'I have no idea where I am.'
Akuma's vision was obscured, her hands were tied with several layers of duct tape, and she had an old rag shoved between her teeth. Someone had a firm hold on her arm and their grip was digging tight into her skin. If it wasn't for the jean jacket veering her, she was sure that there would have been marks. The holder jerked her forward again and she stumbled slightly, unsure of where she was going to what she was walking upon.
Her heart was pounding deeply in her chest and she could feel the blood roaring in her ears. Her shoulders had stopped trembling and she was no longer running off of fear. She was running off the adrenaline that could only come from the mind of a survivor. She could handle herself. There were 3 of Fairy Tail against 4 of the Seekers little slaves. And one of them, the only man in fact, was injured. Those people didn't stand a chance against them.
Tenshi and the others would find them. She was sure of it. She had even left them a trail to follow. She knew that her husband could track like the back of his hand and that's the entire reason she continued to stumble wherever she was being led. As long as she left marks of her struggle, Tenshi would find them and then he'd eventually find her. She had no doubt about it.
Suddenly, she was pulled to a stop and she looked around blindly in hopes that she might've seen some sort of light through her jacket that had been pulled over her head. Unfortunately, nothing could be seen through that jacket and it was so long that she couldn't even look down to see what she was walking through. Every which way she turned was merely a curtain of black.
"Get inside." One of them ordered her.
She recognized the voice. It was the woman who had wanted her jacket. Her hand found its place in the center of her back and pushed her forward. Stumbling, Akuma took notice of how her footsteps changed and she heard a door being closed behind her. Immediately, she knew she was inside a building. Where that building was, only God knew.
She continued walking forward until she was jerked to a stop again. A moment later, she heard the snarl of what she could only make out as a Hebi and she instantly jumped back, flailing her legs out wildly and the woman behind her chuckled.
"Nothin' to be afraid of darlin'." She stated, ripping the jacket off her head and Akuma could finally see again. At her feet was a dead Hebi with black blood pooling under its head and Akuma instinctively took a step back in disgust. "We'll protect you." The woman snickered.
While the Seekers tended to the room, Akuma took a moment to take in her surroundings. Her body tensed at the look of the slaughterhouse she found herself in and was reminded vaguely of one time when she was her son's age and far too curious for her own good. Rust was forming on the ground and walls, and the air was humid. There were 2 doors. One from which they just came out of and one that she assumed led deeper into the building. When given her chance to escape, she would have to decide which door to take and hope that she picked the right one.
Ruri and Krystal stood a little ways behind her and she could see 2 very different expressions on their faces. Krystal's jaw was taut and if it wasn't for the gag, she was sure that the purple Exceed would have been speaking her mind, regardless of what was on it. Ruri, on the other hand, had a look that Akuma hadn't seen before and one that she never thought she'd see on her. That was fear.
The leader, the orange-furred named Annie, moved to the center of the room and looked smugly at Krystal.
"On the ground." She ordered. When none of them moved, she began moving them forcefully. "Alyssa, put the elder over there. Julia, you take the little Emerald." Annie crossed over to Krystal and grinned. "I've got this one."
Annie roughly grabbed Krystal by the upper arm and took her to the back of the room. With no chance to object, Annie shoved her by the shoulders until she dropped down to her knees and eventually found her place on the floor. Annie then crouched down in front of her and began tying her legs together with thick layers of duct tape. Staring down at the woman, Krystal dared her to make eye contact with her and she finally did with a smug smirk on her face.
"How's your lip feeling?" She teased.
Krystal instinctively ran her tongue along her bottom lip and was welcomed with the taste of coppery blood. After she had tried to fight back earlier, Annie had smacked her across the face with her gun because even after Krystal had been tied up, she tried for another go at escaping. Unfortunately, that hadn't worked out so well because now she could hardly feel her lip. She grimaced at how swollen it was and she rolled her eyes at Annie, knowing that she wasn't going to show her the pain that she wanted to see. Annie chuckled.
"You're wondering if there's a way out of this." She said, noticing how Krystal's gaze flickered between Akuma's and Ruri's. "Well, there isn't. Not unless I say so."
