Chapter 19

(Chained Up)

Yoongi’s Point of View

You always knew it was going to be a ty day when you woke up covered in blood.

Sure, most of it probably wasn’t mine, but that didn’t make me feel any better. I was still covered in blood, my skin itchy and stiff beneath the splatters of it across my face and arms. I shifted slightly, trying to sit up and take note of my surroundings. I groaned as pain flared through my ribs and hands, which were chained to the wall behind me.

I faintly remembered landing a few good punches on the guards that ‘escorted’ me out of the lab, but the way my face and ribs ached said that they had gotten in just as many hits as I did. Bastards.

Despite the pain, I shuffled into a semi-comfortable position, and attempted to check for any major injuries. I couldn't move my hands much with the handcuffs fastened tight around my wrists, but it didn’t feel like I had any broken knuckles, so I wasn’t too worried. My ribs ached too-- probably black and blue with bruises by now-- but again, nothing seemed broken. I worked my mouth for a moment, trying to ignore the metallic taste of blood in the back of my throat, and made sure all my teeth were still intact. They seemed like they were all there, but I also realized around that time that my left eye was almost swollen shut. ing hell.

Once I was satisfied that I wasn’t dying from a punctured lung, or missing anything important, I turned my attention back to my surroundings.

It looked like I was locked up in an over-glorified prison cell. The walls were bare cement, as was the floor. They radiated cold, sending a chill through the room that made goosebumps break out across my skin and shivers race down my spine. If I had to guess, I would have assumed I was being held somewhere in the basement.

There was no furniture in the room. Not a bed, or a chair, or even a toilet. Nothing. I was sitting on the hard cement, freezing my off, and uncomfortable as hell. Talk about bad hospitality.

The only thing that broke up the monotony of the room was the single door on the wall across from me. The thing was massive-- reinforced steel with no sign of a handle, suggesting that it only opened from the outside. There was a small glass window near the top of it, at about eye-level. They’d be able to have a clear view of me right from that window, so they could check in on me at any time and make sure I wasn’t doing anything I shouldn’t be.

God damn it. I hate the government.

I blew out a sigh of frustration and tipped my head back. It hit the wall with a dull thud, and I closed my eyes. My thoughts strayed to Desi. She didn’t get caught when I did, and I tried to give her time to escape, but the guards could have easily sent someone to go check to make sure the others were all still in the room. I wasn’t sure she had made it back in time for her to avoid getting caught, but I hoped she did. I hoped she was okay.

Wait. Who was I kidding? Even if she got caught, they couldn't hurt her. They needed her, for their sick, twisted ing program. And Desi didn’t even know about it!  I should have showed her that damn laptop when I had the chance. At least then she wouldn’t be in the dark about all of it. She would know what they wanted her for, and maybe be able to fight back. I cussed out loud, my voice echoing off the cement walls.

. They probably found her.

It all made sense now-- why Eve was so excited that there were two female survivors, why there was a nursery, why the outside of the safe house said ‘Center for Repopulation. I thought it meant a place that people could go to not die, and maybe raise a family in peace. Not actual ing repopulation-- breeding us like ing animals!

The little time I had to look at that laptop had shown me a whole new world of horrors, and gave me a very vivid picture of the sick program they had here. It would haunt my nightmares for months. They used in vitro fertilization-- the art of taking eggs from a woman's ovaries, fertilizing them in a lab with , and then sticking them in the uterus so the woman can have a baby.

Don't get me wrong, it was a great procedure, and I was sure it made a lot of people happy back before the apocalypse, but this was different. The procedure here was performed against the woman’s will. She had no say in the matter. Once she was in the safe house, she was their property. It was as bad as .

On the laptop, it showed that every female survivor was forced to undergo the procedure, whether or not they agreed. No more going out and killing zombies for a living. No more free will. They were treated like cattle. Their only job was to keep pumping out kids until their bodies either gave out, or they escaped.

It sounded pretty ing horrible to me.

It made me sick to think about these bastards putting anyone through that kind of nightmare, not to mention Hollyn and Desi. I had only known Desi for about a day, but she didn't seem like the type to want to do that willingly. I'd known Hollyn for much longer, and I knew for a fact that she would never agree to it. I hated the thought of anyone forcing her to do anything. It pissed me off, and I wished there was some way for me to warn her… to warn both of the girls. But I was stuck here. Useless.

I couldn’t even imagine how furious Jungkook and Jimin would be when they found out, too. Or any of the guys. These girls were part of us now, and if someone wanted to get to them, they’d have to go through all of us.

The sound of the door unlocking broke me from my thoughts. The door slid open and in walked Sergeant Asshat, as Desi’s had labeled him. To be honest, I’d gotten so used to calling him Sergeant Asshat that I forgot his real name. Not that it mattered. Asshat suited him well enough.

He had a tray of food in his hands and a scowl on his face. There was a bruise on his jaw, and I felt a surge of pride. I hoped it hurt. He set the tray just out of my reach and smirked at me.

I scowled back.

“Breakfast time, runt.” He sneered, kicking the tray toward me. The bowl of gray mush and the glass of water rattled, threatening to tip over at any second. I didn’t even spare it a glance. I slid my foot out and shoved the tray away from me, watching in satisfaction as the bowl and glass both went tumbling and splattered across Sergeant Asshat’s shins.

“Not hungry,” I sneered.

The sergeant turned tomato-red, and glared down at the slop on his pants. He glared at me. “You ungrateful little . You’re gonna pay for that.” He stepped toward me threateningly, and I grinned.

“Wow, I knew you were a coward but I didn’t know you’d stoop so low as to beat the of me when I can’t even defend myself. You scared I’ll beat you now that your boys aren’t here to back you up?”

He sneered back at me, his meaty hands clenching into fists. The guy was at least twice my size, but I didn’t care. I was a fighter. He was an over-glorified mall cop. I could take him if I had to. I’d do what it took to get out of here.

“You got a couple lucky shots, I admit, but that’s all it was. Eve wants you alive, so you’re alive. If it were a real fight, I’d snap you in half.” He looked smug, arrogant, and it immediately made me bristle. I hated arrogant s like him. Only I was allowed to be an arrogant . At least when I did it, it was just for show. I had a feeling that this was his actual personality, which was just sad.

“Did you forget that I've been out in the real world, fighting for my life for months while you've been sitting in here with your thumbs up your ? If I were to take you on in a one-on-one fight, I would win.” I stared at him levelly, unflinching. I felt that it was true, too. I would win. I would have to win.

The sergeant