Piper wraps her trembling fingers around the syringe, looking horrified at what she’s just done.
Watching the Official is almost entertaining. Almost. One second she’s confident, with the belief that she’s in control of the situation. Then her blank face flares into emotion. She grabs wildly at the shot in Piper’s hand, missing entirely. She hits Piper’s arm instead, her fingers closing around air.
Piper backs away. Terrified.
The air fills with shouts. The Official yells hysterically at Piper. Bridget shouts words of encouragement, her face breaking open with a grin. She sprints to Piper’s side, causing the Official to take a small step backwards.
Annie resumes her hysterical screaming, thrashing on the floor. Sienna tries to hold Annie still, but a wild fist slams into her mouth. She clears out of the way, tears pooling in her eyes. She still shouts out the desperate choruses of ‘Annie’.
I realize what I’m doing.
Nothing.
Piper’s holding a stolen syringe. Bridget’s fighting off an Official. Annie is having a mental breakdown while Sienna desperately tries to help. I’m doing nothing. I’m standing and staring, just like Kate.
Action jolts through me. I sprint towards Piper. I don’t have a plan. There’s no time to plan. Only to act. I call out to Piper and hold my hands out. She understands. The Official turns her attention to me. She hesitates between either attacking or backing away further. She doesn’t see Piper toss the shot into the air.
The shot climbs high, before plummeting downwards. I make a lucky grab, careful not to catch the pointed end. My fingers close around the cool glass tube of blue. The Official’s eyes widen.
She moves closer to me, backing me towards a wall. She must have decided that she can overpower me. After a few steps, my back presses tightly against the wall. My fingers clench the shot behind my back. I’m afraid of the glass.
Why would someone use something as breakable as glass for a syringe? So that it can’t be taken by force?
I cover it with my hands, as if that will stop the Official from getting it.
“Give me the shot. Now. You and your friends will suffer from the consequences.”
There are already going to be consequences. The situation has slipped from our control. We’ve probably secured ourselves a spot in the Unknown. By continuing to fight back, are we just making our situations worse? Should I stop fighting, to save us as much as I can?
I try to hold my chin high, even though the Officials nose is an inch from mine. I stare straight into her eyes and say, “Okay.”
The Official’s smile is full of victory. She holds out a hand for the shot.
“Can I please just have a little space?” I ask.
The Official takes a step back, allowing me to see Piper and Bridget. Piper’s face falls, her shoulders slouching. Bridget glowers at me. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. This is the only way. People won’t get hurt.
YOU ARE READING
986 (Complex Series, #1)
Science Fiction-first book in Complex series- In the Complex, where everyone is emotionless perfection, a young girl discovers through forbidden friendships the frightening truth behind her seemingly flawless world. (the lovely cover was created by @clarkethevirus)
