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Description
The sound of silence was deafening to Aloadae. It made him far too aware of the shallow breaths that rasped between his lips and seemed to make the unrelenting pain in his kneecap scream that much louder. Covered with only his tattered shirt and slacks, Alo hobbled down the empty hallway as best as he could. He placed his hand against the soiled wall for some means of support so as to favor his wounded leg but at the rate he was going, it would take him a while to just even get out of this hell hole. He questioned where to go as he looked at the long stretch of metal doors before him before deciding that anywhere was better than just standing there. Using his hand against the wall to hold him up, Alo slowly made his way towards the closest door but found it to be locked. He gave a grunt of anguish as he went to the next one and found it impossible to open as well.

“Oh come on.” Alo grumbled with displeasure as each and every door gave the same result as the last.

As he rounded the corner of a hallway he continued shuffling as best as he could until finally he spotted a door that had been partially opened due to a power cable sticking out of it and inserted into a nearby socket. Alo’s eyes narrowed as he moved toward it with extreme caution. It already seemed out of place and he wasn’t going to take any chances with that freak psycho Panic running around.

Alo pushed the heavy door slightly as he peeked inside. Instincts reeled inside him to call out and see if anyone was there but in the end he chose not to. Who would he be calling out to? And more importantly, what would he do if someone answered back?

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he noticed a large box shaped object against the floor with shards of glass scattered all around it, twinkling against the light he let in from the hallway. Before Alo could investigate any closer, the sound of a harshly forced spit turned his head.

Sikotic kneeled against the mirror clutching the wire that once held a solitary light bulb at the end of it’s socket. In a fit of rage she had thrown the tv as hard as she could against the ground, shattering the screen to millions of pieces, but it had not been enough to quench her rage. In turn she reached up and pulled at the light’s wire that hung over the table until it was finally ripped clean off the ceiling. Uncertain with what she had intended to do with it, Sik slapped the slick cord around widely against the walls, the chair and finally the mirror where she stopped. The image of herself staring back at her was fierce and intimidating. She clutched at the wire in her hand with a firm grip until she could feel her nails digging into the palm of her hand. But the sudden the change of light and the sound of the heavy door slowly opening made Sik’s eyes shift to the source. She was still staring at the mirror but the image of Alo’s head peeking in was enough to make her spit out a vile piece of phlegm against his reflection, though it was hard to muster up enough saliva to do so.

The sound must have caught his attention for Alo turned to look towards her direction but was uncertain with what exactly he was looking at. Burying her resentment underneath, Sikotic turned around and gave Alo a wide slick smile.

When he spotted her he took a few steps into the room and stared at her with wide curious eyes, though he was probably questioning as to why she was naked.

“Alo…” she purred, “Did you come to rescue me?”

The question seemed to snap Alo out of his trance as he looked into her eyes and then away. “What happened to you? Are you ok?”

The question irritated Sikotic though she did not falter her smile. “I waited for you, did you come for me?”

Alo took another step forward and raised his arm as if to embrace her, “Of course.”

“Liar!” Sikotic snapped, as she whipped her arm around and slapped the cord against Alo’s face. “Don’t you fucking lie to me Alo!”

Alo’s head was knocked to the side from the strike and a thin trail of blood began to leak from his cheek. “Wait!” he protested.

“Don’t you dare lie to my face, you stupid son of a bitch.” Sik growled as she stepped forward and began to circle Alo. The end of the whip scratched against the concrete floor with each step she took.

“Wait!” Alo shouted once more as he brought his hand up to his injured face. “What did he say to you? Sik please, what happened?”

Sikotic stopped after one complete circle. “What happened? WHAT HAPPENED?! What the fuck do you think happened to me Alo?!” Her voice echoed in the room as she continued shrieking at her husband. “I was tortured and starved and humiliated …” she stopped and exhaled a deep breath. “And you…” she lifted the whip once more and shook it at him. “You only thought of yourself. You didn’t give a rat’s ass what would happen to me or Hope!”

Alo raised both hands up, “No! Sikotic listen to what you’re saying, he did this! I was going to get help. I didn’t even know if you were here. I-“

Sikotic slapped at her whip again at Alo, this time striking him on his neck. “Liiiar!” she hissed as she reached out and shoved Alo as hard as she could with her hands.

Alo fell backwards easily enough and landed on the ground with a sickening thud. “Sik, stop! Think! Listen to me!”

Before he could even utter another word Sikotic launched herself at him as she circled around him and wrapped the wire around his neck before hoisting him up. “No Alo! No more listening!” Sikotic screamed as Alo automatically began thrashing and clawing at Sik’s arms to release him.

Even in her weakened state, Sikotic’s rage gave her power but still she could feel the weight of him beginning to quickly diminish her strength. “You were going to leave us! You weren’t going to come back! Why did I ever listen to your bullshit?! That’s all it ever was!”

Sikotic let Alo go suddenly as he scampered away as quickly as his legs would allow him. His neck was red even in the dim lighting “You’re fucking crazy Sik. Panic did this… can’t you see? That fucking psycho!” he managed to say as he continued coughing and gulping for air.

Sikotic dropped the whip and shook her head side to side with a soft chuckle. “No Alo,” she whispered softly as she stepped forward to him, causing him to scoot back in uncertainty. “You did this.”

Sikotic screamed as she jumped towards him once more.

Alo must have expected the sudden attack as he raised his arms and his one good knee in order to try and block off the naked Sik but still her hands managed to snake her way through it all and wrap themselves around his neck once more before drawing her own face in.

Alo gasped inwardly as he felt her lips locking against his in a sensation that he had not experienced in years; a fiery fervor that two shared when they were much younger. Her hands now caressing the back of his head and his cheeks, Alo was taken aback at the sheer passion that was driven into her kiss. “I swear,” he muffled in between kisses. “I wouldn’t.” A forced yet sensual pull of his face against her own silenced all words between the two as Sikotic’s tongue pressed against his lips demanding to be let in. Feeling himself sag and mold against her own naked body, Alo opened his mouth to much of her pleasure. The two kissed passionately as their hands fumbled widely against each other, feeling and squeezing every part they could grab onto. The longer the two continued, the farther the realization of their dire situation seemed to be.

