Chapter 10

Drip, drip, drip.

The pitter-patter of a single water drop hitting a distant object jogged me back into reality with a burning face, throbbing head, and parched throat. There’s always that state when you come out of unconsciousness where you can’t remember anything. Who you are, where you’ve been, why you were even unconscious. It’s just a simple state of being, you exist but without a purpose, you’re there but without a reason.

Drip, drip, drip.

Rain was good, rain was nice.

Then, you realize that you’re human, that you’re alive, but you’re too afraid to open your eyes to see where you are. But, as soon as you remember all you’d forgotten, your eyes shoot open and you’re forced to face the terrors of reality.

It didn’t take long for me to go through the motions of being knocked out but when I opened my eyes, I saw nothing. Just darkness.

Every kid is afraid of the dark once in awhile, some get over it, others don’t. I’d gotten over my fear quickly, I had to for my brothers and our mission. When you’ve come face to face with the things that go bump in the night, you begin to wish for the darkness, just so you didn’t have to see.

Human nature was funny like that.

Unfortunately, even though I long ago ditched the irrational fear of the boogeyman in the depths of the night, this opaque darkness was different. It was murky and dank, emitting nothing but the ominous feeling of doom. It was cold and eerie, the only sound came from the rhythm of the driving rain outside and the cold draft that sent chills down your spine.

It couldn’t have been too long since I’d been here, an hour or two maybe. That meant it was probably nightfall, Keno and Logan would be looking for me. I moved my hand to feel my lacerated cheek only to hear the clinking of metal against metal. I lifted my hands, moving as one, to see the silhouette of a pair of heavy shackles that cut deep into my wrists. I stared at them blankly. Shackles?

They were strange shackles too, the outer lining was made of what appeared to be pure steal, the inside made of solid iron as were the chains. The whole thing seemed to be coated in pure holy water, slick oil rather than water, and salt. How could I tell all this?  Well, for one, holy water was the foulest smelling substance I’d ever come across and the crystallites of salt were another clue. But I also knew a lot about how to catch things, steel and iron basically covered it all.

“I bought them just for you,” the voice made me jump, the sharp steel cutting deeper into my wrists from the movement.

“Who’re you?” I asked and was suddenly blinded by a bright light from a lamp.

“You know who I am,” he said in a sinister sing-song voice. He pulled the lamp closer to his face to reveal an older man with gray hair, standing out in every which way.

“Doctor Hayek?” I said without letting it click in my mind. Finally all the clues connected and I could all but feel the color drain from my face. It made sense, all those who’d gone missing were last seen in the hospital, all with the same doctor. I shook off all my confusion that the smack in the face had left me and glared at the doctor. “Why?”

“Why what?” he asked and smoothed the crinkles in my shirt idly.

“Why am I here?” I asked with contained rage.

“Because I want you here,” he said. “Because I’m curious. I brought you some water.”

I stared at the cup and glared back up at him but took a few sips anyway. If he’d wanted to kill me, he would’ve done it when I couldn’t fight back. He put the glass on the ground and continued to stare at me, as if he were examining me. I spoke slowly, articulating every syllable. “How‘d you get me here?”

“You should be more careful, walking on the streets alone,” he shrugged. “There are a lot of dangerous people out there.”

“What do you want with me?”

“You really don’t know, do you,” he sighed and shook his head.

“Know what?” I hated asking so many questions, but this guy was such a damn enigma. A disconcerting grin appeared on the old doctor’s face.

“Anything,” he replied. “About who you are, about your past, completely oblivious. Though, ignorance is bliss as they say.”

He placed the lamp on the ground and sat back, never taking his eyes off me for a second. He pulled out a small black case from his pocket and pulled out a needle. He had drugged me to get me here, that was obvious from the headache and lethargy but why still have the needle? I stared at the empty syringe, what the hell was he planning?

“I’ll start from the beginning,” he said. “After you were born, your daddy noticed there was something very different about you. So he left to find some way to save you and some other sappy fatherly thing. You, however, stayed with your mother and brothers and grew up happy and healthy like any other child. Until the demons came to collect their prize.”

