Extinction (6 page)

I leant forward towards his chest. He smelt of mint.

“Kiss me,” I whispered.  

Chai studied my face, his eyes soft and caressing,
pulling me into their unfathomable depths. I thought that maybe he didn’t hear
me, but then he lifted his hand and tangled his fingers through the hair at the
back of my neck and pulled me closer. His mouth closed over mine. The tip of
his tongue traced my lips. He kissed me slowly and very thoroughly and I lost
track of everything and everyone around me. This was the best pretend kiss I
ever had. Okay it was the first time a boy kissed me. In the back of my head I
could hear the door splintering, but I couldn’t care less. All I cared about
was the gentle way his lips was moving and the silky smoothness of his tongue. He
lifted his lips reluctantly from mine and I groaned inwardly. I could have kept
kissing him like that for the rest of my life.    

A soldier awkwardly cleared his throat. I twisted my
body to find two soldiers, dressed in their white uniforms, in the room,
looking very embarrassed. 

 “Miss Miller, you’re father sent us to escort you
to the Vandelrizi palace.” The soldier was very young and looked extremely uncomfortable
with the whole situation. I had the urge to giggle at his red face.

“Tell my father, I’ll be there as soon as I’m
finished here.” That was
so
the wrong choice of words. I could feel Chai’s
body twitching beneath mine as if he was laughing.

The soldier looked uncertainly at his partner; this
was not what they were expecting. I bet they never had to deal with anything like
this before.

“We’ll wait outside until you’re…finished,” he said begrudgingly
and turned on his heel. The other soldier shot us one last astonished look and
followed. They were not happy having to wait for me, but they knew Robert would
be furious if they returned without me. 

I waited until I heard the front door slam shut. That
was too close for comfort. I was trembling all over and I pressed my forehead
on Chai’s chest for a few seconds, slowing my rapid breathing. His hands moved
up my arms and rested on my shoulders. I lifted my head and gazed into the
brown pools of Chai’s eyes. He lifted a hand and tucked a strand of hair that
covered my face, behind my ear and ran his thumb across my cheek. There was
something infinitely tender in the way he touched me. Then a playful smile
spread across his face and he moved so quickly I gasped. One moment I was still
straddling him and the next he flipped me over and was on top of me, pinning me
to the bed.

“Lesson two – I prefer to be the one on top,” he
said wickedly. He looked so young and mischievous that I couldn’t help but
laugh, the tension seeping from my body. He leant forward and I thought he was
going to kiss me again, but instead his lips grazed my ear.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered and goose bumps
spread over my body. He gave a tortured sigh. “I’d better get up while I’m
still able to think clearly.” 

He rolled off me and stood. I joined him and grabbed
my clothes on the floor. I was even more embarrassed now by the lack of my
clothing than before. Chai watched unabashed while I dressed and I pulled a
face at him. He chuckled and pulled the white shirt of the tunic over his head.
I peeked out the window at the soldiers impatiently pacing the pavement below. There
was no chance I could slip Chai past them. Even in the white tunic they would
immediately realize he wasn’t from Palasium. If he wasn’t so damn gorgeous I
could still have tried, but with those looks it wasn’t even an option. I would
have to get him out of Palasium through the tunnels.

I pulled open a dresser drawer and shoved pieces of
clothing out of the way until I found the crumpled piece of paper hidden
underneath. I smoothed it on the table. 

“There are tunnels underneath Palasium leading out
of the city.” I pointed to a tunnel marked in red and Chai moved closer, his
arm brushing my thigh. “If you follow this one it will take you to an abandoned
shed near the jungle.” 

“I suspected as much yesterday.” 

“You were watching me?” I asked. I remembered
thinking I saw him standing at the edge of the jungle, not sure if it was my
imagination.

“I had to make sure you were safe.” I tingled all
over.  He cared if I was safe. 

A voice bellowed in the street below and without
even looking out the window, I knew Robert was down there. Panic gripped my
heart. Chai peeked through the window, before turning to me, his face grim.