--------

“I don’t think I can do this Alo,” pleaded Sik as she tightened her hand against his own, her footsteps coming to a halt just as the building came into view. “I just don’t want them to change me. It feels so wrong…”

“It’ll be okay, you’re worrying too much.” Alo said, his smile crinkling the edges of his lips as he looked back at his-soon-to-be wife. “We’re just going to tour the facility a bit, talk with the doctor about you and your brother, and just go from there.”

Sikotic bit the inside of her cheeks as she tried to appear strong as well. “But what if he finds me while I’m in there? What if he finds you? How can I help protect you if I’m trapped inside the-“

“He’s not going to find us.” Alo interrupted as he turned to face Sikotic and placed his hands against the sides of her face, forcing her to look at him.

“It’s been about a year and a half now, if he hasn’t been able to track us down by now he probably gave up.” Alo continued, “With his fanatic craze about his father and that rebellion-thing he’s doing, I doubt Panic even has the time to begin looking for us.”

“He wasn’t ‘rebelling’,” Sikotic interjected. “It’s much more complicated than that, you just didn’t understand.”

Alo rolled his eyes as he let go of her face. “And that’s what I’m talking about, he’s imbedded his ideas so deep inside you that without –this- kind of help you just wouldn’t be able to function in normal society.” He said gesturing his hand towards the building.

With a sigh of discontent, Sikotic looked towards the building and whispered “Okay, let’s go…”

------

“No Sik!” Andrios argued. “There is nothing wrong with me! There’s nothing wrong with you!”

Sikotic hung her head low, an act of defeat that she would only show her brother as the guilt became overwhelming. Tears started to well up in her eyes, and she fought in vain against the voices of her conscience which screamed at one another, one side scolding her for betraying the teaching and very livelihood she grew up with while the other side was desperate to find some means of reason to this madness. But despite what she felt inside, she continued to strive on being normal and having her family support and continue being with her.

“We have to though,” she muttered, shaking her head softly side to side. “We can’t be like this. Not if we want to live like normal people.”

Andrios puffed and scoffed as he turned around and wrung the sides of his hair with both hands. “I can’t believe you Sik. Alo has done nothing but make you weak! He’s afraid of you, you know that?” He glanced over his shoulder back at his sister who stared back at him with red-rimmed eyes. The edges of his sanity seemed to blur with the intense frustration that grew heavy within his chest. He wanted to pop. He wanted to hit someone and break something until the noises went away.

“It’s for our best interests Andi, you must understand.”

“What the hell is there to understand?” Andrios began to boil with anger, his knuckles turning white in rage. “I don’t need that kind of life style, I don’t want it! You don’t need it either, you’re better than that.” He placed his hand on the window sill of his newest apartment, his eyes staring deeply outside as if he could escape all of this by simply willing it. “We can go back to the way things were,” he whispered. “Back to the good ol’ days of just me and you. We don’t have to change for anyone.”

Sikotic turned her head away as she wrapped her own arms around herself. She almost wanted to take on his offer, to just leave everything all behind her and just stay with her brother. Her wellbeing and happiness was his top priority but she knew that he saw through all the bullshit and what she actually felt.

“I’m pregnant.”

Andrios stiffened as he slowly turned around, his cracked glasses concealing most of the surprise that radiated from his eyes.

“I’m pregnant…” Sikotic said again, wiping away at a fallen tear that rolled down her cheek.

Sik could feel his gaze shifting down towards her abdomen, almost fearful that the child would suddenly burst through her stomach like some kind of alien despite her not even remotely showing.

“… How?” he asked, looking back up at her as he took a step forwards.

Sikotic couldn’t help but laugh, a strained mixture of amusement and sadness. “How do you think?” she asked.

“I mean, I know how … but …” Andi stood by her side as he wrapped his arms around her shoulder and walked her towards his beaten up old couch. “What’s going to happen?”

Sikotic sat down and buried her face into her palms. “I don’t know,” She whimpered. “Alo says we have to do what’s best for our child. I can –not- be a mother with how I am now. The things I’ve done…”

Andrios took ahold of his sister’s hand as he ran his thumb over her soft skin, attempting to soothe her.

“Our mother was never there for us.” Sik said as she rested her head against his shoulder, taking warmth from his touch. “And we hated her for it. Absolutely fucking hated her. I just don’t want to be like that… I don’t …. I don’t…”

“I’ll do it.” Andrios said, his voice quiet and solemn. Unbelievably, the stern maniacal features of his face seemed to shrink within themselves before disappearing altogether. He sat before his sister as a simple concerned brother. Despite all the hatred, anger and even jealousy he held for both Alo and Panic, Andi felt an untold amount of pity for Sikotic and her unborn child. Memories came flooding back into his mind about the lack of his mother in their lives and how much distraught and anger it caused the two of them. But with it brought the closeness of the two siblings and despite everything in him that felt disgust for what Alo demanded of them, he could not lose his sister. He would give up everything that made him who he was just to be by her side and make sure she was safe from harm.

Even if it killed him.

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Her hands returned back to the back of Alo’s head as she twirled her fingers around his locks and tightly massaged his scalp. But just as Alo was about to offer himself fully to her, Sikotic murmured, her suppressed moans against his lips soon rising to a vibrating scream of anguish. Alo only had a second to open his eyes and stare into the loathing hatred that burned behind her own before Sik sank her teeth down onto his tongue.

Unable to take any more of the torturous lies from her former lover, Sikotic tore her face and clenched teeth that contained Alo’s tongue away from him with a satisfying rip. Blood filled her mouth as Sik spat out the disgusting oral appendage to the side before she quickly returned back to her assault.