I didn’t say anything but I didn’t have to. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach making me feel ill, my hands shook as though the world were crumbling down around me and my eyes glazed over with disbelief and anger.

“That’s right,” he said and came closer to get in my face. “That night, the demons came to your village, destroyed everything, killed your mother and they’ve been there by your side all these years. What the demons were looking for that night was you.”

“Shut up,” I said through clenched teeth.

“I can’t imagine looking for something so dark and sinister my whole life only to find that it was me all along!”

“I said,” I was fuming; words couldn’t properly explain my anger. “Shut. Up.” 

“And you asked Colonel Darryl Stokes for help,” Hayek shook his head. “Well, the demons didn’t think it was time for you to know the truth, so you know what they did? They killed him and his family too! All these people are dying, Oskar, and it’s your fault!”

“I don’t believe you, it’s not true,” I said and looked away.

“Why would I lie?” he shrugged. “I’m not a demon spawn like you.”

“Shut up or I swear I’ll-”

“Idle threats,” he waved me off so simply. So simply that I felt pathetic. “Face it, your brothers will never find you.”

“They’ll find me-”

“Without that transmitter, you’re as good as gone. They’ll forget about you and move on to a happier life.”

This time I didn’t say anything, didn’t give him the satisfaction of a response. Instead I gave him the satisfaction of my foot in his face. He fell back and moments later sat up covering his bleeding nose, I only continued my glare. Until he punched me.

Damn he was strong for an old guy.

“I was once part of the military,” he said. “You don’t know how many battles I’ve been in.”

Rather than letting the lesson soak in, letting me cower in fear at his greatness, he beat me. Punches and steel-toed kicks came at me until I could actually hear the cracking of bones. He grabbed my face, bloody glare to bloody glare.

“I don’t know why they want you,” he said so darkly that I was actually now scared. The guy was actually psychotic. Clinically psychotic. “But it’s not going to mean well for the rest of us.”

He shoved me hard against the wall, pain searing through my spine. He ripped my shirt, tearing it off and holding up the needle.

 “What are you doing?” I couldn’t recognize my own voice, shaking with fear. He jabbed the needle into my arm and I watched as the dark red liquid filled the needle.

“I’m going to find out what it is, their plan.” He said. “Going to turn it back on them. Then, I’ll destroy you before you destroy us! I‘m going to learn everything about you and your secret, inside and out. Don‘t take it personally, I‘m just trying to save our kind. That is what sacrifice is, the loss of one to benefit many.”

Another punch to my jaw made me glad it wasn’t made of glass.

“I’ll just let that iron will of yours die,” he said and smiled. “I think some isolation will help. In the dark.”

I spit out some of the blood in my mouth as the light of the lamp disappeared and the sound of a heavy door shut me in the darkness.

It couldn’t be true, none of it could be true.

I had turned myself towards the wall, pushing myself away from it, desperately trying to free myself from the chains but no dice. I ignored the sharp feeling of steel slicing at my wrists and the blood that ran down my arm as I continued to yank.

It couldn’t be true… Could it?

Finally, either from exhaustion or loss of blood, I fell to the grimy floor, my breath heavy. Hayek had a point, why would he lie?

It actually all made sense now; why no demons tried to kill me, why they always tried to drag me away. Why Keno was always so defensive and extra protective towards me and why he’d hated how Kotori looked at me as though I were different because I was different. No matter how much Keno wanted to deny it, I was different just because the demon’s wanted me. How long had he known about this?

“Whatever it is, we’re going to fight for it, with all our might.” I could now remember Keno’s weary words, the terrified glance he’d given me that first night on our own. Had he really been sending us on a wild goose chase? Did he know before that?

I couldn’t tell if the warm liquid dripping down my face was blood or tears, it didn’t matter. I should’ve drowned in that lake years ago, maybe then mom would still be alive. Who knew how many people died because of me? Keno and Logan would be living happy, normal lives. All the pain and sorrow they’ve felt these last ten years, it was my fault.

How was I supposed to face that?

“Hey,” I didn’t move when I heard the voice coming from another room, I didn’t even respond. “Hey, say something!”

“What do you want?” I asked.

