Chapter 30
Faith
She faded in and out of consciousness. If only she could stay out. She wouldn’t have to feel the pain. Faith was spread eagle. Waller was not inventive, but he was thorough. He hit her head, pinched her arms, kicked her in the ribs, and placed something pinching on her toes and fingers. There was no doubt there would be bruises all over her body.
Faith squinted one eye open. She was alone. Waller must have gotten bored while she was unconscious. There was no telling how long she was out. Moving to sit up, she noticed she was no longer secured. It was ludicrous thinking that she would attack.
Laughter in the distance startled her. Getting to her hands and knees, she crawled toward the area where the voices were coming from.
“I’m looking forward to getting a turn at the girl. She’s been a cock tease for years.”
“Waller gave orders not to touch her. He isn’t done with her. He’ll get the first crack between her thighs before we get a chance.”
“Should we check on her?”
“Nah. She’s completely out for now.”
“We should at least tie her back up.”
“It’s Waller’s call.”
“Where exactly did he go?”
“He’s making sure he has an alibi. Eventually, Felix is going to find out she isn’t in the dome. We’ll place her dead body where it can be found by her brother. The blame will fall on Dome Leader Winstead and the aliens. Maybe enough to finally get rid of the alien bastards taking up our planet’s resources.”
She choked back a snort. Assuming the aliens came here for resources they already had was ridiculous. This was the only opportunity she would ever have to escape. Using the wall to help her get to her feet, she quietly made her way in the opposite direction from the voices.
It was a good thing she had spent almost a decade inhabiting the subway system. She looked for the certain structure indicators that would have stairways leading to the surface. If Waller was with the other tribes, her tribe, then she would have to get as far from them as possible. There was only one place she could think to go where no one would find her.
Climbing the first pair of stairs she came across, she had to sit and rest multiple times. She was bleeding, but there wasn’t anything she could do now. Ripping a piece of her shirt, she tied it around the worst of the bleeding which was on her wrists and ankles. When she was being tortured, she struggled to get free, cutting herself more.
She had never been so happy to be out of the subway and on the surface of the devastated Earth. The moon was full and bright, lighting her way. It was a good thing the spot she came out of was only a few blocks from her museum. That also meant she could just as easily return to her tribe and Felix. No, even if she wanted to, she wasn’t sure she could trust him.
“Felix,” she sighed.
How did things between them get so bad, to where she couldn’t trust him? He used to be her hero. She followed him everywhere, and for a while, he indulged her by letting her. When he became a teenager, he pulled away to hang out with his own friends. That was understandable. He was growing up and wouldn’t consider it cool to always be with his little sister.
Faith thought that their relationship improved a bit right after the nukes hit. He was protective of her. Then some infighting with previous tribe members erupted because they accused him of favoring Faith, giving her more supplies. It was nonsense, but she followed Felix’s decisions and never argued with him.
Of course, she became a doormat. Doing whatever he told her without arguing. Others thought nothing of her. Kissing up to her would do no good at getting favors with Felix. Felix treated everyone the same. The only way to get in good with Felix was to pull your own weight, follow orders, and always protect the tribe. She failed him.
All she wanted was for them to be close like they used to be. They were family! She knew why Felix didn’t treat her differently than the others. He hadn’t even tried to make a deal with Dome Leader Winstead to get her back. Maybe for all he knew, she was dead. He must be relieved to not have to deal with her anymore. One less person to clothe or feed.
By the time she reached her museum, she was exhausted, dizzy, and could barely stand. She collapsed on the bench seating and closed her eyes. If she died, at least she would die in her favorite place. Her only regret was not seeing Logan one more time. His handsome face, deep masculine voice, and gentleness were some things she would take with her. If only she had more time with him.
“Good-bye, Felix. I love you. Good-bye, Logan. I was falling for you.”
