I yelled into the cloth, “What did I do to deserve to die?” It came out as “wphhdphddmphnfie.”The strange voice said, “Stop. Settle down. Br...athe. Deeply. I’m not going to kill you. Quite the opposite. I’m going to tell you how to live. How to stay alive. Do you want to live, young lady? You can nod.” I nodded.“Why do you put yourself in danger? Why do you take chances by being provocative, alone, defenseless?”I shook my head. What was the big deal? Then, as they spoke, I thought, seriously,. "The Queen of Aemmerhia is very strict and can be cruel. She made my mother one of her palace slaves and treated her very badly. When she got sick from the harsh treatment and couldn't work anymore, she tried to make me take her place."Only I didn't want to go through what my mother had and my mother didn't want me to either. The Queen would have banished me for refusing her anyway so I left before she could do so."If I had been banished, I would wear the mark and I could never live in another. As they reached the center of the mass, many of the destroyed cars had visible blood splatters on the inside and outside. The tank operator didn’t care how many people got in his way, he’d run over anyone to escape the devils now entering the city. In the backs of their minds, Nayara and Josh were grateful. As long as that madman drove, the convoy had a way out, and they had a chance of escaping.With Nayara behind the wheel, Josh kept his camera going, filming everything. Outside, people were. "I see you have a drink, Ted. You going to offer me one?"Ted stood and looked at her for a moment before moving to the bar and getting her a drink. He held the glass in his hand for a bit before handing it to her and then commented, "Word gets around quickly, doesn't it?"Gail grinned at him, but there was just a bit of anger and disappointment in her eyes. "You really think that I'm here in your room because you hit a jackpot? I guess I really shouldn't blame you; you don't know me or what kind.