Inhabited

Chapter 40

I almost couldn't see the room because of the tears in my eyes. Everything looked blurry. I had thought my baby brother was gone but I was wrong. He was standing right in front of me for the first time in months. He didn't look like the same Jackson I knew months ago but it was him and he was a part of Nick's project. To think my little brother is a lab experiment makes me enraged. No one should be treated this way.

"Oh so you know this little boy?" Nick spoke to me.

"Yeah, I do actually. That's my brother!"

"Well what a great way to reunite, huh?" Nick smiled and shrugged his shoulders. Obviously this was the worst way. I didn't ever think I'd discover Jackson this way but I'm happy he's alive.

But then something dawned on me. Jackson has been a part of this whole project Nick has. Harry has been, too, meaning he has met Jackson.

I looked over at Harry and his face was showing regret and shame with sadness.

"Harry, you've known he was here all this time!"

"Lily, listen to me, th-"

"NO! You lied to me. You said you would help me look for my brother, knowing all along that he was here!" I started crying hard again, screaming at Harry. For once I was actually truly mad at him. He knew all along that my brother was here and didn't care.

"Send them away before things get worse!" Nick ordered to the guards.

"Lily, I'm sorry! It was for your safety!" I heard Harry's voice trail off as I was taken out of the room and walked back down the long, dark hallway. I couldn't forgive him. Something like this isn't minor...it's major and my brother meant everything to me. To think Harry was the key to my brother all along and it was with me all the time bothers me. We could have atleast tried to help Jackson but no, Harry just got mad at me when I asked.

I was led to an elevator where one of my guards pressed the button to go up. When we got in the elevator he pressed the third floor. The building is quite deceiving because the outside looks like shit but the inside is well furnished and renovated.

The elevator opened and there was a long hallway. This was the second one I was led down. There were cells on both sides of me. All of them were empty except the one that had Gloria's name next to it, where she would be if she wasn't down stairs. This area looked like it definitely belonged in a warehouse that looked the way it did outside. The floors were scuffed, the paint on the cell bars was chipping, and it smelled old. You could tell they didn't want to spend money on this part of the warehouse. They didn't care how their little "lab rats" felt in these cells, making us like we aren't human.

I arrived at a cell at the end of the hall and the guard unlocked the cell door with a key. I looked at him and he nudged me in. The sound of the cell door shutting echoed through the empty hall. I turned around and watched as the guard walked away and I stood there and stared at the bars casing me in this hell. It all looked like my dream I had. The cells and hall looked exactly the same...quite freaky when I think of it.

The cell didn't have much in it, just a metal frame bed with an old mattress, a sink, and a toilet. I took a seat on the bed and started to cry...since it's basically the only thing I can do right now. When my guard walked away from the cell he said he'd be back later. I put my hands on my face and just sat there and cried and cried, almost nonstop. I didn't know if this was the end of my life and I know I'm angry as hell at Harry but I can't lose him.

I must have dozed off because I heard my cell door open and I was sprawled out on the bed. I don't remember lying down but I was just so out of it. There's too much going on to focus right now. My cell door was opened and a tray of food was placed on the ground.

"Eat." My guard spoke.

"I'm not hungry."

"Then it'll get cold."

"Fine." I crossed my arms and laid back on the bed. The guard left and I heard him open Gloria's cell door. The poor old woman would probably get a better meal at a nursing home than here. I heard her utter the words 'thank you' and then I heard her silverware clink against each other.

I fell back asleep but woke up not too long after. I decided I should eat before I felt sick. I scooted over to the end of my bed and looked at the tray of slime sitting on the floor. It looked disgusting, like someone didn't even try to cook properly. I'm not even sure what it was but I ate most of it. Thank goodness they gave me a glass of water to wash it down with.

I sat back on the squeaky metal bed and just pondered everything and questioned everything imaginable. I wanted to speak to Harry. I needed to see how he's doing. I wanted to get more info as to why he lied to me. Yeah, I know it was for my safety, but we could've done this together. We could have saved my brother together. We do everything through thick and thin but it just bothers me I trusted him with everything in me and he just let me down. Maybe Nick was right, I should have never trusted him, but it's not like Harry ever hurt me. The one time I was scared of him was when I asked for help to find Jackson and he pushed me against a wall. That's it. Nothing more.

A guard interrupted my thoughts and approached my cell.

"Nick wants to see you." The guard's voice was deep and a bit frightening.

I got off the bed and went over to the cell bars and watched as he unlocked it. He pulled out handcuffs and chained them around my wrists. I can't imagine why Nick wants to see me and I don't want to think of reasons.

I passed by Gloria's cell, my heart breaking again as I watched her slowly take bites of her food. Her family probably misses her so badly. The man and woman missing their mother, the little boy and girl missing their grandma. It hurts my heart to think about it.

I got back in the elevator with the guard and he took me up to the fourth floor. I shoved me out of the elevator and then grabbed my arm and pulled me along. We arrived at a door that had Nick's name on it. The guard knocked and I heard Nick on the other side tell us to come in. Nick smiled as he saw me step in to the room.

"Aw thank you, you finally brought her. Lily, please, take a seat!" He motioned for me to sit down in one of the two chairs in front of his desk. The guard closed the door behind him.

Nick stared me down before speaking, like he was examining me.

"How has your stay been so far?"

"I'm not staying in a hotel."

"Did I say you were? Does it look like you're in a five star hotel?" He raised an eyebrow.

"No, but you asked how my stay has been like I'm staying in one. I fucking hate it and everyone here and you're a sick man."

"Even Harry?"

"I didn't mean it like that. You know what I mean." I finally had stopped crying earlier. At least I don't look vulnerable.

"I can make your stay better." Nick had a small smile on his face...that typical deceiving, evil one.

"Oh yeah? And how is that?" I asked, leaning forward in my seat.

"I'll let you speak to your mom." Nick watched me and waited for my answer.

"What's the catch...cause I know there is one."

"You don't tell her you're here. You tell her you're fine and at Harry's."

"BUT THAT'S LYING!" It made me enraged and I stood up from the chair. I couldn't call my mom and tell her everything is fine when it's nowhere near fine.

"If you lie, you'll experience hell." Nick's eyes were piercing in to mine. I swallowed, getting around the lump in my throat. My heart started to pound. I didn't want to know what Nick considers hell in this place.

"I'll even let you call her now." He picked up the phone off his desk and handed it to me, the dial tone faint. "You want to hear your mom's voice one last time, don't you?"

My stomach dropped. One last time? I couldn't comprehend anything so I just dialed her cell number.