Chương 49: Behold the Raven

"This way," Raven said in a solemn whisper. Her voice, heavy with a worry no child should ever have to carry. The pair inched their way down the hall. Regina keeping pace with Raven's slow steps. Raven stopped suddenly and cast a look over her shoulder. Regina could see the fear in her eyes while her small hands began to tremble.

"Okay," Raven whispered shakily, "I can't do it. I don't care what they do to me, but I can't do it." Regina looked down at Raven, who now looked incredibly small and fragile. Regina had resigned herself to her fate. She knew it was the end the moment they had left the cell. She harbored no ill will toward Raven. How could she? She was merely a pawn in a grown-up game, still learning the rules.

"I don't want any part of this. I don't want this life. I am going to help you get out of here," Raven whispered as they entered the showers. Regina looked at her, surprised.

"Sweetie, they will kill you if you don't and I couldn't live with myself if that happened," Regina said with the utmost sincerity. Raven deserved to grow up to live a life, Regina thought, taking in the girl's big brown eyes, her slim build and waist-length raven hair. Her parents couldn't have named her any better. Her name just fit; she was as delicate looking as a bird, but fierce enough…

"They think I am oblivious," Raven began, interrupting Regina's thoughts. They think that I don't know what goes on around here… that I don't know who you are. She paused, nodding her head sadly.

"Regina, I know who you work for," she said flatly.

"All I ask is that when you are safe, you find a way to get me out," she pleaded. Regina sighed. W as this the plan? To get her to confess to Raven, to disclose to her that she was an agent working to bring them down?

"Raven, Sweetheart, I don't know who you think I am, or what power you think I have, but I assure you, if I get out of here in one piece, I will call the police to rescue you," Regina said, careful to make the answer non-specific.

"You pinky-promise you will send someone?" Raven asked, her youth pulling at Regina's heartstrings.

"I pinky-promise," Regina said, holding out her pinky to the girl.

"I want you to hit me… and hit me hard… it has to look real," Raven said bravely.

"There is a door around the corner. I left it unlocked. It leads to a passageway out of the complex," she sighed.

"It's the best I could do."

"Sweetie, that's more than I could have hoped for right now. With you doing this, I will at least have a chance, which is a hell of a lot more than I have right now," she said, cupping the girl's face, and kissing her on top of the head. Then she punched her square in the face. Raven never saw it coming. Regina quickly morphed into Raven, then put the shower on before slipping out the door. In her travel pod, Regina shook her head, trying to shake off the memories.

It was because of one brave little girl, she survived. But at what cost? Once the syndicate became aware of her escape, she might as well have had a flashing neon sign on her back. She had no safe place to go. She knew their ties extended upward into the uppermost regions of government. The safe houses were anything but safe. Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. When the compound was raided hours later by the feds, they found Raven's body.

Buried in a shallow grave… With a single gunshot wound to the head. Regina looked over to where the farmhouse had once stood, grieving all she had lost. For years she was forced to move from safe house to safe house believing that if she stayed away, her loved ones would be protected. They had taken her dignity, her pride, and then her parents. In the beginning, the fire had been blamed on faulty wiring, but when their bodies were discovered in the basement, a different story unfolded.

Her parents were burned beyond recognition, but the bindings were still visible. They had melted to their wrists and ankles, like macabre jewelry. There was no mistaking the solitary hole in each of their skulls. They had been executed, just like Raven. If Roxie hadn't been thousands of miles away participating in a foreign exchange program for her degree, her body would have been beside theirs. The thought brought the sting of tears to her eyes. Regina couldn't bear the thought of losing her sister, too.

Her grief had propelled her to do all that needed to be done to stop Zoran and his family. It took five more years, but they finally had enough to convict the bastard and his entire family. They were now serving three consecutive life sentences without the chance for parole for the murders. Then received an additional combined total of one hundred years for additional crimes. The prosecutor wanted to be sure they would never set foot outside again. Regina's eyes had been opened wide.

She learned just how far the various crime families' reach extended, and it was further than anyone could be comfortable with. She knew through her experience, the only person other than Roxie that she could truly trust, was herself. The syndicate discovered her location more than once. This only reinforced her belief that security was an illusion the higher-ups created. The safe houses were not safe; in fact, they were merely holding pens for targets.

Too many top agents met their demise in them to be merely a coincidence. She decided she would never again let her fate lie with officials and protocols. She created her own "safe house" in the barn. On the outside, it looked as if it was just a run-down structure left over from days gone by. Even to the eyes of the most skilled operative, the building appeared to be nothing more than a space filled with discarded remnants of the former occupants. No one other than her and Roxie knew the truth.

The bunker was constructed during the Goblin War. Her grandfather, being inherently paranoid, had built it. The bunker was not simply a room, but a labyrinth of chambers designed to sustain life during any form of occupation. Regina had systematically converted the space, adding additional security measures, high- tech surveillance of the road and property, a garage, and a comfortable living space. She could hide here for years with no one ever becoming the wiser.

She had even gone so far as to bury the deed under shell corporations and management companies, shielding her and her sister from anyone connecting them to the property. Only two living souls had knowledge of the place. Just her and Roxie. Through the bio-lock she had installed, they were the only two that could unlock the door. She pulled the communicator out of her pocket and pressed the button. A voice quickly called out.

"Regina? Are you alright? It's been hours!" the mysterious voice called out, genuine concern ringing through it.

"Yes, I am fine," she said coldly.

"I want you to come alone, and I will know if you are followed," Regina said.

"If I even suspect you have anyone with you, or are being watched, you will never see or hear from me again. Understood?"

"Yes," the voice replied.

"Drive down expressway 467 to Simmonsville and take exit 52. There will be a rest area. Contact me when you are there and I will give you further instructions," Regina directed.

"Expressway 467 to Simmonsville. Exit 52. Rest area. Got it," the voice confirmed.

"It's going to take me some time to get there," the voice added, "but I will be there."

"Take all the time you need, I have nothing but time right now," Regina said, looking up at the moon.

"I'm leaving now," the voice said and disconnected. Regina checked the time and wrote it on the pad she had on the dashboard.

"Let's see how far away you are." she whispered, pulling out the special key fob Roxie had in her purse. She watched as the barn doors slowly opened and the floor pulled away. She drove to the ramp and made the descent into the hidden garage.