IV - Twenty-One

I can hear my heart beating, I can hear the blood rushing inside me, everything around me went quiet and I started spinning in my world, I need to get myself together and end this damn day.

“DEVIKA ON YOUR RIGHT” a voice roared and I didn’t think twice before I shot whoever is on my right. I stood up and shot two soldiers, I was about to shoot the third but that’s when I realized that I have no Ammo left. I quickly hid behind a wooden box, I need to think fast because this box won’t protect me much, I looked at my surroundings and I found a dagger on the floor. I quickly crawled and grabbed it. I stood up and I started attacking soldiers and stabbing them from behind.

“BEHIND YOU” Aurora screamed from some distance, I turned around and my dagger went flying as I fell on the ground from the punch I just received. I groaned out loud in pain.

“give up kid,” the soldier said, I looked at him straight in the eyes, then I quickly yanked him by his foot and he fell on his back, then I jumped on top of him and I started punching him as hard as I could, then I grabbed the dagger from my side and I pushed it inside his guts, I looked at him straight in this eyes as I watched his soul leave his body.

I wiped the blood from my face and I stood up and turned around, a soldier was running in my direction but then a bullet dropped on the ground and his body collided on the cold floor, I looked behind him and there stood Volkan with a pistol in his hand, he was breathing heavily.

“Where is Aurora?” I screamed and Volkan opened his eyes wide, then we both started running in two different directions searching for Aurora. I grabbed a pistol from the ground as I made my way to a door, I opened it and there stood a soldier, I was about to shoot him but when he turned around he had Aurora in his arms. And a dagger aimed at her face.

“Let her go” I hissed and the soldier took a few steps backward, causing me to take a few steps forward.

“One more step and I will paint this dagger with her blood,” the soldiers said, Aurora was taking this calmly, but I knew that deep down she didn’t have a clue about how is she going to save herself.

“Touch her and I will make sure to paint this entire base with your blood” I screamed at him and he scoffed.

“Those are such pretty eyes, how about we take one?” the soldier said, I didn’t have any idea about what he meant until he stabbed her right eye with his dagger, Aurora screamed on top of her lungs as she fell on the ground, I ran as fast as I could and I tackled the soldier down on the ground. I tried to punch him but he was quick to dodge my punches and flip us over, now it was my turn to dodge his punches, I tried my best to miss his punches but I managed to fail many times.

“YOU ARE GOING TO REGRET THIS” a voice roared from behind, and the soldier has ripped off me, I took a deep breath before I stood up, I rushed to Aurora and I held her with my arms, I looked at Volkan, he screamed as he stabbed both of the soldier's eyes, I quickly looked away and I focused on Aurora.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s just a small scratch” I nervously told Aurora as I ripped the bottom of her shirt and pressed it on her eye.

“Keep pressing on it to prevent losing much blood,” I told Aurora and she nodded at me, then a hand was placed on my shoulder and I was pushed away.

“Aurora I am so sorry,” Volkan said as he hugged his older sister as tight as possible, I wanted to scream at him for pushing me like that but I decided to drop it, they both have much more to worry about.

“Let’s go, guys, the door is right here,” I said. I picked up a pistol from the ground, Volkan helped Aurora stand up and they followed close behind me, I opened the door and I covered my eyes from the bright sunlight. I looked around me and I found three trucks in front of me.

“Just a couple of minutes and you both will be free,” I told them as we walked to one of the trucks, I grabbed Aurora and I walked her to the passenger’s seat, I opened the door for her, and I helped her inside, then I closed the door behind her and I walked back to Volkan. Who was trying to start the car up by using some wires, I carefully kept watching him until the engine roared to life. Then he turned around to face me and I gave him a weak smile.

“There is nothing I could say that will express how much I am grateful,” he said and I shrugged my shoulders.

“I have nothing to lose, so why not,” I said as I looked at him straight in the eyes, he smirked at me then he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tight, at first I stood still, but then I hugged him back.

