3. Belle

Chapter three

Belle

M y cellmate didn't return, and the despair of her absence presses down on me hard like an anvil.

I will never get out of here, and it looks as if Francis won in the end.

The Beta has something big planned, and I am absolutely powerless to stop him.

But it's not as if anyone would listen to me in this place anyway.

I am just an Omega. A criminal.

They know what I am, and I am no better than a primitive beast.

That unseen draft continues, and I curl into a ball, ignoring the cool sweat down my spine.

My skin feels tacky and itchy, and I can never find a comfortable enough position.

I miss my bed at the pack house.

But most of all, I miss Rian, Leo, and Jeremy.

I miss eating breakfast with the pack, and I miss my little garden.

Sometimes, I think I miss Troy, too, but the only feeling I experience with him is regret.

I regret that we never got to spend more time together.

I regret that I never got the chance to convince him that I wasn't a danger to him or Rian after all.

Time passes by.

It could be hours, days even, and I feel myself slipping slowly into madness.

I am going to lose my mind in this cell.

If only they could return my cellmate. At least I would have someone to talk to, even if she does have a habit of screaming.

I can only imagine what horrors she must have gone through, and when I recall the fear I saw inside her big baby blue eyes, I shudder again.

That could have been me…

That could still be me.

I am not safe anymore.

Sometimes, I wish they would just execute me and be done with it, but they plan to keep me alive.

They need answers after all.

A door opens in the distance, and I stare at the steel wall before me.

My face reflects on the cool, mirror-like surface, and I have never looked so distorted.

Nothing but a monster gazes at me now, and that's all I will ever be to these people.

That's how Troy always saw me, and he was right.

I have killed. I am a killer…

Blood has dripped between my fingers.

Honestly, it felt good killing that Alpha in the woods back at the house.

It felt good to defend myself and those I love.

But the feeling doesn't last for long.

Soon, the guilt finds its way back to me, chewing me up into pieces.

My cell door finally opens, and now more soldiers arrive.

They wear the same armor and face shields, and each of them is heavily armed.

They are protecting themselves from me, and it makes my heart sink.

I'm nothing but a terror.

Hopefully, they will just kill me and put me out of my misery.

Two of them step closer, and they each carry batons.

Another has a Taser, and I swallow, feeling the sweat down my temple.

A male speaks, his voice distorted by the shield. "Let's not make this harder than it has to be, and just follow direction. You're coming with us."

I lick my dry lips, chest heaving. "Where do you plan to take me?"

The men don't answer.

Instead, they back me into a corner, and there are more men behind them with riot shields.

One armed guard handcuffs my arms behind my back, and another places a leather blindfold around my eyes.

It completely blacks out my vision, and now I won't even be able to see where they take me.

Will they take me to an electric chair?

My heart thuds so loud in my chest, I'm sure they can hear it.

I bet they don't even care how terrified I am.

They just see me as a thing that needs to be vanquished from existence, and it's not as if I asked to be this way.

Francis turned me into this. A creature to be despised.

I never even got to see the pack one last time.

But I did this for them.

I did this so they could live a life of peace.

I couldn't risk Francis telling the government Rian's secret.

They would punish him and the pack, and I would have never been able to forgive myself.

So, that's what I tell myself as they lead me into a spacious room, and the weight of its endless silence crushes me.

The soldiers fasten my arms to a metal post, and then they step away, leaving me be.

Now my breaths are the only thing I can hear.

They echo in the room, along with the painful pounding of my heart.

I'm convinced it's going to jump straight out of my chest.

I'm alone in the room, but I know that someone watches me.

I had the same feeling in my cell, too.

Someone had watched me all day and night, shivering and sweating in my pitiful corner.

If I thought the sweat was bad before, it's practically raining off my skin now.

My hair and clothes stick to me, and I'm still wearing the pretty red dress Rian gave me.

It's the only thing I have left of him.

Something crackles next, and I freeze, aligning my back with the metal post behind me.

Then a metallic voice asks, "Who are you?"

My body shudders when I realize…

This is an interrogation.

"Speak, Omega."

