The Arrival Read Online Free PDF Page B

that would even be possible. My throat tightened,
and I swallowed hard to relax.
    “A guard is en-route to escort you to
your meeting with Dimas,” Shiloh announced.
    “Ookaay. Thanks.” I walked to the
bathroom for one last check. Kate had convinced me to put on some makeup, the
little they allowed, and wear my hair down. I agreed, even though I didn’t do
it for Dimas. I convinced myself that I did it for me. It made me feel
confident and strong. I was Miranda Mays, and I would not be taken advantage of
any longer.
    The buzz from the door threw my heart
into top speed. I took a few deep breaths. I can do this. I will be fine. I
pressed the open button on the control pad and stepped out, ready to face the
devil once again.
    The guard led me to the elevator, which
took us to the twentieth floor. A glass walkway connected the second building
to the third, where the Eslites lived while occupying Martinsburg, West
Virginia. What I couldn’t understand is why our military hadn’t seized the
compound yet. The Eslites had their cylinder-shaped structures constructed on
an Air National Guard base. Didn’t the government know what was happening to
us? Or did they know and turn their head the other way? Surely they weren’t
ignoring us.
    The Eslites had violated their own
order, and as far as I could tell, no one realized it—except those of us imprisoned
in their facility. Worse, I couldn’t help but wonder what we didn’t know,
because girls were dying.  And so far, no one had come to our rescue.
     “To the left,” the guard spoke and held
the elevator open with his hand.
    “Oh, all right,” I muttered as I made my
way down the dimly lit corridor. The black marble floors and gray metallic
walls blended together, making it impossible to distinguish between the two. If
it weren’t for the tiny track lights shining above, every few feet, I would
have thought we were in an underground cave. The end of the hall appeared to be
a dead end, until I squinted and noticed the double doors in front of us.
    The guard pressed a button on the
electronic pad located to the side of the entrance. “Subject, Miranda Mays, is
here for her meeting,” he said with a stern, dry voice. He crossed his hands
behind his back and assumed a soldier stance, supported by his size and build.
The black unitard showed every muscle and bulge on his body. He couldn’t be
over forty, but his tawny skin and hairless face made it hard to tell. In fact,
they all had the same flawless physique, even though they weren’t flawless. 
    The doors rescinded into the wall. I
paused for a moment, hesitant to enter. I had met with Dimas before, at his office,
but something told me it wasn’t a formal meeting. These were his living
quarters.
    Crap.
    I should’ve been paying attention.
    “To the right and down the hall.” The
guard startled me.
    My heart hammered in my ears, and I
wanted to turn and run. If I refused to have sex with him, would he rape me?
Regardless of my determination to resist, I knew I would have no choice. He
would get what he wanted from me, and no one could stop him. Not even me. Then
I heard my dad’s voice, ‘Mays are strong leaders and never show weakness.’ I pushed the fear aside, took a deep breath, and stepped through the entrance
leading to hell.
    The doors immediately slid shut after I
crossed the threshold, providing no other option, no escape. A long table, with
white lilies and shiny silver vases perfectly aligned atop a dark, heavy wood
table, decorated the entrance. The icy chill in the air gave the room a
mortuary feel, as opposed to a home where someone lived.
    My feet seemed rooted to the floor. I
had to force each step, telling myself to put one foot in front of the other.
My legs wobbled and the terror raging through my body made me want to hurl. I
marched, as a lamb to the slaughter.
    The curve of the hallway brought me to a
loft apartment with a living area, full kitchen, and dining area. Beyond,
another