Page 80 of Wallflower

The door lock to the sea can clangs as metal collides when I disengage it. The rusty hinges groaning as the heavy door swings open.

Lonnie, a newer recruit, casts me one fearful glance before hiding it away, and presenting a mask of stone. She signed up for this. But the knowledge she’s willingly walking into hell for thechance at a better future that most likely won’t come is hard to swallow.

The rest of my sacrifices bear expressions that range from worry to impassiveness. All resigned to their sorrowful fate. They’re scared without their weapons, dressed as civilians. It’s understandable. I would be too in their position. They’ll have to rely on their instincts and training to get them through this.

Though I told Maximus my product was more agreeable to his work, I wonder if any team members are regretting their decisions to be whatever’s demanded of them.

There’s nothing I can do about it now.

EvenifI wanted to.

We are out-gunned and out numbered.

The self-loathing I carry burdens me further as Rose slithers into my thoughts once more. This is neither the time nor the place for it. But her squawk of confusion before I left threatens to pull a smile onto my half-hidden face. The neck gaiter is pulled up over my nose, concealing my identity from any onlookers or cameras. But it won’t obscure the crinkling around my eyes if my emotions break free.

“Is this everyone?” the tallest of the group asks. Though all of his features are concealed, a single strand of stark white hair peeks out from beneath his full-faced mask.

Richmond.

I nod. “Everything is contained to this sea can. If your boss likes the goods, all can be doubled next shipment.”

Richmond nods, gaze sweeping over the new acquisition of slaves. “Listen up,” he sharply directs. All eyes shoot to him, and he fights to restrain his elation. He looks from side to side, to the men flanking each of his shoulders, waving them forward with a small flick of the wrist. “Each one of you will present your right hand. A band is being placed upon it?—“

His words are cut off as a small commotion arises. Lonnie struggles, resisting against the fist gripping her forearm. “What is this?” she hisses at the man. “I’m not some dog that needs to be tracked.” Lonnie shoves her shoulder into Richmond’s man. Probably hoping to break his hold and make a run for it. However, her attempt is fruitless. The man doesn’t release her, and his glare says it all—she’ll pay for that.

Most likely in the same way my flower did.

Quick as a whip, Richmond swipes a pistol from the holster on his thigh.

He raises it.

Firing a single shot.

Bang.

It’s over before I can object.

The boom ricochets through the metal box, deafening us all, as some scramble to cover their ears.

Lonnie’s head snaps back, bullet piercing her between the eyes. A hot wash of blood, skull fragments, and brain matter spray over those behind her. Colouring everything in a spatter of crimson gore.

Blood drips off the fear coating the room like a film, as her collapsing dead weight rivals the loudest boom of thunder in the heavy silence. The shock is thick, hushed, suffocating. My quiet breath sounding more like a roar, as my composure threatens to slip.

Richmond clears his throat, gathering everyone’s attention. “There will be no resisting. No uprisings. No escape attempts,” Richmond drawls. “Youwillpresent your wrists and comply as my comrades place the band upon it.”

The two men move slowly through the remaining eleven people, casting worrisome glances between them. Their movements are slow, but precise. Like a craftsman setting the fuse on a bomb.

The heat in this shipping container becomes near asphyxiating, my anxiety mounting, as the men work methodically through their task.

When finished, I breathe a silent sigh of relief.

“The devices you’ve been adorned with ensure your loyalty.” Richmond pulls something from his pocket. A small remote, it seems from afar. He presses a button and every one of the bands alight with an eerie green glow. “They are now armed, and the snake venom held within has no cure. When deployed, you will be struck by two prongs—making your demise seem nothing more than an accident. The death, while swift, is brutal and excruciating. So I suggest you all follow orders accordingly.”

Clearly, they’ve stolen those snakes from the governed island and are milking them in-house. Bucky’s assumption has to be right. It’s the only thing that makes sense as to why he would have an abundance of the deathly serum.

Richmond turns his back, voice low as he addresses the rest of his squad. They all jerk a quick nod and disperse around the container, fetching the crates of contraband that need to be moved.

“One more thing…” he looks over my fearful team. “If one of you dies, you all die. The red button,” he holds up his hand, showcasing the remote, “activates every device. You’ll move as a unit and die as a unit. Don’t fucking stray.”