Le Liberté

He crouched over the young girl named Hartley on the ground, studying her face, her body, her clothes and the emotionless expression of sleep. He scrunched His nose when she started to sigh gently in her sleep. He assumed it was a sign she was already waking up, so He kicked her with the tip of His boot.

"Hey. Wake up." He ordered. Hartley twitched on the ground, her eyelids sliding open before she realized who she was laying before, and she scooted back to the wall. He smiled. Whenever people saw Him, He tended to have that effect. "So, the rebel is awake, is she?"

Hartley was trembling, but instead of showing her fear, she pressed her lips together in a thin line.

"Not talking? After such a ballsy move as trying to kill me?" He stood up straight, His height towering over hers. She yelped, hiding herself behind her dirty and soot trodden arms. "Wow." He remarked. "You would think a rebel of the dictator would be a bit more... courageous. False pride? Don't worry, you don't need to talk much. Just stand up." He motioned for her to stand up. She shook her head. "Did I sound like I was asking you?"

Hartley stayed plastered to the ground. He pushed His wrist up to His mouth and murmured something. Then He walked over to a television and flicked it on.

"You brought this upon yourself." He said quietly. The telly flashed multiple different colors before settling on a bright and vividly painted picture. Hartley recognized a figure sitting in a chair, shirtless and beaten. His skin had purple welts painted across his chest. A small bone was sticking out of his shoulder. His breathing was quiet and steady as Hartley studied his face.

"Joel." She muttered. The dictator Him pushed His wrist up to His mouth again and mumbled a bit louder.

"Go." He said. On the screen walked up two figures Hartley had recognized from before; the black greasy haired teen and the other one who previously had purple hair. "Meet my accomplices. The one on the right is Synyster." He said, motioning to the one with greasy hair. "The other one is Zacky. Say hello, Syn and Zacky." They waved into the video camera that was taping them before Synyster reached down and held Joel up against his chair by his throat. In the meantime Zacky grabbed Joel's hand, clicking something in between his fingers. Dictator Him smiled as they waited for His approval.

"Still have nothing to say?" He asked. Hartley bit her bottom lip while watching Joel intently. He groaned in aching pain, and it killed her to listen to him like that. Dictator Him said "Go on" before dropping his wrist down to his side. Hartley watched as Zacky placed one finger in between two metal bars that she recognized to be a nutcracker.

Before she could say anything, Zacky smashed the two pieces of metal together, and there was a snap from Joel's hand. Joel screamed, thrashing around as Syn held him down. Zacky looked over at Syn and smiled, saying something quiet enough so Hartley couldn't hear. Syn took the nutcracker between his two hands and moved it over to Joel's next finger. Zacky stood behind Joel with one hand with a pocketknife pressed to Joel's throat, and his other hand pinning Joel's free hand behind his back.

Another mind numbing crack from the telly, and Hartley whimpered while Joel tried to keep himself from moving too much. Syn crushed his pinky finger under the nutcracker with a deafening snap! Joel thrashed once and Zacky's knife dug into his throat. Joel's eyes rolled back into his head for Syn and Zacky both released him at the same time. Joel was in shock.

"I'm not playing games, little girl." Dictator Him shut the telly off and stared at Hartley with His arms crossed over his chest. "You wanted to be a part of the fifth legion Uprising. Now you're a part of it. Do you regret it?" He asked, pinning her up against the wall by her throat. "I don't like traitors in midst of my revolution."

"My name isn't 'little girl'." Hartley snapped. "It's Hartley."

"Ah, yes." He smiled, pulling metal handcuffs out of His pocket. He smacked one against her wrist and watched it swing open and closed around her wrist with delight. He spun Hartley around, grinding her face into the hard stone wall behind her. He jerked her hand behind her back, snapping the other handcuff around it. "Hartley Cane. Age 16. Born on June the 22nd, 1995 at 3:12 a.m." He stated everything on her birth record. "But you aren't really Hartley, now are you?"

"What are you talking about?" Hartley spat. He simply sat down, pulling two drumsticks out of His pocket. He tapped them up against His knees. Hartley began to move, but He pointed a drumstick at her from His seat, telling her to keep still.

"You remember how your little lover Joel told you that you were brainwashed? Remember how he turned you?"

"Y-yes." She nodded.

"Well, what none of the people know is that your names have been changed. Purposefully. Your real name is Ariadne Carter. You aren't who you say you are, Ariadne, and neither is your boyfriend. Your boyfriend's name is actually Gordon. Everyone you know now has been lying to you without even knowing they were." He smirked. "My name isn't 'Him'. Everybody seems to think that, but my name isn't 'Him'. How bland is that?"

Hartley—Ariadne gulped, her knees nearly buckling underneath her body.

"My name is Jimmy." He finally said, continuing to tap up against His knee. "And you, Ariadne Carter, and your boyfriend will be my toys. For now."

Ariadne shivered, sliding down the wall and pulling her knees to her chest with a grimace on her face. Jimmy shook his head with that smile on his face.

"Poor Ariadne. Poor, poor Ariadne." Jimmy stood up and slammed Ariadne's head into the wall, picking her up off the ground by her throat. "You don't even know. You won't be able to comprehend what's going to happen to you and your boyfriend." Jimmy growled. "I won't even care if you beg. You could get on all fours, and you know what?"

"What?" Ariadne squeaked.

"I wouldn't give a flying fuck."

"Where's your mercy?" She said quietly.

"My mercy ran out when I started this rebellion." He paused. "Do you really think I would have mercy left after committing genocide? After killing millions of adults? Where's your mind at, Ariadne?"

Ariadne shut her eyes and slid down the wall again. She hissed through her teeth when he nudged her with the tip of his boot again. He chuckled.

"I can't believe you're such a weakling when you were just trying to overthrow me a day ago. I thought you would have more brains than that." He started walking away. "What a day."