“Come with me.” Chai put his hands on my shoulders. “You
can’t stay here.”

There was nothing I wanted more than to leave this
city behind me and leave. It was what I dreamt of for years. Robert’s voice
grew louder and I knew I couldn’t leave now, no matter how much I wanted to –
not if it would put Chai’s life in danger.

“I can’t,” I said sadly and my voice cracked. Chai
frowned at me. “If I disappear now, Robert will go crazy. He will tear this
city apart to find me. The Vandelrizi built the tunnels. They’ll figure it out
and if they catch us …” I balled my fists at my sides. “They will kill you. I
can distract them – keep them busy till you’re safe.”

“I can’t leave you here.” There was an edge of
desperation in his voice.

“You must go now before it’s too late. You’re too
important.”  He was too important to me. My eyes pleaded with him to
understand.  I couldn’t take the risk of him getting hurt because of me.  I
couldn’t let him die like my mother.  I pressed the small key for the lock in
the palm of his hand. “Please. You have to get out of here. I can’t let
anything happen to you.” I knew my words revealed far more of my feelings for
him than I would have liked to admit, but I had to convince him to go while we
still had time.

He finally nodded half-heartedly and we rushed
downstairs. In the kitchen Maria was waiting for us and had already moved the
pantry cupboard to the side revealing the stone steps leading down to the
tunnel. I could always count on her. Sometimes I was sure she could read minds.
She handed Chai a flashlight and he gave her a quick nod. He turned to me and
took my face between his hands. 

“Be safe, little one,” he whispered and then he kissed
me.  It wasn’t like before. This kiss was filled with hunger and despair and
left me with an ache deep down inside. His hands dropped from my face. “I will
be back for you.  I promise.” And with that he disappeared down the steps and I
was alone. Maria pushed the cupboard back in place, sealing the entrance to the
tunnel.  A great sweeping sadness pressed down on my chest.

“Lexie!” Robert’s voice echoed off the walls of the
kitchen. His round face was red with anger. He reminded me of a bloated bullfrog.
Of course Benson was at his side and the malicious look he gave me sent quivers
down my spine.

“Robert, I…”

“Take her outside!” he cut me short. Desperation
burnt through my veins, I had to buy Chai enough time to get away.

“Father…”  Benson didn’t give me a chance to finish.
His fingers dug into the flesh of my upper-arm as he hauled me through the
house and out the front door. I stumbled down the steps leading to our front
porch; he didn’t stop until I stood in the middle of the lamp-lit street. 

“Watch her,” he barked at a soldier and hastily returned
inside the house. This had bad written all over it. At least they won’t find
Chai inside the house if that was what they were searching for. He was long
gone by now.

      Minutes dragged by
and I rubbed my cold arms with my fists. The temperature was falling fast and I
was freezing cold. I tried hard to ignore the soldiers eyeing me suspiciously
the whole time. Finally Robert stormed through the door and threw a pair of
black combat pants and a black t-shirt at my feet. Shit, I had forgotten about
Chai’s clothes that I shoved under the bed.

 ‘Where is he?” he growled at me.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about.” I would
play dumb for as long as I could to give Chai a chance to escape. By now he had
to be on the other side of the city.

“You’re a terrorist just like your mother.” 

Something cracked open inside me and all the hatred
I felt for him spilled over. I flew at him ready to scratch his eyes out. Benson
moved faster than me and the butt of his rifle cracked into my skull. The force
of the blow lifted me off my feet and I hit the sidewalk with a thud. I fought
against the dizziness in my head trying to pull me under. The pain was so
intense it felt like he stuck a knife into my skull. Blood oozed down my face.
I would not let them win. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of passing out.
I ground my teeth, forcing the dizziness away. Slowly I pushed myself upright,
swaying as I stood. I wouldn’t be their helpless victim anymore.

