Lie [Part 3]

DISTURBING, AND I SUDDENLY FELT SICK. Tied in chains in front of me was a brown wolf, practically choking on its own blood which judging by the horrid metallic scent it was suffering for quite a time. Its bones were  visible through its fur from the little fat on its body. 

'Why would father do something like this?' Defense against a wolf was one thing but it is torture I could not have tolerated. 

"I—" I stammered for words, accidently waking the sick wolf. I pulled out the gun from my waist band when its eyes glowed through the dimly lit room and I stepped back when it lunged at me, forgetting that its body was trapped by thick chains that were almost strong enough to crush its bones.

The wolf  snarled just inches away from me but got pulled back. It coughed out blood, painting the concrete and I watched in shock as its body slowly morphed to a human's just  like the boy I saw at the forest. With long brown hair, tan skin and chapped red lips, I saw a woman. She rolled up into a ball away from me, wrapping her arms around her naked body and I felt  a pang in my heart when the bruises she had as a wolf worsened in her human form. 

That was the cause of her cries, she must be too weak to stay as a wolf.

The blood looked fresh, like she had recently been tortured and the thought of farther coming down here to torture her when I'm asleep or out made me angered.

My eyes wandered to the black and blue whip marks on her skin and as I continued to stare, her head peaked out from between her knees.

"You're here to kill me?" Her voice sounded strained and sore, her eyes darkening when she saw the gun still clench in my hands," Go ahead, hunter."

I bit down on my lip until I tasted its blood. I was caught between pulling and not pulling the trigger because in reality I would be pulling it on all the lies I've been told in my life. My finger trembled on the hammer but I let out a sigh and lowered it.  

Those were his words, and I knew without a doubt that she had taken lives before but I couldn't do it because no one deserves to be tortured.

"Hmm, that's strange. You are a hunter, are you not?" She asked," Because I was told that all hunters never hesitate on firing a bullet when there's a werewolf involved." 

"You're right but I'm not the person to take advantage of the weak." 

I then left the room and went back up the stairs, searching through the fridge for whatever food remained. I took out canned beans and a carton of milk before returning to the girl. 

"Here." I placed the milk and canned beans on the floor,"You should eat." 

She turned to me, her eyebrows knitted as a way of telling me she wasn't going to eat it and I sighed. "You don't need to trust me, I don't care. But if you don't eat this you're going to die." 

She clawed open the beans and drank it as if it was juice.

"You're right, I don't trust you," She licked the residue from the corners of her lips, "But I don't want to die, however once I regain strength, I'm going to have to kill you." 

"Suit yourself."

The pent up hate for them will take a while. I accept that. It's been so long that it mentally and almost physically hurts to see a wolf in your presence and not pull the trigger. His lessons did that to me. All the scars and the messed up words he repeated didn't leave.

It would hurt to go against it now as I thought about all the times he would suffer me, starve me, beat me…

"Did he do this to you?" I gulped, sort of still hopeful. I had to make sure because I was not quite ready to let go of him. I want to know for sure if he actually cares about me, I want to know what kind of person he is and I wasn't ready to accept that he's a good one at all. 

"If you're talking about that man…yes, what do you think?" She coughed and I felt my jaw tick. 

"How long?" 

"Three months." 

"Fucker." I cursed under my breath. I looked around the room—whips, chains, nails, silver—he tortures them in here.  

"You almost sound surprised." She chuckled, "You people are so oblivious, so stupid."

I looked away from the wall and saw that she had freed herself from the chains, the realization a second too late because she jumped after me, succeeding in flipping me over. 

Her legs pressed into my chest and she clawed at me. 

"So you've been planning this while talking, huh?" I held onto her neck, raising my knee so that her weight wasn't crushing me. "Now that you've regained your strength, you're here to kill me." 

I avoided her attack and I reached into my waistband,  removing the gun before I pulled the hammer back and pressed it to her chest. "Well look at the situation we're in."

I stared into their eyes, there was something behind them that I  didn't need to understand to know that behind mine was the same thing. Fear of death. We were the same in that aspect, fearing that our lives would be over far  too soon. 

Fear that one of us would die here.

"Lydia?!" I heard his voice call from upstairs. He had returned and it wouldn't take long before he could find me. 

"Go." I murmured while staring up at her and  lowered my gun, "Get out of here!" I said louder. "Before he gets back, go on." I pushed her, encouraging her to leave and she closed her mouth, staring down at me before she ran out of the gate. 

I stood quickly and ran after her. I followed behind her when she ran through my father's office and down the stairs. Father who was on his way up the stairs, crouched when the girl jumped. 

His eyes widened, surprised to see his testing subject out her chains, escaping. He looked at the gun still in my hand, confused as to why I was still. "What the hell are you doing girl, shoot it!" 

I raised the gun, my hand trembling as I did and I shook my head, "I c-can't." Suddenly I was my fifteen year old self again, scared as my father screamed at me to kill my first wolf. 

"Kill the darn wolf, woman." Woman. He speaks to me as he would to a stranger. Strangers, that's what our relationship felt like.  

I lowered the gun, the girl had already burst through the door, on her way toward the forest,  and too far from a pistol range. "I'm sorry, father." 

"You freed it?" His eyes darkened when he looked at me, walking further up the stairs, "You entered my office and freed my wolf?!" He barked, "Are you foolish?"

"Her." I corrected him, "You were torturing her."  I frowned, "And you lied to me. I want to know why? I want to know what more of my life is lies. You claim to the public that I mean so much to you when all I am is a weapon. And no, this isn't about the wolves. I forgave that lie. I know that they are dangerous, what I don't know is who you are. I do all you ask me to, I have killed wolves, I smile for Whistle Wood  but now I know that, that has become my mistake. I should've expected sooner that no matter what I do I will never be more to you. I've lived in silence  without a voice because I'm afraid that you'll leave me, afraid that I'll be alone. I was scared  because I'm reminded of the girl I was, scared that you'll hurt me if I don't comply.  Seeing that girl in there shows me that you never changed. And you don't intend to. I know I can't tell you to do so, however I'm sorry but I won't be silent anymore."

"You immature piece of shit!" He grabbed me by the collar of my shirt, "I shall remind you of respect." He snarled, his eyes of no father.