Lara was running.
Her lungs felt as though they were on fire and she turned a corner.
Her feet slipped on the metal floor and she hit the ground hard. A loud ringing bounced between her ears and she pushed herself up onto wobbly arms, shaking her head as she kicked to her feet. She leaned against the wall for a moment, rubbing her forehead. She shook her head again and tried to run, but her steps were uneven, her bare feet bleeding from several run-ins with the opposing end of a rifle and the horrid flooring beneath her. But the pain was nothing compared to the urge to be rid of this place. She wanted to leave, needed to leave.
She had to get home.
As Lara stumbled around the corner, she let out a relieved sigh when she saw doors. The double doors she had been drug through weeks ago, the double doors that had been guarded for weeks. She paused, taking in a few deep breaths before she started jogging towards those doors, already tasting freedom, that fresh air.
But as soon as her fingertips ghosted against the handles, the doors burst open.
Lara fell backwards, sliding across the floor as pain thumped in the back of her skull. She groaned and rolled from right to left a little, squinting her eyes at the door.
Mathias stood like an opposing statue, scepter in his hand, the sharp edges of the blade tied to it glaring at her menacingly. Teagen stood by her side, wrapped in her kimono; Lara couldn't help but realize how small Teagen was compared to the bloodthirsty leader of the Solarii. Teagen shook her head solemnly, almost in disappointment, watching as several men poured into the hall, three reaching for Lara. Two held her arms while one kept a hold on her hair, causing Lara to cringe.
"If you would have just listened," she heard Teagen whisper.
"I told you she would be a bad prize," Mathias growled, looking down at the young girl; she was still staring at Lara. "You choose the punishment, or I will."
Teagen looked up at him desperately, holding her hands together against her chest. Her eyes found no relief in his and she sighed, looking over at Lara. The men were huddled around her, some ogling her up-thrust chest, the others glaring daggers, like they wanted to pierce her still-pretty skin.
"I…" Teagen hesitated. "I'll do it."
Mathias raised an eyebrow and it drew the others attention, causing Lara to wonder what was going on. Teagen looked sick, Mathias was staring at her with a chillingly calm expression. Lara looked to Teagen again and saw how she was trembling, wandering just what the punishment would me.
Mathias raised his head and grinned a twisted grin at Lara, taking a few steps forward, Teagen suddenly gone. "Seems she chose mercy," he took a firm hold of her chin, hurting her gums. "You must be a special toy."
This chapter and the next will be the last connected so quickly – you'll understand later – at least for awhile. R&R please. A lot of people are reading, but no one says anything.