“How old are you?” The voice asked.

“Sixteen.”

“Name?”

“Why does it matter?” I whispered.

“I’m Lieutenant Wesley Berry,” the man said. “Don’t listen to that quack, you hear me? He doesn’t know anything.”

“Yes,” I said. Tears, they were tears running down my face. “He does.”

The Lieutenant in the other room was quiet, unsure of what to say. He’d heard the story, he somehow knew it was true. “What’s your name kid? We’ll get out of here and I’ll keep your secret from the CCOR.”

I hadn’t thought about the CCOR, at least they hadn’t known about any of this. I didn’t know what they would do if they ever found out, the Caeldians wouldn’t be so understanding and would resort to any radical means but what about the Itaraeans? They might have just gone with the Caeldians or lock me away in some lab to do tests. Either way, they couldn’t know. 

“Oskar Noir,” I answered his question and there was silence.

“The Oskar Noir? I didn’t realize he was just a kid.” The Lieutenant said.

“I met you the other day,” I sighed. “You and your daughter.”

“Oh, that was you?” Berry chuckled. “My daughter took a liking to you. How is she? And my wife?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen them,” I muttered.

I started shivering, it was cold and wet here and it didn’t help with my current situation. I decided to actually do damage control and see how badly I was hurt. My ribs were either badly bruised or broken, blood still ran from a gash on my torso and lip and my wrists were warm and sticky from blood.

“Listen, I’ve got a lot of stuff to,” I paused and felt my swollen eye. “Figure out.”

“Yeah,” Berry sighed. “I hear ya.”

 

Hours seemed to have passed as I dozed in and out of consciousness, it was always easier than facing the truth. A bucketful of cold water was thrown at me, making me sit up instantly to look up at the doctor. There were no grins or games playing on his lips this time.

“Do you know and accept what you are yet?” He asked.

“Go to hell,” I muttered and cried out as another rib cracked as his boot made contact.

“Don’t be a smart mouth,” he said. “I’m going to break that iron will of yours, it’ll make my job easier and it‘ll be entertaining.”

He removed the chains and pulled me up to my feet. He dragged me out of the room into a larger laboratory. There was an old gurney in the middle of the dark room that was lit only by a few lamps. An ancient house then or the doctor just didn’t bother to turn on the lights. You’ve got to save energy when you were a mad doctor.

Tools that were large, scary, and unknown to me surrounded the benches and tables nearby. My heart beat with panic faster than any regular doctor’s visit would cause because, let’s face it, how many of those doctors were sociopath doctors from hell?

“Sit there,” he threw me into an old, chipped chair that looked like it was once in the waiting room of the hospital’s ER. He tied me to the chair with simple rope and, usually, I’d be able to get out of them but the knots were tight and I was weak. I was still trapped.

“What’s your brother’s code?” Hayek asked, pulling out my transmitter and showing me the destroyed tracking chip. He hit me when a glare was my only answer. “What is it?”

“7629-369,” I said. I should really stop fighting when I know I can’t win, Logan and Keno were not good influences in this kind of situation, stubbornness was in the genes. I watched him punch in the code before coming to lean against the gurney and watch me closely.

“Ozzie?” Keno’s voice came on the transmitter instantly. I could hear the desperation, fear and even the exhaustion in his voice. “Oskar where are you?”

“Hello, Keno Noir,” Hayek motioned for silence before I could say anything. “How are you this fine evening?”

“Who are you? Where’s Oskar?” Keno demanded. It would be hard to recognize the doctor’s voice since Keno hadn’t heard him but the one time.

“Patience, boy, patience!” Hayek said. “Your brother is here and alive.”

“What the hell do you want?” It was Logan’s voice this time, less panicked and more angry.

“I want to know how the two of you can sleep at night,” Hayek said. “When you’ve betrayed your family, country, even your species!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Keno denied darkly. I could all but see his eyes turning to a dark purple with anger.

“He is not getting out of this,” Hayek said. “You should thank me, really. I’m going to save us all. I’ll take the burden off your shoulders.”

“What the hell are you saying?” Logan said. He must not know about any of this, Keno must be keeping us both in the dark or maybe he was just playing along. Who knew anymore?

