Fight, Flight, or Freeze: The Healer's Story
Chapter 153: Free

Chapter 153: Free

"Aren’t you going to open it?" the woman asked from the embrace of one of her husbands. And while I was sure that her words were supposed to be reassuring since no one wants to be locked in a cage, they scared me instead.

I didn’t want the cage open, even if it meant that I could pet the cat. I was very happy and content here while the screams continued to cut through the night sky.

Really... very happy.

As much as I liked the woman and felt a connection to her, I really wished that she would keep her nose out of my business. Just because she was uncomfortable in the cage didn’t mean that I was.

"Will she be safe?" asked Rip as he looked between me and the woman. Inside, I was screaming at him for even asking the question.

I was more than safe inside of it.

If he was that concerned, he could just leave me here, and it would be all good.

"She is one of the safest people here," smiled the woman, and I could feel a warm feeling blooming in my chest at the look on her face. I could feel that she meant those words.

But what I felt and what my brain was telling me was two very different things.

Yeah. I was pretty sure that I was more broken than I originally expected.

Lost deep in my thoughts, I failed to see Rip coming to my cage and pushing the cat out of the way. What I didn’t miss was him completely ripping the door from its hinges.

Alpha had taken the key with him since Rip was supposed to be in the pit earlier, and logically, that was the only way to get me out.

Of a cage, I didn’t want to get out of.

Fuck. Now, what did I do?

Should I pretend that I was normal and crawl out? Or should I do what I want to do and huddle in the smallest ball possible at the other end and not move?

But the door was already open, and if someone wanted to, they could come in here, and I would be trapped with an attacker.

Well, that answered that question.

I slowly crawled out of the cage and grabbed Rip’s hand as he helped me stand up. Wrapping his arms around me, he acted as my support, taking all of my weight as my legs shook.

Would I have preferred to be in his arms right now? Definitely.

But I was trying to put on a brave face... or at least not show how badly off I was.

Less than a week back in the cage full time, it was like Rip’s cabin never happened.

"Is it really safe?" I asked, looking around. I might have avoided the man with the black eyes, but that was only because of the way he was looking at the woman in his arms. It seemed so soft and caring that I didn’t want to barge in on whatever it was.

A second shadow stepped out of the darkness, his eyes glowing silver this time. They might have been the exact opposite color of the other man’s eyes, but the feeling they gave was the same.

They weren’t human, and that fact didn’t bother them in the least.

"They’ll be dead soon," smiled the woman as she studied me in Rip’s arms. However, as soon as she spoke, she turned to look at the newcomer and raised an eyebrow.

In less than a second, the screams were cut off like they never happened.

But now I didn’t know what was worse: the incessant screaming or the dead silence.

And what scared me the most was that it was exactly that: dead silent.

There was a gentle breeze floating through the trees that came up and played with my hair, but other than that, there was nothing.

No birds chirped, no insects sang... nothing.

The silence was worse than the screaming, to the point where I was losing my mind, expecting someone or something to come up behind me and slit my throat.

I looked around frantically at my now damaged cage and wondered for the hundredth time why Rip accepted the woman’s words and took me out of it.

But at least Rip was at my back, and I knew that nothing short of a tank would be able to get through him.

"They’re dead," chuckled the woman, once again pulling me out of my thoughts.

I wasn’t sure who was dead or what exactly she was talking about. But it did give me a bit of confidence that I would be able to walk out of here with Rip and start a new life.

Would he be willing to bring my cage?

Ugh. My brain was starting to cloud over with all the energy I spent, not to mention my stress, worry, and mini panic attack.

I needed a boost... where were the Reavers when you needed them?

I looked at the woman and asked the only question that actually mattered.

"Is it over?" I sighed. I could feel my legs starting to weaken. I would need to eat and soon if I was going to be able to do anything.

"It is," she responded.

Then, the next question popped up in my head. One that I hadn’t been able to think about for longer than I cared to remember.

"What do I do now?"

My mind went blank as soon as the words came out of my mouth.

I was living one day at a time... even with Rip, I never really thought about what I would be doing in the future.

I figured I would be forced to heal people who wanted nothing more than to kill me every day until I died.

But now I was free.

Whatever that meant.

So, what did I do?

Where would I go?

And would Rip be with me?