Cerberi

I sat with the other four survivors of the gruesome adventure, sandwiched side-by-side with them on a bench in the mess hall while one of our three commanding officers stood before us, demanding answers.

"What the fuck happened?!"

Heath cleared his throat, "It was just a typical initiation prank," he responded calmly, lifting his head to look at our superior. The man narrowed his eyes at the explanation, but Heath continued. "Everything was going fine until we got to the tree line. Some of the vines got Matt. I couldn't get to him quick enough. Then when we got back to the gate, a cougar took off with Elliot."

I grimaced at the memory, the image of Elliot's throat being crushed forever seared into my mind.

Even with the dangers involved, I knew everyone went through the hazing. There had been issues in the past with people being injured or killed when they went outside the wall for that very reason. It wasn't something new. It wasn't something that no one was aware of. It was the opposite: it happened frequently.

I lifted my head when I felt my boot being nudged forcefully, looking directly into the angry face of my CO as I was pulled out of my thoughts.

"You're still a greenhorn, Hansen," he repeated sharply, "So were you taken out there against your will?"

My green gaze was unwavering, "No."

He scowled at me, glaring down at me as though he were waiting for me to crack. I didn't budge. He finally broke our little staring contest and repeated the question to Lily, who gave the same answer as I did. Neither of us was intent on selling out our fellow Cerberi, even if they were the reason we were in this mess.

Our commanding officer stood in silence for a moment, the angles of his face sharp and his jaw clenched tightly as though he were trying to trap in his anger. I wouldn't be surprised if he put his fist through a wall.

"Your little stunt got two people killed. We're supposed to be protecting this city, not flouting about like a bunch of jackasses. The Council is going to get wind of this and we're all going to be in for hell. You're on probation. You aren't allowed out of camp. Period."

At his dismissal, we all stood up and filed back outside where the sun had yet to grace us with its presence. A light rain had begun to fall, dotting my face as I headed back to my apartment.

I just wanted to sleep.



The choppy trembling of my bed awoke me a few hours later, followed by the deep thundering of a building collapsing off in the distance. I shoved my hair out of my face to see the gray sky peeking in through my window, a couple shades lighter than it had been a few hours ago. Stifling a yawn, I climbed out of bed and pulled off my sleeping clothes before changing into a pair of tight black cargo pants and a long, loose blue shirt. I laced up my boots and headed out into the hallway, nearly running into Danielle.

Her lip curled back from her teeth upon seeing me, something reminiscent of a feral animal. She set me with a haughty glare but didn't say anything, opting instead to shove past me and head out into the main corridor.

I rolled my eyes and trailed along behind, gathering my blonde locks into a tight ponytail that stung the roots of my hair. I was used to her snarky comments and her cattish looks, but I never paid too much attention to them. She didn't like me, and it was obvious that she wasn't changing her opinion any time soon, so I didn't see a reason to fret over it.

I didn't need to look in the mirror to know that I had ugly violet bruises speckling my throat. I could feel them. Every time I turned my head, my neck ached and protested the movement. My arm was sore, too. It was in that tender phase where the pain almost felt good. I had always been a quick healer. My skin was already knitting itself back together and I figured the bruising around my neck would fade and disappear over the next two or three days.

Upon stepping outside, a hand immediately fell onto my shoulder. I looked up into the friendly face of James, glancing past him to see Heath, Elizabeth, and Lily. Off to their left was a man I didn't recognize.

"You have been summoned to appear in front of The Council," he coughed, his voice rough and scratchy. He was just barely taller than me and lanky, with dark brown hair that could use a trim, dark, deep set eyes, and hollow cheeks. I couldn't decide if he was taking us to the courthouse or our deaths.

With no further words, he turned on his heel and began to march into town, his shoulders hunched. The other four Cerberi and I exchanged quick glances before we followed along behind, scarcely making a sound.

I couldn't figure out how The Council already knew about what had happened. I didn't think that we informed them of every death or act of defiance. They usually just left us to our business unless we weren't meeting the standards needed to keep the city safe. Other than that, they didn't get involved in what we did.

