Pet - Chapter 20 (Patreon)

The tears don't stop. I'm crying so bad, and I don't know why. It's the pain. The pain hurts. My chest feels like I've stabbed. And even more so, I feel betrayal. Why do I feel betrayal?

"Iris." I jolt awake at the sound of my voice. I'm looking up at the night sky. I slowly try and sit up, but the constant pain in my chest prevents me from doing so. Andrew is right next to me, looking down at me with a worried gaze. I then realize we're moving.

"Wha..?" I trail off looking around groggily. There are people marching around me. We seem to be on a wagon, being pulled by horses.

"Don't move too much," Andrew says. I shake my head, letting the tears fall. Why is my chest hurting so bad?

"It hurts," I squeak out.

"Shhhh." Andrew rubs my hair comfortingly.

"After you killed him, you started screaming in pain about your chest, then you passed out." I look at Andrew trying to make sense of what he said.

"I... did what..?" I ask. Andrews's smile gets bigger.

"You killed him, Iris. You freed us," he says. I lay my head back, feeling happiness and relief. He's gone. Remus is gone forever. And then I remember something very important.

"No," I croak out grabbing his arm frantically.

"We aren't free," I say quickly. I feel my consciousness drifting.

"There's three of them. Remus has a sister, back on his home planet, and a brother that was missing. You have to tell someo-" I can't finish my sentence as a scream is torn from my throat. Excruciating pain rips through me from my chest.

"Iris? Iris!" Andrew is screaming my name in a panic, but I can only register the pain. It's killing me. I feel like I'm dying. Then, there's nothing.

Remus. He's staring at me. He looks so angry, so hurt, and so betrayed. He moves towards me, like a lion to its prey. And stands over me, his indigo Irises boring into my green ones. He still doesn't speak as brings his hand up to my cheek and lightly caresses it. He smiles at me. A soft smile that reaches his eyes. I feel his hand on my chest when it's too late. A sharp pain explodes as he presses his hand into my chest, ripping through the bone and flesh.

I gasp aloud sitting up in the bed clutching at my chest. I'm covered in a light sheen of sweat, and my heart is racing. I look around me trying to grasp my surroundings. I'm in a dark room, the bed I'm in is far from comfortable, and the blankets are scratchy against my skin.

It was just a dream. A horrible, terrible, dream. Remus is gone. He's never coming back. I lift my shirt looking at my chest where the ache was, and see nothing there. I then realize the pain is gone. I quickly jump out of the bed, getting steady on my feet before walking to the door, and pulling it open.

I'm in a makeshift hospital of some kind. I look around, trying to figure out where I am, and what's going on. And where the hell my brother is.

"Iris?" I look up and see a woman coming towards me with a slight smile on her face.

"Don't be alarmed, I'm Clarissa I'm the head nurse here." I stare at her like she's crazy.

"Where is my brother?" I snap. This catches her off guard. She opens her mouth to respond when someone interrupts her.

"Ms. Iris?" I look to my left and see a woman coming towards me with a smile on her face. She's beautiful and tall, and slender. Her build is lean and athletic, and her complexion is light brown. It's a very beautiful shade. She smiles at me, I notice a deep set of dimples on both of her cheeks, and her hair is wild and curly, but once she gets closer to me, I can see the soft texture of those curls.

"Hi, I'm Sky Wellington. My father is the second in command here. He asked me to bring you to them," she says I raise a brow at her.

"Where am I?" I ask. She gives me a soft laugh.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You're probably scared out of your mind, and here I am demanding to take you somewhere. Um, this is the resistance," she says with a big smile. Tears spring into my eyes. I can't help the smile that crosses my face. I move as fast as my legs can carry me and hug the woman in front of me. She laughs lightly hugging me back, obviously understanding my reasoning.

I look around me in shock. This is the resistance. It's like its own little town, in the heart of a mountain. I look in the distance and can see the waterfall as it cascades down. When I look to the sky, there are only artificial lights because this city has been formed on the inside of a mountain, which makes it nearly impossible to see the sky without causing the Leviathan to find them.