I watched as Hayek walked over to the fireplace in the corner of the room. He pulled out a long iron poker, gleaming a bright molten red from the flames. It was in the shape of a small cross and he held it just bare inches from my chest so that I could feel the intense heat of it.

“You might as well forget about him, it’s for the best.” Hayek said and then to me “Say goodbye.”

I’d never felt so much pain before, the scalding iron scorching into my skin, burning the flesh over my heart. Try as I might, for my brothers’ sanity, I couldn’t keep the scream back.

“Oskar!” I could hear the concerned shouts and tried to contained the screams but couldn’t. Long after the rod had been taking away I felt the painful sweltering of the third-degree burn of an inverted cross. He threw my transmitter to the side after hanging up, I could hear it hitting the wall behind me and cracking.

“To always remind you that you have no place on God’s Earth,” he said. “To remind you of what you are, not human.”

I wasn’t much in the fighting mood when I was thrown and chained back up in my prison. I just laid where I had fallen, holding the burn on my chest.

Sometimes, you couldn’t help but wish you were dead.

 

 

I knew covering my ears wouldn’t do anything; that I’d wasted my energy by trying in vain to keep the sounds of blood curdling screams at bay. They came and went but to me it was constant as Hayek tortured the Lieutenant in ways I couldn’t imagine.

The mind was a tricky thing, it beat all kinds of physical torture by a long shot. You attack the mind and you attack one’s very being; it no longer mattered how strong someone was, most people had the same mental strength, one could only take so much torture before giving in to it. I was stubborn and strong-willed but my mind was still weak when it came to this kind of torture. In this situation, anyone’s imagination would run rampant, think the worst. Hayek could be doing the simplest torture but my mind perceived it as something God awful, and the doctor was right…

He was breaking that iron will of mine.

It had to have been days that this was going on, I almost started to wonder if I’d been forgotten which was almost as bad as the doctor remembering me. Hayek would spend hours experimenting on the Lieutenant, there were other screams too, ones that I wished I hadn’t heard. A small girl who’s smiling face I couldn’t picture, a young man who had just gotten engaged and pleading to be spared among others who fell victim to Hayek and I was helpless. A few times I still tried to free myself, day after day but nothing changed.

Eventually, I just gave up. Not just from the lack of will, which I was losing at lighting speed, but also because I was feeling the strains of being held captive. I was feverish yet freezing, starving and dehydrated, weak and useless.

“See, now that wasn’t so bad,” I looked up, once again blinded by the lamp that Hayek brought. I hadn’t noticed him coming in, surprisingly, the door was loud enough. “Now you see my point.”

“What point?” My voice cracked with disuse but I tried to keep my bitter tone, it was weak, almost nonexistent but it still there. 

“That no one is going to find you,” Hayek walked up to me. “A week has passed and nothing. Your brothers aren’t doing very well either, especially the blonde one. Sleep deprivation and malnourishment can be a terrible, terrible thing.”

I didn’t say anything but what he said still tore at me. Keno and Logan would be doing anything they could to find me but Keno, Keno would take that extra step, even if it meant him harm.

“You look ill.”

“Gee, I wonder why,” I coughed and went to lick my parched lips that were cracked and tasted of copper.

“Don’t worry, you won’t be suffering much longer.” I watched almost pitifully as he undid the shackles. “Up on your feet.”

“I can’t,” I muttered but mustered up enough strength to make it half way. Hayek grabbed my sore wrist and hoisted me the rest of the way. I reluctantly leaned on him for support until he left me to lean against the wall of the laboratory just outside my cell. Breathing was painful, thanks to my damaged ribs, and my legs shook even though I wasn’t moving. The doctor turned to set up the examination table, looks like I had been upgraded from the dirty chair.

There were lights on now, though dimly illuminated but it still helped me to see more than I had before. There was a doorway on the far end of the lab, unlocked but seemingly beyond reach. I may have been weak and desperate, I may have been down right stupid, but I had to try.

A cold sweat dripped down to my chin as I inched my way over to the door. The only way I was going to make it was if I let go of the wall. Seconds seemed like hours before I took the first step and I’d made another before falling onto the cold, stone floor.