Alyssa and Marcus went out in search of something and Julia went to discard of the Hebi that had been in the room. Krystal watched as Annie finished off the duct tape and she stared down at the silvery tape that was once her hands. She wasn't sure how she was going to get that undone. As she looked around the room, she couldn't see anything even remotely sharp.
She began to hear Hebi growls from outside the room.
"Annie!" Alyssa called. "We need more backup!"
Annie let out a sigh of annoyance and rose to her feet.
"I want to kill all 3 of you right now. It's taking all I have not to." She informed harshly, looking around to each of them on the floor. "So, go ahead, I dare you. Try something. Just see what happens."
And then Annie left the room and the 3 of them were alone with their thoughts. All 3 of them sat an equal amount of distance apart, but Krystal knew that she wouldn't be able to make it to them and back to her spot in time with all of that duct tape. She was literally trapped there on the floor with nothing to do but try and work her own way free.
Akuma watched as Krystal tried lifting herself up with the help of a nearby trough, but when she realized that wasn't going to work; she dropped back to the ground with a thud and began trying to cut through the tape with a sharp rock near her foot. Meanwhile, Akuma chewed on her gag, hoping to work it free, but it was tied around the back of her head and wouldn't budge.
She had to think like Tenshi. What would Tenshi do to get out of a situation like this? She shot herself down at that because she knew Tenshi was smart enough not to risk getting caught. Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, Akuma noticed Ruri's breathing grow rapid and shorter as her eyes glazed over. Her shoulders began to tremble and she was trying to cough, but the gag was preventing her from getting the proper air she needed. Akuma quickly understood that she was hyperventilating and she frowned at her reaction. Why was she acting like this? It wasn't like Ruri to be so scared.
Akuma tried to mumble her name through the gag but the more she tried to talk, the more it felt like it was choking her. Ruri continued to jerk back and forth, the tears flowing down her cheeks as she struggled for air and Akuma knew that this was no longer a game. Ruri wasn't trying to trick anyone. She was having an actual panic attack.
The door swung open and in walked Annie and her followers. They brushed right past the 3 of them, completely ignoring Ruri's fit, as they turned to helping the injured man, Marcus, who had blood spewing from his arm where Ruri had shot him.
Ruri continued to pant and Krystal was trying to console her, but the 14 year old couldn't be reached. Frantically, Krystal turned to Annie and slapped her feet against the hard pavement in hopes of getting her attention.
"Hey!" She screamed through the gag.
Annie let out a sigh of annoyance and stomped over to Krystal, pulling the gag harshly from her mouth.
"What?" She demanded irritably.
"She's hyperventilating!" Krystal yelled at she pointed at Ruri with duct-taped hands. "Somebody needs to take her gag off!"
Annie glanced over at Ruri who looked like she was on the verge of passing out. She was doubled over; fighting to get the gag out from in between her teeth, but it wasn't working. Annie crossed over to Ruri and pulled the fabric free from her mouth. Ruri immediately took in a large gulp of air and leaned to the side, her head against the cool tile of the wall. Her chest heaved up and down as she took in deep and desperate breaths. When Annie noticed Akuma's watchful gaze, she chuckled and walked towards her.
"I assume you want to talk too, right?" She asked and when Akuma didn't muffle something in response, she tilted her head to the side. "What? Gag got your tongue?"
Akuma remained silent, her eyes pouring into Annie's, but she wouldn't break eye contact. Slowly, she squatted down in front of her and pulled the gag free, allowing the fabric to rest loosely around her neck. She took in a much needed breath of her own and ran her tongue along her chapped lips, letting out a soft sigh as she did so.
"So, who's Tenshi?" Annie asked, glancing down at the bracelets on Akuma's wrist that weren't covered by the duct tape. There was one for each member of her family by blood, but Tenshi's apparently stood out to the Exceed in front of her. "Is that you husband? Brother? I guess it doesn't matter much though, does it? I'll kill him either way."