I look to Sky and she smiles at people as they pass, calling some of them by name as she speaks.

"You really know all these people," I say. She looks at me, and I take note of the freckles dusting her nose lightly.

"Oh yes. I practically grew up here. This is all I know and these are my people," she jokes. I gaze around in fascination. So this is it. This is the people that have been fighting behind the scenes. There are women and children, whole families that are here not only surviving but thriving.

I also take note of the people walking around with guns and weapons, standing on guard and keeping an eye on things.

"This is amazing," I murmur. I only wish that I had found it sooner, and saved those people my brother fought with from Remus' wrath. We finally approach a building that is in the center of the city, and the men standing guard at the door take a look at Sky.

We enter the building, and I see Andrew.

"Andrew!" I shout. He looks up, and once his eyes land on me, he quickly begins running my way. He embraces me, squeezing me so tight.

"I'm so glad you're ok," he mumbles. He pulls away from me, giving me a huge smile.

"God, I'm so proud of you, Iris. I can't believe you took out the leader!" he says. I laugh a little, but on the inside, his words hurt. They hurt bad. And I have no idea why.

"How do you know for sure?" I ask. His smile widens and he takes me by the arm.

"Come." He pulls me into a room, and as soon as I step in, the room erupts in applause. I look around me in shock and see men standing all around, standing to give me their praise. I look back to Andrew and his smile widens.

"I'll be right outside," he mouths to me just as he steps outside the room, closing the door. I slowly look around and sit in the chair that's in front of the desk of men. The one in the middle stands.

"Welcome, Iris. Your brother has already explained everything to us."

"My name is Mark, and I am the second in command here at the resistance. We heard from your brother, the great deed that you did, and we would like to extend our gratitude for your bravery and selflessness. I cannot express to you what you have done for us," he says.

Even through his praise, as I gaze at this man, I feel bitterness. And anger, and surprisingly, disgust.

"How can you people, thank me, when you sent my brother and others needlessly to their deaths," I ask. The room falls silent. Some people even gasp in outrage. But I don't care. They need to know that I am angry.

"Where were you, when my girls were being murdered? Why did you do nothing? Why did none of us even know you existed?" I shout. The man in charge stands, placing his hands on the table.

"I know from your point of view what we've done as a unit looks bad. But trust me, it was for the greater good. We could not disclose anything about our location because the Leviathan would have found us, and there would have been no hope-"

"But what about the information I gave to Jude! I risked my life for information that was never passed on!" I scream. The man falls silent again.

"All I can say is that it's for the good of humanity. In the end, we will rise." I stand from my chair as the sudden urge to kill this man washes over me. I want to wrap my fingers around his throat and squeeze until I feel his bones crushing under my fingertips. I blink in shock at the direction of my thoughts. What the hell?

"Please, your brother said that there are more like him, the leader and that we are not completely out of the woods," he says pulling me out of my thoughts. I blink, trying to clear my mind and give him the information he's asking for.

"He has siblings. Their people call them the Divine three. Because they are... god-like. They do things that we grew up thinking were impossible." I think back to the way that Remus lifted an entire city, down to the stone in the ground. How he deflected a missile and projected the flames. How could something as simple as a gun, and a sword kill him? Once his sister learns of her brother's death, she will come to our planet with a vengeance.

"Why are you all so sure he's dead?" I say. If Remus has proved one thing t me, it's that he is hard to kill. The men all look back and forth at each other, and nod their heads.

"We have one in captivity," he says simply.

"We've been doing tests on him, and that's how we developed the weapons. The new weapons are sure to kill them. His body has given us everything we need to know." He says smiling at me. But I don't feel excited about this. I feel scared. A deep fear that curls deep within my gut and stays.

"So the weapons my brother had, they really worked. They really killed him," I say.

"Yes." He moves from behind his desk, coming up to me.

"I think you've more than earned the right," he says simply.

