Lazarus
The facility already smells like hell. I wrinkle my nose instinctively as I step down from the vehicle that conveyed me and two others.
I didn’t even bother to ask for their names, they seemed too closed off and hostile. I wonder how many more similar individuals I'll meet in this facility.
A harsh nudge to my back propels me forward. "Move!" I refrain from shooting him a glare and opt for a low growl instead.
The facility looms before me like a mountain, with sealed windows and barbed wire fences that scream 'You will never get out of here!' The peeling paint and ivy crawling up the buildings further solidify their formidable aura.
We move towards the gate, where we are allowed entry after the two officers with us display their badges. They look the same, a typical inverted triangle with the longer sides slightly curved outwards. Inside the triangle, is the unmistakable shape of a wolf with its mouth open in a roar or snarl—I can't tell which because I'm once again pushed forward before I can think further.
The guards all have the same stoic faces, and I'm sure that beneath that lies a thick film of sadism.
As we walk through the path leading to what looks to be the entrance to the main building, I catch movement from the corner of my eye.
Two men are kneeling down in the middle of the only square of grass I've seen in this concrete-floored area. They're a distance away, so I tune into them.
The resulting noise nearly makes me fall over in pain.
The two werewolves are whining at a pitch only those of wolf descent can hear, and that can only mean the worst. These guys are being subjected to torture so badly that they can no longer humanely express their pain.
Without thinking, I turn to the guard standing closest to me. "What are they doing to them?"
The officer doesn't even spare me a glance. "Stay in line, inmate." He continues moving forward.
We're very close to the entrance now, with only a sliding door between us and the inside of the building. Even still, I can’t take my eyes off those werewolves in pain. One of them, as though sensing my gaze, locks eye contact with me.
His expression is a pained one, conveying everything he has suffered in just a few seconds that pass. The muzzle over his mouth is coated in a film of red.
Blood.
Our eye contact is broken when something cracks into my cheek, sending me off balance.
The pain is nothing compared to what those men must be feeling, but it stirs a flame in my chest. I look to the guard, digging my heels into the floor.
The guard looks to his counterpart with a scoff, before turning his attention back to me. "Get in 0147, or I'll make you."
I don't respond. I can feel my wolf stirring to life within. My nail beds throb as claws threaten to break free.
He cracks his neck and sighs, twisting around on his heels in a strange serpentine dance.
Then he whirls around, fist aimed towards my face.
Of course, I won't let him get me again. I take a quick step to the side and watch him miss me by a wide margin. A smirk makes its way to my lips as I use this moment to make my move.
I take a step forward, about to wrap my handcuffs around his neck and suffocate him when I'm grabbed from either side.
My eyes widen in shock. I stretch towards the now recovered guard, but the distance between us grows with every second.
No. No. No!
I look behind me to see what's pulling me back. There are two men on either side of me, one with wild red hair and startling green eyes. The other has dark hair and even darker eyes. Their expressions are perfect contrasts, with the redhead sporting an almost maniacal smile and the other completely expressionless.
"No need to worry about this one, officer. We'll handle him from here," the redhead says in a jaunty manner too bright for this dark place.
I try to pull away from them, but they hold on to me fast, never letting go. They smell like Alphas, but not from my own pack. Their scents fight for dominance in my nostrils, and I have to tone down my inhuman scent tracking so that I don't get sidetracked.
The guards only watch as I'm pulled away. The one I'd almost attacked looks me straight in the eyes and whispers, "You got lucky today, 0144."
—
"Believe me, brother, you don't want to get on these guys' bad side. Trust me. You'll never get out," Redhead says, patting me on the shoulder like I'm a long-lost friend of his.
I'm seated on the floor in a surprisingly spacious room, simmering. These men stripped me of the chance to find out what was happening to those sad wolves.
I look up at him, and his smile hasn't dimmed one bit. To the side, almost blending into the shadows that the fluorescent bulbs couldn't reach is the dark-headed guy. His arms are crossed over his chest, as he stares at an ant crawling on the wall beside him.
