The rage that filled the young, seventeen-year-old, curly-haired brunette burned with such intensity that she knew if Bible ever tried to lay a hand on her, she'd bite his fingers clean off and spit them back at his face. Her hazel eyes, sharp as an eagle, watched the sentries that were posted outside the cages, with her attention on one particular nasty man with an eye patch over his left eye. Curly-Hair had heard the men call him Patch—as lazy as that is—as he was clearly the commanding officer and was a real dickhead. Patch, she mused, would pay for the bruise on her tanned, puffy cheek he'd given her earlier.

With her back against the metal bars and seated on one of the cold metal benches, Curly-Hair rocked the little girl nestled in her arms, trying to sooth her cries of pain. When Patch came to collect the little twelve-year-old brunette for Bible's vile needs, Curly-Hair attempted to block him and demand he take her instead. She'd been gifted the butt of Patch's rifle across her face for her actions, and Curly-Hair screamed in terror as she fell and watched the little girl be dragged off.

Despite the fuzzy vision that came from the crack against her cheek, she had to try to calm down the other two dozen children that were gathered in the two cage cells in the basement of the compound. When Curly-Hair had been brought here, she'd seen the fear in the eyes of the kids. Her instincts to protect took control quickly—establishing herself as the 'den-mother'—and she went to work to keep them as calm and safe as possible.

The first time Bible came down to check on the children himself, he immediately saw what she was doing and commended her. Curly-Hair had responded by spitting in his face, but he'd merely laughed. He told her that as long as he kept the children under control and behaved, he would see that they received regular food and water and would be treated well. She had almost fallen for his fake kindness until he'd had the guard take out the little girl, and now all she could think of was how she would kill the bastard if she had a chance.

Now, all Curly-Hair could do was rock the little girl and try to distract her from the pain of Bible's assault. Her heart ached so badly that it took all of her control not to cry and scare all the others, who sat huddled in masses in the two cells. She would not let them see her weakness. Her brother had taught her street and survival skills, and one of those lessons was to never show your enemy weakness.

As she rocked the child, a sudden explosion rocked the compound, and her head whipped up to the ceiling as dust and debris rained down around the cages. The kids screamed and cried as the dust came down on them.

Curly-Hair looked up at the ceiling. "What the fuck?"

"Maybe it's the demon?" The little girl whispered.

"What?"

The girl turned in her arms and looked up with swollen red eyes. "The mean man told me if I didn't behave and do as he told me, he'd have his demon kill me. He said he was having her brought to him soon, and he was going to use her to rule the world."

"How was he going to get a demon here?" She didn't believe in demons and figured the little girl misheard, but she played along.

"He said he was using a man as bait for his sister to bring the demon."

Curly-Hair thought for a moment: A trade? She looked up at the ceiling, and maybe they brought help! Carefully, she helped the girl sit up on the bench, and when she winced, Curly-Hair winced with her, "Sorry!" After she had the little girl settled down, Curly-Hair stood up and spoke loudly, "Listen, everyone! I want you all to stand and be ready just in case."

"What's going on?" One twelve-year-old boy asked.

"I can't be sure, and I don't want any of you to get your hopes up, but we may have someone outside coming to rescue us!"

The kids collectively stood, with hope on their faces. "The army?" One girl asked.

Curly-Hair turned and looked down the hall as a group of soldiers came running their way, with Patch shouting orders to surround the cells and be ready. That told her what she needed to know. "Not the army." She said that and couldn't help but feel hope rise in her as she looked at the kids and grinned. "Angels!"