My boots sloshed through a puddle as we reached the heart of town, a slight drizzle still stubbornly trickling from the sky. Our creepy escort stopped at the bottom of the courthouse steps, turning to face us. I expected to be met with words, but we were faced with silence instead. Finally, I decided to climb the short stretch of stairs, hearing the rest of my group follow behind. I pushed open the door, coming to a stop in the entryway, the other four Cerberi piling in behind me.

The courthouse was a modest building. The room wasn't grand or gaudy or plated in gold like my imagination had conjured up many times. Instead, it was painted a pale blue with windows lining the upper half of the back wall to allow in natural light. I tilted my head up to see a sloping, high ceiling with a single light fixture that was enough to light the entire room. A long, narrow table sat before the stretch of windows. It was a dark wood glossed over to shine even in the dullest of light. Eighteen simple high-backed chairs lined the bench, seating the judges. The floor was of a matching dark wood. It had a grand simplicity to it that awed me.

The five of us seemed to gather our wits and trail into the room, standing before The Council members. We all dropped down onto our right knees before angling our right arms across our chests and bowing our heads.

I don't know how I expected to be received. Perhaps I figured they would release us from our salute and allow us to explain ourselves. Maybe I was overreaching to expect to be introduced to the members and shown a little respect. And I guess thinking that they might be understanding was a testament to my naivety.

The cold voice that met my ears was not on my questionable list, though.

"Your misconduct and irresponsible behavior cannot go unpunished. We have long overlooked the insolence of Ceberi, but your reckless actions can no longer be so easily forgiven. You are a danger to this city and its inhabitants. From this day forward, all Cerberi are restricted to the confines of their camp. You may only leave to respond to threats received from outside the wall. You shall not leave the walls unless said threat is immediate and evident. This will be forwarded on to your fellow Cerberi."

The deep, velvety voice was cutting and cruel. I didn't know who it came from, as my head was still bowed. They kept us kneeling the entire time, never allowing us to stand and face them as we deserved. Instead, we were forced to salute them while they spoke like we were beneath them.

"You can't just--" Heath was cut off abruptly by the same voice.

"You are dismissed."

We all lifted our heads, staring dumbfoundedly at the eighteen judges before us. I couldn't help but wonder if this was a unanimous vote, if they all wanted to cage the very organization they had created.

I could feel the speechless outrage of the other Cerberi rolling off of them in tangible waves. We got to our feet, trying to find words to express ourselves, trying to find anything to throw back at them.

They couldn't do this. We were free people.

At least, as free as our walls and the mutants lurking behind them allowed us to be.

Before we could shout our protests, the same ghastly man who had led us here, ushered us out of the small building. He herded us down the steps like a flock of dazed sheep who'd just been sheared of their freedom.

We shuffled back to camp, no one saying anything. Lily and James hovered off to the edge of our group, Elizabeth floated somewhere by my side, and Heath headed our confused herd. He stopped short upon entering camp, and due to my eyes being trained on my feet, I ran into his back. I sidestepped him to see what was wrong.

Before us stood the rest of the Cerberi, filed into orderly ranks. Standing atop a small podium, the same commanding officer who had been questioning us earlier was reading off of a paper he held in his hands.

"...From this day forward, all Cerberi are restricted to the confines of their camp. You may only leave to respond to threats received from outside the wall. You shall not leave the walls unless said threat is immediate and evident..."

It was The Council's exact instructions, read verbatim to what we had just been told.

My heart sunk when some of the Cerberi toward the back swiveled their heads toward us, nothing but anger and blame in their eyes.



I was rudely awoken in the dead of the night by a sharp tug on my hair and upper arm. A hand clamped over my mouth as I was suddenly jerked out of bed, landing in a position somewhere between sitting and standing. My instincts immediately set in and I began to struggle, screeching into the palm pressed against my lips. I writhed, flailing my arms and kicking out my legs, trying to land a blow on one of my, what appeared to be, two attackers. I was unsuccessful, though, and unable to get my feet under me as I was drug out into the main hallway.

It was dark, a meager bit of moonlight coming in through the small window on the door that led outside. The rain had ceased hours ago and left nothing but frigid air and damp earth in its wake. I couldn't see who had grabbed me. My mind was still hazy from sleep, but I had the feeling this was retaliation for the order The Council had passed earlier. My scalp was on fire, my roots burning from whoever had me by my hair.

