Hey all you beautiful people, so I just need a little feedback:
1) Is the flashing back between the past and the present confusing or are people ok?
2) What characters/ couples would people like to get a glimpse of more?
Thank you to everyone so much for reading and especially those who took the time to revies, it means so so much. This chapter is pretty intense and I would like to stress that if anyone has any questions/ predictions/ opinions, I'd love to hear from you because I'm always looking to improve. Please review and enjoy x x x:)
Lauren blinked her eyes open . She moved to stretch but found her arms tied tightly her back and for a second confusion clouded her vision before the memory of the last 24 hours rushed back to her. The last thing she remembered was being in the back of a van and then carried somewhere up a steep stairs, but after that nothing. Her ankles too had been secured around the legs of a chair making her feel extremely vulnerable and her back and shoulders ached,
"Ah, sleeping beauty has awoken," a coarse voice spoke from beside her causing her to jump. Marcus.
She felt herself go completely still, "It's just the two of us cupcake. We need to chat."
He walked around to stand in front of her, before crouching down so that their eyes were at the same level. He grabbed her chin roughly, turning her face from side to side,
"How old are you kid? 18? 19?" he smirked, pinching her cheek.
Lauren's eyes narrowed into thin slits. The height and age joke had long ago grown old.
"I'm 25," she spat venomously, trying and failing to shake her head from his grip, "get your hands off me."
Marcus merely chuckled and leaned closer, "the bitch has got bite."
Lauren felt a defensive anger flare up and was about to retort when Marcus put a finger to his lips and said very slowly in a low voice,
"I would think carefully before lashing out Lauren. Whether we decide to kill you or keep you, is up to me."
"Why would you keep me? Who are you people?" Lauren asked through gritted teeth.
"Who are we? We're just people who are sick of playing by the rules," Marcus reasoned, "why should we have to comply with society's restrictions? In a way we're just ambitious. We go and get what we want. We want you, so we're keeping you... it's that simple."
Lauren gulped and said in a quiet menacing voice, "you're sick."
"Don't you want to survive? Don't you want your family and friends to lead happy lives, without your bloody body showing up at their doorstep?"
Lauren swallowed and forced herself to look Marcus in the eye. She had to show strength, "what about all those people you killed on the train? what did you gain from that?"
"Our funds were running sparse and we needed something fun to occupy our minds. You were a little bonus," he winked, "and you're willingness to stay until the end was... flattering."
"I did it to save someone I love," Lauren growled.
"You sound pretty certain that he survived."
Lauren stopped as it dawned on her that Joe could in fact be dead and there was no way of her ever knowing. Marcus grinned like a schoolboy who'd just taked another kids lunch money,
"Love is funny like that sometimes. It hurts yet it's the one thing we crave more than anything else."
He smiled triumphantly as Lauren struggled to find an adequate response. He stood up and Lauren felt her head droop. She was too weak to hold it up herself any longer.
6 MONTHS LATER
Lauren shrugged on her cardigan and wrapped it around her torso before leaning back against the rickety headboard. Her room was small and sparsely decorated, containing an old sagging bed, a small bedside locker and a wardrobe. It had a lingering smell of dust and mould and seemed immune to accommodating Lauren with a comfortable room temperature. However, despite its almost inhabitable status, it was a brief escape from a world of constantly watchful eyes.
It was late and she could feel her eyes drooping as she fought to stay awake. Cautiously, she pulled a crumpled leaflet from her jeans pocket. Her hands shook as she unfolded it and read the bold heading,
"APOCALYTOUR"
She smiled sadly as her eyes graced over her friends smiling faces. She remembered taking this picture. She was shocked by how different she looked. Her long hair was now cut short, just below her jaw line and her once toned muscles had deteriorated, giving her an almost childish physique. It was her eyes however that bore the biggest change. The glowing brown eyes that were once filled with happiness and hope were now dull and murky. She sighed, there was no point reminiscing about the past,
"Lauren?"
She sat up at the sound of the deep voice and instinctively crumpled the poster in her fist. It was Shane. She hadn't heard him come in. Everyone here moved with a fluidity and silence that she'd never experienced before. It was unnerving.
Shane sat down on the bed, frowning slightly, and took the faded poster from her hands. There was no point in trying to hide it.
"Where did you get this?" he asked, smoothing out the poster and examining it,
"It was taped to an electricity poll on Williams Street," Lauren admitted, bowing her head. Shane handed it back to her silently, his face blank. He pulled a black pen from his pocket and reached across her. She watched as he drew a big black X across her smiling face,
"You have to face reality Lauren. This life," he said, jabbing the poster with his finger,"doesn't exist to you anymore."
"What? A world where someone actually cares?" she said quietly.
"I care," Shane said and Lauren swore she saw an ounce of hurt of his face.
Lauren lowered her eyes. It was true, he protected her or calmed her down and for that she was grateful but he often looked at her with a sort of possessiveness. There was two sides to him. He could be very sweet talking and sympathetic one minute and then the next dark and dangerous. She often had bruises on her arms from when he'd grip her too tightly.
"How did you... join this life?" she asked carefully.
Shane looked taken aback at her question. His backstory wasn't something they usually visited. He hesitated briefly before answering with a small smile,
"How do I put it... I suppose you could say it runs in the family."
Lauren frowned, "In the family?"
Shane's look of surprise quickly faded into one of amusement, "Marcus is my father."
Lauren felt her heart quicken. It made sense. Shane had a certain authoritative demeanor and respect despite his young age. Similarities between the father and son also began to form in her mind. What if Shane's attatchment to Lauren was what stopped Marcus from disposing of her?
Shane noticed her face pale and grabbed her wrist, "don't be scared. I'm nothing like him."
Lauren felt her shoulders tense as his hand reached up to her face. Slowly, she brought her eyes up to meet his. He seemed to be searching her face as his callused thumb stroked her cheek. Lauren remained still, fighting the urge to pull away from his foreign touch,
"You're so beautiful," he mused, leaning in slightly.
Lauren tried to tear her eyes away but something in his gaze held her captivated. Not knowing, perhaps, of the consequences that such a refusal might lead to. Shane leaned in further until their lips met. She squeezed her eyes shut as his free hand wound around her waist, holding her tight and pulling her closer to his chest.
His lips felt unnatural, but Shane seemed hungry for more and deepened the kiss, prising her lips open. Lauren tried to numb her senses and allowed him to explore. She wanted to push him away but she found herself powerless to his superior strength. He was in command and he knew it.
Eventually, he pulled away, smiling, "you're a good kisser."
Lauren swore she saw a disturbing glint in his eye, that told her there was no going back. She watched as he stood up and made his way over to the bedroom door. With his hand on the handle, he turned,
"Goodnight Lolo."
As the door closed, Lauren felt a tear slide down her face. He'd never called her Lolo before, no one here had. The last person to call her that was Joe. Since college it had been his nick name for her. Each time he'd said it she'd gotten a warm rush of affection. This time, as the name rolled of Shane's tongue, she felt her skin crawl and her hairs stand on end.
She didn't feel like a person anymore, merely a tool or a toy to be tossed around and abused. She almost wished they'd killed her. Anything was better than this hell.
Until next time x