Xena''s POV


    I tried pushing the chair across the floor, but the back legs caught in a drain. If I tried again, I''d probably fall over. I attempted to reach anyone through the mind link, but no response came. I called or Una, but she was gone too.


    Whatever drug they''d given me definitely contained wolfsbane. My heart seized with agony, like thousands of tiny knives stabbing inside me. Damn, whoever invented or discovered that poison deserved a special ce in hell. My limbs no longer felt like my own; every tiny movement was like trying to move a mountain. Eventually, exhaustion won, and I cked out again.


    The sound of the metal door jerked me from sleep. The hardest thing I''ve ever done was lifting my head at that moment. The pure burning pain that came from lifting my head from apletely reclined position was excruciating. My neck muscles screamed in protest, the agony traveling down my spine like someone had lit my nerves on fire. I wanted to scream, but my throat was too dry to even force out a groan.


    I managed to crack my eyes open as a little girl walked in, followed by a warrior- looking guy with a gun.


    "I-I brought you food, and I''ll let you use the bathroom. If you run, he''ll shoot you and me," she said, trembling as she approached.


    She looked about twelve, but her body-at least what I could see of it was covered


    in bruises. She wore what looked like a bup sack for clothing.


    There was fear in her eyes, but also numbness, that hollow look only people who''ve seen too much suffering have.


    When she unlocked the chains holding me, I didn''t respond. As soon as my arms and ankles were free, I crashed to the floor.


    "Oh, shit..." I groaned.


    "The bathroom''s this way," she said, walking ahead.


    My first attempt to stand, I fell to my knees. My arms couldn''t support me, and I facented into the dirt floor.


    The smell of soil filled my nostrils, and I could taste the dusty earth mixed with blood in my mouth. Humiliation and helplessness spread through me like poison. I''d been weakened to the point where I couldn''t even stand.


    The second time, I managed to get my feet under me, but it wasn''t until the girl came back to help me up that I could hobble to the bathroom.


    The bathroom had no door, but at this point, I didn''t care.


    The toilet looked like it hadn''t been cleaned in years, with cobwebs spanning across it and rat droppings on the seat.


    Hovering as best I could, I finally relieved myself. The relief felt so good, but my legs protested the whole time.


    "Hurry up!" the guard shouted when I was mid-stream.


    My dder contracted in fear, almost stopping, but biological necessity wouldn''t


    be interrupted. Anger and fear twisted inside me, but I was powerless against this humiliation.


    I couldn''t stop midway, so I continued. However, when I was pulling up my shorts, he walked in.


    "I''m done," I snapped at him.


    "Stupid bitch!" He pped me hard, my head hitting the wall.


    Falling to the ground, it was difficult not to pass out. But when I looked up and saw his fist flying toward my face, there was no resisting unconsciousness now.


    "What the fuck happened to her?" I heard someone say as my senses began to return.


    There were several mumbles, but I could only focus on the pain in my head. The voices sounded so distant.


    The world seemed to exist behind thick ss, sounds muffled, light each piece reflecting a different pain.


    inging my eyes. My thoughts were like a shattered mirror,


    Someone put their hand on my shoulder, shaking me.


    "Wake up." Alpha Wiley''s voice brought me back.


    I could only open one eye, but what I saw surprised me. I was back in the chair. How they''d managed that, I didn''t know, but the girl had a fresh bruise on her jaw and was trembling in front of me. The guard who''d hit me stood nearby with blood running from his


    nose.


    "Who touched you?" Alpha Wiley asked me.


    "That fucking bastard," I said, looking at the guard.


    I''m not sure what I expected, but I watched as Tatum immediately raised his gun


    to the man''s temple and fired. After the deafening shot, the guard''s head exploded, blood and tissue sttering against the wall and floor. His body dropped like a puppet with cut strings, instantly lifeless before me.


    The little girl tried not to scream but let out a choked whimper through tightly


    closed lips. Her face drained of all color. Tatum''s face twisted into a sick smile, his eyes cold yet satisfied, as if he''d justpleted some trivial chore.


    The sudden image made me feel sick rising in my throat.


    "What the fucking is that?" I screamed, my voice hoarse and shaking.


    "What do we do now?" Tatum asked, ignoring mepletely.


    "Same as nned," Alpha Wiley answered, setting something up.


    "With her face like that?"


    "It doesn''t matter," Alpha Wiley waved dismissively.


    Whatever they had nned, my bruised face clearly wasn''t part of it. Chapter Comments