Chained (The Siren Series #2) (18 page)

“
I don’t
know, but I think we should get the hell out of here.” I
replied.
We all stood around Rhea waiting to get the hell out of here, when
the walls imploded before us. We were all thrown back, losing our
grip on each other.

I flickered my
eyes open only to hear a loud ringing throughout my ears. My hazy
stare looked around to see the front of the building was destroyed,
scattered around us. The familiar snarls and groans brought back
the fear I thought I locked up tight. Slowly, I picked myself up
but I fell back down as the room began to spin around me. Then as I
tried to deny it, I heard the familiar voice that ran chills up my
spine.

"I told you I would find you!" He yelled throughout the half
destroyed hall.
Marcus shot up from the floor and unleashed his sword from it
sheath and headed into the crowd of leaches, hacking and swinging
with perfect precision.
"Marcus!" I called after him but he was deep within the
leaches.

Sophia rushed
down beside me. "Come on we need to get to Rhea." she said.
Rhea was surrounded by leaches and she was too weak to fend them
off. I rushed to her and screamed at the leaches, sending them
spiralling off throughout the air. Sophia and I grabbed onto Rhea
and helped her to her feet as two leaches rushed us head on. Rhea
reached out weakly and sparks of ebbing light flickered from her
fingers. It struck the leaches straight through the chest but it
didn't kill them. I screamed at them finishing what Rhea could
not.
"She's too weak." Sophia said.
"We need to get out of here, now!" I yelled.
I looked behind and saw Marcus fending off many leaches. He had a
few scratches to his face and arms.
"We need to help him." I said.
We placed Rhea against the wall and I rushed back to Marcus,
ignoring Sophia's words behind me.
"We need to leave!" Marcus had more cuts to his face and to his
arms.
Three leaches prowled towards us with their claws outstretched.
Marcus took one swing and disembowelled the leach in front. I made
sure Marcus wasn't in my path and screamed. The creatures scattered
in different directions. I looked over and saw Barbus, he watched
with interest as we killed our way through the leaches. He took the
opportunity to join fight.

I was caught
off guard as a leach behind me sliced at my skin. Marcus heard my
screamed and quickly took down the leach behind me.
"Marcus, we need to leave now!" I said while clutching my fresh
wound.
He agreed and we rushed back towards Sophia who was with
Rhea.
"Barbus is here and we need to move, now!" I quickly told
them.
"She's too weak to move." Sophia said.
"We need her." added Marcus.
I turned my back on them and saw Barbus swiftly making his move
towards us. If I didn't do something then we would all pay the
price. I decided that I would not run away from him anymore, I
rushed off towards him screaming at any leaches that came
forward.

“
Ellie!”
shouted Marcus.

“
Hold him
back, Sophia.” I called over my shoulder.

I stood in
Barbus’s path ready for anything.
"I told you I would find you." He said with a disgusting smile on
his lips.

“
You
won’t have me!” I yelled out.

“
You are
mine!” he shouted throughout the broken hall.

My memories
brought me back to the rotten and disgusting dungeons that once
were my home. How every day I was abused by him and his foul
creatures while they laughed and stood by and drugged me. This is
where I say no to it all. I will not be anyone’s plaything. I will
not be put down by anyone.

Something
inside of me roared to life and I felt empowered by it.

“
No
more!” I screamed.

My Siren scream
hurtled towards Barbus, while causing destruction along its way,
ripping up the half-broken marble floor and the debris of the
building hurtling at him. It struck Barbus through the chest
throwing him into a group of leaches.

I rushed back
to the gang. “I’ve bought us a few minutes, at least.” I said.

They greeted me
with silence. “What’s wrong? We need to move!”

“
We have
an idea.” Marcus said.

“
But it’s
too dangerous!” Sophia snapped at him.

“
It’s the
only way we are going to get out of here!”

I looked over
my shoulder to see Barbus getting to his feet with the help of the
other leaches.

“
Fine,
but she’s not going to like it.” Sophia took Marcus’s blade,
quickly cleaned it with her dress and made a clean cut to her palm.
I watched while Sophia placed her bloodied hand onto Rhea’s bare
chest. The crimson life force slowly seeped into her skin. Rhea
awoke and looked at us with empty dark stares.

“
What did
you do?” I asked.

“
It’s
called blood magic.” she replied “but it’s very
dangerous.”

“
Rhea,
can you hear me?” I asked.

Rhea’s eyes
turned into pools of darkness, she wasn’t the Rhea I once knew. We
all took a step back, fearing what she would do.

“
Sophia,
what have you done?” I said.

“
What
have you done?! This isn’t who I am anymore!” Rhea
cried.

“
Siren!”
Barbus barked.

“
He’s
coming we need a plan quick.”

Rhea stood onto
her feet and made her way towards Barbus. The two of them met face
to face and Barbus took a step back, he knew what she had
become.

“
So
you’ve embraced the darkness again?” he said.

“
Only to
protect the ones I love.” she replied. Rhea’s voice wasn’t the way
I remembered it, it took on a darker tone.

Barbus rallied
his leaches around and they charged towards Rhea. She did not move,
she just stood there waiting. Closer the horde came nearer, but
Rhea wasn’t fazed.

