Chapter 20

I glared into my brother's blue eyes and I could not recognize anything of myself in his face. There was no hint of light and that scared me. “What do you want?” I crossed my arms, “More needles or pain shots.”

“No,” he went over to a door where two afflicted guardians were unconscious on the floor. “Today will be very different from last time,” he typed in a number and I took the opportunity to run down the hall, “Hart.”

“Right,” he said then I got zapped by something on my back. I fell forward and hit the ground without anything to stop my face from hitting the cement.

“I love technology,” Cass put his boot down onto my back to hold me still then pulled my gun out of my pocket, “We are going downstairs now.”

“I will not be an experiment,” I tried to move then he hand-cuffed my hands.

“You don't need the same kind of persuasion everyone else does, sweetheart,” he pulled me up to my feet and started to drag me down the narrow staircase. Hart had a gun to my back the whole way down and I kept one eye on each of them. Cass opened another door then I was thrown into a dark room that reminded me of the dungeons from the history books.

 

“What is this place?” I turned around.

“Your new room,” he said then turned to Hart, “Go get Daniels.”

“Who is Daniels?” I got to my feet, “You can't just keep me in here, I am not letting you.”

“Is the girl here yet?” a tall guy with a leather jacket and stern look walked into the room.

“Daniels,” Hart came back down the stairs, “I didn't know you knew where to come.”

“Is this the girl?” Daniels asked.

“Yes, please get started,” Cass answered and Daniels put on leather gloves.

“How old are you, girl?” Daniels looked at me closely, “You must be old enough to be a student correct.”

“I am not a student, I am afflicted and proud of it,” I snapped back at him.

“We'll see,” he started forward.

 

“What is your plan, Cass?” I looked around at him then turned back in time to get slapped hard across the face. I tried to hit back and the guy twisted my arm and kneed me in the gut. I tried to push him away, but my legs collapsed after another hit to the gut. He kicked me in the side and I turned kicking him in the leg hard.

“Don't fight back,” Daniels stepped on my wrist and I cried out in pain as he put all his weight on it.

“I am not obedient,” I kicked him in the back of the leg and he fell back over my leg.

“Hit her until she concedes,” Cass ordered then Daniels tried to grab my leg. I kicked his head in before he could get up and hit him in the gut.

“Hold her for a moment,” Daniels growled. Cass and Hart ran forward. They grabbed my arms and pinned me back against the wall.

“Hart, if you do this you'll be out of the council and the punishment will be painful, I promise you,” I threatened him.

“It was just a cover, anyways,” Hart held my head in place while Daniels came forward with something in his hand.

“It won't kill you, little sister,” Cass promised then Daniels stuck a needle into my artery. He didn't push down so he was extracting blood. He extracted enough that I started to feel dizzy then took the needle out. “We need a look at your progress through the program,” Cass pushed me forward to the ground.

 

“Like hell,” I lunged at the needle in Hart's hand and he dropped it when I tackled him. The glass broke and I barely felt when Hart slapped me. I pulled myself up and then Daniels got his hand around my throat. I struggled, but he had me lifted in the air. He finally got bored and threw me into the wall. I felt my brother's boot hit my stomach and I tried to crawl away.

“She isn't learning anything,” Daniels told my brother, “Open the back of her shirt, I'll teach her a lesson the same way I taught my young wife.”

“Do not cause too much damage, she is useful,” Hart warned him then Cass grabbed my chains to pull me up. He attached them to the wall and Hart ripped the back of my shirt. I tried to turn around, but Cass chained my neck. I bit his hand and he slapped me again.

“Stop,” I said then I heard a whip fly. I felt exactly when it hit me and I bit down hard on my lip to keep from screaming. I won't give them the satisfaction of hearing my screams and pleas.

“That's better,” Daniels whipped me again, “She didn't have one mark on her before now, Garnet did she?”

“No, I pampered her too much in the past,” Cass stood in front of me, “Didn't I, Maya?”

“I hate you,” I told him.

“Again,” he ordered and his commando hit me once then twice. “How does that feel?” he asked.

“This is nothing compared to the visions you were too weak to possess,” I hissed.

“I'll have direct access to the future when we're done,” he smirked, “At least ten more, Daniels.”

“Yes sir,” Daniels whipped me and took small, torturous breaks between each hit. I tried to stay standing, but when I didn't react he set the whip end on fire and it burned my skin.

“Three more,” Cass encouraged him.

“I can't believe I thought you were my family,” I said then the next hit was too hard. My feet collapsed beneath me and the neck brace started to choke me. They left me like that for a minute before they let me go. I was just going to get up when suddenly they threw water onto my back. It wasn't just any water, it was salt water and my wounds burned so powerful that I screamed. Cass hit me in the head again out of spite and I collapsed completely onto the floor feeling utterly defeated.

