Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Futile

Jarod's head rested on his forearms that were folded over one another, his eyes closed as he tried to calm the splitting headache going through his body, a small groan escaping his mouth.

"He's such an asshole," He grumbled, his voice muffled. Arlyn, who was sitting next to him on the right, and Ellie, who was on his left, were both giving him looks filled with pity and worry.

"It's alright Jarod," Ellie whispered, poking the snow-haired boy in the temple. "Kisses make boo boos go away!" As if to prove her point she kissed the top of his head. "There, all better!"

Jarod felt the thumping in his head get louder from the tiniest impact of Ellie's lips but didn't show any signs of it hurting worse, not wanting to hurt her feelings. He rose his head, earning a little cheer to come from the girl.

"Thank you, Ellie." He whispered, not wanting to be too loud. Ever since he had woken up his head had been pounding, his brain threatening to leave his skull if he had given it any more grief. "I feel much better." A simple but harmless lie.

Mackerel had ruthlessly inserted whatever liquid was within those syringes for three days straight without food and barely any water with no sleep. There was no escape from the mad demon.

His laughter echoed in his ears like a record being stuck on repeat with a tiny scratch on it, playing in a distorted form instead of the original music that was recorded. It was a distortion that Jarod wasn't ready to be apart of.

A distortion he had no choice in choosing. Mackerel had taken that right from him and now he was suffering from it. Suffering because of that power-hungry monster. Jarod slowly closed his eyes and reopened them.

"N-No, please!" A man screamed, getting the attention of everyone in the room, including Jarod who winced at the sheer intensity of the volume, his ears ringing as he suddenly saw nothing but blurs, his head swimming as he felt dizzy.

The one who was screaming was bald dark-skinned man who was trying to free himself of the grasp of Fiin, who was dragging him by the collar. "I don't want to die! I don't want to die!'

"You will become apart of Master soon enough, there is no death with him." Fiin got out. Jarod slowly stood up, wobbling a bit as Arlyn caught him by the shoulders.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"STOP!" Jarod shouted, closing his eyes, pressing his eyelids against each other harshly, and reopening them, seeing clearer than before as he tried suppressing in the pain in his forehead. "What are you doing with him?" Fiin glanced back at the prince, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"Master wishes to absorb his electricity ability in order to increase the intensity and power of his own. Why?" Fiin asked. "Do you wish to take his place?"

"Jarod," Arlyn whisper-shouted. "Now is not the time to play hero!" The fear in her voice was evident, practically shouting at Jarod not to do whatever he was about to do.

"I can't just watch these people die when they could live and I just get hurt instead," Jarod said in a strained voice, knowing full well the pain that would come. "He won't kill me, he can't, I'm too important." He got out weakly with a small chuckle.

"Let go of him, Fiin!" Jarod got out as he hobbled over to the blonde demon. "Take me instead, Mr. Mackerel should be satisfied with experimenting on me! Leave him be!" Fiin considered the proposal of the teenager that stood in front of him.

"That's acceptable, Master was waiting for you to break another rule but it seems that you'll sacrifice yourself for some trash. Very well, you know where we're going." Jarod nodded as he walked forward.

"No!" Ellie shouted as she grabbed ahold of his wrist, yanking it slightly. "You can't go! You'll get hurt!" Jarod smiled weakly and placed a single hand on her golden locks.

"It's going to be alright, okay Ellie? I'll be right back and you can kiss my boo boo better, alright?" Ellie frowned and with tears in her eyes, let go of his wrist and nodded. Jarod looked back at Arlyn who was visibly frowning, disapproving of his actions.

He didn't care. It was the right thing to do. If he could save a single life then it would all be worth it. Most of these people were innocent and he would try his very best not to let them die or get hurt,

He would feel pain once more. He followed Fiin through the double doors, the dark-skinned man who was minutes from death just moments before, breathed a sigh of relief, his life being spared for another day. He would have to thank the Prince of Demons as soon as he had the chance.

He had saved him from death.

Arlyn on the other hand was unhappy with Jarod's decision, knowing full well that the teen's body wouldn't be able to handle all of the stress of being in that much pain for such a long amount of time.

He would eventually die. But right now she was powerless to do anything against Mackerel or his lackeys. She had to sit down and wait patiently while thinking of a plan to escape this prison.

She was interrupted from her thoughts as an air-splitting scream traveled down the hallways and into the common area, it echoing in their ears, all knowing one thing.

Jarod was being tortured once again.

Scream after scream, hour after hour, Jarod screamed as if it were his first time feeling it. The liquid traveling through his veins like a fire does a line of gasoline, burning his blood from the inside as he withering from the inside out.

It felt as if someone had stuck him into a volcano and left him to burn from the inside, breathing in the lava trying to get a hope of air but receiving none.

He would have to endure for as long as he could. Not for his sake, but for those who were held in the prisoner facility for no other reason than to be held and eventually killed like pigs at a slaughterhouse.

He would endure.

He couldn't die now.

Jarod trudged forward, leaning against the double doors as he forced it open, his body moving forward as he lost his balance and fell forward only to be caught by the same bald man he had saved earlier.

"Thank you," The dark-skinned man whispered into Jarod's ear, who barely heard him.

"N-No problem," Jarod got. Behind Jarod, was Mackerel who was wearing a very proud smile that spread across his face like warm butter on toast.

"Well well well, if it isn't the survivor!" He exclaimed as he used his powers to rip Jarod from the man's grasp and threw the teenager in a random direction. "I want to enhance my lightning ability!"

Mackerel looked over at Jarod, who was looking at the older demon with wide eyes. "You did that for nothing!" Mackerel shouted as he shot his hand forward, piercing the man's chest as his entire arm began glowing a dark red, starting from his palm all the way to his shoulder before he ripped his hand out of the man's chest, satisfied as he touched his hands against one another, causing them to become bloodied.

"You sacrificed yourself for nothing, My Prince," Mackerel stated calmly yet sadistically. "There are no trades here. You cannot forfeit your security for the safety of others, that's not how the world works. I kill who I want to kill and you will simply have to live with that fact until I can undo that seal."

Jarod felt his vision getting darker. Why? Why had Mackerel done that? What point was there other than to confuse and possibly hurt Jarod? Why agree not to kill the man in turn to torture Jarod just to turn around and kill the dark-skinned demon anyway? It made no sense.

How cruel could he truly be? Why was he like that? He had lied to him for no other reason than to lie, to deceive. To manipulate and to experiment. It made him mad but he could do nothing about his anger, barely having enough strength to walk let alone throw a punch.

He had gone under torture far worse than anything he could've imagined the USA doing to him and his entire body ached. He looked over to the left, using the last of his energy before meeting Arlyn's gaze, who quickly ran over to help him.

"It's alright," She whispered as Ellie came to support him on the other side. "You're safe now. You're alright," She repeated over and over, trying to convince the boy as well as herself about the situation they were in, trying to hold onto hope.

She frowned at how weak he seemed.

How cruel. . .