Double the Trouble and Twice the Blessing

It was dark out. Well, duh. For as long as I could remember, no light shone on the streets after sunset. The rain that fell on us was just as acidic and stinging as always. The only difference right now seemed to be the fact that we were soaked in it instead of in some kind of shelter. The bare feet of my twin were falling in time with my own, keeping up as we ran through the puddles. The amount of mud made it one of the most disgusting things ever.

“Where are we gonna go? We can barely see our hands in front of our faces.” I hissed to myself…mostly. Honestly, I didn’t really like the idea to run off in the middle of the night. We were in a fine enough shelter before. I glanced at my twin, seeing the same thought run across her own brain. Hunger was at our backs now, along with the weight of our wet clothes slowing us down, oh, and you cant forget the lovely chucks of gravel plastered into the mud on our feet. The hunger aspect hit home when Korie’s stomach growled. I glanced at the darkened, dirty streets. There was no food out here, and even if there was, the rain would have contaminated it. Not that we would have cared. Food has been absent from our lives for two days. The only people who had food anymore were the Lords. Their lives seemed perfect as all of us died because of our lack of food and decent living conditions. Personally, I think Korie and I had done pretty well on the streets, by ourselves.

“We’ll find something. There has to be a building around here we can break into.” She ran a hand through her sopping wet hair and attempted to ring out her worn shirt. The sound of the water hitting the ground fell in rhythm with the rain. I sighed and rubbed my own stomach, the cramp of hunger getting worse. If we could only get out of the rain, get some food and a bit of warmth…

“Korie, c’mon! I’m shaking.” I whined at my twin as she leaned on an abandoned car. I rubbed my hands up and down my arms to warm myself up. It didn’t do anything but spread the cold water on my arms some more, making me shiver again. She pushed her hair out of her face and linked her arm with my own.

“We’ll try up the road here.” And we began walking aimlessly through the streets once again. It was the only way to avoid the mass amounts of trash that lined the roads. I grumbled under my breath, cursing whatever caused this to happen to the land. As we continued to walk, I caught onto something. The trash started to thin out until it simply wasn’t there.

“What the hell is this? The trash just…stops?” I glanced around, dumbfounded.

“I guess. No one is on this side of town anymore. It’s a lot quieter.” Korie continued walking on, catching sight of something. After a minute I sighed and followed, my eyes landing on the iron barred gate that surrounded someone’s property. The gate had to be at least twelve feet high, the points on the end of the poles looking menacing.

“Look. There is a building. We just have to get through the gate.” She mumbled and followed the wall, no doubt trying to find the lock to get it open. Just as she found it, I pulled her arm back.

“What if someone is in there?” She shrugged me off.

“Do you see any lights on?” I didn’t. I bit my lip and refused to respond. “Exactly. There is no one here. It is vacant and if it is locked up, that must mean there is somewhere we can sleep and get warm till morning.” She grabbed the latch. “It’s not even locked!” I couldn’t put in a word of protest before I was grabbed and pulled through the gate with Korie shutting it behind me.

“What if there is a guard dog?”

“Then, I guess, we are dog chow.” Korie grumbled back, leading me around the house. I don’t know what in the hell she was looking for, so I really had no choice. We walked around the perimeter, my twin still looking for something. “Found it. I’m not completely hopeless.” I heard her say before she got on her hands and knees to look at something. As she grabbed a good sized rock, I realized that she had found a window and was ready to break it open.

“Are you sure we should do this?”

“Well, we could always just stay out here in the rain all night.” The sarcasm in her voice was evident to anyone listening. If there was someone listening.

“Fine.” The last syllable left my mouth and she smashed the window in. We both held our breath, straining our ears to hear if anyone was home. It was another moment before she began to knock out a few more of the larger pieces of glass that were still in the window frame.

“No one is there, we get in.” Korie said to me, beginning her climb into the basement. “Fuck.” I barely heard her cuss as she pulled herself down. The twitch in my side and tingling sensation told me she had gotten herself cut on a shard of glass. “Come on through, and watch your sides when you climb through.” She told me. As soon as I was in I let out a sigh of relief.

“At least it is warm in here.” I cracked a smirk while my sister laughed lightly.

“We should probably find a light switch and see if it actually works.” I nodded and jumped down after Korie, my eye twitching as a bit of pain hit my ankle. It wasn’t major enough for Korie to feel it, but it was still a shocker. I limped for a second and felt around the walls, trying to find a switch.