Strange fellows, but they seem to mean no harm.
"Look, I know you're pissed, it's written all over your face, but if we didn't intervene then, things would have gone really bad for you." He pauses for emphasis, leaning forward and pinching the thumb and forefinger of both his hands together. "Like, body-bag bad."
I say nothing, trying to think of what proper response to give. This guy obviously seems to know his way around here. Maybe he can shed some light on the obvious injustice happening within these walls.
"My name's Rory, and that," he points to the other guy, "is Thomas. We're both Alphas from our respective packs. You're our roommate."
Roommate?
He nods. "Yes, roommate." He gestures to a sign above a bed in a far corner of the room. It reads 0144, the same number sewn onto my 'prison' wear.
Rory stares at me hopefully. I don't respond immediately, too focused on trying to see beneath his mask.
I sense nothing but truthfulness coming from him.
Reluctantly, I break. "Lazarus."
Rory gives a little squeal that almost makes me question if he's actually a male. "Wow. And to think that you would have almost died with no one to resurrect you."
Thomas steps out of the shadows and comes to stand beside Rory. He offers me a nod but says nothing. I guess that's just how he is.
A quiet moment passes between us as we acknowledge one another. An unforeseen bond slowly builds between us, and I can already tell that these men are going to be either a pain in the butt or a soothing salve in this place.
Rory claps, breaking our little moment. "Well now, since our third roommate is here, I can't wait to see who our fourth and final roommate will be. No offense to you guys, but I really hope it's a female."
EliseAs I step off the transport vehicle and into the correctional facility, I can't help but feel a sense of dread wash over me. I know that the next four years are going to be difficult, and I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to survive.I'm led to my assigned room, and I'm told that I'll be sharing it with three other inmates. I try not to let my nerves show as I enter the room, but I can't help but feel anxious as I take in my surroundings. The room is larger than I had expected, with four separate beds placed in all four corners of the room. There is an adjoined bathroom and toilet connected to the room, removing my fears about having to bathe in a public space.Currently, there's no one else in the room, but the other luggages and other stuff arranged beside or on three beds, I'm likely the last person to join.My bedspace has the number given to me etched into a small rectangular metal sign above the bed. 0145.I'm just starting to unpack my things when I hear a commotion in th
LazarusI can't seem to get that girl out of my head. She's always there, lurking in the back of my mind, and no matter how hard I try, I can't shake her. It's not normal, and I know that I shouldn't be thinking about her like this. But I can't help it.Her quiet beauty stunned me at first, but her voice did far more damage. It's like warm honey: sweet, and pleasant to the ears. It did have a tinge of fear within it though, but it was a gift regardless. Her straight brown hair was slicked back into a low ponytail, and if not for self-control, coupled with the knowledge that touching people without their consent is wrong, nothing would've stopped me from running my fingers through it.She barely came up to my chest, but I think those eyes of hers can bring any guy down to his knees. She's not the conventional type of beauty, but rather the kind that makes itself obvious the more you focus on it.When she'd walked away from me, it took everything in me to not have focused on her curvace
EliseI can't shake this feeling of Deja-vu as I stand outside my bedroom. It's like I've been here before, or like I already know what I'm going to find when I walk through that door. I try to look past the feeling, but I just can't.This whole situation hits too close to home.I can still hear sounds coming from inside, and I'm not sure if I'm ready to face whatever is waiting for me on the other side. But I'm overcome with a sense of anger, and I can't resist the urge to burst into the room and confront whatever is happening.I throw the door open, shouting at the top of my lungs as I stroll into the room. "What the hell is going on here?" Heat rises up my neck as I talk, and my agitation increases with each breath.The laughing stops, filling the whole room with a thick, pregnant silence.I'm met with the same sight of two men in various states of undress, laughing and joking as they play around with a woman who's lying on one of the beds. My cheeks flush with embarrassment as I r