Akuma was fuming at the mention of Tenshi and watched as Annie smirked at her, rising up onto her feet and walking away from her. Akuma knew that she was aware of her eyes on her, but she didn't seem bothered by it in the slightest. She began to wonder if there was really anything that bothered the orange-furred Exceed. She seemed like the kind of person that was only concerned with her own survival. It didn't even appear as if she cared about her fellow Seekers. She was a fight or flight kind of woman.
Ruri's breathing brought Akuma's attention back and she turned to look at her.
"She's a nervous little bird, ain't she?" Alyssa asked. "Honey, you need to take some yoga breaths and calm your ass down."
"I can't…" Ruri stammered between breaths. "Please, I can't…"
As she finished up Marcus' arm, Annie turned towards Ruri in interest.
"What are you so afraid of?" She asked. "Are you actually afraid to die?" She scoffed when she didn't get an answer. "All this… And you're just scared of getting your ticket punched."
Ruri shook her head.
"It doesn't matter what happens to me." She whispered. "Just don't hurt the others, please… They have so much more to live for…"
"Scout crew is coming."Annie informed her group. "They're 30 minutes out, maybe less."
Marcus looked like he was getting worse. Even with the tourniquet, blood was still spewing and the man had grown deathly pale. He was going to die unless someone did something, but Akuma didn't plan on doing anything, though. If Marcus died, it would even the rest of them. 3 against 3… They could take 'em.
"He doesn't have 30 minutes." Krystal insisted after a moment. "His nerves are dying. If he doesn't get medical help, he's going to lose his arm—maybe his life. I'm not a doctor but my Dad lost his leg, and I know that much."
For a moment, Akuma found herself back in Arrine, working as a doctor for the people working at and past the walls they had. She had been lodged into a tiny workspace with her best friends Zoey and Marley as they worked furiously over Liam Eve, determined to save his life after his leg had been amputated by the others he was with. She couldn't remember why, but she never gave up hope on that man and she was thankful for it. Because of what that man taught her, she was able to save his life and others. Unfortunately, now that same man was lying somewhere in a field, dead and not even buried.
Suddenly, Marcus shifted from his place on the ground and Akuma was ripped from her thoughts. Shakily, with the use of one arm, the man pushed himself to his feet but he swayed slightly from blood loss.
"You know my problem?" He asked absentmindedly, already finding himself breathless. He walked to the center of the room and stopped in front of Ruri, his back to Krystal. Peering around his legs cautiously, Akuma shivered at the glare he was sending down at Ruri. "She did this to me. She did it and she's just sitting there right as rain, fully intact." He spat. Then, he turned towards Annie and pointed a finger at her. "We're just gonna kill all 3 of them—right now."
Krystal pressed her lips into a firm line to prevent herself from talking despite the fact that she desperately wanted to. She wanted to scream at that Exceed she wanted to kick his knees out from under him and more than anything, she wanted to kill him. She had planned to kill him merely hours ago. She should've just gone through with it.
He argued with Annie before he let out a screech, bringing up his arm and smacking Annie across the face in frustration. The Exceed cried out and lurched back in surprise from the blow. Marcus made another go for it, but Akuma found herself eyeing his legs and then she found herself reacting. Swinging her tied legs outwards, she snagged Marcus by the back of the knee and he went crashing to the ground. Due to the movement, Akuma suddenly found herself on her back and she was flailing her legs out wildly in an attempt to protect herself from any future attack,
And then she felt it. Marcus rose back to his feet and used his good arm to haul her forcefully to her feet. Unbalanced, she nearly fell again, but Marcus moved his hand to grab the back of her head and gripped her fur tightly between his fingers. Akuma cried out, tears instantly filling her eyes at the pain. He forced her head upwards so that she was looking at the ceiling.-
"No!" Ruri screamed. "Stop it!"
"Leave her alone!" Krystal cried. "Let her go, you son of a bitch!"
"No, I don't think I will." Marcus seethed, his warm breath hitting Akuma right in the face.
Bracing herself for the pain, she didn't hesitate in swinging her face forward, full force. Her forehead smacked again Marcus' nose and she heard a crunch as he hand fell from her fur. Immediately, Akuma's vision went blurry, her head began to ache, and she staggered on her feet. She watched Marcus back up blindly, only to be tripped by Ruri instead of her. He easily kicked the teen away and she was sprawled out on the ground. Krystal continued to scream, watching as the chaos consumed around her.
