that is how they want it.” The voice grew louder until he became visible through the darkness of our small cell.
His eyes were bright, like a crazed caged animal ready to fight for his life, and that is very well what we all were doing. His stature was impressive, rippling veins traveled up toned arms which flexed involuntarily as he lowered his large frame next to me, “The less we know, the less likely our chances are to escape this.” He waved his arms dismissively around the room.
“Are we going to die?” The red head quietly asked, her slender arms wrapping around her legs as she brought them to her chest.
“We will stay alive as long as we are useful to them.” I smiled. It was the only truth I could bestow; they would keep us alive until they no longer needed us. After that, we would all die.
“So, yes.” She admitted, mostly to herself as she turned away from us.
“Who knows,” I tried to encourage her, “maybe the reason the two haven’t come back is because they have been placed somewhere.”
“ Pfft.” The behemoth of a male beside me blew out his breath in disbelief.
“What is your name?” I asked her, trying to take her mind off the inevitable ending of all our lives.
Her voice was barely above a whisper, “Stephanie.” She answered, her head barely tilted from where it rested on bent knees,
“And I’m Brian.” The substantial male to my right tossed his hand forward for a shake that nearly crushed my hand without even trying.
“Erin,” I said, nodding at him.
“We all know.” He smiled gently at Faith, “The little one was pretty scared when you were taken away.”
“I wasn’t sure if you were coming back.” Her voice was muffled by my shoulder that she was still resting against, “and if you didn’t come back it would have been my fault. You were just sticking up for me.”
“ No! ” I yelled, holding her tighter to my side, “None of this, especially anything that happens to me, would ever be your fault.”
“Yeah,” Brian added in a low chuckle of laughter, “I think Erin can take care of herself, and cause her own problems.”
“But what about Dustin?” Stephanie asked, her voice cracking under the emotional enormity of her question, “Is he coming back?”
No one answered her. She didn’t need an answer. He wasn’t coming back.
“Let’s all try to get some rest.” Brian added after a beat of uncomfortable silence, “Who knows what these demons have in store for us in the next round.”
Chapter Eight
With Faith resting on me, it was hard for me to relax. I did my best to hide the pain in my back, but by doing so I was inadvertently forced to lean against it.
I tossed and turned until my tired body ultimately gave in and I collapsed into a grief stricken sleep, a sleep that no matter how hard I tried, I could not escape.
***
Cold blue eyes haunted my dreams.
A white room held me as I lay bound to the frigid metal operating table. Chilling hands danced up my back, probing and prodding my spine. I cried out in vain for them to stop.
Needles piercing me, drawing my blood, tormenting my spine, stealing my flesh.
“ Stop !” I begged once more, “ Please stop.”
“Marrow is almost harvested.”, “Marrow”, “harvested.” Freezing hands climbed up my spine once more, scratching circles into my tender flesh. Bright lights blinded me as I thrashed against restraints that would not give way to my struggles.
I stared into the surgical lamp, praying for death to save me from my torment, when suddenly the room started to shake and wobble, rippling all around me until I was standing in the center of the pen where the Testers were gathered at the end of our bus ride. I was staring at the lectern, watching John as he walked closer to Declan.
Even in my dreams, I could not escape the memories of John’s death. His murder replayed over and over in my mind. His screams speared into my ears, wreaking havoc on my fragile psyche. Over and over,
His eyes were bright, like a crazed caged animal ready to fight for his life, and that is very well what we all were doing. His stature was impressive, rippling veins traveled up toned arms which flexed involuntarily as he lowered his large frame next to me, “The less we know, the less likely our chances are to escape this.” He waved his arms dismissively around the room.
“Are we going to die?” The red head quietly asked, her slender arms wrapping around her legs as she brought them to her chest.
“We will stay alive as long as we are useful to them.” I smiled. It was the only truth I could bestow; they would keep us alive until they no longer needed us. After that, we would all die.
“So, yes.” She admitted, mostly to herself as she turned away from us.
“Who knows,” I tried to encourage her, “maybe the reason the two haven’t come back is because they have been placed somewhere.”
“ Pfft.” The behemoth of a male beside me blew out his breath in disbelief.
“What is your name?” I asked her, trying to take her mind off the inevitable ending of all our lives.
Her voice was barely above a whisper, “Stephanie.” She answered, her head barely tilted from where it rested on bent knees,
“And I’m Brian.” The substantial male to my right tossed his hand forward for a shake that nearly crushed my hand without even trying.
“Erin,” I said, nodding at him.
“We all know.” He smiled gently at Faith, “The little one was pretty scared when you were taken away.”
“I wasn’t sure if you were coming back.” Her voice was muffled by my shoulder that she was still resting against, “and if you didn’t come back it would have been my fault. You were just sticking up for me.”
“ No! ” I yelled, holding her tighter to my side, “None of this, especially anything that happens to me, would ever be your fault.”
“Yeah,” Brian added in a low chuckle of laughter, “I think Erin can take care of herself, and cause her own problems.”
“But what about Dustin?” Stephanie asked, her voice cracking under the emotional enormity of her question, “Is he coming back?”
No one answered her. She didn’t need an answer. He wasn’t coming back.
“Let’s all try to get some rest.” Brian added after a beat of uncomfortable silence, “Who knows what these demons have in store for us in the next round.”
Chapter Eight
With Faith resting on me, it was hard for me to relax. I did my best to hide the pain in my back, but by doing so I was inadvertently forced to lean against it.
I tossed and turned until my tired body ultimately gave in and I collapsed into a grief stricken sleep, a sleep that no matter how hard I tried, I could not escape.
***
Cold blue eyes haunted my dreams.
A white room held me as I lay bound to the frigid metal operating table. Chilling hands danced up my back, probing and prodding my spine. I cried out in vain for them to stop.
Needles piercing me, drawing my blood, tormenting my spine, stealing my flesh.
“ Stop !” I begged once more, “ Please stop.”
“Marrow is almost harvested.”, “Marrow”, “harvested.” Freezing hands climbed up my spine once more, scratching circles into my tender flesh. Bright lights blinded me as I thrashed against restraints that would not give way to my struggles.
I stared into the surgical lamp, praying for death to save me from my torment, when suddenly the room started to shake and wobble, rippling all around me until I was standing in the center of the pen where the Testers were gathered at the end of our bus ride. I was staring at the lectern, watching John as he walked closer to Declan.
Even in my dreams, I could not escape the memories of John’s death. His murder replayed over and over in my mind. His screams speared into my ears, wreaking havoc on my fragile psyche. Over and over,
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