Sikotic jerked his head left and right as Alo tried pushing and clawing his way out of her grasp once more. Blood bubbled and spat from his mouth as he tried defiantly crying out in protest, but without his pesky tongue the worst he could do was squirt blood against her face every time he tried to scream. With her grip tightening, Sikotic forcefully rammed his head downwards to the ground until she heard sound of a sharp cracking sound of bone breaking. “You did this! You did this! You did this!” she kept repeating as she continued smacking his head against the floor until slowly Alo stopped moving all together. Still, it didn’t stop the dark queen as she continued wailing her accusations until she could feel the hot liquid begin seep onto her hands.

Her lips quivered as she tightened and loosened her hands over and over again as she stared into Alo’s dead face, his eyes expressed the waning agony he had received until death. The smell of piss and shit confirmed his true death and Sik could only close her own eyes. Blood soaked her hands as she pulled them away from Alo’s neck. She stared her wet fingers and felt her mouth open ever so slightly as she placed them against her tongue.

Already the blood from before felt washed away due to her own saliva and spittle when she was in the heat of battle. But now … oh the taste was wonderfully fresh and she gave a groan of satisfaction as the sweet metallic tang tickled her taste buds once more.
As if her body was on automatic, she flipped Alo’s head over to the side and plunged her fingers into the wet goo. Shards of bone were easily torn away until the grey mushy matter of Alo’s brain became exposed. Sik dug and ripped chunks of the messy gore free before shoving it into her eager mouth. The taste was even more delightful than before. Hunger took complete control and before long she was scraping out the small bits and remains from inside the hallow skull.

But she needed more.

A large groan from her stomach pushed Sikotic into turning her attention to Alo’s soft stomach. She peeled away the shirt with a violent rip that sent buttons flying. Bringing her mouth to the sweet underbelly of her former husband, Sikotic tore into his flesh with ease and began stripping away at his entrails.

When finally she could feed no more, Sikotic sat back on her rear and let out a burp. The aftertaste was bitter and harsh, no doubt her breath was rancid with the foul stench of meat and bone but she did not care.

Even as she continued looking at the remaining corpse of Alo, Sikotic couldn’t care. It was if a light switch had been set off and any compassionate, empathic, good-natured feelings had been gutted out of her.

The only thing she cared about was the all-too-familiar feeling she got thru the act of cannibalism and the desire to hunt once more.

‘It means nothing to me now,’ Sikotic thought to herself as she continued staring at Alo while she kicked away some torn fleshy slab of meat away from her. ‘I did nothing but disappoint everyone around me, and for what? I had everything – power, glory, a purpose – and I threw it all away for some lie.’

“Panic was right, misguided fools.” Sikotic seethed.

A change of sudden light made Sikotic flinch. The bright white light came from the side towards the mirror, and at first she thought it was from the reflection of the doorway but when she turned she saw eyes staring down at her. Panic and Hope were holding hand in hand standing behind the mirror watching her. Panic had a crooked wide set smile that made his teeth even gleam from here. Hope, however, had large wet eyes that couldn’t seem to look away. Her elbow had been tucked tightly against her side as if she had been pulling away from Panic, but at the sight of her mother she couldn’t even move much less struggle to get away.

Sikotic maintained her expressionless emotion as she took in the sight of the two staring at her, but the crinkles in her eyes soon shifted after she realized what had been happening. Tearing her eyes away from the two, she managed to pull herself up but not without struggle as she felt the weight of the reality now that her scuffle with Alo was over.

As she ventured out into the hallway, Sik shielded her face and eyes from the blinding flashes of light above, having become sensitive to the dark setting which her confines was in. The door that held both Panic and Hope was not immediately present beside her own room, probably having its own entrance in the adjacent hallway on the other side, so that is where Sik began her destination.

As she rounded the corner and continued down the hallway, a soft cry behind a door captured her attention. Sik stopped momentarily as she looked towards its direction before back further down the hallway. There was no possible way this cry could be from either Panic or Hope, this wasn’t the door at all, but she felt compelled to investigate further. Her daughter and leader would have to wait…

Sikotic grabbed hold of the door’s handle and gave it a tug, but instantly she felt the resistance of it’s lock holding it firmly in place.

“Fuck…” Sikotic sighed, lowering her eyes to the ground. There was no possible way she could manage to find a way to open the door. Her strength was long gone, her patience strained, she couldn’t even find it in herself to think straight let alone begin to calculate what other possibilities there could be.

A click inside the door made Sik look back up, her mouth dropping slightly at the sudden surprise. When she pulled at it this time, the door opened easily enough but instead of finding someone behind it there was nothing … nothing but a narrow long laundry room inside.

Old beaten up washer and dryers lined up one side of the room, the soft metallic whirls indicated that a couple were active at the moment with each occasionally made a clanking noise from whatever was inside of them. At the end of the room however, was a long flimsy looking table with a red splotchy sheet draped over a silhouette of a body. An IV drip was hoisted on a stand right beside it with its hose running down alongside the table before disappearing underneath the sheet.

Sikotic began to approach the hidden figure which began to move slightly beneath it’s cover. She entered slowly, swallowing the sudden itch that began to form in the back of her throat. Another moan cried out and immediately Sikotic shortened the distance between them and threw back the sheet.

Andrios laid before her, his upper and lower torso as well as legs had been wrapped tightly against the table with what appeared to be duct tape. His head was wrapped with cloth, patched together with another single strap of tape but it had begun to lose its sticky substance when his blood had seeped through the layers.

“Andi…” Sik hissed softly, as she reached out and cupped his cheek with one hand. “My brother.”

His eyes were fogged as he rolled his head from one side to the other, almost as if he were completely unaware of her presence. He gave another groan of discomfort as his shoulders rolled against his makeshift restraints.

Sik knelt beside him and began undoing the needles that were attached into his forearms. She wasn’t sure exactly what was inside the drip bags, but it strongly hinted at something to keep Andi subdued and unfocused. “Andi? Can you hear me?” she called out to him, reaching up to his face once more as she looked into his eyes.