We suddenly burst out into the cold night air, the only thing keeping me warm being the adrenaline pulsing through my body. The thin gray cotton shorts and oversized black tunic certainly weren't doing the job. I was flung to the wet ground, a mix of mud and grass sticking to my clothes and skin. I promptly tried to get to my feet only to be knocked back down by a sharp kick to the ribs, the air in my lungs escaping me in a wheezing breath. My chest heaved as I quickly scrambled to my feet, taking a defensive stance against my attackers, my arms raised to protect my face. I lowered my fists to blink dumbly at the group I faced, stunned.

My own roommates stood staring back at me, the very people who slept down the hall. Danielle had always seemed to hate me, but Anne had kindly stitched me up just the other day. I felt the strong sense of betrayal well in my gut.

Behind them stood two men I didn't know personally.

Danielle and Anne gave me a grave look, and I was sure I saw a flicker of regret in Anne's eyes, before they broke away from the two men and slunk back inside.

Cowards. They couldn't even face me.

I quickly turned my attention to the two new threats, the idea of screaming my head off and awakening everyone blossoming in my mind just as one of the men darted forward and slugged me in the jaw.

I stumbled back, waving out an arm to keep my balance as the metallic taste of blood coated my mouth. I raised my arms again, trying to prepare myself for a fight against two men who were obviously stronger than I.

Deciding that I would have to take the offensive, I swung out my fist, managing to catch my first attacker in the nose before the second one grabbed my arm and jerked it back. I cringed at the sharp angle and he snatched my other limb, pinning them both behind me with one arm. I desperately kicked out my legs, opening my mouth to scream only to have him muffle the sound with his palm. I struggled and writhed, doing my best to put up a fight. I watched as the first man approached me, receiving a small amount of satisfaction from seeing him wipe blood from his nose.

I didn't know if they were going to rough me up or beat me to death, but I wasn't fond of either of my options. I continued to struggle against the man restraining me, feeling my fresh stitches popping open and allowing my wound to spread.

A sharp jab in the stomach from the first man sent me slumping forward, but the man holding me promptly used his grip on my head to straighten me up. That punch was followed by another, and then another. I could feel my ribs bruising from the assault, aching under the pressure of the man's knuckles. After the sixth or seventh blow to my torso, he suddenly changed it up and slammed his fist into my temple, sending me reeling back against the man behind me and making black speckles dot my vision. I squinted against the acute throb that sprouted and the blood that trickled over the corner of my eye, becoming painfully aware of the escalating violence as he hit me in the side of the head again.

My sore body stiffened when the man pulled out a switchblade, extending the knife toward me. I had the feeling they planned to do a lot worse than rough me up a bit. The image of the man sinking the blade into my chest was enough to give me a surge of adrenaline, and I kicked out at him, managing to catch him in the side of the knee.

Suddenly, the arms pinning me vanished, and I piled onto the ground, too surprised to have prepared my legs to hold my weight. I stumbled to my feet, raising my fists and panting against the cool night air.

I just kept digging deeper into that hole of debt I was in.

I stood up just in time to see Heath punch one man square in the jaw, sending him sprawling onto his back. He promptly turned on the other man, connecting his fist with his nose. The man stumbled back, clutching at his nostrils as blood seeped thick and sticky between his fingers. Heath turned to the first man and kicked him in the ribs before he could get fully to his feet, his shoulders tight as he waited to see if either dared to make a move on him.

The two men finally staggered back, eying Heath warily before they stumbled away, tripping to their respective buildings. Heath spun to face me, and I tentatively straightened from my defensive crouch.

My legs betrayed me, buckling at my knees. Before I could fall, I felt a strong arm snake tightly around my waist, if not a bit low. I leaned into Heath's side, peering up at him and giving him a weak smile. He seemed less rough around the edges, less angry.

"I had it handled," I panted.

He grinned, bending to loop his other arm behind the crook of my knees. "I know," he said quietly as he lifted me into his arms, allowing me to rest against his solid chest.