“VOLKAN” Aurora screamed from the car, and Volkan quickly pushed us both on the ground, and bullets went flying above us.

“GO QUICK” I screamed at Volkan as he stood up, I pushed him inside the car and I turned around and I started shooting. I felt my heart stop when a bullet went flying right next to my ear. And my ear started beeping. I closed it with my right hand and I kept shooting at the soldiers who are approaching us with my left hand.

“VOLKAN YOU DON’T HAVE ALL DAY HERE” I screamed as I turned around to face him, he looked at me straight in the eyes and said,

“I will never forget those pretty blue eyes until we meet again Devika”

That was the last thing he said before he drove off, the soldiers tried to shoot the truck but they failed to shoot any important part, I weakly smiled as I dropped my weapon on the ground and I fell on the ground.

I did it, I helped them escape, I risked my life just to help them out, and yet I am so proud of myself, so proud to a point where I started giggling, soon followed by laughing out loud.

“I DID IT YOU SONS OF BITCHES, THEY ARE NOW FREE” I laughed on top of my lungs as I was yanked by my hair, I didn’t scream or do anything, I just kept laughing on top of my lungs.

“You are going to regret this” a harsh voice whispered in my ear, a voice that belonged to my father.

“I did it father, I did it,” I said as I stopped laughing, he yanked me harder by my hair.

“Boys, she is all yours, I no longer see you as a daughter of mine Devika, from now on, you will stay away from everyone. And you will stay with the soldiers, they will torture you, won’t let you eat, hit you, whatever it takes to make you a heartless kid, then I will reclaim you as my daughter when you turn twenty-one I will see the beast that I created” Father said in my ear, I started laughing but my laugh didn’t stop the tears from leaving my eyes.

“I refuse to see you until you turn twenty-one, you will see your mother once a year, other than that you will not interact with any human being other than five of my strongest soldiers, who will rip your heart from your chest and replace it with a cold metal” he screamed at me, and I just smirked.

“At least I won’t see that ugly face of yours for many years,” I said and he pushed me down on the ground. My forehead collided with a sharp rock, I yelped in pain as I felt the warmth of the red liquid that is falling from my forehead.

“Scream in pain now, but you won’t be able to even scream from the pain that will be caused to you,” father said, then two soldiers grabbed me and pulled me inside the base, I tried to fight them but I failed. My eyes were locked with my father’s eyes, he was smirking as if he was waiting for this moment his entire life.

“I WILL KILL YOU” I screamed at him and he just happily watched me get pulled inside the base with two soldiers grabbing me, other than the four soldiers who are following us.

“I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU, I WILL WATCH YOU SHOWER IN YOUR POOL OF BLOOD WHEN I FINISH TORTURING YOU” I screamed on top of my lungs with tears rolling down my burning cheeks.

----

And this is how my world started shattering in pieces through the years, they drained my colors, they drained the last drop of tears I had, the last drop of blood. That little seventeen years old kid was still hiding inside, scared to leave her cage, because now a twenty-one years old cold soul was in charge, these years had taught me nothing but pain, a pain that I can no longer express. I can no longer cry, no longer smile, laugh, or do anything, I just have a cold expression on my face. I got used to spending many days without anything to eat, I got used to hugging myself as I slept on the ice-cold ground, stitching my cuts, and wiping my blood. This is my life since that day I helped that guy and his sister escape, and I will happily do it again. I never saw anyone ever again after that day, I didn’t see my father, nor Amaris and Stephen, not even my mother. Just a few soldiers who tortured me for their pleasure. And the day is near, the day when it’s my turn to torture them for fun. They will regret every second I had to sleep in my pool of blood, they will regret every scar they curved on my body using their weapons as a brush to draw the scars. And they will regret the big scars that left me searching for my missing pieces.

I took a deep breath as the cold winter breeze attacked my face, this is it, this is the day, the day of the signs, and this is the day where everyone including mother and father will see the beast that my father created. I carefully walked to the center of the town, ready to reveal my sign in front of everyone.