I Am No Prey

9-A Version of Hell

I was brimming with curiosity by the time the elevator doors opened. He led me outside, where there was a parking lot to the left. And then, a road that winded off the main street in the distance. I turned around and took a few steps back, looking at the base. It was huge. As soon as we got back inside, I wanted to memorize where every single room was.

It still wasn't dawn. It was that time of day when the sky was a darker hue of blue, and you could see despite the absence of the sun.

"Great, now what are we going to do?"

"You are going to run laps around the building."

I gulped. "Uh, how many?"

He smiled. "Twelve."

I looked down at what I was wearing. Baggy shirt, baggy pants, and no bra. "You're serious?"

"Very."

I planted my feet in the ground. "I don't have to listen to you."

"It's that, or you learn how to fly. And if you dare to refuse, I will take you to the roof and throw you down. Don't think I won't, sweetheart."

I let out a sigh. I could not even move my wings without straining the muscles of my back and stomach, and he expected me to fly with them. Now I knew why Drakhenae was so fit.

"Fine, I'll run," I reluctantly uttered.

It wasn't like I had anything better to do trapped in a military base. Keeping a firm grip on my pants, I started running. By the first lap, my chest hurt. By the second, I was jogging, but it didn't even seem like it. By the third, I threw up whatever was in my stomach. The wings weren't helping. Worse, they were still wet from the shower and even heavier.

"Why aren't you running?" I panted at Everard, my hands on my knees.

"Wouldn't want to make you feel bad. Cause, well, I can run the whole thing in twelve minutes."

I think I already took double that much time with three laps.

"How many miles are twelve laps around the whole thing?"

He smiled again. "Five." And he didn't take a second to switch to the coach mode, "Now hurry up, you need to get back inside before everyone wakes up."

"Why?"

"Because they'll take one look at your wings, and soon the Commander will know what you are, exactly. Now quit wasting my time."

I glared at him and continued running. Eventually, I developed a pattern. When I was on the side of the building without Everard's eyes on me, I walked, and when I reached the other side, I ran again. By the ninth lap, that trick stopped working when I heard wingbeats and looked up to see him flying above. For a moment, I just stopped and stared at him. He stopped as well, staying in one spot, wings beating to keep him midair. If his wings were feathered and white, I would've mistaken him for an angel. Then he spoke and ruined it.

"Hurry up before I grab you and fling you off the roof."

I gave him a gesture and continued running. Though by this point, it was more of a half-walk, half-jog. After twelve laps, I collapsed on the ground. I flopped onto my back, chest heaving and legs shaking from the exertion.

I saw Everard stalk closer and then crouch down, laughing.

"Come on, get up, it's almost dawn. Oh, and your time was an hour, sweetheart."

I glared at him and pulled myself upward. When I stood up, my legs were shaking, my back was screaming at me from the weight of the wings, and my stomach starved, but I ignored them and pushed past him into the building. I wanted another shower, desperately. More than that, though, I developed a strong desire to fling him off a roof.