I wet my lips with my tongue yet again, and my mouth grows bone dry.

I can't speak.

" Who are you?"

My heart answers for them, punching hard through my chest, and I can feel their eyes on me.

But I'm too afraid to tell them my name.

I'm afraid they will be able to trace my name back to the pack, and I will not put them in any danger.

I recall the numbered tattoo on my cellmate's wrist.

She will have had a real name at some point, but at the Facility, that is what they would have called her

Twenty-two.

So, I give them my number.

"I'm… number Twenty-three…"

Silence follows.

The person doesn't speak again for some time as they assess my words.

Meanwhile, sweat coats my top lip like a mustache, and I hope they don't see the lie.

I really hope they can't spy my heart beating through my chest.

I have never felt so exposed in my life.

"Where did you come from?"

My lower lip trembles, and now my throat closes up.

I can't tell them.

I refuse to tell them about the pack.

At most, I can tell them about Francis, but I can't even tell them that much.

I despise the guy, but I sense an overwhelming need to protect him too, and I've heard of this before…

Stockholm Syndrome.

I hate the bastard, and yet, I can't tell these men about him.

Maybe Francis bugged me with a loyalty chip or something, and I wouldn't put it past him at this point.

So, I decide to tell a half-truth.

"I came from outside the city."

The intercom crackles again, and I wish I could see at least.

The blindfold sticks to my tacky face, and it's sweltering in this room.

"And who sent you?"

Again, I'm tongue-tied, and I wish I could just tell them all about Francis and what he made me do, but I can't.

I wish they would just kill me and get this over with.

I can't stand it.

"I-I don't know…"

They don't respond for a while, and my head swirls as the blood rushes to my skull.

They truly see me as nothing more than a thing to be played with, and they are going to keep questioning me until I spill all my secrets.

"We're done here. Take her away."

Thank God.

Hopefully, they will just kill me now.

The men arrive again, unclasping me from the metal pole. Then they push me out of the room and we wind through endless, unseen hallways once again.

In the background, I hear someone screaming, and my feet finally stop moving as I freeze up in dread.

"Keep moving, Omega!"

The man shoves me forward, and I almost go flying onto my face.

Without my arms to steady my balance, I'm as useless as a stumbling toddler.

But that screaming…

It comes to my attention that the guards have no scent, and are they wearing desensitizers?

Are they worried that I will react to their scents and attack?

I can't tell if they are Beta or Alpha.

I can't even distinguish their sizes because they wear so much armor.

Finally, we come to a creaking door, and now they shove me inside, removing my handcuffs and my blindfold.

When I turn around, they've already slammed the door, and now they slide all the locks in place.

It's a small room with an awful red light, and I feel those four walls closing in.

There's a small viewing window in the door, and I rush toward it, peering outside.

The men stand station on either side of the door, and when I bang, they completely ignore me.

But I will keep trying.

I can't stay in this small red room forever.

"Hey! Let me out!"

No response and I try desperately on the handle.

But it won't budge.

"I'm ready to talk!"

They still don't listen to me, and I screw my eyes shut, taking several deep breaths.

It's getting hot in this room…

The window is the only cool thing in reach, and I press my cheek against it, pleading with them now.

"P-please…" I croak, fogging up the glass as I gasp for air.

But my cries fall on deaf ears.

My head spins, and I grow light-headed, clawing at the window.

"I-I'm willing to talk some more…"

No reply.

Something snaps inside me, and now I bang on the glass with my fist, demanding their attention.

"Let me out!"

Finally, they slide a metal covering across the window. That garish red light remains, and the heat…

I've never felt heat like this before, and now I grasp helplessly at the window, watching as my hand leaves a print in the steam that gathers.

The room spins, and I fall to my knees.

The air grows thin, and I struggle for breath.

I don't recall much next.

One moment, I'm on my hands and knees, and the next, I'm gasping on the ground like a fish fresh out of the sea.

I am going to die in this room.

The heat overwhelms me, but I try one last thing before I go, sending a silent plea to the one person who I know can hear.

Rian.

"Please, save me," I whisper out loud, hoping he hears.

And then I'm plunged into darkness.