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chapter eleven !

AFTER BREAKFAST, THALIA and I head outside for my first training class. Dark, grey clouds dominate the dull sky and threaten rain to pour. For now it is dry, so Lily and Adam play outside near the gates.

A group of people have formed in the same corner as before, and Thalia and I walk towards them, both of us holding one handle of a box containing machetes, which will he used in the class today.

"All right everyone," she puts the box on the ground and turns to me, "this is Beth and she will be joining us today. Be nice to her." She winks at me and I can't help but smile at my new friend.

I hand out the machetes and we begin the class.

"Now, when the blade connects don't need it right back, you'll get stuck."

"Stuck?"

Thalia nods. "Like an axe cutting into a tree. It's easier to get a blade into bone than out."

"So what should we do?"

"You should slide the machete down through the wound. One fluid motion, okay? You ease it through the bone, like this."

She demonstrates. "All right?"

We nod and repeat her demonstration.

Thalia stands next to me. "So, I want to get to know you, new girl. You got any family?"

"All of them are dead," I hesitate, "well I think so anyway."

"Think?"

"Im not sure about my sister, Maggie. Our group was living at an old prison but it got attacked, and she had told me to get everyone on the bus, but I got trapped and the bus left without me. So I got separated from her and I'm not sure if she made it out alive."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's okay,. What about you? Do you have any siblings?"

"Yes, one sister. Rosita is her name and, like you, I'm not sure if she is alive either. I had just had Adam, and she went out looking for formula but never came back." She sighs. "I know the chances of her being alive are slim, but I still have hope."

I take her hand and look her directly in the eye. "Same with me. But there's nothing wrong with holding onto hope. That's all you can do when you have nothing else to hold onto. I like to think she's still out there somewhere, and maybe one day we will cross paths again."

She wipes her eyes quickly and gives me a brief but warm smile. "Damn, I didn't realise how alike we were." We both laugh nervously.

The familiar sound of the front gates opening makes my head turn.

And makes me wish I hadn't turned at all.

There stands the same three Saviours from the day before. Each one of them wear a ruthless grin on their faces, each one holding some sort of weapon.

They are here for the exchange. But James and the others aren't back yet.

"I don't think James is back yet." I whisper to Thalia.

"Crap." She replies, taking in a sharp breath.

"Well?" Says one of the Saviours, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to start loading up our truck for us?"

Silence. No body dares to say a word.

"Where's Devon?" Thalia whispers to me.

"Upstairs I think."

She turns to start walking towards the house, presumably to go get him.

"Ah not so fast. And where do you think your going?"

Thalia looks at him with utter digust but dosent say a word.

"Have all of you lost the ability to speak?" Says the same Saviour with a wide smile, cocking a brow. He walks towards Thalia, taking her chin in his hands. "Didn't your mother tell you that its rude to ignore people?" He laughs.

Letting go of her, he turns to the rest of us. "Well, where is Devon?"

"He's not here. He's gone out scavenging for you lot." Thalia says through gritted teeth.

I wonder where Devon actually is, surely he heard the gates open?

"Your joking?" He says in disbelief. "He's seriously not here?" He clicks his tongue and walks back towards the gates. "So your telling me that you have nothing to give to us, again?"

Silence.

He turns to the others, who are waiting at the truck. "Well fellas, it looks like we're gonna have to teach them a lesson," he pauses, "again." He opens the two doors on the back of the truck.

He turns and points towards where Lily and Adam were once happily playing. Now they are huddled together in complete fear.

Please no.

"Grab the two kids."

"NO," screams Thalia, running towards Adam as fast as she can but not fast enough as the other two Saviours get there first, each of them grabbing the two kids and holding a gun to the back of their heads.

"Get the hell off of him." She cries.

"Take one step closer and I will pull the trigger." Says the one that grabbed Adam.

"Beth, beth!" Lily cries looking at me. "Beth help me, don't let them take me Beth!"

Tears stream down my face as I run towards her. My heart physically aches.

"Lily, listen to me," I say through sobs, " I will find you, I will bring you home safe. Oh Lily, I am so sorry." I can't say anything else as I am crying so much I have gotten hiccups. I go to stand beside Thalia who is sobbing, and we watch as our two loves are thrown into the back of the truck, screaming because they don't know what's going on.

"There are consequences to your actions. We told you when to be ready, and you didn't listen. So now you will pay the price." Says the first Saviour, laughing as he hops into the truck and drives away.

Thalia runs to the gates and drops to the ground, watching the truck get smaller and smaller as it drives away. I run to her, holding her as tightly as possible and letting her cry into my shoulder as I cry into hers.

"My baby, they took my baby." She muffles into my shoulder. "Beth, you don't understand, he's all I have left."

I take her hand, holding it with both of mine as firmly as possible without hurting her. "Listen to me, we will find your baby and bring him back home, where he belongs. I promise you."

But even I wasn't convinced.

so yeah. :(
just to clarify thalia is rosita espinosas sister 💓
thank you for reading <3
started, 17th feb
finished, 17th feb

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