“Its over here.” I said from a few feet from where I had previously been standing. I flicked it, not ready for the sudden onslaught of light that attacked my pupils. I blinked a few times, my eyes finally adjusting to the brightness. Korie was standing across from me, a smirk on her face and holding her side.

“Well, you look like shit.” She said as she eyed me.

“I could say the same to you.” I quickly shot back. Mud covered her clothes and the rain made them stick to her. Her blonde hair resembled bed head gone wrong. I knew I was in a similar state. Being identical twins, that tended to happen.

“You okay? You look a bit distant.” I yanked off my soaked sweat shirt, dropping it down with a ‘plop’.

“Hmm, oh, yeah I’m fine. Just tired.” She was lying. Call it twin intuition, but I knew it. And I let her get away with it simply because she wanted to.

“Well, lets see what is upstairs.” I grabbed the knob on the door and yanked it to the side. My eyebrows furred together in confusion. “It is locked.” I turned to my sister. “I can probably pick it, just lemme breathe for a minute…at least we aren’t in the cold.” I sat in a chair.

The basement wasn’t some grand room. It was empty and large. Black leather furniture was spread around in no particular order. Boxes and crates were just as scattered as the furniture.

“I swear I heard something from downstairs!” A male voice echoed into the room.

“Oh dear God.” I looked at Korie in fear, reminding myself to do the whole ‘I told you so’ thing later.

“Get the light and there is a closet we can hide in.” I flicked the light off and practically dove into the closet, getting as far to the back as I could with my twin. Adrenaline pounded a beat in my ears and my heart should have jumped out of my chest with how hard it was beating. But we could still hear them talking.

“Well someone is here, or was here. The window is broken.” The first voice spoke again.

“No. They’re here. They left their sweater behind.” The second voice seemed to growl out the words. I clenched my eyes shut and bit my lip to prevent the whimper from coming out. I wasn’t normally such a pansy, but there are times when I can’t help my self. This would be one of them.

I didn’t want to know what they were doing as Korie grabbed my hand and squeezed. The reassurance was great, but there was no hope.

“Dude, the closet.” My eyes shot open just as the door swung open.

I’m sure we were a sight. Twins; two girls, pressed against a wall, days of mud and dirt caked to them, hair greasy and in desperate need of a wash. Both men stood in the doorway, looking at us. The light behind them shadowed their faces, preventing me from getting a look.

“Get up.” It was the man with the second voice, but is was much harsher and demanding. Korie and I were frozen in our place with shock…at first.

“Didn’t he say GET UP?” The man with the first voice held, raising a hand to hit us. I grabbed onto my twin and dived between them, hoping to get out before they could get us. The door to the basement was open and hope sprung to life in my chest. We didn’t even make it to the door when Korie was grabbed from me by the second man and the first grabbed me.

That’s when I could really see their faces. That’s when I knew what kind of trouble we had managed to get ourselves into this time.

The first man was Lord Zachary Vengeance; Lord Vengeance. His dark, clean, dry hair gleamed under the light, lying perfectly on his head. His green eyes had a dark tint to them, making me shudder in a bit of fear. I glanced at my twin and bit my lip, trying to hold back a cry as Lord Vengeance’s nails dug into my arm. Probably from looking away from him.

But, in that glance, I saw Korie was being held by none other that Lord Revered Tholomew Plague. His hair was also dry and clean and gleaming in the light, but styled into a mess on his head. His dark blue eyes were lit with rage.

“Who are you?” Each word that slipped from Lord Plague’s mouth seemed to be its own sentence.

“Korie and Nicole.” I could hear my sister tell him.

“Korie and Nicole…?” He left off, obviously wanting a last name.

“Myers.” I proved quickly, not wanting to anger either of them anymore. Lord Vengeance nodded to Lord Plague. With his harsh grip still on my arm, my twin and I were escorted through the house. We were thrown into what looked like to me as an empty storage closet.

“Congratulations. You’ve managed to gain a one way ticket to the Capital, dumb asses. You’ll await the Overlord’s word on this one.” Lord Vengeance smirk sadistically. “After all, it is his vacation home you broke into.

Morning couldn’t have come soon enough. Korie and I took turns keeping guard, letting one sleep for a bit while the other watched out for either of the Lords. It wasn’t good sleep, at all, but it was some sleep. When the door swung open again, I was up for watch. I nudged Korie awake as soon as the sun streamed through the door.

