Her hand flew to her chest to hold the towel in place as she stared at the man sitting on her bed. It took June a second to realize it was Bran. Sometime between now and the day they had gone hunting he had shaved his head. The cropped cut made her brother look rougher around the edges, unhinged.
June was about to tell him to leave when her eyes were drawn to the metal picture frame he held. Bran’s body was tense as he stared down at the woman in the photo. The rage building within him was palpable. It was a full minute before she was able to summon her words, nervously croaking, “Put it back.”
Still holding the frame, he rose and held it outward so that she could see the faded image of a smiling blonde woman. It was one, if not the only, artifact that proved Claire Gilley had existed. June had managed to procure it after years of riffling through the attic. By tucking it into her nightstand, she had hidden it from the world that had stolen her mother.
“You shouldn’t have this,” Bran jeered. There was a fire burning behind his eyes, a blazing inferno that grew each passing second.
June squared her shoulders, determined to hold her ground. “She was my mom, too.”
“You’re a parasite they removed from her comatose body,” Bran jeered and sent the picture sailing through the air.
June ducked in time so that it hit the wall instead of her head. The sound of shattering glass almost hurt as much as her brother’s words. She had heard the story too many times to count. Her mother was famous among the complex and not because she was a skilled hunter.
The case of Claire Gilley was a phenomenon. On a mission with Dale, Claire had been taken down by a hybrid and suffered a bite to the abdomen. She was rushed back to the complex but before Claire could be locked away, she announced her pregnancy to the entire community, causing an uproar. The council was put to the test. Executing her would mean killing an innocent.
The council eventually decided to have Claire put in a medically induced coma. For eight and a half months, she was a prisoner of her own body until June was born. Afterwards, Dale was ordered to fix his wife’s mess. Still under anesthesia, Claire was executed in her hospital bed. The last gift she ever received from her husband was a bullet between the eyes.
From Bran’s perspective, June was the reason his mom had suffered a long death. At five, he was old enough to remember the events but not understand why his mom was replaced with a sister he never wanted.
“It wasn’t my fault.”
“Maybe not,” Bran said, “but everything that has occurred since then is. You stole Jace and now you get to take Dani out. It should be me. I’m the oldest.”
The relief that had filled June when he started talking was replaced with dread. She understood now. He wanted the praise and glory that came with executing a family member that was bitten. As far as she was concerned, he could have the recognition, she didn’t want it.
“If you want to do it so bad, talk to the council,” she urged and then felt guilty a second later. There was nothing more that she wanted in the world than to pass her burden onto someone else.
Bran took a long step forward, his words spiteful as he seethed, “You think I haven’t tried? Your insubordination clouds their judgement. If I was on the council, I would’ve sent you to the Gray Zone already.”
Even though the threat was empty, June shivered. The Grey Zone was a nightmare for community members who needed to be ‘redirected’. When a hunter couldn’t follow rules, or fought the council publicly, they were sent away for correction. The camp used torture to ensure that the hunter would thereby follow the rules and abide by the community standards.
“What are you talking about?” June asked. She grabbed the edge of the night table as the room started to spin.
Bran’s eyes lit up and he smiled. “I’ve been assured that if you don’t kill Dani, then there will be repercussions. Dad will lose his place on the council and both of you will be sent to camp. Sounds fun, doesn’t it?”
June didn’t let her brother see her face as she turned away. “Get out.”
For once, Bran didn’t argue. She heard him walk out of the room from the corner of her eye. Once alone, June bent down and picked up the picture. The frame was ruined. Taking it the picture out, June held it to her chest as she sat down, avoiding the glass.
Bran’s words raced through her mind on repeat. She wanted to believe he was lying but deep down, June knew it was true. The council disposed anyone who committed petty crimes such as stealing and lying. June had done that, and worse. The only reason she had yet to be exiled was because of Dale. Now that he was off the council there was nothing stopping them from seeking retribution.
When it started to feel like the walls were closing in, June got up off the floor. She stared at the picture for a few seconds before tucking it under her pillow. Her body went into auto pilot as she went to her closet and changed into jeans and a plain black shirt. Haphazardly, she pulled her wet hair up into a ponytail and tugged on her tennis shoes. Swiping her keys off the nightstand, June left the room and was out the front door a moment later.
There was a distinct chill in the air as she slid into the confine of her car. Her hands shook as she put the key into the ignition. After three tries, she managed to get the car going. She ignored the dread that threatened to consume her as she backed out of the driveway and started down the road.
Slowly, the residential housing faded. Near the west end of the complex, there were scarce signs of life. Very few people ventured out this way unless they were on the same mission as her. Out in the distance, growing in height with each mile, was the silhouette of a stone mansion topped with deadly iron spires. Surrounding it was a tall fence with curls of barb wire that armed guards patrolled. Past it, a smaller gate, with a security checkpoint, guarded the front door.
She drove through the gap in the first gate, eyeing the building nicknamed Asylum. People like Dani, those going through the change, were sent here to be processed and say their final goodbyes.
