Infinite | Chosen Series book one ❄️

13

I follow the guards down the long white hallways of the building, along with everyone else. Eventually we turn into a hallway that isn't white, or clean, or new. It looks old, forgotten, and frankly, kind of scary. We're ushered into an equally old and scary looking room filled with seats all pointing towards a glass wall. Behind the glass wall you can see into a room that looks like an operating room. Unlike where I'm standing in now, it looks neat and clean.

The two boys from the rock climbing wall are strapped to tables, thrashing around to free themselves. Everyone around me widens their eyes and stares, waiting to see what happens next. I quickly take a seat, never looking away from the boys. Two people in labcoats, a man and a woman, walk in brandishing very large needles filled with an orange liquid. They each walk to one of the two chosen boys and turn their wrists over so the palm of their hands are facing upwards. Then they stick the needles into their veins, which makes the boys' faces scrunch up in pain. A second later, when the liquid starts to enter their systems, they begin to scream. Those screams are more haunting than anything I've heard before. My face pales and my body goes numb. This is not what we signed up for. The two boys begin to convulse; their eyes roll back in their heads and blood starts to drip drop their noses and ears. Eventually they stop moving. I think they're dead, but after a moment they open their eyes.

Muffled gasps come from all around me; I turn to see several people with their hands covering their mouths and tears in their eyes. They look almost as terrified as the two boys did. A few have already left the room, but I stay. I stay even when everyone else is gone. I stay when they unstrap the tense bodies from the tables and help them to their feet. A guard comes in and asks in a loud voice that anyone still there leave immediately. I duck bend the seats so I can stay. I wait until I hear the sound of his footsteps walking away down the hallway before coming out again.

I've figured out that the glass is one way glass by touching my finger to it and seeing that there is no space. So they can't see me watching, and they don't know I'm listening.

"Hi. Can you tell me your name?" The woman asks one of the boys.

"S-s-spencer," he stutters. "Where am I? Who are you?"

"Shh, calm down Spencer. You're okay, everything is fine. Could you tell me the last thing you remember?" She puts a hand on his shoulder to reassure him.

"I was at the choosing, where am I now?" He looks confused and afraid.

"Don't worry about that. Here, take this..." She hands him a small pill.

He swallows it and collapses into the other scientists arms.

"He's ready," she says emotionlessly.

I look over and see that the other boy is already unconscious, having already gone through the procedure. Why are they erasing their memories? Won't they realize that they've been here when they get home and are told how much time has passed? It only takes a moment for those questions to be answered for me.

"Are the false memories ready to go?" The man asks the female scientist.

"Yes, the machines are set up," she replies.

They walk out of the room, letting guards come in to carry the boys out. I stay standing there for several minutes before quietly leaving the room. One thing I know for sure, nothing is worth going through whatever is happening to the people who are eliminated; and nothing is going to stop me from winning those abilities. I will not have my memories replaced.

*****

I run down the hallways back towards the cafeteria. The only sounds I hear are my shoes hitting the ground as I run and the sound of my gasping breath. I stop in front of the cafeteria doors and contemplate whether or not I should go in. I feel a knot of fear in my stomach. Why aren't we allowed to remember what happened here when we leave? What could be so horrible that they put a person through all that pain? What threat do we pose to the scientists? To the government?