They Called Her the Devil

Chapter 26, Xander

Izzie was dead.

Izzie was dead and it was all my fault.

I should have told her where the base was. I should have lied better. I should have broken the handcuffs, taken the knife I'd stolen out of my pant leg, and thrown it at the murderer's heart.

I should have done anything except watch as that horrible woman jabbed the needle into Izzie's neck and killed my best friend. I should have done anything but scream as the guard walked in and slung her body over his shoulder.

But I didn't.

I pulled against my overly high tech handcuffs for the billionth time since they'd dragged Leo out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. All I could do was stare at the chair Izzie had died in.

Then a mechanism on my handcuffs turned and the cuffs dropped to the floor. I instinctively rubbed my wrists, those things pinched.

Then a slot at the base of the door opened and someone slipped a tray of food through the slot. I wasn't hungry, still, I'd been crying so I should probably drink some water.

Shakily I stood and as the feeling returned to my legs I walked over to the tray and sat next to it. They'd given me a paper cup full of water, a brown banana, and two pieces of moldy bread with cheese in the middle.

I gulped down the water. It reminded me of how adults always said water couldn't taste bad to shut up their kids. I finished drinking it anyway.

I really should eat something.

I picked at the moldy bread; I definitely wasn't putting that in my mouth. I lifted it to see if the cheese was edible. Then all thoughts of food left my head.

There was a piece of paper hidden under the bread. I clumsily unfolded it to find a note.

Xander,

In ten minutes I will open your cell door. Don't panic or try to fight back, I'm coming to get you out. Arm yourself with what you can and get ready to escape this hell.

-A friend

It had to be a trap.

I had nothing left to live for anyway.

I pulled my knife from where I'd stashed it in my sock. It was meant to be a throwing knife, meaning it was only sharp at the tip. It wouldn't be great in a fight but it was better than nothing.

I tried to pry open a few of the cabinets along the back wall but they were all locked. I wasn't surprised.

I spent the next nine minutes debating whether or not to go with the supposed rescuer. Then the door clicked.

A girl of about eighteen walked in carrying a black pillowcase and a pair of handcuffs. She had a gun at her belt but she was ignoring it.

She had dark skin, braided hair, and was wearing a legion uniform that was perfectly tailored to her measurements. It wasn't a guard uniform either; this girl was higher than an ordinary guard.

"Who are you and why are you helping me?" I blurted.

She chuckled a bit. She didn't look like the kind of person who would trick me like this. Of course, looks could be deceiving.

"I'm Sam, your friend Leo saved my life. I can't leave you two to die here after that."

"Why couldn't you have come before they killed Izzie?" I mumbled.

She heard me.

"Because Izzie isn't dead," she said, my heartbeat rose, "who do you think is hacking the security cameras for us?"

It's definitely a trap.

"I saw her die. Nobody can survive that much Limbo to the neck."

"You saw her get drugged with saline, black dye, and a sedative. Unpleasant but not deadly."

"Prove it."

Sam pulled an x-com out of her pocket and pulled up a video of Izzie. She was wearing black Legion clothes and waving at the camera with an obviously fake smile on her face. But she was alive.

Izzie was alive!

And I had to get out of here as soon as I could figure out if I could trust Sam.

"But why?"

"Because she hacked the Devil's x-com, nobody would kill someone with that kind of talent. Now we're running out of time and we need to leave before more guards come."

Should I really trust her? Yes. She's my only option.

"How do we get her out?"

"We don't. She's in the center of the base surrounded by our best guards. Trying to rescue her would be a suicide mission."

"But-"

"But nothing, you can't help anyone if they kill you, I'm getting you and Leo out. Izzie can get out later."

"Fine."

A minute later Sam had closed the handcuffs over my wrists without locking them. She'd then shoved a see-through black bag over my head.

We walked down the hallway, Sam's hand firmly around my wrist as if I were her prisoner. We passed cell after cell and I wished I could help the people inside them.

Then we reached cell 3809, Leo's cell. Sam unlocked the door and Leo strolled out holding a piece of paper. Probably a note like the one I'd gotten.

"It's you," Leo whispered.

"It's me," Sam smiled.

"I-I'm sorry about your friend."

"Friend?"

"The one I killed in the fight."

"I don't even know his name. My bullet shield malfunctioned, I figured the best thing to do was to fake cry over a random body and hope you'd ignore me. I didn't expect you to help me get out."

"He took a bullet for you."

"I'm the squad leader, they're all trained to take a bullet for me."

Sam's tone had changed. She wasn't cold or distant like some Legion soldiers would be. She seemed to be genuinely sad about this man's death.

Sam helped Leo into handcuffs and slipped a bag over his head. We started walking down the hallway and we almost made it.

Then a group of guards stopped us.

"We're going to need to check these prisoners, there's been an escape," one of the men addressed Sam.

Sam laughed. She was perfectly confident. I wondered again if she was betraying us after all.

"Like you have any right to question me. I outrank your bosses boss."

"Sorry Ma'am but I still need to check the prisoners."

The two locked eyes and Sam glared at him for a minute before smiling.

"Of course."

Sam pulled off our hoods.

***

Hi everyone! What do you think of Sam? Did she betray Xander and Leo or does she have a plan? Will Xander and Leo ever get back to the silver order? Please vote and comment, I want to know what you think!

-Jade