“
Rhea!” I
screamed.

She finally
waved her hand and the leach horde exploded into black ash, leaving
Barbus to fend for himself.

“
Darkness
suits you.” he said.

She didn’t
reply. Rhea brought out her hands and pools of thick tar like
darkness swirled out. It moved effortlessly throughout the hall,
almost as if it was alive. Barbus ducked and dodged the approaching
blackness as it flew into the air and dived straight down for him.
Barbus shot off his own power, red lightning charged it’s was
towards her, but Rhea blocked it and laughed at his feeble
attempts. She wore a dark smile to fit the darkness that filled
inside of her. Rhea enjoyed toying with Barbus, like his life meant
nothing. The dark tendrils latched onto him and brought him up into
the air.

Rhea then fell
onto her hands and knees, struggling against her own inner
darkness.

“
Rhea!”
Sophia rushed by her side.

“
What’s
wrong with her?” I asked.

“
It’s
draining away her life.” Sophia replied.

The tendrils
disappeared from Barbus’s body and he fell to the ground. “No!”
Rhea yelled.

She pushed
Sophia away from her and was intent on destroying her target, no
matter what.

“
Marcus,
take Ellie and leave, now!” shouted Sophia.

“
What
about you?” I asked.

“
I have
to stay with her, I won’t leave her.”

“
No, I
don’t want to lose anyone else.” I said.

“
Go!” she
shouted.

“
Ellie,
we need to go.” added Marcus.

“
Sophia?”
I just stared at her, she was serious. She had said her feelings on
the matter, nothing I could say would change her mind.

I reluctantly
followed after Marcus, but Barbus blocked our path.

“
No!”
growled Rhea.

A dark tendril
snaked its way through Barbus’s body, picking him up on the spot
and throwing him away. Marcus and I carried on ahead but something
inside of me wanted to go back and help, but all of this was about
trying to keep me safe. Everything that we’ve done would have been
a waste. Against my judgment I didn’t look back.

Marcus and I
reached the dead garden and there were more leaches waiting
outside, ready to ambush us.

“
There’s
just no end.” I said.

They moved
closer once they saw fresh prey.

“
Get
behind me.” I said to Marcus.

“
I should
be saying that to you.” Marcus replied.

I quickly ran
in front of him and screamed at the oncoming leaches while Marcus
slashed at them from the side.

“
Let’s
go!” I yelled.

I ran through
the fallen leaches with Marcus on my heels. We now arrived at the
entrance to the grand building. The stone wall that covered around
Naaz’s residency was in ruins. We slowly walked along the bridge,
hoping that it would not break and send us into a watery grave.
Behind me loud bangs and explosions filled my ears. I looked back
and saw the building being destroyed from within. Blasts of red and
black escaped pierced from within the building. I watched as an
explosion so strong that it sent ripples along the ground and tore
the earth apart. I looked in horror as the building that I once
took refuge in was falling off the cliff and down into the
unknown.

“
No!” I
screamed at the scene I witnessed.

The bridge we
stood on started to break away and we hurried on over to the other
side. I skidded and feel to my knees in tear as I saw the building
with my friends in falling apart. I felt sick to my stomach and I
couldn’t make the tears stop. From within the woods were more
groans that I came to hate. There were leaches lurking in the
forest just waiting for easy meat. I picked myself up and stood my
ground.

“
I’m so
sick of this!” I screamed.

My breathing
was heavy and I felt like I was ready to explode with rage. I used
that rage to fuel my power. I screamed at the leaches and they were
uprooted like flowers in an updraft. They hit against the trees,
their bones snapping in the process.

“
Ellie?”
whispered Marcus.

I turned my
tear filled face towards him and for the first time in my life I
didn’t know what to do.

“
We need
to go.” He softly said.

“
Go, go
where!?” I yelled.

“
We just
have to keep moving.” he replied.

“
What’s
the point, everyone keeps on dying, and you’ll probably be
next.”

The hurtful
words just kept flowing and I couldn’t stop them. I needed to vent
my rage on someone, or something.

“
Ellie,
if I could I would comfort you.”

“
But you
can’t, can you. Nobody can touch me!” I yelled.

“
I know.”
he sadly said.

“
Is this
what my life has come down to, running for my life and getting
everyone around me killed?” I took a deep breath “If that what
life’s got in store for me then they can shove it!”

I wiped my face
with the back of my hand and looked up at Marcus. I couldn’t get
him killed as well, I didn’t want that. Then an awful thought
popped into my head, and I didn’t know if I should do it. I walked
closer towards him, almost near enough to feel the heat that
radiated from his sweat filled body.

“
I’m so
sorry.” I whispered.

Marcus gave me
a confused look, but before he could work it out I snatched out and
took his strong hand into mine. This was the first and last time I
would get to hold his hand. At first he put up a struggle but I was
too strong for him. I looked deep into his mind and saw how much he
thought of me and how much he wanted to protect me. But what I was
doing was to protect him.

“
Do not
follow me, forget my name and forget me.” I said with tears in my
eyes.

I let his hand
drop from mine, and he wore the vacant stare that many wore before
him. I took one last look at Marcus and turned my back on him, on
it all. I walked away while trying not to burst into tears.