side of the world and left with no food, water, or shelter, and eventually died. Exiled was a polite way to say death penalty, but everyone in this room with me should have my records. They were updated only four days ago! Did they seriously think I’d been with anyone in that time? Maybe with my twenty-fifth birthday looming so close, they thought I’d thrown caution to the wind.
It was all horseshit, but having to be publicly examined by a bunch of strangers was especially unnerving. Gritting my teeth, I stepped behind the screen and took off my clothes. Once naked, I called out, shivering at both the chill in the room and the vulnerability forced upon me. Another healer rounded the corner—a man—with three leader representatives, also all male. I glared, irritated that none of them was a woman. Did they really think I wanted some dude to go rooting around up there while a bunch of others watched?
Not that they really rooted around in my vagina during normal exams. It just felt different having a man here to do this.
No one wanted to accidentally pierce a girl’s hymen, so a laser scanner was used to check. It was a painless procedure, but I didn’t enjoy hiking a leg up and spreading myself before a bunch of strangers. Hell, I didn’t even spread my legs for me in fear of breaking my hymen with my fingers.
When the scan came back negative, as I knew it would, I was told to put my clothes back on so all the Selected could board the shuttle before nightfall. Smoothing my hair, I joined the other four Selected. Their faces said it all—it was time to walk the plank, so to speak. I’m sure my face wasn’t far from giving off the same demeanor.
I stared at the girls, all of them so much younger than me. None looked older than twenty, and my heart went out to them. I was getting shafted, only two days away from freedom, but these women were equally screwed. They would never be allowed to blossom into the people they were meant to be. Hell, they hadn’t even had a chance to figure out who they were or what they wanted. Instead, they would die senselessly at the hands of monsters.
I would rather fight and die in a war against the beasts of The Below than be faced with this reality that was forced upon us.
Like cattle, we were herded into a one-way shuttle that would transport us to our deaths. Inside the white tube, only five bucket seats were available—one for each of the Selected. The shuttle was autopiloted to The Below because no one wanted to risk getting trapped there. The thought made me snort.
Although I feared the creatures of The Below, I sometimes wondered if our leaders weren’t the real monsters. I guess I’d find out soon who I was more fearful of.
Small plastic windows lined both sides of the cylindric vehicle, affording everyone inside a really shitty view of what was to come. Muffled weeping, building in crescendo, filled the transport as it lifted off the ground and silently took flight to The Below.
I kept my own emotions at bay, but I didn’t fault the others for their tears. If I wanted to escape, I had to keep my wits about me, and a part of me felt like as the oldest in this group, I needed to be a pillar of strength for these girls.
It took several hours to reach the cave to The Below. Total and absolute darkness swallowed us, the only light the constant blinking from the autopilot.
Was this what The Below was like? Would I even see the monsters before they got me? Is this why no one ever escaped—because they couldn’t see to find their way back? My breathing huffed out of me in shallow pants, my anxiety spiking at the prospect of what lay ahead of me. Could I handle it? I had to.
Suddenly, I felt the transport descend rapidly. I gripped my seat nervously as we shot downward faster than a rocket. I pondered if this is what Alice felt when she fell into Wonderland. Eventually, the shuttle began to slow, and the barest hint of light grew outside.
When we exited the cave, I plastered my face to the window to stare out at my barely visible surroundings. I wondered if it was nearly dusk here, too, like in The Above, or if it was always this dark and gloomy.
A few feet further, the shuttle settled in the dusty expanse of the foreign land. With a hissing noise, the doors opened. An almost excessively sweet smell hit me immediately, making me gasp and choke.
I desperately sucked in air, trying to dislodge the scent, but with every inhale, a painful burning seared my nostrils and lungs. It was as if the air itself was doing it, and I wondered if the leader representatives forgot to mention this. Were our bodies not equipped to live in their environment? Was the air poisoning us?
The fact that the air was poisonous seemed like a pretty important piece of information to omit. Then again, maybe no one knew since the women who were sent down never returned. I scratched at my throat in a panic as my eyes bulged, terrified I was suffocating. Around me, the other girls mimicked my motions, tears streaming down their faces. All this time, no one had spoken, but our expressions said it all. We realized a vital piece of information that no one ever told us.
The monsters wouldn’t kill us—their land would.
Well, the monsters may still kill us, but for now, they weren’t the imminent threat.
Was this why the monsters kept demanding more and more women? Because they weren’t actually receiving them? Were they all dying during their first seconds in this foreign land?
Cursing the world, I hopped out of the shuttle, back toward the mouth of the cave. If I could just go back… But that was a fool’s wish. Staring into the inky abyss back to The Above, I knew I’d never be able to scale the drop. I would need another transport. The monsters had to have something they used to rise out of this hellhole during the war. I just needed to find one before I died.
When I returned to the shuttle, I found it empty. Unease skidded through me—I hadn’t heard the other women leave. Did they run? Or did someone—or something—take them? What little air remained in my lungs whooshed out at the thought.
Of their own accord, my legs started running. I had to find safety of some kind.
Ashy dust plumed around me every time my feet kissed the ground, and I tried hard not to cough. I didn’t want to risk inhaling any more of the noxious air around me.
I had no idea how long I sprinted—not far, considering the very air was knocking the wind out of me—but eventually I gave up and collapsed to the ground, exhausted and sick. With m
y cheek burrowed into the dust, I stared into the distance, barely making out the form of a large structure with looming spires and imposing turrets.
A castle? Perhaps. Definitely a building of some sort.
Which meant I was close.
If I could just make it there, I might find a way to escape. But Fate was a cruel bitch who taunted me with the vision of freedom when in reality, I would never reach the structure—just like I didn’t reach my twenty-fifth birthday.
A depressing ache settled in my heart, knowing that my mom was right.
I wasn’t coming back—but I wanted to, if just to tell everyone in The Above the truth. To save more lives.
Unwillingly, my eyes grew heavy until they shut completely, but not before a shadow danced across my line of sight. A light wind blew over my body, sending a chill straight to my heart as I felt the presence of something in my midst. A scratching sound told me the thing was close.
Refusing to lose, I opened my mouth and took a deep inhale, the lethal air swirling heavily in my chest. A victorious smile graced my lips as the answering darkness of death called to me. I stepped into its embrace, unconsciousness washing over me.
Even dead, I’d managed to spite these monster bastards.
Chapter Three
SERA
Well, I thought I had managed to spite them. Turns out, all I did was pass out.
As I felt the sensation of my limbs waking up, I groaned internally. Was I happy to be alive, seeing as I was likely still in The Below? I suppose only time would tell.
My hearing returned before I opened my eyes, and I figured I’d try to keep up the charade of being passed out while I tried to collect information. There were vital questions that I needed answers to. Where the fuck was I? Who or what was with me? Why wasn’t my chest burning from breathing in the toxic air anymore?
Feminine voices carried in the light wind that was dusting across my face, and I strained to listen to their faint whispers.
“I swear to you, Madison. They were not physical beings. They looked like shadows.”
Captured by the Monsters Page 2