Andi softly blinked, letting out another groan as he stared blankly beyond his sister.

“Come on Andi, let’s get you out of here.” Sik whispered as she began looking around the room for means to cut him free. The room was littered with rags, sheets and discarded clothing from the many victims Panic, and even herself, had brought to this building. On top of one of the dryer’s was her own clothes folded neatly and stacked together. Sparing her brother of humility of seeing his sibling in such state she was in Sik slid her bra and underwear on, having been grateful to be spared the shameful story she might had to have told him otherwise. The only remaining article of clothing left to be put on was the blue dress she had on when Panic abducted her. Fingers lingered over the clothing before she picked up gingerly and caressed the fabric with her thumb. The texture was soft, the color almost as nearly as bright when she put it on that morning – though it felt so long ago now. As she looked deeper at the dress she could still see the faint stains of blood and small tears here and there from her time of capture, the feeling it left inside her felt hallow yet familiar. The overbearing presence of anger washed over all around her as she recalled the face of Alo. In a fit of rage, Sik clenched the dress in her hand and tossed it at the opposing wall where it sank and disappeared behind one of the washers.

“S-Sik…”

Sikotic turned to look back at her brother who, still dazed from the drugs, called out her name. The formerly crushing burden was now completely lifted from her mind, as she went back to him and caressed the side of his head. “Shhh, shhh…” she whispered, placing her lips against his cheek as a single solitary tear rolled down her own. “I’m here now. It’s going to be okay.”

Andi fell back into a state of unconsciousness leaving Sik to find some other garb to wear. Having a tremendous amount to choose from, she eventually chose a loose fitting pair of jeans and simple black shirt. Whilst digging through all the clothing, she across Andi’s pair of cracked sunglasses that had been tossed aside in a pile of clothes. As she dressed herself Sik couldn’t help but feel as though the sunglasses themselves were staring at her, accusing her for her betrayal, and with a saddened heart she set the glasses on Andi’s table beside him. In another pile she eventually found an old rusted pair of scissors that she was able to use to cut off the tape that held Andrios down onto the table.

As she waited for her brother to come to, she sat beside her brother and pondered all that had happened to them, what she alone made her brother go through. It made her mad. Livid. She couldn’t help but wonder what was to become of them after all of this.

The chocolate-haired beauty let out a puff of frustration, her hand clenching against Andi’s. She brought it to her lap and stared at it for a moment. His knuckles were cut and bruised, but otherwise mildly clean save for the speckles of caked blood. Blood spilled because of her. She sighed and was about to lay it back down when she turned and noticed Andi staring up at her.

Sikotic shifted and made a weak smile as she tightened her grip against his hand once more. “Hey there,”

Andi seemed bewildered to even see her as he continued staring at her, the drowsy effect of the drugs finally wearing off. “Hey…” he responded. “I – I - …” he began, seeming to struggle for words. “Was I bad?” he asked, his features mimicking that of a child.

Sikotic shook her head as she gingerly brushed his bandages off from his head. “No, no. You weren’t bad. I was the bad one, and I’m so very –very- sorry Andrios.”

Confused, Andrios slowly rose up to a sitting position as he leaned on Sik for support. “I don’t understand.” He admitted, his head throbbing from the pain he caused earlier.

Sikotic tenderly took Andi’s glasses and placed it on his face. “You were right, you were right about everything.” Her smile was forced and strained until she averted her eyes downwards. “I had been used and controlled and just lost who I really was along the way.”

The room around him darkened as the sunglasses set perfectly on the bridge of his nose, and with it so did Andi’s mood as it pained him to see his sister in such a distressed and agitated state. Still determined to console her, he spoke. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Sikotic shot him a look.

“Okay, maybe a little.” Andi chuckled in admission. “But you can’t change it. What’s done is done. The only thing that matters is what you do from here on out and—“ he stopped, suddenly recalling exactly how he got here. His eyes and ears instantly became alert despite the screaming pain in his head. “Is he still here? Where are we?”

Sikotic nodded solemnly. “Yeah, he is.” She scooted herself off the table and stood up as she waited to help Andi do the same. “I’m done being told how abnormal I am by society’s standards. I was perfect, and I will be utter perfection once more.”

Andi stood and grasped onto Sik’s shoulder to maintain his balance as he stared down into her yellow golden eyes. “What about your family? Alo and Hope?”

Sikotic stared back into her own reflection from her brother’s sunglasses, a hint of his own eyes peeking through the jagged cracks. “We have to do what must be done.” She said as she began making her way towards the doorway and back into the hall.

Andrios stared after Sikotic as he glanced back at his makeshift bed and then towards her once more. The tone in his sister’s voice sent a tingle down his spine, one filled with excitement and curiosity as his dormant desires began to bubble within. After all these years, Aloadae still made his blood boil. To think for even a moment that the lowly coward of all people brainwashed his sister and talked her into wedding him; not to mention planted his seed into her! Alo stole everything from him. If it wasn’t for his participation in Alo’s little games, he was sure that Alo would have found a way to keep Sik out of Andi’s life altogether.

The next time he saw him, he would kill him without hesitation. That was the very least he deserved, after all he put them through.

“Andi?” Sikotic’s voice came from the hallway, grabbing his attention. “Everything all right?”

Andrios smiled calmly, although in truth he wanted nothing more to scream and holler and coldly murder anyone who got in his way, save for his sweet little sister. “I’m fine.” He responded. “Just getting my bearings.” He straightened his posture and proceeded to leave where he joined Sikotic outside in the hallway.

Sikotic was looking up causing Andi to follow his gaze where he spotted a small black spherical glass sticking out from the ceiling.

“He’s waiting.” Sikotic said, as she turned away and began walking down the hallway.

The pounding and excruciating pain in his head grew more and more intense as he followed after her, but instead of resisting and struggling against it – he devoured the sensation it brought him. There was clarity inside the pain like nothing he had felt in years.

And he loved it.

