The Cruel Order

LEILA’S POV ~

The bell rang, signaling the end of the chemistry class. Every nerve in my body froze, and I wished the class could go on forever. I didn't want to leave my seat.

It had been three weeks since I started attending this new school, and each day felt like a nightmare.

As the chemistry teacher put down his marker and reminded us to study for the next topic, students started to murmur, their chairs screeching, their feet shuffling as they began to pack. My heart was pounding so loudly I feared it would burst out of my chest. 

"Hey, idiot! Are you going to wet yourself? You look ridiculous!" a girl snickered. My breath caught in my throat. I followed her gaze and noticed that my limbs were trembling. Anxiety began to suffocate me.

The girl next to her nudged her, "I've told you before, we're not supposed to talk to these kinds of people. She's a rut and the girl is disgusting." They both got up, giving me nasty looks as they walked past. I let out a deep sigh of relief as they left my corner.

The hall gradually became quiet, and I waited a few more minutes to avoid running into anyone. I hadn't made any friends since transferring here, but unlike my previous school, people left me alone, even though they treated me like a plague.

I hurriedly gathered my books and made my way to the dormitory to lock myself in and sleep. I hadn't been assigned a roommate yet, which suited me just fine.

The corridor I took was deserted, the only sounds distant echoes. I clutched my books tightly against my chest, my pace quickening as I hurried along, only to halt when I caught a glimpse of something—or someone—moving in the corner of my eye.

I exhaled sharply, my gaze darting around the shadowy corners, but found nothing. Still, an instinct screamed for me to run, and just as I was about to obey, someone leapt down from one of the pillars in the large hall. I gasped, my books tumbling to the ground as I staggered back.

"The bitch is finally here, just like we expected," a girl in a hoodie sneered.

My heart sank as she pulled the hood down, revealing her face.

 "Stellina?" I gasped, terror seizing my bones.

"Of course, you animal!" she snarled back. My blood ran cold as several other girls emerged from the shadows, weapons in their hands. A few were familiar faces from my previous school, while others were strangers to me.

I wanted to ask her what she was doing here. Had she tracked me? As far as I knew, this school was in another pack's territory. Why was she here? My throat turned dry as she leveled a menacing glare at me, taking heavy steps in my direction.

"You bitch! Did you think you'd get away with almost killing Brandon—my boyfriend? You're so dead! I got transferred away from my old school because my parents were worried I'd get into trouble, but the tables have turned. You're going to bleed, bitch!" Her eyes flickered between her wolf's color and her human ones, and I gulped.

"I swear, I don't know what happened. I didn't mean to. It was self-defense," I muttered, but Stellina smirked cruelly.

"Well, today I'm going to show you what self-defense is!" she threatened, turning to her lackeys, who eagerly awaited her orders.

My mind raced, desperately searching for an escape as I tried to make sense of what was happening. Panic clouded my thoughts, making it nearly impossible to focus on anything but the impending danger.

The moment the order was given, I bolted. My feet pounded the ground as I ran with every ounce of strength I had, regretting not going to the canteen for breakfast.

 If I didn't run any further, they would catch me and inflict more pain—pain I was so desperately tired of.

"Bitch, you better stop right there, or I'll make sure your death is miserable!" Stellina kept screaming, but I was already darting to my left, into the large woods where mysterious experiments took place.

The more I ran, the more the girls chased me. My breaths grew labored, and my strength began to falter. I spotted a path that must have led to the front of the school and made a desperate dash for it, only to feel a weight crashing down on me. I screamed as I hit the ground.

The girl who had tackled me slammed my head against the dirt, causing me to wince in pain. The taste of blood and soil filled my mouth from my broken lips.

"Please... Stop... It hurts," I sobbed as she started pulling my hair backward, intending to rip it from my scalp.

 

"Good job, Meg. Now, where were we?" Stellina's voice approached as she stood before me, her fangs fully extended. "Ahha! Time to knock her unconscious, just like she did to Brandon!" She sneered. 

My eyes widened in fear, but before I could scream in protest, her fist collided with my nose, hard and fast.

The sickening crunch of bone sent me crashing to the ground. I tried to scream out, but the other girl yanked my hair back, and another came to gag me.

I could feel blood gushing from my broken nose as I gasped for air. My eyes stung with searing pain, blurring my vision.

 

The girls jeered, urging Stellina on. The evil glint in her eyes never faded as she crouched in front of me. I trembled with fear—fear of doing something reckless that could prevent me from ever seeing my sister again, or worse, send me back to prison.

Another blow struck my eye, forcing a muffled scream into the gag. I writhed on the ground in pure agony, wishing for death to take me. It felt as though life was being drained from my body, leaving me disoriented and my head pounding.

Tears mixed with blood, streaming down my face, and I longed to claw out my heart to stop the rapidly spreading pain. Instead, I held onto my nose and my throbbing eye.

"We've found it," one of the girls announced.

My hair was finally released by the girl holding it.

Alarm bells rang loudly in my head, and I gritted my teeth, straining my ears to catch every word the girl was about to say.

"Bring her along, then," Stellina ordered. The girl obeyed, pulling me up by my hair as we followed the girl who had come to report. The rest of the girls trailed behind us.

"The snake pit is here," a girl announced, pointing to a hole in the ground. My blood froze in my veins.

"No! No!! No!!!" I screamed frantically into the gag, but they all threw me nasty smirks.

"Good job, Audrey. Now it's time to push the bitch in," Stellina said, turning to me. "You see? No one is going to ask about you. Wanna know why? Because you're worthless! You're useless, and I don't even know how you're here, but I'm going to make sure I avenge Brandon. See you in Hell." 

She turned back to examine the snake-filled hole she was about to push me into.

My body trembled uncontrollably as the chilling realization of my imminent death set in. Cold terror coursed through my veins, constricting my heart with an icy grip.

My eyes were wide with fear, darting around frantically in search of help, escape, or anyone I could scream to. But every hope seemed to slip through my fingers.

Perhaps I was meant to die. I sobbed uncontrollably as my entire life flashed before my eyes.

 I watched Stellina approach me, her eyes filled with malice.

"Time to die, bitch! Tell your mama you're coming to see her. I'm sure your father wouldn't miss you."

I kept begging, but none of them would listen. The girls began to pull me toward the hole, and I frantically thrashed, trying to break free from their grasp.

As I neared the wide hole, I stiffened in horror, witnessing the sheer number of snakes and their enormous size. The girls surrounded the hole, eager to watch me get pushed in and be bitten to death.

"Push her!" came the cold, cruel order.

The girls holding me cackled and tried pushing me in.

I sobbed my last breath before shutting my eyes and accepting my fate.

With a single tear rolling down my cheek and pure anguish flowing through my veins, I turned to the girls pushing me and punched them twice, breaking free from their grip. The rest gasped as they watched the two girls scream in pain, and I raised my hand, my heart entirely cold.

Stellina's face was drained of color. "W-What are you doing?" she panicked, but I had already become another monster—one she had created.

Suddenly, all of them seized up, their hands flying to their necks as if they were being choked by an invisible force. I watched them coldly, feeling nothing but a bitter resolve.

"Jump in," I commanded cruelly, and they began to move against their will, inching closer to the hole. Their screams and pleas for mercy filled the air as they were all forced to jump in by an unseen force.

Slowly and gently, I slid to the ground, utterly numb and watching them scream their last.

As their cries faded away, my consciousness slipped from my grasp, and I slumped to the ground in a heap.