Sanctum (The After Light Saga) (3 page)

“Wh
at if the General asks?” one of the guards questioned.

“
If he does, tell him I’ll explain everything when I get there,” he replied.

“I didn’t do anything,
” Titus barked.

I kept my forehead pressed into Pike’s chest. I didn’t want to show him any emotion.

“Shut the hell up. You should be shot. You broke multiple rules, and crossed a moral line. I’ll see to it personally that you are locked up for a very long time.”

“Screw you,”
Titus spit. “We’ll see who has more clout with the General. Me, or the one trying to nail his daughter.”

“Get this wo
rthless, low-life, piece of shit out of here,” Pike growled.

The two young men nodded and forced
Titus out of the room. They were much larger and stronger than he was, and I could hear them slapping and taunting him.

“
How did you know we were here?” I questioned, my voice still weak.

“
I was the one in charge of collecting you. When you weren’t in your room, I had a sinking suspicion Titus might have gotten to you first. Thank God he can’t keep his pompous mouth shut. Apparently, he started bragging, telling a few others what he was planning. Just so happened, a friend of mine overheard his plan. He is the one who saved you. If he hadn’t come forward, there is no way I would have found you in time.”

My pulse star
ted to race and my emotions went haywire again, knowing my life had been teetering on a string. If Titus hadn’t talked, or if Pike’s friend didn’t hear, or share what he heard, my life would have been over. Titus would have killed me. I knew it. I could see it in his eyes. I would’ve been his conquest and his only witness.

The thought sent an unnerving shiver through my body.

“
Could you please tell him thank you for me? I owe you both. I’m pretty sure it was all going to be over soon,” I said, my eyes burned again with tears.

“You don’t owe us
anything, Abi. We were only doing our jobs. I’m glad you’re safe,” he said.

“
Well, thank you anyway.” I tried to smile, but even attempting that was quite a task. I was completely sapped, and too weak to move.

I wished, for a moment he was Finn,
but I appreciated his kindness and heroism. I knew Finn would also be grateful.

Pike
quickly carried me back down the halls toward the infirmary.

“H
ave you heard from Tina? Is she alright?” My voice came out in almost a whisper.

“Yeah
, she’s fine,” he answered. “She’s still in her cell, but I think she’ll be out soon.”

“How can she be fine in a cell?”
I gasped.

He rolled his eyes.
“Her father is the General. Do you think he’d let her rot in a dark cell? Tina has a room fit for, well…a general’s daughter. She has a soft bed, is well stocked with books, and served food and drinks whenever she wants. She’s got it made. Her punishment is more like a mini-vacation from the main population. She’s actually enjoying it.”

I smiled, thinking about her lying down, reading a book, and not having to worry about anything.
“I’m glad she’s okay. So, what do you think the General has in mind for me?”

“Probably to rot in a dark cell
all alone,” he laughed.

I sighed.
“Yep. Figures.”

“
Well, he won’t be taking you today. You’ll be back in the infirmary for a while.”

“Is my face
really busted up?”

“
It’s seen better days. But the bloody tears are pretty wicked,” he joked.

“
I can handle a messed up face. I’m just glad you came when you did because it could have been a lot worse.”

“I’m glad too
. Tina would have never forgiven me if I didn’t find you,” he said, swiping his card to enter the infirmary.

When the doors
slid open, Dr. Banks came running toward us.

“Jesus! W
hat happened?” he asked. As soon as his eyes locked on my face, a deep look of concern filled them.

“I’m fine,
” I said, my voice still shaking, giving away my true feelings.

“She was
assaulted,” Pike said.

“By w
hom?” Dr. Banks’ face pinched tightly. “Abi, who did this to you?”

I sh
ook my head, tears rolling down my face. I just couldn’t speak his name.

“
It was Titus Fordthorn,” Pike answered. “He was in the process of violating her, but we caught him just in time.”

Dr. Banks exhaled
. “Wait ‘til your father hears about this. The General better put that guy in protective custody.”

“
He should be more worried about Finn finding out. But, please don’t tell him right now. I don’t want him to worry about me. Not while he’s still recovering,” I pleaded.

“He’s going to find out
one way or another. Word travels quickly in this place,” Pike said. “I wouldn’t doubt if half the population hasn’t already heard by now.”

“How?”
I asked.

“I don’t know exactly
, but when there is any kind of trouble or excitement…they find out the details. It’s pretty scary.”

I
sighed. “I’ll tell him when the time is right. I know if he found out, he’d try to leave his room, and would probably be thrown right into a cell, or worse.”

“Fine. We’
ll let you tell him,” Pike agreed with a grin. “I’ll go make sure that bastard gets what he deserves.”

“Thank you, Pike,” Dr. Banks
said, shaking his hand. “I’ll take care of her.” He wrapped his arm around my waist when Pike gently set me down.

“Y
es, thank you,” I whispered. “You saved my life today. In more ways than one.”

“It was nothing. I’m glad you’re okay,
” he smiled.

We parted wa
ys and Dr. Banks slowly escorted me back to my room.

“When will I be able to see Finn again?”

“
I’ll try and see if I can work something out soon. I have a feeling the General will be back here with questions, so I need to get you back into bed.”

I didn’t question him because I knew
he was right. My insides began to twist in knots thinking about the General visiting again. When would this madness end?

