Arcadia

by L. J. Higgins

  I swallowed hard, ignoring the way his eyes devoured me. “What do you want from us?”

  “Oh, sweet heart. There's lots of things I want from you. But we 'ave what we need for now, including this trinket.” He opened his hand allowing a pendant, my pendant, to dangle from his fingertips.

  I narrowed my eyes. “That's mine. Give it back.”

  “Sure, of course.” He held it out towards me, and I struggled against my binds. “Oh, that's right. You can't take it. Too bad, it looks important. Wonder who'd pay good money for this?” He tapped at his chin with his finger as if in thought.

  Splitter rose to his feet stepping back towards the doorway. “I dropped in to say hi. Get comfortable young red-heads, you may be 'ere for a little while. In the meantime, I think I'll go introduce myself to your friends now they're all awake. The big guy with the muscles? He sure put up a fight, but a little nightmare serum soon settled him down.”

  Splitter and Cronk chuckled again as they left the room shutting and locking the door behind them.

  “What on Utopia is nightmare serum?” I asked Seth.

  “The same stuff Brent made me give you.” His shoulders sagged against mine.

  My stomach clenched tight and my throat became dry. Braven had been made to relive the visions and pain of the nightmare serum all over again.

  “How does he know who you are?” I asked.

  “From raids in and around the city. But it's unusual for him to be staying somewhere, and for him to be keeping us. Usually, he would've killed us by now. And no way would he take so many at once.”

  “He said he was going to sell us. Sell us to who?” I asked.

  “I have no idea. I've heard rumours of human trafficking but didn't know it was really happening,” said Seth.

  “At least he's not killing us,” I replied. “Not yet anyway. We need to think of a way to get out of here before he changes his mind about keeping us. And we need to get my pendant back.”

  “You're all risking so much for something so small. Are you sure the pendant has all the answers you're looking for? What do you expect it to tell you anyway?” he asked.

  I struggled to come up with a definitive answer. What did I expect it to do? I had no idea if revealing the truth and setting the people on the floating cities free would help them. Life on Earth was dangerous, unpredictable. At least they were safe on their floating cities.

  “I don't know.”

  “You don't know? You're going through all of this and you don't know?”

  “I guess I want people to know the truth. I want them to be able to make choices for themselves instead of doing what they're told on the floating cities.”

  “And you think it'll be different on Earth? Look at Brent …” he cut his sentence short.

  “Seth, I think it's safe to talk about Brent here. It's not like he's going to hear you.”

  “Brent is the prophet sent from God. He hears everything,” he replied.

  “Do you really believe he sees and hears everything? If it was true, why did he need you to track us? Why didn't he know we were going to escape when the cyclone hit?” I questioned.

  “I've pledged myself to him as a disciple. I don't expect you to understand.”

  “You're right I don't understand. I don't understand how you could go around blindly following someone because he says he's a prophet.”

  “Then you'll understand how I don't get why people are blindly following you because you have a pendant.”

  “The pendants different,” I defended.

  Seth shrugged against me.

  “Look, I'm trying, I'm trying to understand you and why you've done some of the terrible things you've done.”

  “I haven't done anything the prophet didn't need me to do,” he replied.

  “And what if he's not who he says he is? What if he's some sad old man who wanted attention?”

  Seth fell silent, and I gave my head a slight shake. Trying to convince him this way wasn't going to work. Until he could see Brent for who he was, he would forever be his slave and Tyler would be right. He couldn't be trusted.

  We sat in silence, my limbs growing numb and cold sitting on the hard concrete floor unable to stretch and move. I found myself continuously scouting the room, desperately wanting some form of escape to reveal itself. But with bare walls and a boarded up window, I couldn't see how we would undo our bindings, so much as escape.

  “I'm hungry,” said Seth, his voice loud in the surrounding silence.

  I licked my dry lips. “I'm thirsty.”

  More silence.

  “Did you really have no idea you had a family out there?” he asked, his voice a whisper.

  “Not a clue. Until my sixteenth birthday I believed Benjamin and Jennifer where my birth parents. I had no reason not to believe them.”