Description
The sound of silence was deafening to Aloadae. It made him far too aware of the shallow breaths that rasped between his lips and seemed to make the unrelenting pain in his kneecap scream that much louder. Covered with only his tattered shirt and slacks, Alo hobbled down the empty hallway as best as he could. He placed his hand against the soiled wall for some means of support so as to favor his wounded leg but at the rate he was going, it would take him a while to just even get out of this hell hole. He questioned where to go as he looked at the long stretch of metal doors before him before deciding that anywhere was better than just standing there. Using his hand against the wall to hold him up, Alo slowly made his way towards the closest door but found it to be locked. He gave a grunt of anguish as he went to the next one and found it impossible to open as well.

“Oh come on.” Alo grumbled with displeasure as each and every door gave the same result as the last.

As he rounded the corner of a hallway he continued shuffling as best as he could until finally he spotted a door that had been partially opened due to a power cable sticking out of it and inserted into a nearby socket. Alo’s eyes narrowed as he moved toward it with extreme caution. It already seemed out of place and he wasn’t going to take any chances with that freak psycho Panic running around.

Alo pushed the heavy door slightly as he peeked inside. Instincts reeled inside him to call out and see if anyone was there but in the end he chose not to. Who would he be calling out to? And more importantly, what would he do if someone answered back?

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he noticed a large box shaped object against the floor with shards of glass scattered all around it, twinkling against the light he let in from the hallway. Before Alo could investigate any closer, the sound of a harshly forced spit turned his head.

Sikotic kneeled against the mirror clutching the wire that once held a solitary light bulb at the end of it’s socket. In a fit of rage she had thrown the tv as hard as she could against the ground, shattering the screen to millions of pieces, but it had not been enough to quench her rage. In turn she reached up and pulled at the light’s wire that hung over the table until it was finally ripped clean off the ceiling. Uncertain with what she had intended to do with it, Sik slapped the slick cord around widely against the walls, the chair and finally the mirror where she stopped. The image of herself staring back at her was fierce and intimidating. She clutched at the wire in her hand with a firm grip until she could feel her nails digging into the palm of her hand. But the sudden the change of light and the sound of the heavy door slowly opening made Sik’s eyes shift to the source. She was still staring at the mirror but the image of Alo’s head peeking in was enough to make her spit out a vile piece of phlegm against his reflection, though it was hard to muster up enough saliva to do so.

The sound must have caught his attention for Alo turned to look towards her direction but was uncertain with what exactly he was looking at. Burying her resentment underneath, Sikotic turned around and gave Alo a wide slick smile.

When he spotted her he took a few steps into the room and stared at her with wide curious eyes, though he was probably questioning as to why she was naked.

“Alo…” she purred, “Did you come to rescue me?”

The question seemed to snap Alo out of his trance as he looked into her eyes and then away. “What happened to you? Are you ok?”

The question irritated Sikotic though she did not falter her smile. “I waited for you, did you come for me?”

Alo took another step forward and raised his arm as if to embrace her, “Of course.”

“Liar!” Sikotic snapped, as she whipped her arm around and slapped the cord against Alo’s face. “Don’t you fucking lie to me Alo!”

Alo’s head was knocked to the side from the strike and a thin trail of blood began to leak from his cheek. “Wait!” he protested.

“Don’t you dare lie to my face, you stupid son of a bitch.” Sik growled as she stepped forward and began to circle Alo. The end of the whip scratched against the concrete floor with each step she took.

“Wait!” Alo shouted once more as he brought his hand up to his injured face. “What did he say to you? Sik please, what happened?”

Sikotic stopped after one complete circle. “What happened? WHAT HAPPENED?! What the fuck do you think happened to me Alo?!” Her voice echoed in the room as she continued shrieking at her husband. “I was tortured and starved and humiliated …” she stopped and exhaled a deep breath. “And you…” she lifted the whip once more and shook it at him. “You only thought of yourself. You didn’t give a rat’s ass what would happen to me or Hope!”

Alo raised both hands up, “No! Sikotic listen to what you’re saying, he did this! I was going to get help. I didn’t even know if you were here. I-“

Sikotic slapped at her whip again at Alo, this time striking him on his neck. “Liiiar!” she hissed as she reached out and shoved Alo as hard as she could with her hands.

Alo fell backwards easily enough and landed on the ground with a sickening thud. “Sik, stop! Think! Listen to me!”

Before he could even utter another word Sikotic launched herself at him as she circled around him and wrapped the wire around his neck before hoisting him up. “No Alo! No more listening!” Sikotic screamed as Alo automatically began thrashing and clawing at Sik’s arms to release him.

Even in her weakened state, Sikotic’s rage gave her power but still she could feel the weight of him beginning to quickly diminish her strength. “You were going to leave us! You weren’t going to come back! Why did I ever listen to your bullshit?! That’s all it ever was!”

Sikotic let Alo go suddenly as he scampered away as quickly as his legs would allow him. His neck was red even in the dim lighting “You’re fucking crazy Sik. Panic did this… can’t you see? That fucking psycho!” he managed to say as he continued coughing and gulping for air.

Sikotic dropped the whip and shook her head side to side with a soft chuckle. “No Alo,” she whispered softly as she stepped forward to him, causing him to scoot back in uncertainty. “You did this.”

Sikotic screamed as she jumped towards him once more.

Alo must have expected the sudden attack as he raised his arms and his one good knee in order to try and block off the naked Sik but still her hands managed to snake her way through it all and wrap themselves around his neck once more before drawing her own face in.

Alo gasped inwardly as he felt her lips locking against his in a sensation that he had not experienced in years; a fiery fervor that two shared when they were much younger. Her hands now caressing the back of his head and his cheeks, Alo was taken aback at the sheer passion that was driven into her kiss. “I swear,” he muffled in between kisses. “I wouldn’t.” A forced yet sensual pull of his face against her own silenced all words between the two as Sikotic’s tongue pressed against his lips demanding to be let in. Feeling himself sag and mold against her own naked body, Alo opened his mouth to much of her pleasure. The two kissed passionately as their hands fumbled widely against each other, feeling and squeezing every part they could grab onto. The longer the two continued, the farther the realization of their dire situation seemed to be.