Dr. Banks gently
cleaned the wounds on my wrists and bandaged them. Then, he moved to my cheek. After a couple of stitches, he rubbed some kind of medicine over it which had a dreadful smell, but was supposed to help minimize the bruising.

“Abi, did he
violate you?” Dr. Banks asked. I knew he wanted to be certain because he would have to explain to my dad.

“No. Pike came in just in time
,” I said, still shaken up. It felt like a horrible nightmare. I still couldn’t believe it was over.

“
Let me go get something to help settle your nerves. I’ll be right back,” he smiled.

As
soon as he left, I heard voices call to Dr. Banks. Concerned voices.

I
braced myself for a million questions. How was I going to explain it all to my parents? I knew they would be horrified with the details, and my mother would freak when she saw my face and my wrists. I could already envision her horrified look.

Right on cue, a
s soon as my mom rounded the corner, her eyes widened, and a terrified look swept across her face.

“
Oh my God, Abigail! Are you alright?” She used my whole name, which meant she was serious. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears, and her fingers gently reached out, barely brushing the side of my face. “What—what happened to you?”

“I’m fine, mom. Nothing
really happened,” I tried to appear like I was alright.

“How can you tell me that
nothing happened? There are stitches, and your face is bruised and swollen. Oh! And you have bandages around your wrists. Who did this to you?” she pressed. Her voice was shaky and filled with dread.

“I know
it looks bad, but believe me, it could have been much, much worse.” I tried to reassure her, but at this point, I could see the reassurance wasn’t working.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so
, so sorry. My baby,” she cried.

“Mom, I’m fine. Really.”

My dad entered and stood next to my mom. His brow furrowed, his eyes narrowed, and his lips turned down. I knew he’d just received a full run-down of what happened from Dr. Banks. His fingers gently pushed away strands of hair from where I’d been hit. I could see the many questions swirling within his eyes.

“Dad,” my voice trembled, and hot
tears instantly welled and fell from my eyes. Looking at him, I couldn’t keep it in, but I didn’t know what to say or how to explain it. This was the worst experience I’d ever encountered in all my seventeen years. The bunker, the Arvies...they were nothing compared to what I had felt inside at that very moment. I’d never been more afraid, hopeless, or brittle. It made me realize I wasn’t as strong as I’d previously thought. I was alive, but changed, not knowing if it would be for better or worse.

At the p
resent, bad was overpowering good. Although my parents were standing next to me, I still felt completely alone. Darkness encompassed me, like a dark cloud, covering the bright sun. The sun was still there, but until the dark clouds moved away…the world would remain overcast and dreary.

“It’
s alright sweetheart,” my dad whispered. “I’ll make sure this never happens again.” His eyes were glassy with unshed tears, but I could see rage simmering behind the sadness. He leaned down, kissed my forehead, and left the room. I had a feeling he was going to find the General.

But h
ow could he make sure? Out here the world was filled with uncertainties. There were no guarantees. We weren’t living. Not yet anyway. Right now, we were merely surviving.

“I’m so sorry,
Abi. If I knew…if I had another chance, I wouldn’t have brought you here,” my mom whispered.

“W
e didn’t have much of a choice, Mom. We couldn’t have stayed in our hive forever, nor would we have been able to survive topside very long. This place was our only hope. Everyone else is safe, and I’ll be fine.”

“I just hope the la
rger bunker isn’t run by ignorant fools,” she said, taking hold of my hand.

All of a sudden a sharp alarm blared, making us cover our ears.

My father
stuck his head back in the door and sighed. “It’s a mandatory meeting. Your mother and I have to go, but we will be back as soon as it’s over,” he said, nodding his head in reassurance.

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve got Dr. Banks,” I smiled, as he walked in.

“Yes, she won’t be going anywhere without me knowing,” he confirmed, shaking my dad’s hand.

“Thanks, Banks. I owe you one.”

“No, Stephen. We owe you our lives. We wouldn’t have survived this long without you,” he returned.

“We did it together,” my father stated. Suddenly the alarm stopped.

Everyone, except those in the infirmary, had to attend or suffer the consequences.

“You two go ahead
. I’ll take care of Abi.”

“I’m not going to leave her,” my mom
said, turning to me.

I smiled and nodded.
“Go. I’ll be fine. You don’t want the General to throw all of us in cells, do you?”

“He’s probably itc
hing to find a way,” my dad added.

“I’d rather be in a cell with my family, then to be separated and free,” she said.

I grinned at her. “You’d better go. After the meeting come right back and tell me what’s going on,” I said.

After she got done thanking the doctor and kissing me goodbye, my dad ushered her out of the room with a hand on her back.

“What do you think the meeting will be about?” I asked Dr. Banks.

“
It could mean a few things, but ultimately, the hive is in some kind of danger.”

“I wonder what kin
d?” I thought out loud.

“I guess we’
ll find out soon enough. You should get some rest. Here you go…” He handed me two white pills and a cup of water. “I also found another cream that should help with the swelling and bruising on your face. Just rub a bit onto it every few hours.”

I took the pills and rubbed the c
ream on my face. It was a little tender, but nothing I couldn’t handle. I lay in bed, waiting—my mind spinning. After about twenty minutes, my brain started to feel numb and my eyes started to get heavy. This time, I welcomed sleep.