“Trying to make a run for it, eh?” I turned onto my back and looked up at the doctor who now held a knife to my throat. “Well you’re not going to get that far. I didn’t find anything in those blood tests so it appears I’ll have to dig deeper.”

I shut my eyes tightly as I felt the first bite of cold steel on my throat. The fearful tears that ran down my cheeks burned just as hot as the blood that began to flow. I’d had the thought that I was going to die a few times before in my life, but this one felt more real than the others, more terrifying because, before, I somehow knew that Keno or Logan would come to my aide. Unfortunately, this time, I didn’t seem to have that luxury.

“Hey!” The voice was harsh, angry and abrupt, making the doctor stop instantly and remove his knife from my throat. I used what little energy I had left to put pressure on the cut to stop the bleeding and look at the intruder. He wasn’t tall, maybe an inch or so shorter than I was. His eyes burned a bright umber with rage and his hair was short and both red and white, a strange mix. On his left cheek, there was a strange blue marking that seemed to glow in his anger. He wore a pair of jeans and a black leather jacket with one sleeve ripped off to be replaced by a purple one.

“Hiero!” Hayek jumped away from me, suddenly fearful. “What are you doing here? I thought that you weren’t supposed to come until tomorrow!”

“Do you think I’m a fool, Hayek?” the newcomer, Hiero, said as he took a few steps to the doctor. “Did you think you could double cross us and then get away with it?”

“No, no of course not!” Hayek stammered. “That’s absurd! I would never-”

“So, you weren’t just about to slice him up like a sack of meat in a butcher shop?” Hiero asked and glared when Hayek shook his head vigorously. “Well, that’s what it looked like from where I’m standing.”

“The boy was trying to escape! I was-”

“Enough!” Hiero shouted and silenced the doctor. “Listen, Hayek, we don’t care about what you do with your other victims, torture away! But you are not to harm a single hair on this boy’s head. Understood?”

“Yes! Yes, of course!” Hayek trembled.

Hiero pushed past the doctor and knelt beside me. He picked up my hand and looked at my raw wrist, touching it lightly. I winced with pain.

“What is this?” Hiero demanded, turning back to the doctor.

“The boy did that to himself, I had nothing to do with it!” Hayek said.

“You’re trudging on thin ice, doctor.” Hiero glared. “I’d be careful if I were you. We gave you a simple order, I’m sure it is safe to assume that you have not done it yet?”

“Well, I was waiting for you!” Hayek said.

“I see,” Hiero nodded with mock understanding. “Now you will do your job and fix the damage!”

“Yes,” Hayek said and moved over to the gurney to actually tidy up and clean his instruments of the crusted on blood. The doctor didn’t even look at me as he prepared the examination table.

“Alright, kid,” Hiero bent down to help me up and walked me over to the table. There was something strange about Hiero, his energy was unnatural. I’d felt it on a few occasions but it didn’t begin in the abandoned town. No, now I realized that I’ve been sensing him my whole life.

“You,” I breathed though it was still difficult. “You’ve been watching me?”

“Very good,” he said as he helped me sit and then stepped aside to allow the doctor to get to work.

First, Hayek gave me some clean water to drink before checking my pulse, throat and eyes. He then proceeded to do a regular doctor’s check up, a simple physical. It was odd, very odd.

What was really odd was what the doctor did next. He took out a small device and held it close to me, towards my face.

An EMF detector? I thought to myself. I didn’t get to see the reading but the doctor looked very disgusted by it. What did the Electromagnetic Field have to do with me?

Finally, the doctor got to work on fixing my wounds He cleaned all the cuts and scraps, wrapped up my wrists after putting on some ointment and finally splinted my cracked ribs. The doctor refilled my glass of water and handed me a couple of pills of different colors and sizes.

“For the fever, pain and malnourishment.” Hayek explained bitterly. “Take them.”

I stared at him dubiously. What, now I was supposed to treat him like a real doctor? Fat chance. Hayek glared at me but looked over at Hiero unwarily.