"Follow me." He walks out of the room. Upon my exit, I notice Andrew sitting against the wall, his head in his hands. He looks up when he hears us, but stays seated. But Sky follows. We walk down a hall, down several flights of stairs and we seem to be underground. The area is heavily guarded, and I can only imagine where he's taking me. Mark pulls out a card, swiping it at the door, and the door opens, revealing what looks like a control room.

There are two men sitting behind a desk, with guns, and we pass. They nod their heads respectfully to Mark, as we pass. We finally reach a room, and Mark turns.

"Sky, you wait here." I hear her huff behind me, but when I turn to look at her, I see the serious disappointment in her face, and even.. sadness? The door is open, and Mark motions for me to enter. I slowly step into the room, and my heart drops, as my eyes widen. No. No no no no no no no. God no.

I take in the chains that are around his throat, arms and hands, keeping him locked into the ground. There are needles in his flesh, sending liquid nitrogen inside of his veins. There are cuts and bruises, and hideous gashes on his flesh, but most importantly, I also take in the stark white hair. He tenses and smells the air, shifting slightly, and looks up revealing those eyes that are two different colors. One a deep blue, and one an emerald green.

"Remus?" His voice fills the chamber, as he says his brother's name. He takes another sniff of the air, and his gaze falls flat on me. He stares at me in confusion, then shock, then a slow smile spreads across his features.

Tears well up in my vision, and fall over as I stare at him. I look at Mark, who is confused by my reaction. But he doesn't know. He doesn't know of the woman beyond the stars, that is their sister, and just as ruthless as Remus.

"I.." I trail off. But Ezra stares at me. Mark speaks up, stepping around me and in front of Ezra. He grabs a fistful of his hair and roughly shakes him.

"Your overlord is dead. Thanks to you, we developed a weapon that was able to kill him, and thanks to this woman, he's finally dead." Mark gloats. But Ezra isn't at all phased. He just looks at me, and his gaze travels to my neck, and back to my face. Then, just like his brother, he laughs. His loud laugh fills the chamber.

I feel chills breaking out across my skin at the sound. He opens his mouth and speaks.

"L'rotan ryanitryu jresrety," he says, and continues his laugh like a madman. Mark drops him, stepping away. Mark looks at ease, his guards look at ease. Everyone in this compound looks at ease and happy to be here, thinking that they are gloating to just another Leviathan. They have no idea that they have locked up one of the divine three.

I can't help but wonder, if their tests worked on Ezra, then they had to work on Remus. That means that Remus is dead. He really is. There's no way possible that he could be alive. Not if his brother is being affected by these tests. The weapons were successful. So when Xion arrived, we would be ready.

"Do you not know who he is," I say to Mark in disbelief. My voice is quivering. Mark looks at me, clapping me on the back.

"Yes. He's a Leviathan scum," he laughs.

"Come. I can tell being near this scum makes you uneasy," he says. He leads me out, and I take one last look back at Ezra. He's watching me with a smile on his face. A big smile. Out of nowhere, I feel a sharp pain on my throat, and I flinch slightly, placing my hand over it trying to soothe the pain.

* * * * *

"Iris, are you ok?" I look up from my plate of food, to see Andrew gazing at me with worry. I nod my head.

"You've been quiet since we left the war room, he says.

"It's just a lot to take in," I say. But if I'm being honest, my mind keeps drifting to Ezra. Remus told me he was reckless and always looking to get his brother's approval. Is that how he got captured? By letting his guard down? If he is anything like Remus, he would have never been caught by the rebels. Remus made them look like fools.

"Iris, you don't have to keep anything from me. You know he isn't coming back. Ever. You're safe now," he says. I nod my head. Andrew has been trying to reassure me these past few days, trying to keep my mind right and make sure that I'm still sane. But at the end of the day, I can't sleep. I can barely eat. I thought that once I was free of Remus I would feel just that. Free. But honestly, I feel even more trapped.

They have all the information they need. When are they going to move and take back our planet? All they've done is called constant meetings, and me nor Andrew have been invited to any of them. I feel doubt beginning to consume me, as Remus' words play in my head over and over again. The human race's last hope, what will they do?