Marcus delivered a swift kick to Ruri's side and without thinking; she tried to take a step only to find herself racing towards the ground. She landed square on her stomach adn cried out, taking most of the pain in her shoulders due to the way they were tied. She cried out again, her body tensing in pain and turned onto her side. She looked up just in time to see Annie approaching Marcus and she knocked him out cold with the butt of her gun. The man went crashing to the ground in a heap.
Exhausted and burning with pain, Akuma leaned her head against the cold floor and closed her eyes. She could feel blood gathering i her mouth, but decided to swallow it. She was also convinced that her forehead was bruised due to the pulsing she felt. Suddenly, she felt arms on top of her and she flinched. Looking up, she could see that Krystal had forced herself to her knees and threw her body across hers with hopes of protecting her.
"Are you alright?" She demanded. When Akuma didn't answer immediately, Krystal shook her harshly with duct-taped hands. "Akuma!"
Akuma nodded to show that she was okay and ultimately ended up spitting out a mouthful of blood. Forcing herself up into a sitting position, her eyes met with Annie's.
"Damn." She murmured. "You really are some kind of stupid."
"She was trying to help you!" Krystal defended.
"I can take care of myself." Annie insisted, rubbing absentmindedly at her jaw. Then, she turned towards Julia. "Take the little fighter into the other room. See if she knows anything."
Akuma immediately tensed as Julia started towards her, but Krystal was quick to react, putting her body in front of Akuma's.
"No!" She declared. "Leave her alone!"
"Get out of my way, bitch." Julia snarled, pointing a gun towards her.
When Krystal wouldn't move on her own, Julia had to forcefully shove her aside and finally crouched down in front of Akuma, cutting away the duct tape around her legs. She was thankful to stretch them out, but almost a second after; Julia was hauling her to her feet. Krystal stared after her worriedly as she was guided to the other side of the room and shoved through a door. She couldn't even look back before it was being closed in her face.
Julia led Akuma down a dark and rusted hallway, stopping at the last door on the left. She could hear Hebi growls echoing around her, but couldn't see any nearby. She would have to be on lookout for them if she got the chance to escape. Now that her legs were free, she was capable of running, but she wasn't leaving that place without Krystal and Ruri with her.
Julia shoved Akuma into a small work room and grabbed 2 chairs.
"Try anything and I will kill you. I don't care how much you have to live for." She snapped. She placed the chairs and equal amount apart and motioned to one of them. "I assume you don't need help taking a seat, do you?"
Keeping her face placid of expression, Akuma stepped around Julia, tensing when she felt to cool metal of the gun brush against her arm. She lowered herself into one of the seats and a moment later, Julia sat down in front of her. She rested the gun against her thigh, the barrel pointed right at Akuma.
"You can talk now." Julia reminded her. "You don't have to be afraid."
"I don't want to hurt you." Akuma told her, licking her lips cautiously.
"So, she speaks." Julia chuckled cockily. "And you're not going to hurt me, Akuma. I'm the one with a gun."
"I don't need a gun."
Akuma noticed how Julia tensed slightly at her words and saw that her fingers tightened around the gun. Her finger wasn't wrapped around the trigger, strangely enough, but Akuma knew that she was capable of shooting her.
"The way you stay alive is you produce for us. Let's get this straight: You're not the good guys. You should know that." Julia sighed, changing the subject a bit.
"There are no good guys." Akuma replied matter-of-factly. "You should know that."
Averting her gaze from Julia's, her eyes landed on her forearm where a name had been tattooed into the skin.
"Robert…" She read aloud. "Who was he?"
"Not my boyfriend, that's for sure. Robert was my dad." She informed. "And that was what I was going to name the baby."
Akuma could feel her jaw dropping and her eyes widening at Julia's words. Her gaze locked on Julia's flat stomach which had once been home to a child. Her words hit close to home and Akuma swallowed stiffly.
"I'm sorry…" Akuma whispered, and she meant it.
"No." Julia denied. "You're not."
"And I'm not going to be sorry when you lose your kids either."