“You gonna listen when I say ‘get up’ this time, bitch?” Lord Plague sneered and grabbed Korie. I could hear the slight whimper that left her mouth as tingling started in my arm where Lord Plague was holding her on her own. I went to get up, only to be grabbed and shoved back down by Lord Vengeance. I landed on my ass, my hands keeping my torso from hitting the ground, but my head hitting the wall.

“Did I fucking tell you to get up yet, slut?” He growled. It was a very audible growl, too. He grabbed my arm again, nails digging further into the spots they had made last night. “You get up when I tell you to. Let’s go.” I was drug behind the Lord. A tightening in my chest made me look around for Korie frantically. She was no where in sight, and neither was Lord Plague.

“Lord Vengeance?” I throat was raw and my voice cracked. I got a back hand across the face. There was no doubt in my mind Korie felt it as well and a red mark would be across my face for a couple hours. I glared at the man as he looked at me with murderous eyes.

“Only speak when spoken to.” I was pushed into a large SUV when I came to the conclusion that they had purposely separated us. The tightening in my chest got worse the further away Lord Plague took Korie. “Feet in the shackles, arms out.” I did as told, being locked into my seat by my arm, wrists, feet and seat belt. I held back the tears that threatened to fall.

You’re stronger than that, Nik. Don’t let them get to you, Korie’s thoughts echoed in my mind, making my lips twitch into a smile.

I know. Just hurts to be without you, Kor, I responded.

Well, chill. We might as well get some actual sleep. I overheard Lord Plague on the phone. The Capital is pretty far from here so it will be a while until we’re out again. Its not forever.

I nodded and let my head drop onto my arms, which were forced to be extended out in front of me.

Honestly, the next thing I knew, I was being dropped on the cement ground, Korie struggling to get away from someone. I didn’t get any damage from the fall, just a little sore. I nodded at my twin, the tightness in my chest gone now that she was here. She stopped struggling against Lord Plague. She watched as Lord Vengeance picked me up by that very same arm. We cringed at the same time as Lord Vengeance dug his nails into my arm at the same time. Some part of my mind, way in the back, wondered if he had a fetish for it.

“Walk.” We did as we were told, our feet falling at the same time. The cement was hot under my bare feet as we walked across a driveway and up a set of steps. The Lords continued to drag us into what seemed to be a house.

“Oi, OVERLORD!” Lord Plague bellowed out as we walked down a hallway of some sorts. I wasn’t taking in any fine details of the area, just trying to find a way to escape.

“We’re in the main room, Plague.” What I assumed to be the Overlord’s voice echoed back. We took a sharp right, making both Korie and I stumble. I glanced up, realizing the main room should have been named the throne room. Near the back wall, on a raised platform, was a very bored looking man. The man had on black jeans and a black sleeveless shirt, his muscles flexing as he sat up straight.

Next to him, another man stood a bit straighter. He had black hair spiked up around his head and death glowing in his chocolate brown eyes. It was the same look of death that seemed to take over the Overlord’s eyes a second later. We were thrown at his feet not a second later.

“Stand.” His simple command put as shiver down my spine. Korie and I both stood, our heads hanging as we awaited punishment. We’d broken into the Overlord’s vacation house. There was no hope for us. His eyes scanned over us. “What are their names?”

“Korie and Nicole Myers. Huntington natives as far as we could tell.” Lord Plague answered.

“Both of you, look at me.” We did as told. Which wasn’t very often. But, what choice did we have? “You,” he nodded at my twin, “come a bit closer.” She hesitated in taking a step.

“He said closer, girl. Or are you mentally retarded?” Lord Vengeance growled and shoved her forward. The Overlord’s eyes flashed red as a growl ripped through the room just as he caught Korie, keeping her from falling. Everyone went still. I held my breath. The other three Lords had their eyes trained on their leader. He made sure she was settled on her feet before he actually let her go. The Overlord looked at the man next to him, Lord Synyster Gates, and sighed as the Lord nodded.

“Plague, go tell Christ to get rooms ready for the two.” I nearly fell over in shock. The Overlord looked pained for a second before turning to us a speaking. “You’ll each get your own rooms. You’ll stay in there until one of us comes to get you, or you die. Understood?” We nodded and glanced at each other.

What the hell did we get ourselves into, sister?