--------

“I don’t think I can do this Alo,” pleaded Sik as she tightened her hand against his own, her footsteps coming to a halt just as the building came into view. “I just don’t want them to change me. It feels so wrong…”

“It’ll be okay, you’re worrying too much.” Alo said, his smile crinkling the edges of his lips as he looked back at his-soon-to-be wife. “We’re just going to tour the facility a bit, talk with the doctor about you and your brother, and just go from there.”

Sikotic bit the inside of her cheeks as she tried to appear strong as well. “But what if he finds me while I’m in there? What if he finds you? How can I help protect you if I’m trapped inside the-“

“He’s not going to find us.” Alo interrupted as he turned to face Sikotic and placed his hands against the sides of her face, forcing her to look at him.

“It’s been about a year and a half now, if he hasn’t been able to track us down by now he probably gave up.” Alo continued, “With his fanatic craze about his father and that rebellion-thing he’s doing, I doubt Panic even has the time to begin looking for us.”

“He wasn’t ‘rebelling’,” Sikotic interjected. “It’s much more complicated than that, you just didn’t understand.”

Alo rolled his eyes as he let go of her face. “And that’s what I’m talking about, he’s imbedded his ideas so deep inside you that without –this- kind of help you just wouldn’t be able to function in normal society.” He said gesturing his hand towards the building.

With a sigh of discontent, Sikotic looked towards the building and whispered “Okay, let’s go…”

------

“No Sik!” Andrios argued. “There is nothing wrong with me! There’s nothing wrong with you!”

Sikotic hung her head low, an act of defeat that she would only show her brother as the guilt became overwhelming. Tears started to well up in her eyes, and she fought in vain against the voices of her conscience which screamed at one another, one side scolding her for betraying the teaching and very livelihood she grew up with while the other side was desperate to find some means of reason to this madness. But despite what she felt inside, she continued to strive on being normal and having her family support and continue being with her.

“We have to though,” she muttered, shaking her head softly side to side. “We can’t be like this. Not if we want to live like normal people.”

Andrios puffed and scoffed as he turned around and wrung the sides of his hair with both hands. “I can’t believe you Sik. Alo has done nothing but make you weak! He’s afraid of you, you know that?” He glanced over his shoulder back at his sister who stared back at him with red-rimmed eyes. The edges of his sanity seemed to blur with the intense frustration that grew heavy within his chest. He wanted to pop. He wanted to hit someone and break something until the noises went away.

“It’s for our best interests Andi, you must understand.”

“What the hell is there to understand?” Andrios began to boil with anger, his knuckles turning white in rage. “I don’t need that kind of life style, I don’t want it! You don’t need it either, you’re better than that.” He placed his hand on the window sill of his newest apartment, his eyes staring deeply outside as if he could escape all of this by simply willing it. “We can go back to the way things were,” he whispered. “Back to the good ol’ days of just me and you. We don’t have to change for anyone.”

Sikotic turned her head away as she wrapped her own arms around herself. She almost wanted to take on his offer, to just leave everything all behind her and just stay with her brother. Her wellbeing and happiness was his top priority but she knew that he saw through all the bullshit and what she actually felt.

“I’m pregnant.”

Andrios stiffened as he slowly turned around, his cracked glasses concealing most of the surprise that radiated from his eyes.

“I’m pregnant…” Sikotic said again, wiping away at a fallen tear that rolled down her cheek.

Sik could feel his gaze shifting down towards her abdomen, almost fearful that the child would suddenly burst through her stomach like some kind of alien despite her not even remotely showing.

“… How?” he asked, looking back up at her as he took a step forwards.

Sikotic couldn’t help but laugh, a strained mixture of amusement and sadness. “How do you think?” she asked.

“I mean, I know how … but …” Andi stood by her side as he wrapped his arms around her shoulder and walked her towards his beaten up old couch. “What’s going to happen?”

Sikotic sat down and buried her face into her palms. “I don’t know,” She whimpered. “Alo says we have to do what’s best for our child. I can –not- be a mother with how I am now. The things I’ve done…”

Andrios took ahold of his sister’s hand as he ran his thumb over her soft skin, attempting to soothe her.

“Our mother was never there for us.” Sik said as she rested her head against his shoulder, taking warmth from his touch. “And we hated her for it. Absolutely fucking hated her. I just don’t want to be like that… I don’t …. I don’t…”

“I’ll do it.” Andrios said, his voice quiet and solemn. Unbelievably, the stern maniacal features of his face seemed to shrink within themselves before disappearing altogether. He sat before his sister as a simple concerned brother. Despite all the hatred, anger and even jealousy he held for both Alo and Panic, Andi felt an untold amount of pity for Sikotic and her unborn child. Memories came flooding back into his mind about the lack of his mother in their lives and how much distraught and anger it caused the two of them. But with it brought the closeness of the two siblings and despite everything in him that felt disgust for what Alo demanded of them, he could not lose his sister. He would give up everything that made him who he was just to be by her side and make sure she was safe from harm.

Even if it killed him.

--------

Her hands returned back to the back of Alo’s head as she twirled her fingers around his locks and tightly massaged his scalp. But just as Alo was about to offer himself fully to her, Sikotic murmured, her suppressed moans against his lips soon rising to a vibrating scream of anguish. Alo only had a second to open his eyes and stare into the loathing hatred that burned behind her own before Sik sank her teeth down onto his tongue.

Unable to take any more of the torturous lies from her former lover, Sikotic tore her face and clenched teeth that contained Alo’s tongue away from him with a satisfying rip. Blood filled her mouth as Sik spat out the disgusting oral appendage to the side before she quickly returned back to her assault.