  “Not even the fact you have bright red hair?”

  “Pretty naïve right?”

  “Must run in the family.”

  I didn't press further, worried he'd stop speaking.

  “I've known about you since I was old enough to understand,” he revealed.

  My breath caught in my throat. “You did?”

  “Mum and dad spoke about you all the time. They would wonder what you were doing on Utopia, dream of being up there with you, away from the dangers of Earth.”

  I smiled to myself. “Trust me, there wasn't much to wonder about. Life was incredibly boring and bland on Utopia.”

  “But you were safe.”

  “Yes, I was safe. But my mother couldn't bear to be around me because I reminded her of the child she'd lost, and my father was rarely around. And the moment I turned sixteen the guard wanted me dead and murdered my mother.”

  “Seems like mum didn't save you at all. I'm glad she died thinking you were happy and she'd made the right decision. It would've killed her knowing you were unhappy.”

  “I wasn't completely unhappy. I loved my dad and reading my tablet. And I had Fletch, we use to have a great time together.”

  “He cares about you doesn't he?”

  “Yeah, he does,” I replied. “Ebony seems to care about you. She's definitely on team Seth.”

  “She's the one person left in this miserable world I can turn to and trust.”

  Ebony was to Seth, what Fletcher was to me.

  “Who would've thought back at the Freedom Camp the two of us would have a civil conversation?” he laughed. I hadn't heard him laugh before.

  “Who would've thought you'd be my twin brother?”

  Footsteps sounded outside the door and I swallowed hard as the doorknob rattled before the door swung open, revealing Cronk and Slitter.

  “You two getting cosy in here?” Slitter asked.

  “Are you kidding? She's as stuck up as they come.”

  “Naww, I thought you two were gunna keep the redhead race alive,” said Slitter.

  “Pfft, you try getting anything out of her. She keeps telling me she wants a real man,” replied Seth.

  My body grew rigid as he spat his words and I swallowed hard. What on Utopia was he doing?

  “A real man hey? I can give ya a real man sweetheart.” Slitter gave me a wink and licked his cracked, dry lips. Seth nudged at me with his elbow and I took a deep breath, trying to relax my face as Slitter crouched and placed a finger under my chin. “What do ya think?”

  “You think you can be more of a man than him?” I asked.

  “I know I can.” A whiff of rotten eggs and off milk assaulted my senses as he spoke.

  “Maybe your friend there can take Seth and give us some time…. alone.” I suggested, swallowing down the vomit burning in my throat.

  The glimmer in his eyes sent a shiver coursing through my body but I did my best to keep myself poised.

  “You heard the girl, untie her and take the lad away,” he called to Cronk who still lingered in the doorway.

  “Slit, are ya sure? I mean, she could be playing with ya,” said Cronk.

  Slit
ter eyed me over, as though he could somehow tell if I was deceiving him by simply looking at my body language.

  I shrugged. “Your loss.”

  “Can't sell the goods without trying them out ourselves first now, can we?” Slitter said to Cronk.

  Cronk didn't reply, instead, he approached Seth and me, untying our torsos from each other. Seth squeezed my hands before Cronk pulled him to his feet and he gave me a final reassuring glance before Cronk pushed him through the doorway and closed the door.

  Slitter's eyes turned back towards me, a lustful gleam in his eye.

  “Are you going to sell me?” I asked.

  “We'll have to wait and see how well ya perform. Maybe I could keep ya all for myself.”

  Slitter hooked his sweaty hands under my arms and helped me to my feet. I wobbled on the spot. With my feet bound close together it was difficult to balance.

  “I can't exactly run anywhere, and I can't do much with my legs tied together can I?” I found it hard to swallow down the disgusting lines I was speaking. I hoped my nervousness and wanting to vomit wasn't showing through my attempt at a sexy façade. Oh Elite, what was I thinking?

  He eyed me again before pulling a knife from his back pocket and slicing my bindings away. I stepped out balancing myself and rolling my ankles, red and sore from the ropes.