“What could I possibly do to you?” Hayek said. I looked over to Hiero who nodded for me to take the medication and I did. What could possibly be worse than what I’ve already been through? Hayek handed me a wet towel to clean up.

“And?” Hiero asked impatiently as Hayek cleaned up.

“He’s incredibly underweight for his age and height, though, he was like that before he came here.” Hayek said and looked through his clipboard he’d been keeping.

“What of his spirit energy?”  Hiero asked.

“Strong, very strong,” Hayek said. “EMF was very high.”

Hiero looked at the notes the doctor had made. “Not high or strong enough, however. And you’ve set us back quite a bit health wise.”

“So what do you think?” Hayek asked with feigned interest.

“We’ll wait until he’s eighteen, he’ll be stronger and more experienced by then.” Hiero said and leaned back, crossing his arms.

“Where will you keep him until then?” Hayek asked.

“For the moment he’ll have to stay here,” Hiero said with distaste. “I suspect you can be trusted until we find a new place?”

“Of course,” Hayek said. “I know how important the boy is to you and your Master, Hiero.”

“No, you don’t,” Hiero sighed but turned to me with interest.

“You’re,” I coughed weakly. “You’re human but… at the same time, you’re not. Are you a possession?”

Not one I’d ever seen but it was the only thing I could think of.

“No,” Hiero replied. “That would insinuate that this body belonged to someone else but this body is mine. It’s human in all ways but its mortality and a few necessary demonic traits. My spirit is the thing with little to no humanity, just enough to let me slip by your transmitters.”

“Demon,” I muttered.

“That’s right,” Hiero nodded.

“What do you want with me?” I demanded.

“Now, that would be telling, wouldn’t it?” Hiero smirked then turned to the doctor. “I have to be going. No more set backs, do you understand?”

“Yes,” Hayek said. “But what of the boy? What if he tries to escape again?”

“He won’t,” Hiero said confidently. He grabbed my arm and helped me back to my dank cell. He helped me sit against the wall, tossing the shackles to the side with revulsion. The demon looked me in the eye threateningly. “You will stay here and be a good little boy. No tricks, no more hurting yourself, no ways out or every single person you so much as said a polite ‘Good morning’ to since you were able to speak will perish in a most agonizing way. Am I clear?”

I scowled at the demon but I knew it was all in vain. He patted my head and stood up, looking down at me with a cruel quirk of the lips.

“Good,” Hiero turned back to the doctor. “We’ll keep in touch.”

And with that the door slammed the door and I was in the dark again, alone and this time, I had the feeling, it was going to stay that way. For the first time I doubted that I’d ever see Keno or Logan again, this time I didn’t believe they would find me.

There was a loud crack of thunder and a quick flash of lightning illuminated the cell before water began dripping down again. Another torrential downpour, then, and here I was, soaked to the bone and ill, my now tattered clothes clinging to my body, sopping from the water and blood.

Another flash of lightning streaked through the holes that lead outside, allowing a small amount of light to illuminate the room. In the corner I could see my transmitter, cracked and broken.

I managed to pull it over to me and looked at the broken screen. I’d always been pretty good with electronics but I wasn’t sure if the transmitter would even work anymore. I sighed and opened the back to look at the wires; at least it could give me something to do as I awaited my fate.

 

Days must’ve passed but I couldn’t tell, the rain continued to pour making the sky too dark to distinguish between day and night. I was laying with my cheek against the cold stone floor, my eyelids just barely staying open. I’d been steadily getting worse and I didn’t need Hayek to tell me that for me to figure it out. I was taken over by shivers and unable to eat anything, I was mostly barely conscious and even if I were awake, it didn’t feel like it.

 “Where is he?” I could hear the familiar voice; angrier, disheveled and more desperate than I could ever remember hearing him. There was the sound of someone being slammed against the wall.

“Stand down, Keno,” another voice I recognized, much calmer than the first.

“None of this is helping Ozzie, Keno,” this voice I recognized as Logan.

“You will stand down or I will dismiss you, that’s your choice, Keno.” The second voice was the General. I couldn’t tell if the three of them were there or if I were dreaming. I couldn’t differentiate between a dream and reality, both worlds just became a dark, terrifying place where everything was the same. I was still shrouded in darkness and I was still alone.