Sikotic jerked his head left and right as Alo tried pushing and clawing his way out of her grasp once more. Blood bubbled and spat from his mouth as he tried defiantly crying out in protest, but without his pesky tongue the worst he could do was squirt blood against her face every time he tried to scream. With her grip tightening, Sikotic forcefully rammed his head downwards to the ground until she heard sound of a sharp cracking sound of bone breaking. “You did this! You did this! You did this!” she kept repeating as she continued smacking his head against the floor until slowly Alo stopped moving all together. Still, it didn’t stop the dark queen as she continued wailing her accusations until she could feel the hot liquid begin seep onto her hands.

Her lips quivered as she tightened and loosened her hands over and over again as she stared into Alo’s dead face, his eyes expressed the waning agony he had received until death. The smell of piss and shit confirmed his true death and Sik could only close her own eyes. Blood soaked her hands as she pulled them away from Alo’s neck. She stared her wet fingers and felt her mouth open ever so slightly as she placed them against her tongue.

Already the blood from before felt washed away due to her own saliva and spittle when she was in the heat of battle. But now … oh the taste was wonderfully fresh and she gave a groan of satisfaction as the sweet metallic tang tickled her taste buds once more.
As if her body was on automatic, she flipped Alo’s head over to the side and plunged her fingers into the wet goo. Shards of bone were easily torn away until the grey mushy matter of Alo’s brain became exposed. Sik dug and ripped chunks of the messy gore free before shoving it into her eager mouth. The taste was even more delightful than before. Hunger took complete control and before long she was scraping out the small bits and remains from inside the hallow skull.

But she needed more.

A large groan from her stomach pushed Sikotic into turning her attention to Alo’s soft stomach. She peeled away the shirt with a violent rip that sent buttons flying. Bringing her mouth to the sweet underbelly of her former husband, Sikotic tore into his flesh with ease and began stripping away at his entrails.

When finally she could feed no more, Sikotic sat back on her rear and let out a burp. The aftertaste was bitter and harsh, no doubt her breath was rancid with the foul stench of meat and bone but she did not care.

Even as she continued looking at the remaining corpse of Alo, Sikotic couldn’t care. It was if a light switch had been set off and any compassionate, empathic, good-natured feelings had been gutted out of her.

The only thing she cared about was the all-too-familiar feeling she got thru the act of cannibalism and the desire to hunt once more.

‘It means nothing to me now,’ Sikotic thought to herself as she continued staring at Alo while she kicked away some torn fleshy slab of meat away from her. ‘I did nothing but disappoint everyone around me, and for what? I had everything – power, glory, a purpose – and I threw it all away for some lie.’

“Panic was right, misguided fools.” Sikotic seethed.

A change of sudden light made Sikotic flinch. The bright white light came from the side towards the mirror, and at first she thought it was from the reflection of the doorway but when she turned she saw eyes staring down at her. Panic and Hope were holding hand in hand standing behind the mirror watching her. Panic had a crooked wide set smile that made his teeth even gleam from here. Hope, however, had large wet eyes that couldn’t seem to look away. Her elbow had been tucked tightly against her side as if she had been pulling away from Panic, but at the sight of her mother she couldn’t even move much less struggle to get away.

Sikotic maintained her expressionless emotion as she took in the sight of the two staring at her, but the crinkles in her eyes soon shifted after she realized what had been happening. Tearing her eyes away from the two, she managed to pull herself up but not without struggle as she felt the weight of the reality now that her scuffle with Alo was over.

As she ventured out into the hallway, Sik shielded her face and eyes from the blinding flashes of light above, having become sensitive to the dark setting which her confines was in. The door that held both Panic and Hope was not immediately present beside her own room, probably having its own entrance in the adjacent hallway on the other side, so that is where Sik began her destination.

As she rounded the corner and continued down the hallway, a soft cry behind a door captured her attention. Sik stopped momentarily as she looked towards its direction before back further down the hallway. There was no possible way this cry could be from either Panic or Hope, this wasn’t the door at all, but she felt compelled to investigate further. Her daughter and leader would have to wait…

Sikotic grabbed hold of the door’s handle and gave it a tug, but instantly she felt the resistance of it’s lock holding it firmly in place.

“Fuck…” Sikotic sighed, lowering her eyes to the ground. There was no possible way she could manage to find a way to open the door. Her strength was long gone, her patience strained, she couldn’t even find it in herself to think straight let alone begin to calculate what other possibilities there could be.

A click inside the door made Sik look back up, her mouth dropping slightly at the sudden surprise. When she pulled at it this time, the door opened easily enough but instead of finding someone behind it there was nothing … nothing but a narrow long laundry room inside.

Old beaten up washer and dryers lined up one side of the room, the soft metallic whirls indicated that a couple were active at the moment with each occasionally made a clanking noise from whatever was inside of them. At the end of the room however, was a long flimsy looking table with a red splotchy sheet draped over a silhouette of a body. An IV drip was hoisted on a stand right beside it with its hose running down alongside the table before disappearing underneath the sheet.

Sikotic began to approach the hidden figure which began to move slightly beneath it’s cover. She entered slowly, swallowing the sudden itch that began to form in the back of her throat. Another moan cried out and immediately Sikotic shortened the distance between them and threw back the sheet.

Andrios laid before her, his upper and lower torso as well as legs had been wrapped tightly against the table with what appeared to be duct tape. His head was wrapped with cloth, patched together with another single strap of tape but it had begun to lose its sticky substance when his blood had seeped through the layers.

“Andi…” Sik hissed softly, as she reached out and cupped his cheek with one hand. “My brother.”

His eyes were fogged as he rolled his head from one side to the other, almost as if he were completely unaware of her presence. He gave another groan of discomfort as his shoulders rolled against his makeshift restraints.

Sik knelt beside him and began undoing the needles that were attached into his forearms. She wasn’t sure exactly what was inside the drip bags, but it strongly hinted at something to keep Andi subdued and unfocused. “Andi? Can you hear me?” she called out to him, reaching up to his face once more as she looked into his eyes.