  My breath hitched as he grabbed me and forced me towards the nearby wall, his hot sweaty body pressing against mine and his rotten breath filling my senses all over again. My hands ached as they were crushed behind me. Seth must've had a plan. Was he going to come rescue me? Did he think I'd be able to escape Slitter? I wish he'd explained what he was doing, what I was supposed to do. But I couldn't rely on him coming back, I had to free myself.

  Slitter leant in for a kiss but I pulled away earning myself an annoyed expression. “I can't do this properly with my hands tied.”

  “Do ya think I'm stupid girl?” He narrowed his beady eyes.

  “I think you want to have some fun and it won't be as fun with my hands tied up.” I pouted my lips. I hoped if I did get free none of my friends would ever know about this.

  He stepped away and paced back and forth for a moment.

  “The doors locked and I have no weapons, what do you think I'm going to do?” I asked, a little too desperate.

  He strode over to me again running his hands over my torso and down my arms. Tears pricked at my eyes but I swallowed them away. He reached behind his back and whipped out his knife, freeing me from the ropes binding my wrists. I pulled my hands from behind me, rolling my wrists. Slitter replaced his knife and moved in, planting hot sticky kisses on my neck. I drew a deep breath before running my hands over his filthy back, slowly making my way down towards his belt. At the movement, he quickly reached around and pulled out his knife holding it at my stomach. I held my breath, afraid to let it out lest he nicked me.

  “This won't do,” he replied and grabbed a hold of my singlet. With a swift flick, he sliced my singlet in half and slid it off over my arms, revealing my bare torso.

  I gulped hard, but he took it as anticipation of what was to come. Grabbing my hands he pinned them above my head against the wall, his slimy lips creeping over my skin. He was pressed so hard against my body I couldn't raise my leg to knee him. I was trapped. Seth's plan had backfired.

  Chapter Ten

  “Get your hands off her,” Seth bellowed as he crashed through the door.

  Slitter turned, reaching for his knife. I kicked at his back, pushing him forward and to the floor towards Seth. Seth jumped on top of him, planting his foot on his face.

  Slitter cussed, his words hard to recognise with his mouth smooshed into the concrete. Noticing his hands creeping towards his waist, I sprung forward and pulled the knife from his belt. He moved his hands to push up against Seth's foot.

  My eyes found Seth's, the fear of what could've happened to me evident in his stare and I wiped at the tears in my eyes. Backing towards the door I held the knife towards Slitter as Seth released him and followed me backwards.

  Slitter pushed himself back up onto his feet, a snarl on his face. “You little bitch. When I get my hands on ya I'm gunna slit ya from ear to ear.”

  My stomach clenched, a lump forming in my throat. I gripped the hilt of the knife tighter, my knuckles growing white as rage pumped through my veins.

  “You won't be getting your hands anywhere near her,” Seth pulled a stun gun from his pocket and ran at Slitter. They wrestled for a moment before Seth managed to push himself away and press the gun against Slitters throat before stunning him. Slitter jolted and yelped before falling to the floor with a loud thump.

  I slumped forward over my knees panting, the events catching up with me. Seth arrived at my side and put a hand on my back. “You okay? I'm so sorry, I thought I'd get back in time.”

  “I'm fine.” I puffed.

  “Your shirt, he didn't. Oh god, if he did anything to you.” The concern in his eyes warmed my aching heart.

  “It's okay. Nothing happened, you saved us. Thank you.”

  “Don't thank me yet. Here, take my shirt. You can't get around in your bra now can you?” He slid his own singlet over his head and handed it to me leaving his own tanned chest bare.

  “Thank you.” I pulled it over my head appreciating not having to be humiliated any longer.

  “Are you sure you're okay?” he asked.

  “Yes, once we get my friends and get out of here I'll be okay.”

  He stared at me for a moment longer as though unsure whether to believe me. I picked up what was left of my shirt, using it to wipe at the places I'd been kissed or touched by Slitter. It did little to help the dirtiness his hands left behind. Throwing the cloth to the floor Seth and I made our way towards the door. We stepped over the threshold and Seth closed the door behind us, flicking its lock, before guiding me down a hallway. The first door on the left was wide open, inside lay Cronk, face first on the concrete floor.

