Untouchable by Marii Solaria

Chapter 75 – The Trio

“There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.”— Laurell K. Hamilton

Violetta

“Piece of shit! Let me go! Let me go!!”

The world was a fucked–up place if it allows a seven–foot–tall, muscle man–animal to kidnap me. One minute I was heading to my hotel to meet up with my bandmates to discuss our next gig and the next, I was snatched into an alleyway. I didn’t stand a chance.

I could’ve fought back if only I could access power, but as before, it was like hitting an impenetrable wall. A wall that refused to budge no matter the amount of force I hit it with. Frustration boiled through me like a rumbling geyser threatening to shoot out of its prison. But there was not much I could do. I was a squirrel compared to this behemoth.

Arms bound behind my back in metallic wrist cuffs, my body was thrown into the back of a moving truck. Head hitting the floor, I groaned in pain as the buff man gagged me with a piece of cloth, tightening it on the back of my curly hair. Within seconds, the doors sealed me inside the truck, bathing me in darkness.

Breathing. I hear gentle breathing. There were other people here with me. I couldn’t see them through the pitch–black darkness, but I stay put than to risk a broken ankle. As the truck moved, I crawled to the wall and sat silently, thinking through all that happened.

Never have I thought I’d get kidnapped. I worked too hard to get my life on the path I deserved, and now it was going down the drain. Again. After escaping the underwater hellscape I once called home, to forming my new family with those I love, I ended up in a shitshow once more.

Life must love me. Note the sarcasm.

wasn’t

The ride is far from comfortable. With every bump in the road, it knocked me on my side. Getting up easy with my hands bound behind me. Heat rolled into the dark truck, trapping me and the others in a slow- stoking inferno. Breathing became a task comparable to pushing a boulder. My ears picked up the sudden changes of breathing in the darkness with soft moans, but it all soon fell into silence.

Having a conversation with my fellow kidnapees was off the table, it seemed.

After what seemed like hours, the truck came to a sudden halt. A minute went by and the truck doors open to reveal my abductor. Stone–faced, he yanked me out of the truck and tossed me on my feet, but his strength miscalculated the velocity of the toss. I ended up face planting on the ground.

Fucking hell! Fucking brute!

“Stay.” Was all it demanded, cold and firm. Like he was speaking to a lowly peasant. While I struggled to stand like a newborn fowl, the kidnapper forced two more people out of the truck, gargantuan hands wrapped firmly around their upper arms. One whimpered while the other struggled like a trapped bird.

One woman looked familiar. The strawberry–blond was a beautiful woman, but I’ve never seen her before. The shorter curly–haired one I had seen; I was sure of it.

Chapter 15. Treina

“Move. Try to escape, and I would crush your skulls.” With a hand bigger than my face, the threat became real. He’ll kill us if we tried anything funny. I couldn’t die! I have so much to live for and a partner who must be so worried about me.

thought of Manny and Marina, frantically calling my bandmates about my whereabouts. They all must be freaking out. I’ve never stay out this late without calling.

Amphitrite, what have

dense forest with the brute behind us, watching our every move. The sun was setting below the horizon, but the deep orange lights couldn’t penetrate through the thick leaves. Earth’s scent

it didn’t leave me with a

echoed as we drew closer to a large facility. Concrete, grim, secluded–not an ideal place for kidnapees. My brain was the worst at handling stressful situations because every

continued swimming in. And my knees buckle with every step I take. Walking toward the entrance,

want to enter, but I also didn’t want my brain squeezed like a stress ball.

by chains attached to what I assume were cuffs tight around their

fuck

blue floral summer dress walked to us, hands up in a silent command for us to stop. She surely was dressed weirdly in a gloomy place like this. Her blue eyes and exhausted and held the weight of sadness. Like she was forced to do this. Blond hair that long lost its shine cascaded to her shoulder

you, Cerberus.” She whispered in shame. A silver multi–arrow choker rested around her neck. “T–Take them…” The woman took a deep breath. “Take

me, cuffing? What ‘cuffing‘? My shouts of protest came out as deep muffles because of the cloth gag around my mouth, heavy in my mouth by saliva. The mysterious

we had a

and cleaning solutions burned my eyes. Someone was down here cleaning up, probably to hide evidence of what happened before our arrival. We passed by several steel doors with

kidnapees. I don’t know why, but hearing those sounds tugged my heartstrings. Agony backed up those whimpers, and it

The

further.

brute, Cerberus, opened a door to an empty holding cell,

Kiya

No!

a cell! I couldn’t go back

than adrenaline, taking the reins of every bodily system I have. Fight or flight mode activates, and I was given the choice to stay and fight or flee. I chose to flee. Flee from the impending

to get rid of? Like when you thought you got rid of them all, they come back at the most inconvenient of times? That’s like my memories. Dark memories of my endless days in my cell beneath the

One.

Five.

Twenty–Five.

Hundreds.

I was all too familiar with. Bronchial tubes tightened as my lungs burned for the oxygen they couldn’t get. As fast as I was inhaling, nothing gets through. Tremors and quakes rippled through my muscles like mini earthquakes on a mission to disrupt its anatomical processes. Sweat dropped rapidly like

torment was born from. It taunted me, cackled at my weakness. It laughed at

get far because Cerberus yanked me back. I struggled and screamed through my gag, tears rushing down my eyes as a dam had burst. Heartless as he was, he threw me in the cell with my arms still cuffed behind my back. Phoebe and

We’re trapped.

the first time in five

yelled in worry. “Focus on me,

didn’t want to be here. I felt like Halima. I felt like the little girl forced to live in prison for years, making a home with the chill

through my body, bringing forth special memories of the

my brown flesh was marred with blue, black, red, and yellow. All the times I was forced to exist with the reminders of my family’s hatred and neglect. Reminders that I’ll never truly be loved.