Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,144

I looked at Jules, she had a mild expression and observed the scene before her with vacant eyes. None of this seemed to surprise her.

Blan kept talking. “Someone like you could trade for a pretty penny.” He gave me a calculating once over.

"I'm assuming you intend to take us to Ethros? I thought the plan was to wait for Commodore Cavil to return and we’d all travel together?" Jules asked in a sickly sweet voice with a small, sarcastic grin.

"You didn't honestly think that Cavil would let you wait here, did you?" Blan asked with a chuckle while brushing a thick hand through his hair. "Do you want to know why Cavil was elected our leader? He doesn't leave room for error. He wants to ensure that Maverick comes to Ethros, which means your pretty little ass will be there waiting for him!"

Webb chuckled in response. Pulling a wooden case from his satchel, he stomped towards Jules. "I've got a present for you," he said. Webb wore a sinister smile accompanied by dark, emotionless eyes. As he opened the box, Jules' brows shot up in curiosity, but I couldn't see what was in his hands.

"Well, I'm flattered, but that style is so last Spring," she replied before yawning. "Perhaps a necklace instead, hmm? "

Webb frowned and rolled his eyes at Jules' smug expression and pretentious words. Then he pulled out a thin metal cuff bracelet with a glowing blue line in the middle. I gasped once I realized what it was—a fetter.

Before I could stop him, before I could warn Jules, he grabbed her forearm and slipped the dull metal onto her wrist. At first, there was nothing but Jules' confused yet smug expression.

"Is this supposed to do some—" Jules’ shrill screams filled the air, and with a loud click, the fetter seared itself to her skin, attaching itself permanently. The smell of burning flesh filled the air as she hunched over and grabbed her forearm. Tears streamed down her face as she writhed in pain.

"What the fuck is this thing?!" she screeched as it lit up and began making a mechanical humming noise. My shoulders slumped in defeat. It was too late.

"I'm sure your Walker friend knows what this is, don't you, babe?" Blan asked with a menacing smirk that made me tense up.

"It-it’s a fetter," I choked out. Webb walked towards me. His smile was broad and bright, his white teeth blinding and misleading.

"What the fuck is a fetter?" Jules moaned and rubbed her arm next to where it was now permanently attached.

"It’s a tool that some Holders use to make sure their Walkers stay obedient," I whispered. It was only used in rare cases, and mostly by only the cruelest of Holders.

"What does it do? I’ve seen cuffs, but nothing like this," she asked. I saw the fear in her eyes. The worry.

"It’s fairly new. Cuffs didn’t have the...range that fetters do,” I explained. “It tracks you, for one. It ensures that a Walker doesn't run away once they receive the vaccine. It’s also impossible to remove. That pain? It was burning itself to your skin and embedding itself in your veins. Taking it off will kill you." I wanted to rub the place where my tag once was, but I kept still. There were many Walkers that resorted to cutting off an ear to escape their Holders, but I knew of no one willing to cut off their hand .

"Well, that's not too bad."

"Ah, she’s forgetting the best part!" Webb exclaimed while smacking his gums. "Fetters also help a Holder control their Walkers. So if you step out of line, one little push of my button can burn you." His hand grazed over the screen of his tablet, and Jules let out a shrill scream that made me flinch. “And in extreme cases, I can input a code, and you'll be injected with poison. BAM! Dead as X by morning."

Jules once again looked down at her wrist, before holding it away from her body. Webb chuckled. “It feels so wrong putting that technology on you, Mistress. You should know that I'm a gentleman. These are just extraordinary circumstances, you see. Otherwise, I wouldn't dream of marring your perfect skin with something intended for a nasty Walker.” Webb grabbed Jules’ outstretched hand and kissed the top of it, making her bristle under his touch.

Without warning, Blan forcefully grabbed my arm, the pressure and strength of his hold nearly popped my arm out of its socket. He didn’t