  “How did you get him to go down?” I asked.

  Seth held up the stun gun. “It was in his back pocket. He's big, but boy is he slow.”

  “Braven will be happy you got his stun gun back, he loves that thing,” I said.

  “I might keep it for myself.” Seth grinned, the first genuine smile I'd seen from him since he joined our group of rebels.

  A little walk down the hall and we came to another door, this one was locked but with a few hard rams with his shoulder, Seth burst it open and we strode in to find Braven, hog tied, laying on his side on the floor and Vega chained to a metal pipe.

  Both jumped at the commotion, but relaxed at the sight of us. I rushed to Braven to begin cutting the rope looped around his hands.

  “Thank the Elite. I think my arms have come out of their sockets,” groaned Braven his voice croaky.

  “Are you okay?” I grabbed his face. “Slitter said he gave you nightmare serum.”

  He swallowed hard at the memory. “Nothing I haven't survived before.” He shot Seth a quick glance as I released his hands and ankles, his eyes widening. “Where's your shirt?”

  I pulled at the hem of Seth's singlet, much too big for my small frame. Heat flushed my face as the burning sensation returned to my throat.

  “Why are you wearing Seth's shirt?” Vega asked.

  “It's a long story.” Seth saved me from having to relive the moment so soon. “Let's get everyone out of here first.”

  “I'm not sure where the keys are for mine?” said Vega.

  “Maybe Cronk has them. I'll go check his body.” Seth left the room as I pulled the rope from Braven's wrists.

  “His body?” asked Braven. He moaned and massaged his arms as they became free before I handed him the knife to untie his feet.

  “Seth stunned him,” I replied before noticing for the first time a streak of blood along Vega's right cheek and walking towards her. “Are you okay? You're bleeding.”

  “That sleaze ball tried touching me so I planted a knee in his
balls. He whipped out a knife and decided to show me how sharp it was,” her eyes narrowed at the memory.

  I shivered at her words, remembering how close I was to becoming trapped by him.

  “Did he hurt you? Is that why you're wearing Seth's shirt?” Vega's glare melted with concern.

  “I'm fine. But if Seth wasn't there…” at the mention of his name Seth jogged back into the room.

  “Cronks gone. I can't find him anywhere but from what I can tell Slitter's still locked up in the room.”

  “No keys?” asked Vega as Braven joined us, planting a kiss on her cheek.

  Seth held up a set of keys. “These were in the room I found him in. Let's hope they unlock your chains.”

  After trying two keys, the third worked, and Vega was free from her binds. She massaged at her wrists reminding me of the burn of my own.

  “Let's find Fletcher and Ebony,” I urged, leaving the room as soon as they were free.

  A short way down the hall was another locked door. Seth barged his way through again and we stepped through to find Fletcher and Ebony tied together as Seth and I had been. The sight of Fletcher sent my pulse racing and I ran to wrap my arms around his neck.

  He sighed, his shoulders relaxing and I pulled my face back to look him in the eye.

  “Thank the Elite you're okay,” he whispered before taking me in completely. His eyes narrowed as he stared at my oversized singlet. “Who's shirt is that?”

  “It's mine,” replied Seth.

  Fletcher's eyes flittered between me and Seth's bare torso. “Did that son of a…”

  “I'm fine. Seth saved me.” I caught the beam of Ebony's proud smile in the corner of my eye.

  Fletcher looked towards Seth inclining his head in thanks. Seth returned the gesture.

  “How's your leg?” he asked.

  My bandage was filthy and a small patch of blood had seeped through. It ached, but so did the rest of my body. “I'm fine Fletch, I promise. Let's get you free.”

  Braven made light work of the rope binding the two together with the help of Slitters knife and soon I was wrapped in Fletcher's arms. He nuzzled his face into my hair squeezing a little tighter.

  “Where's Maya and Richy?” asked Fletcher.