Chapter 7 My Skin Shifted Abruptly
936 Words
Roderick's secret rescue of me was soon discovered.
Megan flew into a fit of rage. From that day forward, she put Roderick under strict house arrest, locking him in his room and banning him from going out.
He asked someone to pass me a note in secret. The paper was crumpled all over, stained with faint traces of blood.
It read, "Natasha, hold on a little longer. Randall will be back soon, and I will save you for sure. Your power is rooted in humanity's purity and kindness. Never give up, and don't let yourself turn filthy inside."
I clutched the crumpled note tight and cried all night long in my damp, moldy dorm room.
I wanted to hold onto my last bit of purity, to keep wearing my worn, rough uniform, and to wait quietly for Randall to return and rescue me.
But Megan's cruelty only grew worse with each passing day.
She forbade me from washing up or changing clothes, forcing me to work day in and day out beside the corpse pit in the same blood-soaked, rot-stinking uniform.
"You shameless thing. Once your looks fade, I'd like to see what you'll use to lure men," she said, her eyes cold.
My hair grew greasy and matted, sticking messily to my cheeks. My skin was caked in thick grime. My hands, once smooth and flawless, were now covered in cracks, blisters, and rough calluses, aching sharply at the lightest touch.
She also spread filthy rumors far and wide, dragging down anyone who had ever stood up for me.
Vile gossip spread across Ark Bunker like an unstoppable plague.
"Why would Randall risk everything to protect her? It's obvious he's entangled with her, too."
"The Ark Guards kept risking their lives to fetch her dresses and snacks—it's all just power and seduction in disguise."
The medical staff, neighbors, and guards who'd once looked after me were all fooled by the lies. They now stared at me with nothing but scorn and revulsion in their eyes.
I stood at the edge of the corpse pit, gazing into the endless darkness before me. For the first time in my life, I felt living was far more agonizing than death.
A few days later, Megan still wouldn't let me off easy. She transferred me to the outer perimeter of Ark Bunker to dig trenches, built to hold back monster horde attacks.
This spot sat right against the endless waves of creatures, their deafening roars echoing just inches away—it was the most dangerous, most menial hard labor post in the entire bunker.
She secretly arranged three tall, leering brutes to corner me in the loneliest corner of the trench when no one else was around.
Malice and greed blazed openly on their faces, just like hungry wolves staring down a helpless lamb.
One of them said, "Pretty little thing, there's no use struggling now. Be good and serve us well. Ms. Harmon said if you play nice, we can make your suffering a little lighter."
I shrank back in terror until my back pressed flat against the cold earthen wall. There was nowhere left to run.
I thrashed wildly, crying and begging for mercy until my voice turned hoarse and broken. "No... Stay away from me. Please... just leave me alone."
Yet my helplessness and pleas only made them bolder and more reckless.
The leading brute grinned sinisterly and stepped forward, shoving me hard down onto the cold, muddy ground.
His thick, rough palm pinned my wrists firmly to the earth, while his other hand tore savagely at the only tattered uniform I had left.
The harsh rip of tearing fabric cut through the air, leaving my bare skin exposed to the bitter cold wind.
He leaned down and pressed his weight over me, his foul breath blowing straight onto my face. His dirt-streaked, bloodied hand reached for my chest, his fingertips brushing against my cold skin.
My eyes widened in shock. Overwhelming shame and terror closed in on me, almost stealing my breath away.
I thought of how Megan had driven me out of the home I'd lived in for eighteen years. I thought of how the coarse work clothes had rubbed my skin raw and swollen all over. I thought of being trapped and left to rot in the corpse pit for a full day and night.
I thought of everyone who'd tried to protect and help me—all smeared by Megan's lies of an affair, locked away on false charges.
I thought of Roderick, who'd spent his whole life guarding Ark Bunker, now shamed and despised by everyone just because of me. I thought of the day in the corpse pit, how he'd dug through rotting bodies to save me, his flesh covered in festering sores from the corpse toxin.
Memories flashed through my mind in a blur. Two of the men pinned my arms and legs down tight, while the third leered and lunged straight for me. "Sweet girl, let me show you some real affection."
The second my clothes were completely ripped from my body, my skin shifted abruptly. A strange tentacle sprouted out of thin air right from my chest.
In the next instant, a tentacle covered in tough black scales and lined with sharp jagged barbs pierced straight through the brute's back and out of his chest.
It coiled tight around his heart, carrying scalding hot blood and splintered bone, squeezing without the slightest pause or hesitation.
With a thud, his heart was crushed under the tentacle's brutal grip, sending blood and bits of flesh spraying everywhere.
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