A knock sounds at the door, and Andrew moves to get it. He comes back in the small kitchen with Sky on his heels. She looks winded as if she's been running.

"My father needs you," she says catching her breath. What could he possibly need me now for? He hasn't needed me for anything since my arrival, and now all of a sudden he does?

"For what?" I ask. She looks a little thrown off by my question but catches herself.

"He didn't say," she says. I look to Andrew, and he motions for me to go ahead. I walk to him, giving him a quick hug before I leave. If I've learned one thing, it's that I never want to leave him without hugging him first. Life is too unpredictable.

The lights are dim in the city. And there are few people around. I look at Sky and she's looking ahead. Her mind seems to be occupied elsewhere.

"Sky, why does your father need me?" I ask. She makes a guilty expression and looks at me.

"My father doesn't need you. Ezra does, she says. I stop in my tracks, looking at her in shock.

"Wha-"

"Before you say anything, just hear me out," she says quickly. She looks around as if making sure that no one is listening.

"He's not what you think. I've been sneaking and talking with him, and he's really a genuine, caring person."

"Sky. He isn't a person. He's a Leviathan. And not just any Leviathan, he's THE Leviathan. Remus' brother," I say. She looks down, avoiding eye contact.

"I know I don't know you very well, or what you've been through, but he really is different. If you'd just give him a chance," she says. I think back to the terrifying being that was laughing like a maniac earlier. I wonder if he's into the same type of manipulation as his brother. Because the man that she's describing cannot be Remus' brother.

"Ok," I say letting out a sigh. She perks up and gives me a smile. We get through the building, which is surprisingly very lax. There are no guards at the front, and the guards that were on duty earlier are on break in some kind of room. Sky looks around, and swipes her father's card, unlocking the room that Ezra is in.

She motions for me to follow her in.

"Ok, I brought her," she says as I enter. Ezra looks up, meeting my gaze head-on.

"Leave us," he says. Sky seems hesitant but does as he says. In the time that Remus has been gone, I have been fine. But now that I'm alone, looking at a man that looks similar to Remus, I can't help but feel sad. So sad.

"You reek of my brother," he says. I don't know what to say, so I'm silent. His eyes travel to my neck, and he laughs to himself.

"You haven't the slightest clue why do you," he asks me. I shake my head, in complete confusion about what he's talking about.

"My brother is a force that should not be tampered with."

"Your brother is dead," I snap. Ezra raises a brow at me.

"I see why he chose you." I don't respond. I narrow my gaze at him.

"Why did you want me here?" I ask. He slightly tilts his head.

"I just wanted to get a better look. See what it is about you that caused my brother to bond," he says. He laughs in disbelief.

"And to a human of all things."

"Bond?" I whisper. Ezra's eyes twinkle in amusement. His body may be battered and bruised, but his mind is not. He is far from broken. He almost looks as if he wants to be here.

"Everything will be revealed to you in due time. My only regret is that I won't be the one to shatter this fragile illusion that you have. Enjoy your freedom, Iris," he says. But I don't miss the sarcasm dripping from his tone. I turn away from him, opening the door. Sky looks beyond me, to Ezra, and looks like she wants to go inside, but decides against it.

"I can take you home now," she says quietly.

The walk back is quiet. My mind is running a mile a minute. I look to Sky, but she looks occupied with her own thoughts.

"How do you know him?" I ask. She looks at me, making a face.

"I don't," she says. I stop in my tracks.

"So you expect me to believe that you don't know him, and yet you so willingly brought me to him, just because he asked you to, and used your father's card key, which I know he didn't give to you," I say. She narrows her gaze at me.

"Yes," she says. We stare each other down, and finally, I give up. She's not going to tell me anything, and whatever is going on between her and Ezra is staying that way. Between her and Ezra.

I walk up to the front door of my brother's house and look back at her.

"He's not human," I say.

"He doesn't feel things like we do. I don't even think empathy is something they possess. Be careful, Sky." I push open the door, walking inside.