“He has Ozzie,” Keno hissed.

“We’ve found more bodies, General,” a soldier said.

“Dr. James Hayek you are under arrest for kidnapping and murder,” Bennett said.

“What about assaulting a CCOR officer?” Keno asked, I could hear the glare in Keno’s voice. If looks could kill then I knew Hayek would be on the floor without a pulse.

“There’s no evidence of that,” Bennett said.

“I know he’s here, General, the signal was faint but it lead here.”

Signal? It looks like I’d managed to get the transmitter to send out a signal after all, if this was reality that is.

“It was his voice on the transmission,” Keno said.

“That won’t be good enough, Keno, now stand down.” Bennett said. I could hear shuffling as Keno no doubt followed the order and set down the doctor.

“Where is he?” Keno asked, this time his voice was softer, defeated and pleading.

“You won’t find him,” Hayek said. “You should be happy; he’s off your hands. If you were smart you would leave him! You make me sick, how could you betray your family, your race for-”

There was the sound of a fist making contact and the shuffling of feet as soldiers pulled Keno away from Hayek.

“Relax,” Bennett said to them. “Thank you, Keno, for stopping the suspect before he could get away.”

“Hey, Keno,” Logan said, he was close to the door, so close and yet so far away. “It’s Ozzie’s shirt.”

Keno exchanged no words with Hayek but I could hear his footsteps as he walked over to Logan, trying as hard as he could to control his temper. There was a faint, almost inaudible knock on the wall of my cell.

It has to be a dream, I told myself. There’s no way they would be able to find me.

The knock came again, a little louder but I couldn’t move to knock back. If they were truly there they would just walk away because I was too weak to give them a sign.

“There’s a room back there,” Keno said. “Ozzie?”

I tried to call back but only air left my lips which resulted in a painful fit of coughing I’d thought I’d become accustomed to. I was unlucky there too.

“Open the door,” Logan said. The sound of the heavy door creaked and soon the room was filled with a bright light that I could see through closed eyelids.

“Oskar!” I cried out with pain as Keno or Logan helped me sit up. “Ozzie say something!”

“Keno?” I muttered, my throat searing with pain as I did.

“Yes,” Keno said.

“Just hang in there,” Logan said. “We’re going to get you help.”

Gently they pulled me out of the cold cell and set me down just as softly. I hissed with pain as my arm was lifted and examined.

“Keno,” I felt the hot tears run down my face.

“Yeah?” he asked as he started peeling away the bandage to get a better look.

“Make it stop,” I whispered, making him pause.

“Make what stop?” He asked. I managed to pull my knees close to my chest and cover my ears.

“The screaming,” I murmured. Keno glared up at Hayek but turned back to me, his hands on my shoulders.

“Who’s screaming?” Logan asked.

“Lieutenant Berry,” I muttered. “A little girl… mom.”

The hands on my shoulder tightened slightly and then softened. Keno sighed but didn’t waste any more words or energy on the doctor, as much as he wanted to, who was now being taken away.

“Ozzie-”

 “Make it stop, Keno, please! You have to help them, please!” I begged and broke down, I didn’t care about holding back the tears, not anymore.

“I’m going to call Ila, tell her to meet us at the hotel,” Keno said.

“Shouldn’t we take him to a hospital?” Logan asked.

“I don’t think he can handle that,” Keno sighed. “Help him to the van?”

“Yeah,” Logan said. “Okay, Ozzie, let’s go.”

Author's Note

I thought this chapter was going to be longer or spread out to two chapters but I managed to get everything in there, go me!
Alright, so I got quite ahead on these chapters but I still need to look through them and such and my internet is down (yeah for public access!). I'll also be leaving for England next week so... probably no updates for a month at least.. Sorry :(

Reviews

[Willow's Sky]

This was the best chapter so far. The emotions of Ozzie were so amazingly realistic, I could easily imagine this playing out like a movie. It was really interesting to hear more about Ozzie's...(I guess, condition?), and both Hayek and Hiero's characters were very interesting. There were also a lot less grammar problems (at least, that I spotted). Fantastic job!