War Prize

Chapter Twenty-Nine: KATIRINA

        The siren woke me up.

       Something is wrong....

        The blaring wail, unlike anything I had ever heard before, sent me sitting straight up in my bed. As the grogginess cleared from my eyes, I could see the flashing light that lite up my in a red glow.

       Something is terribly wrong...

       I hurried from my room, and out into the Contestant Quarter's common room, where I saw the other girls standing. Each wore different expressions of confusion and surprise.

       "What is going on?" Addrianna shouted above the piercing cry of the siren. Her face was twisted in hideous fear.

       How did she pass the Trial of Courage..... I found myself wondering. I gave my head a firm shake to focus.... I must be experiencing shock.... Is this what shock feels like... FOCUS KATIRINA.... my subconsciense yelled at me. So I listened to the conversation being yelled above the screaming siren.

       "The Castle is being attacked." Hellena shouted back. At the look of pure terror she received from Adrianna, she continued. "Don't worry there is no way they can penitrate the Castle walls, it is impos----"
      
       Everything went quiet, as the siren had stopped, and the world seemed to pause for a moment.

       "See. I told you. We are in no danger he-----"

       Then the screaming started. The kind of bloody screams that can haunt your dreams for eternity. I had heard girls scream like that aboard the slave ship. But this was different. This was hundreds of scream happening all at once, bombarding your senses with their drawn out screeches.

        I saw Inu calmly lift her hands to cover her ears. I wanted to do the same. I wanted to cover my ears, close my eyes and hum, until the screaming stopped. But bring myself to lift even a finger in that direction.

        "What do we do?" I hear Addrianna whisper.

        Hellena grasped her hair, and gave it a small yank. "I don't know. This has never happened before."

        "We need to get to the Prince." Eva says, stepping out from the shadows. "He is our benefactor, he is our first priority."

        James... my mind whispered.... I hope he is okay.

        As Hellena begins to nod her head, Adrianna brakes into a loud hiss, "Are your serous? If we go out there we could die." Her eyes flicker to each of us. "The Prince has loads of body guards he doesn't need us. We are safer here." She says, folding her arms defintly. "I don't care what you guys do. I am staying here."

        "I am too." Inu hissed though her sharp teeth. "This is not our fight."

        Hellena opened her mouth to argue, but Eva stopped her. "They have made their decision." Her silver eyes snap to Inu and Adrrianna, and glares venomously at the united pair. "I hope who ever is out there rips you to shreds." Her eyes then flicker to me in question.

         I give her a small nod and she turns away. "Lets go." She hissed at Hellena and I, and without a glance back she strides to the wooden door and slips out. Hellena and I follow obidiently, but I pause for a moment at the door to look back at the girls I have been living with for the past few weeks.

         "Stay safe." I whisper. I see them nod before I slip out of the room and close the door behind me.

          Out in then hallway, the screams are louder, and more horrifying. They bounced off the walls with no where to go. I ran to catch up the Eva and Hellena, and tried to block out the voices as they pleaded and cried. As a group, we raced up and down hallways. But we still have not seen another living soul. The magnitude of the screams faded the farther we ran.