The Girl Who Broke Free (Death Fields 5)

“It’s been a while since we spoke,” she says once the room is clear. “I know you’re angry about being kept here but it was a necessity. For such a small, inconsequential girl you’ve been a thorn in the side of the new world order from the beginning. First with your sister and later with me.”

“What’s this about Chloe? Just another opportunity to let me know how worthless I am while being absolutely terrified of me at the same time? We’ve been doing this for a year.” I hold up my rebound hands. “You won. I’m at your mercy. Is your self-esteem so bad that you have to denigrate me to make yourself feel better?”

Chloe leans back in the chair, kicking her boot-covered feet up on the desk, attempting to show how unconcerned she is with me. I wiggle my toes in my flimsy shoes. I don’t feel very powerful at the moment but it’s hard for me to admit that.

“Do you know why I’ve had you training with Cole all these months?”

I have some theories but I shake my head. “Not really, other than, you know, you’re insane.”

She smiles at my quip. She loves it when I play. “There are a couple of reasons. First, I wanted to punish you both for your betrayal. You thought you could flee my army and the eventual control that I will have over all of the survivors in this country. Cole thought he could double cross me by transitioning into a Mutt. He thought he could fool me.” Her eyes narrow. “You were both wrong.”

I hold her gaze. “What’s another reason?”

> “Because one day your sister is going to develop the perfect genetic alteration and you’ll be the first to receive it. I want you strong and ready, mentally and physically so that when the time comes, you’ll be the next leader of my army.”

I fight back a hysterical laugh because she’s so freaking deranged. “And what about Cole? Will he lead it with me?”

She brushes aside the lone hair that has slipped from her braid. An excited, evil glint reflects in her eyes. “Oh, no. Cole lost his opportunity to be a leader in this army. I have little use for him other than as a training tool for you. I actually have a very different plan for him and it does require your involvement.”

“What sort of involvement.”

“I need someone to kill my brother. I’ve decided that person is going to be you.”

Chapter Five

“You’re crazy.” My instinct is to reach out and slap her but it’s impossible since my hands are tied together. “I’m not doing it.”

“No?”

“No.”

“So even after all we’ve been through these last couple of months you think you have free will? That your actions and decisions don’t have an effect on others? What do you think happens to Cole if he isn’t put out of his misery?”

She stands and says, “Bring her.” to the nearest guard, a stocky Hispanic man in his mid-forties. His eyes are Hybrid black and he reacts instantly to her command by yanking me out of my seat and pushing me toward the door.

In the hallway we pass the two other guards and Jane kneeling, eyes cast on the ground. I desperately try to make eye contact with her but she never looks up.

“Jane,” I say her name knowing this may be the last time we see one another.

Chloe abruptly stops and turns. I realize too late to do anything but watch the swinging slap she lashes against my sister’s cheek. Jane grunts and tips to the side from the force of the hit but manages to stay upright. Rage burns in my limbs.

She steps forward until our faces are mere inches apart. “You don’t get it do you? You step out of line and someone gets hurt. You fail your duties, someone gets hurt. You even whisper the wrong way and…” She lets the last part linger.

“Someone gets hurt,” I say quietly.

She turns without another word and we continue to follow her out the front door of the infirmary. We exit the building and despite the circumstances the warm fall air feels amazing on my face. I tilt my neck up and try to soak in every ray. We reach the security office and one guard sprints ahead to unlock the door with a thick ring of keys attached to his belt.

I feel more sadness than dread as we approach the building. My reprieve is over and I realize now, more than ever, how trapped I am. I fight back tears when we enter the building and I’m assaulted by the familiar stale scent of my prison. I expect Chloe to leave me with one of the guards at the desk, but she pushes past them and I am given a shove from behind to keep going. The surprise comes when we don’t turn down the hallway toward my cell. We head toward the training room and my stomach tightens. I’m not ready to fight. Not yet, and I’m certainly not prepared to kill Cole today. But again, Chloe does the unexpected and passes the room and enters a door I’ve never used at the end of the hall.

The hallway is dark but she has no problem, her eyesight enhanced. We reach another door and step inside to a flight of stairs going down. The steps are metal, echoing from the soles of her boots. I wobble, unable to use my hands or see until she finally clicks on a flashlight. At the bottom of the steps, faint lights tracked on the ceiling reveal a small room. A long window stretches across the wall. Whatever lies beyond it is masked in darkness.

Before I can ask one of my million questions Chloe says, “When Cole brought you to the infirmary that day he violated every protocol we have in place. He overpowered my Hybrids and took their weapons. He demanded you be seen by a physician. He exerted strength and compassion we long thought had been eliminated from his system.”

She grabs my arm and drags me toward the window. I hear the click of a lever and dim, yellow lights reveal the room beyond the wall. Cole huddles in the corner, bloody-faced and shirtless. The genetic alteration makes his muscles taught and firm despite his thinness. Red gashes stripe his skin—whip marks? His face exposes his fragility. His eyes are glassy and distant as he stares into space, lips moving as he mutters to himself.

“As a Hybrid he is a complete and utter failure. As a Mutt he’s a dangerous enemy, even though I have done my best to rid him of the toxic nature of compassion.”

I press my bound hands to the window and thank him silently for saving my life. He looks up, directly at the window and stares. His altered, freaky senses alert him to my presence. His eyes are sunken, his cheeks thin and gaunt. His hair is a matted, greasy mess.