The Soldier and the Princess

“Fine.” Grumbling, Spaz tossed the plate down on the floor, the plastic fork tumbling off and what looked like beans sloshing over the rim. “Whatever.”

With that, he stomped out of the room, leaving me and Davis alone.

He continued to stare down at me, making me feel small and vulnerable. He was just so...cold. Like, nothing affected him. He showed no feelings at all; not anger, not disdain, not even curiosity. He just stared, his face blank and still, as he watched me like I was a science experiment.

“There something wrong with the food?” he finally asked.

Swallowing, I shook my head slowly, finally dropping my eyes and looking again at the plate. In addition to the brown beans, there was a single slice of white bread and what looked like a standard hot dog cut into small circles.

I mean, I guessed it was full of protein.

Crawling forward, I dragged the paper plate back toward me, picking up the bread and nibbling on the dry, crusty corner. I could feel his eyes on me and I just wanted him to leave the room; his presence was making my skin crawl. He may have been the best looking of the group, but there was something seriously off about him.

As though he wasn’t even human.

I chewed the small bite of bread over and over, finding my mouth too dry to choke it down. Every time I tried, I started to gag. By the third time I tired, Davis released an annoyed sigh and left the room, the door open and the light still streaming in. He wasn’t gone more than a few seconds before he returned, a bottle of water in his hands.

He walked right into the small room this time, his presence even more menacing up close, and dropped down into a squat in front of me. Once again, he looked at me in that way, like I was something to be examined, something he didn’t understand, and it was seriously creeping me out.

He held out the water bottle, his eyes narrowing when I didn’t immediately reach for it. But like the psycho he was, he just waited, not moving an inch until I took it from him and cracked it open. As soon as I had it to my mouth, I started chugging, not having realized just how thirsty I really was.

I was halfway through the bottle when he moved again, this time, reaching out and taking a lock of my hair between his fingers. Starting at my scalp, he tugged gently as the hair slid between his digits, and I froze, not entirely sure what he was even doing.

When he reached the bottom, the hair fell back against my shoulders, and he lifted his hand as though to do it again. This time, however, I jerked my head back out of his reach. He glared at me, his eyes tight, then in a flash he moved, his hand wrapping around my throat tightly. I wheezed, flailing around as I clawed at this wrist and arm, dropping the water bottle in my panic. I could feel the contents seeping into the denim of my jeans, but I didn’t stop attempting to pry his fingers off my neck.

“You know,” he said, his scratchy voice low. “You really should mind your manners, Mrs. Pennington.” Still unable to draw air, I fought harder, my nails digging into his flesh. I could feel the skin breaking as I created bloody furrows on his arm, but he didn’t even flinch. “I literally hold your life in the palm of my hand. And trust me, I am the last person you want to piss off.”

For one moment, he squeezed even harder, and black spots started to appear at the edges of my vision. Then suddenly, he released me, standing again and staring down at me as I hacked and gasped on the floor, the water I had just drank threatening to come right back up again.

I didn’t look at him again, and after a few seconds, he turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Once I had my breathing somewhat under control again, I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes.

He could have killed me. Right here on the floor of this shitty little Ranger Station, if he had just waited a few moments longer, just squeezed a bit harder, my life would have been over.

It was a scary thought.

But the only thing that I could seem to focus on was what Davis had called me.

Something that sent chills right to my bones.

Mrs. Pennington.