Andi softly blinked, letting out another groan as he stared blankly beyond his sister.

“Come on Andi, let’s get you out of here.” Sik whispered as she began looking around the room for means to cut him free. The room was littered with rags, sheets and discarded clothing from the many victims Panic, and even herself, had brought to this building. On top of one of the dryer’s was her own clothes folded neatly and stacked together. Sparing her brother of humility of seeing his sibling in such state she was in Sik slid her bra and underwear on, having been grateful to be spared the shameful story she might had to have told him otherwise. The only remaining article of clothing left to be put on was the blue dress she had on when Panic abducted her. Fingers lingered over the clothing before she picked up gingerly and caressed the fabric with her thumb. The texture was soft, the color almost as nearly as bright when she put it on that morning – though it felt so long ago now. As she looked deeper at the dress she could still see the faint stains of blood and small tears here and there from her time of capture, the feeling it left inside her felt hallow yet familiar. The overbearing presence of anger washed over all around her as she recalled the face of Alo. In a fit of rage, Sik clenched the dress in her hand and tossed it at the opposing wall where it sank and disappeared behind one of the washers.

“S-Sik…”

Sikotic turned to look back at her brother who, still dazed from the drugs, called out her name. The formerly crushing burden was now completely lifted from her mind, as she went back to him and caressed the side of his head. “Shhh, shhh…” she whispered, placing her lips against his cheek as a single solitary tear rolled down her own. “I’m here now. It’s going to be okay.”

Andi fell back into a state of unconsciousness leaving Sik to find some other garb to wear. Having a tremendous amount to choose from, she eventually chose a loose fitting pair of jeans and simple black shirt. Whilst digging through all the clothing, she across Andi’s pair of cracked sunglasses that had been tossed aside in a pile of clothes. As she dressed herself Sik couldn’t help but feel as though the sunglasses themselves were staring at her, accusing her for her betrayal, and with a saddened heart she set the glasses on Andi’s table beside him. In another pile she eventually found an old rusted pair of scissors that she was able to use to cut off the tape that held Andrios down onto the table.

As she waited for her brother to come to, she sat beside her brother and pondered all that had happened to them, what she alone made her brother go through. It made her mad. Livid. She couldn’t help but wonder what was to become of them after all of this.

The chocolate-haired beauty let out a puff of frustration, her hand clenching against Andi’s. She brought it to her lap and stared at it for a moment. His knuckles were cut and bruised, but otherwise mildly clean save for the speckles of caked blood. Blood spilled because of her. She sighed and was about to lay it back down when she turned and noticed Andi staring up at her.

Sikotic shifted and made a weak smile as she tightened her grip against his hand once more. “Hey there,”

Andi seemed bewildered to even see her as he continued staring at her, the drowsy effect of the drugs finally wearing off. “Hey…” he responded. “I – I - …” he began, seeming to struggle for words. “Was I bad?” he asked, his features mimicking that of a child.

Sikotic shook her head as she gingerly brushed his bandages off from his head. “No, no. You weren’t bad. I was the bad one, and I’m so very –very- sorry Andrios.”

Confused, Andrios slowly rose up to a sitting position as he leaned on Sik for support. “I don’t understand.” He admitted, his head throbbing from the pain he caused earlier.

Sikotic tenderly took Andi’s glasses and placed it on his face. “You were right, you were right about everything.” Her smile was forced and strained until she averted her eyes downwards. “I had been used and controlled and just lost who I really was along the way.”

The room around him darkened as the sunglasses set perfectly on the bridge of his nose, and with it so did Andi’s mood as it pained him to see his sister in such a distressed and agitated state. Still determined to console her, he spoke. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Sikotic shot him a look.

“Okay, maybe a little.” Andi chuckled in admission. “But you can’t change it. What’s done is done. The only thing that matters is what you do from here on out and—“ he stopped, suddenly recalling exactly how he got here. His eyes and ears instantly became alert despite the screaming pain in his head. “Is he still here? Where are we?”

Sikotic nodded solemnly. “Yeah, he is.” She scooted herself off the table and stood up as she waited to help Andi do the same. “I’m done being told how abnormal I am by society’s standards. I was perfect, and I will be utter perfection once more.”

Andi stood and grasped onto Sik’s shoulder to maintain his balance as he stared down into her yellow golden eyes. “What about your family? Alo and Hope?”

Sikotic stared back into her own reflection from her brother’s sunglasses, a hint of his own eyes peeking through the jagged cracks. “We have to do what must be done.” She said as she began making her way towards the doorway and back into the hall.

Andrios stared after Sikotic as he glanced back at his makeshift bed and then towards her once more. The tone in his sister’s voice sent a tingle down his spine, one filled with excitement and curiosity as his dormant desires began to bubble within. After all these years, Aloadae still made his blood boil. To think for even a moment that the lowly coward of all people brainwashed his sister and talked her into wedding him; not to mention planted his seed into her! Alo stole everything from him. If it wasn’t for his participation in Alo’s little games, he was sure that Alo would have found a way to keep Sik out of Andi’s life altogether.

The next time he saw him, he would kill him without hesitation. That was the very least he deserved, after all he put them through.

“Andi?” Sikotic’s voice came from the hallway, grabbing his attention. “Everything all right?”

Andrios smiled calmly, although in truth he wanted nothing more to scream and holler and coldly murder anyone who got in his way, save for his sweet little sister. “I’m fine.” He responded. “Just getting my bearings.” He straightened his posture and proceeded to leave where he joined Sikotic outside in the hallway.

Sikotic was looking up causing Andi to follow his gaze where he spotted a small black spherical glass sticking out from the ceiling.

“He’s waiting.” Sikotic said, as she turned away and began walking down the hallway.

The pounding and excruciating pain in his head grew more and more intense as he followed after her, but instead of resisting and struggling against it – he devoured the sensation it brought him. There was clarity inside the pain like nothing he had felt in years.

And he loved it.