“That's better,” Cass knelt down next to me, “Now, all of you have to do is give us visions and that won't happen again.”

“This isn't the doctors' style,” I tried to push myself up, but the pain was overwhelming.

“They just want more information before they take risks with your life and our previous method didn't work,” he picked me up and took me over to the low stone counter. He pushed me onto my back and I cried a little.

“Please don't, Cass,” I felt delirious, “You're my brother, the visions hurt too much, please let me go.”

“We're done for today,” he remarked then the other two headed upstairs. He stabbed another needle into my arm and extracted more blood. He turned off the only light in the room leaving me in pitch blackness then closed and locked the door. I rolled myself onto my back then my mind shut down. I didn't even realize I'd passed out until I got hit with a vision. I saw an army of people, there were afflicted children and soldiers in the mix and they were burning a pile of bodies.

 

“The reluctant will not live on,” the old woman stood beside me, “The drugs were never perfect, you could just give in.”

“I cannot,” I replied.

“You'll be on the top then,” Cass smiled.

“What have you done?” I looked to everyone.

“We follow Morrison, we follow order to peace and warmth,” they announced.

“The drug is like the emotion pill,” I questioned.

“They are lost,” the lost boy said sadly, “The only ones strong enough to save them are themselves and there is no hope left.”

“I will not let this happen,” I said then I was hit with another flash. The snow opened from below and the people came out of it. The cold didn't bother them and they ran out of there. I got another vision within that one.

 

“You cannot leave,” Dr. Morrison said and I saw him grab another version of me.

“Let her go,” Darren and Seth both shouted.

“Sacrifices will hurt, darling,” my great uncle warned me.

“Go,” I called out to them. I turned around and hit Morrison. His officers surrounded me. “Darren, you have to get them out of here, be strong,” I fought the officers, but they were more experienced.

“Grab my son,” Peck said from close by then I saw them rip Seth away from the group. I saw the group run and Darren was caught up with them then I saw two tables. I was on one and Seth was strapped to the other. “We only need one,” Peck said and I felt a pain in my neck.

“Controller for the girl and death serum for the boy,” Morrison told him.

“Goodbye,” I saw them inject Seth with something then I felt the liquid hit my blood stream. The world was ice and pain. My eyes burst open and I sat up looking around me. I was breathing hard and my head was screaming for some kind of pain medicine. I tried to get up, but every move was like a pain shot. I managed to roll myself onto the floor and it only worsened the hurt. I started to crawl carefully toward the door, but I was so tired.

 

“Don't go back to sleep,” I told myself. I forced myself to sit up and my vision started to get fuzzy. I managed to get to the door and I got up with my legs shaking like leaves. I tried to open the door and it wasn't locked. I opened it then started to climb the stairs on my knees because my weight was too much for my feet to handle. I was just about at the top when someone grabbed my hair from behind me and threw me back down the stairs. I groaned when I hit the bottom.

“Where were you going, Garnet?” Hart growled, “You aren't getting away from this.”

“Just let me go,” I tried to get up again, but he kicked me in the stomach and I curled up in a ball to protect myself.

“That's better,” he lifted me up, “You need to rest, Maya and give us plenty of informative visions.”

“I won't tell any of you anything,” I said then saw my brother was waiting for me in the room.

“Trying to escape, May,” Cass asked as Hart dropped me back onto the stone bed.

 

“What is it to you?” I tried to stretch my muscles.

“I know you, sister you must have seen something interesting in your sleep to try and escape,” he sat down on the edge of my bed, “What did you see?”

“It was just dreams, not visions,” I replied, “They weren't about any of this.”

“Let's try this again,” he grabbed my arm and twisted my wrist in the wrong direction.

“Keep on doing that, Garnet,” I hissed, “Keep hurting me, I don't care anymore.”

 

“It's only your first day,” he let go of my wrist, “You best tell me what you know, or I'll have to deliver you a punishment.”

“Keep on punishing me,” I answered, “I am not your informant and I never will be again.”

“Just tell me what you saw,” he ordered, “I can make your life a living hell, little sister so don't tempt me.”

“It already is, Cass you made sure of that,” I told him, “I trusted you more than anything and everything you ever said was fake so why should I believe anything you say or threaten?”

“You want proof of who I am?” he stood up, “Very well, Hart give her a dose of the neuromuscular blocker.”

“What?” I said then Hart unleashed something into my blood stream and I felt my body freeze in place. “What is this?” I tried to move.

“Bring the girl in,” Cass said then Daniels came in dragging Kiara behind him.

“Kiara,” I called out to her.

“You will learn who your masters are, little sister,” Cass wrapped his hand around Kiara's neck.

“No,” I tried to force myself to move.

“Maya,” she choked out then Cass twisted her neck the wrong way.

“No,” I screamed then she fell to the ground and I couldn't breathe.

Author's Note

any character problems?
What do you think of the pace?