“Is that all you’ve got?” I spat blood from my mouth
and fought the bile rising in my throat. Benson snarled at me like a feral dog and
grabbed me by the throat. His fingers squeezed, cutting off the oxygen supply to
my lungs. He pressed so hard that I was sure he was going to crush my airway
and dark spots danced in front of my eyes. Robert watched expressionless as
Benson was draining the life from me.

“That is enough,” the smooth voice of Nuevo
Y'shol commanded. Benson immediately dropped his hand and
gave a bow in his direction.
Nuevo gazed at me with his ominous red
eyes, while his face remained an emotionless mask. “I always knew you were
going to be a problem, Miss Miller.” He floated closer and I wanted to flinch
at the pungent smell coming from his breath.

“Have you heard of a toothbrush or for that matter a
bath?” I asked hoarsely. Nuevo looked bored by my sarcasm. He moved lightning
fast, grabbing my wrists and clasped two metal bands around them. I had seen
them before – they were Vandelrizi torture devices that could send pain through
your body until you begged to die.

“Tell me where the rebel base camp is?” he asked
with an eerie calmness.

“I don’t know and even if I did I’d never tell you.”
It was the wrong answer. He pressed a button on a little black device in his
hand with a bony finger. The bands on my wrists buzzed and pain shot up my arm
like bolts of electricity, travelling up and down my body. It filled every cell
and molecule of me and it felt as if my flesh was torn from my bones. My knees
hit the bricks with a thud and I screamed. He lifted his finger and the pain slowly
ebbed away.

“Where is the rebel base camp?” Nuevo repeated, his
finger hovering above the button.

“Go to hell.”

 He pressed the button again and my screams filled
the night air. The pain was excruciating. He didn’t stop pushing the button
until I lay in a pathetic heap on the pavement, whimpering. My throat was raw and
my voice hoarse and broken. I couldn’t move. My arms and legs were numb.

“Take her to the square and chain her to the lamp
post for all to see. She will be an example to all citizens of Palasium as what
a traitor to the New Order looks like. In the morning she will be escorted to
Cyrius to be tried and executed.” Nuevo finished his little speech and floated
away.

 I painfully turned my head towards Robert standing
on our front porch. Wasn’t he going to put a stop to this? I was still his
daughter. His face was contorted with disgust as he looked at me. Then he
turned his back on me, making it crystal clear that he was not going to help
me. In his eyes I was a traitor and deserved to die, just like my mother did.
Silent tears rolled down my cheeks. No one could help me now.

Benson and another guard grabbed me by the arms and
dragged me over the bricks and cement to the square. Sharp edges and stones bit
into my skin and ripped my clothes, but I was too numb to care. They dropped me
in front of the lamppost in the middle of the cobblestone square and Benson
chained my hands above my head to the lamppost. He grabbed my jaw between the
fingers of his one hand, squeezing painfully.

“I’m gonna enjoy watching you die,” he growled at
me.

He posted two soldiers to guard me and left. 

      
My
fingertips had lost
all feeling. The chains cut off all
blood flow to my hands. I shivered uncontrollably. As warm as it was during the
day, at night it was the complete opposite and the mercury dropped to near
freezing. My whole body ached and my throat felt like sandpaper. Hours had
passed and it must be well past midnight. I pretended to be asleep. A soldier
nudged my leg with his shoe, but I kept my eyes closed. They stopped a while
ago making derogatory remarks when I didn’t respond to their vile jokes. Footsteps
came closer – it was the change of the guard and I peered through my eyelashes.
Only one soldier was there to relieve them. They exchanged a few words and the
other two left. I shut my eyes again. 

“Lexie?” I opened my eyes warily. No soldier would
dare to call me by my name except for Benson. The soldier was on his haunches
next to me. He was only a boy. He couldn’t be older than sixteen. The light
from the streetlamp lit up his face and bounced off his mop of unruly black
curls. He muttered a string of curse words under his breath and I frowned. I
couldn’t remember seeing him before. He unscrewed a bottle of water and held it
to my lips.