humanity intact and now they wish for a way out. You’re our best chance.”
“And here I was thinking you were my friends,” Lexia muttered.
“We are your friends, but we still hate it here as much as you do,” Belinda said.
“You’ve all forgotten one thing. I could agree to this but there is no guarantee Maura will.”
“Lex, I wish you wouldn’t talk like that. You sound insane,” Derrick mumbled.
“I am insane, Derrick! I’m a passenger within my own body. I might have control right now, but there is no telling when Maura will resurface and I can tell you now, she’ll not follow Lucy and she has no interest in leading.”
“What does she have an interest in then?” Marcus asked.
Before Lexia could answer, a voice crackled loudly over the PA system.
“ATTENTION, THIS IS BELEMY. I HAVE A MESSAGE FOR MAURA. I’VE ROUNDED UP YOUR PEOPLE. IF YOU CARE AT ALL ABOUT THEM, YOU’LL COME UNARMED AND ALONE TO THE MESS ROOM. YOU HAVE TWENTY MINUTES BEFORE I START SHOOTING.”
The message finished with a laugh, which crackled and faded to static before an eerie silence settled over them.
Lexia felt sick. She wasn’t in any position to go to the mess room, let alone fight, and what would they say when they saw her eyes were now blue?
Derrick broke the silence. “Belemy thinks you’re either dead or wouldn’t care if he started shooting anyway. He’s trying to undermine you, so everyone follows him. He wants control of the compound. He’s the one behind your poisoning.”
Lexia took a deep breath. Biting her lip with the pain of the simple task, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood. The world tilted.
“Whoa!” Marcus gasped, grabbing her.
“Lexia, get back in bed,” Derrick ordered.
Shooting him with an irritated glare, Lexia then glanced around for her boots.
“I mean it, Lexia!” Derrick said, pushing her back onto the bed.
Tensing, Lexia tried to push him back and received a rush of pain.
“See, you are in no state to face Belemy.”
“Derrick, I can’t just let him kill people because of me. I’m not Maura. I can’t just abandon them.”
“We’ll stop Belemy.”
“We will?” Belinda queried.
“There are three of you against God knows how many!” Lexia snapped. “At least let me come as a diversion.”
“No! You are in no state to get to the mess room. I’ll think of something. Come on, you two.”
Lexia dragged herself up and out of bed. She’d been hurt worse and still fought; this time would be no different.
Derrick let out a sigh but Marcus jumped in before he could speak.
“Look, boss, I get it. You’re suddenly all noble and loyal to your followers.” He held his finger up as Lexia started to protest. “Can’t let people die, blah, blah, but whether you can fight or not, what do you plan to do with those eyes?”
Lexia caught her reflection in the glass picture frame; he was right. Lexia stared back at her. Blue eyes full of emotion, she wasn’t Maura anymore, and they’d all know it, and so would Lucy.
The three of them walked out leaving Lexia alone with her thoughts and ever present emotions.
“So what’s the plan, Derrick?” Marcus asked.
“I’m going to talk to the elite. I’m one of them and I rank higher than Belemy. They’ll have no choice but to follow orders, whether they like it or not.”
“What! Are you insane?” Belinda spluttered.
“No.” Derrick stopped, his eyes going stern. “Do you have a better plan? You may be close to Lexia but you are still a novice. Soldiers fall in line and follow orders.”
“Yes, sir,” Belinda replied.
Chapter 6
Lying in bed while others cleaned up her mess didn’t sit well with Lexia. She stared at the ceiling, at the crack that had haunted her for all the weeks she’d been there. Unable to stay in bed, Lexia gritted her teeth and sat up. A groan hissed out through clenched teeth, yet she pushed through the pain stood. Waiting for the world to level out, Lexia inhaled a few deep breaths and then paced the room. With each lap, the chaos of her thoughts were smothered under the pain of her injury.
Coming to an abrupt stop, the PA system crackled again. “SENDING YOUR LAP DOG TO DO YOUR DIRTY WORK. TUT, TUT, MAURA. NOW SOMEONE NEEDS TO DIE.”
The message finished with the sound of gunfire and screams. It echoed around her room as her mind became a jumbled mess. “Shit, shit, shit!” she muttered, gripping her head, trying to still the swirling emotions