June parked in the back of the lot despite it being near empty. There weren’t many people that worked at the fortress since the building only had one purpose. Over the years, as the hunter profession become more advanced, the number of those bitten had declined dramatically.
Getting out of the car, she trudged across the lot and up to the second fence. A man that looked older than her father, dressed in a guard’s uniform, eyed her with a bored expression. “Name?”
“June Gilley. I’m here to see my cousin, Danielle.”
The guard blinked. “You’re Dale’s daughter.”
She stayed silent, digging her heels into the gravel while holding his gaze. June waited to see if he would comment on Dale’s suspended status but instead the guard simply stated he had to check for weapons. June was still as he frisked her. She let out a breath as he stepped back, speaking into the radio on his shoulder. “Clear.”
A high-pitched buzz sounded, and he waved her through the parting gate. June barely noticed it closing behind her, attention on the guards. She counted fifteen before a group of six, in perfect formation, rounded the left corner of the structure.
She pulled her eyes off them and walked up the stone steps and pulled open one of the double doors. Inside was another checkpoint where a female guard waited next to a metal detector. The woman held a plastic bin and in a bored tone, droned, “No cellphones or other personal items past this point. You can retrieve them on your way out.”
After depositing her phone and keys into the bin, June walked through the metal detector. When it didn’t go off, the guard gave her instructions to check in down the hall. The building’s atmosphere shifted as the small entry gave way to a pristine white hallway with marble floors and a vaulted ceiling. Combined with the paintings on the wall, the space felt more like a museum than a prison.
The only indication of its real purpose was the musty stench that tainted the air. From the vents, gaseous wolfsbane poured. On the off chance that a hybrid broke out of thei
r cell, they would collapse before making it to the lobby. It also helped that the walls were infused with silver as were all the bars on the windows.
The hallway opened into a waiting room with mint-colored walls. Sitting behind the desk adorned with plastic vases of fake yellow sunflowers was a plump older woman with bright red hair. June recognized her from summer barbeques and community days but couldn’t place her name.
“Hello, dear,” the woman greeted with a gentle smile that didn’t belong in a place as cold as Asylum. Pinned to her pink blouse was a lackluster bronze pin with the name Rosie McDonald etched on the metal. “Are you here for a tour?”
June knew of a few McDonald’s in the complex. Two boys, both with the same red hair as Rosie, had trained with her, Jace, and Bran to become hunters. From what she could remember, they weren’t very…good. It was a miracle they survived the summer bootcamp before dropping out of the program.
“I came to see my cousin, Dani,” June said, bypassing Rosie’s question.
“Visiting hours end at six but I think we have time to squeeze you in,” Rosie offered. She picked up a stack of forms off the desk and passed them over to June. “This is a waiver in case of injury and a confidentiality agreement that says you won’t discuss Asylum’s operations with anyone. I am inclined to warn you that the council will take legal action if you fail to abide by prison rules.”
June held the packet to her chest, willing herself to ask, “Has anyone else came to visit Dani?”
Alister and Lenore were kind people but not the best parents. June could remember late nights when Dani would come over unexpectedly with tears streaming down her face. Dani’s dad held his daughter up to high standards and her mom was known for being overbearing to the point of suffocation. That kind of whiplash would take a toll on anyone.
June just hoped that her aunt and uncle weren’t making Dani suffer more than she already was.
In response to the question, Rosie typed something into the computer. She read over the screen before nodding. “There have been two visitors. Lenore and Dale Gilley. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
June shook her head and walked off. She sat down in the waiting area on one of the many metal chairs that lined the wall. The prison closed in an hour but that didn’t stop her from reading every page of the packet. After what Jace had told her at the hospital, June couldn’t help that fact that her faith in the council was wavering. It felt wrong to doubt the only system she knew, but at the same time, somewhat freeing. No one in the complex would say it but the council was nothing more than a group of dictators.
Thirty minutes later, June followed a tall guard with blonde hair through the door behind Rosie’s desk. The back section of Asylum was a dark contrast to the front. Here, in the actual prison section of the building, the walls were thicker and harsh fluorescent bulbs were the only source of light. There were no windows or high ceilings to help thin out the wolfsbane gas. She could feel it settling on her skin and clothes as she followed her escort down a narrow hall.
June was starting to think the security was getting lax until the guard stopped and pointed at a section of the floor that unexpectedly declined. “Careful.”
The ground was almost invisible through the grey water, about an inch high, that carried on through the rest of the hall. It was the first time she noticed that he was wearing rubber rain boots instead of the standard steel toe the other guards were issued.
“What’s with the wading pool?” She feared the answer as she stepped into the water. The sludge soaked through her shoes and June grimaced knowing the sneakers were ruined and would have to be thrown away.
Expecting to be brushed off, June was surprised when the guard looked over his shoulder with a wry grin. “Cool, right? It’s a failsafe in case of a mass riot. All power can be rerouted to the grid right underneath our feet, electrifying the water.”
June paled and realized why she had had to sign a confidentiality form. The idea of torching someone to death was so inhumane that even the coldest of hunters would balk. She bet even Bran would protest to the ill treatment of the bitten because up until they completed the changed, they were still members of the community.