Elise"Hey, wait up. What's the big deal? We're not going to hurt you." The redhead says, crossing the distance between us too fast for me to comprehend."Get away from me!" I lash out, throwing an arm out wildly.He hisses when my palm connects with his shoulder. A pang of guilt rises in me at his pained expression.My mouth parts involuntarily to apologize, but the words never make it past my throat."Damn girl. You've got some fire."I step back, not liking the intense look in his eyes. "Are you going to hurt me?"He pauses for a moment, expression shocked. Then, he bursts into laughter that lasts for a full minute. He's wiping off tears from the corner of his eyes when he speaks, "Hurt you? Now that is the most absurd thing I've ever heard."He sighs, relaxing. "Look, I'm Rory, and that guy over there," he points to the dark haired guy, "is Thomas. We're both roommates, and from what I've seen so far, you're our final roommate."At the sound of 'roommate', panic rises within me ag
LazarusAs I stand in front of Elise, I can feel my desire for her building once again. I know I should resist it, but it's hard to ignore the way my body reacts to her presence. She looks up at me, her eyes wide and filled with fear, and I can tell that something is wrong.I breathe in deeply through my nose to stop my wolf from it's restless stirring. There's something about this girl that has been making me restless on the inside. Her smell, her eyes, her figure.I've never felt like this before.I shake off the haze, brought back to reality by her distressed look."Calm down," I tell her, trying to soothe her. "It's going to be okay."She shakes her head, her voice laced with desperation. "I can't stay here," she says, her voice shaking. "I have to leave, now."I can see the fear in her eyes, and I know that I can't let her leave. I'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe, even if it means putting myself in danger."What's going on?" I ask, trying to keep my voice calm. "What hap
ELISEThe day was getting older as I looked through the shattered windows. Its frames couldn't grip the glasses themselves and this made me feel a little bit of nausea about my feelings for Jared. My feelings all crashed when I noticed he wasn't even ready for me.My step sister would never have even thought about even bringing such detriment to me right now as I sit behind shattered windows with the same despair as the inanimate object.I could not look any further at the windows. The memories and words it spoke to me brought so much guilt to me and made me feel so abstract.I was left in the room alone and I did not enjoy the company of the boys. It was pretty hard to revulse them directly but they made a little bit of a nice story whenever I think about their life stories. It did hurt me a lot but not to the same extent as they felt. I decided to take my mind off thinking about their story.I heard shoe shuffles and heels knock on the ground sparingly. Was it some kind of ghost?I
LAZARUSThe dinner was not done already but I could not stand losing Elise sitting all alone amidst some wild set of people. The waves around the place seemed to run extra fast as I could not make any rigid movements, so I enjoyed the early evening by yawning."You want to have some rest?", She had asked.All over me, I didn't want to show any form of tiredness. As well I had expected that she would be asking me something else as soon as I had slept."You want to eat?", She had asked again.I absolutely knew I was tired of the meal. She looked really tired and forgot about our early intentions regarding what we had to talk about. She scanned the dining hall with her eyes to be sure that no one else was there before she turned the plates face down and slid them onto the table so fast.It passed my eye so fast that I couldn't even imagine what she did."Are you aware it's going to be damn hard for us to see this food for the rest of the night?", I asked. There was a rise in my tone but
LAZARUS Lazarus wasn't as friendly due to the action he took. This I suppose. I was wondering why he would have taken his steps behind to let me face my detriment alone. The momentum which I had used initially in opening the door had reduced as I was ready to hear the next word squeal. The hinges of the door screeched and finally opened. Thomas' face was a bit weary and deeply focused on the book which he placed right in front of him as he had crossed his legs comfortably in his reading position. I was deeply joyous to find that his stash of magazines was kept toward the other part of the door and just mere books had crashed to the ground.I looked back at Lazarus to be sure of where he stood. I could only find his shadow. It tilted against the reflection of the light until he was out of my sight. Is this a good plan and point to say and deeply convince me that I do not have to compulsorily stay with the boys? I asked myself. It seemed my thoughts had their own mouth. My though