“That is sick,” she said, looking into the empty cells that formed the right side of the hall. The water was pushed through the bars as they waded through it. It didn’t matter that they were all empty. The sight of a metal toilets and bare mattresses made her stomach lurch. How could the council let anyone live in these conditions?
“What did you expect?” he asked. “Willpower alone won’t contain monsters. They outrank us physically and mentally. Mankind may have been born to be subservient, but technology has made us kings.”
“Or has it blinded us?” June retorted as they turned a corner. “Instead of adapting to change and accepting that humans aren’t high up on the food chain, we fight tooth and claw to eliminate what threatens us as we ignore evolution. Doesn’t that make us the real monsters?”
Without a word, he stopped and turned to face her. There was something in his eyes that June couldn’t read as he lifted up his shirt. Across his chest were wide, jagged pink scars that overlapped one another. Given the severity, he should’ve been way past dead. The responsible claws would’ve left behind nothing but shredded skin and sinew.
As she stared speechless in a stupor, the guard said, “Sometimes monsters provoke other monsters.”
When his shirt dropped, June shook of her daze. “You’re Eddy Castor.”
“In the flesh.” Eddy grinned, preforming a low sweeping bow.
Everyone in the complex knew Eddy’s story just like they knew Claire’s. June was a baby, one or two, when it happened. At twelve years old, Eddy had snuck out of the complex and followed a group of hunters on a mission to eliminate a trio of hybrids hiding in a nearby city. Five men and women were killed. When the complex cleaners arrived at the scene, they found Eddy, more dead than alive.
Under intense circumstances, when a body is pulled through the ringer and clinging to life, it tries anything to fix itself. When Eddy didn’t die right away, the council suspected he would make the shift and refused care. It took the rallying of Eddy’s parents and the community to make them recall the verdict.
They council met them halfway because even smidge of DNA from a hybrid’s claws could invoke the change. It was in Asylum that Eddy recovered. After three months, he was released, happy and human.
But not everyone in the complex agreed with the decision. Some believed the council have kept him in the prison. When it was clear they wouldn’t, a group of radicalized hunters decided to interfere and gun down Eddy and his parents in Asylum’s parking lot. Once again, Eddy challenged death and won when his parents used their bodies as shields to protect their son from the bullets. After a long standoff, the rogue hunters were taken out by the prison guards.
“I can feel your pity and trust me, I don’t need it,” Eddy spoke, breaking the silence. “I know what people think of me. Half the complex is waiting for me to turn and the other thinks I’m a walking miracle.”
“Can you blame them?” she asked, twisting the end of her shirt as the hair on the back of her neck stood up.
“Not really. Humans have always been tricked into praising false Gods.”
The statement made June raise a brow. “You say human like you aren’t one.”
Eddy shrugged. “You’ll know for sure one of these days.”
Before June could ask what that was supposed to mean, the sound of someone softly crying caught her attention. She walked faster, bypassing Eddy, to peer into the last cell at the end of the hall. Nestled on the cot, with her knees pulled up to her chest, was a wild looking woman. Her dark hair was tangled and the white shirt and grey sweatpants she wore were stained with dirt and grim.
The stench of urine overpowered the wolfsbane so much that June’s eyes watered as she stepped up to the bars. “Dani?”
Instantly, the crying come to a halt as the wom
an raised her head. June stepped back automatically when Dani’s gaze met her own. In the short time that they had been apart, her cousin had changed. Her face, though dirty, was free of any blemishes but June wasn’t focused on it or the canines that hung over her bottom lip. Instead, she was drawn to Dani’s eyes which were tainted with flecks of luminescent amber.
A grin more animal than human made her look deadly as she untangled her limbs and rose from the makeshift bed. Her bare feet caused ripples in the water as she came towards the bars but didn’t touch them. “June, June, June. I was just telling Eddy boy here how I was starting to doubt you would visit. It would be a shame if the last conversation we had ended with you putting a bullet in my brain.”
/CHAPTER FIVE/
Underneath Dani’s words, June picked up what she implied. Someone, maybe Lenore or Dale or the council, had told her cousin who was going to be responsible for ending her life. Instead of feeling free that the confession hadn’t come from her, June felt heavier than ever.
It was worse than the time she had fractured her spine and couldn’t stand for weeks. It was worse than knowing she would never see human Dani again. It was worse than anything because it should’ve been June who broke the news, who severed their sisterly bond…but it wasn’t. She couldn’t shake the impression that they were both staring at a stranger.
“Who told you?” June asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. She didn’t want Dani, or the Eddy, who was leaning against the wall behind her, to see her shaking hands. June felt like a puppet being unraveled string by string, nothing but entertainment for a bored child to ruin.
“Rachel,” Dani replied in a curt tone. Her words may have been stoic, but her eyes blazed to life.
Rachel Jennings had been the head councilwoman since before June was born. She had all the say when it came to the community seeing as the complex was her kingdom and everyone in it her pawns.
Genesis: (Book One of the True Luna Series) Page 4
