All thoughts flee from my head, leaving me empty, blank. I stare at the two girls with the desperate hope that they are joking.
Their faces are gravely serious.
How can this be true? They seemed so welcoming, so sympathetic. They’ve been helping me walk and gave me something to eat.
It’s no wonder they had so much extra food to give away. If they’re part of the group, they most likely have an endless supply of food. They’re the only ones truly living here.
I can’t be taken to a place where useless people are murdered without a second thought. I can’t work, not with the stabbing pain in my skull and back. I can’t walk without the support of Leah and Lucy.
Lucy’s words fly into my thoughts. Their theory is if you aren’t bringing them food, you shouldn’t be eating their food.
I have no chance of survival.
Maybe, when you disappear, you die. But there’s a small chance that you go somewhere else worse than this. There’s a small chance that I could live.
I need to do everything I can to stop Lucy and Leah from taking me there. I can’t escape, not when I can’t walk on my own. I can’t fight them off.
I only have words left. I need to somehow convince them not to take me. Too bad I have no idea what to say.
I ask, “Why did you choose me? I’m about to disappear.”
Leah shrugs, “You were easy to capture.”
I point out, “But I can’t work? Wouldn’t it be better to bring back someone who can work and bring food?”
Lucy says, “We can always kill you.”
“You enjoy watching people die?” I know this isn’t a good thing to say when I’m trying to win them over. I don’t want to insult them, but it slips between my lips before I can stop it.
Leah shrugs, “We don’t necessarily like watching people die, but they are eating food that could be ours. We do it the most humane way possible, a quick snap of the neck.”
A horrible image of my own neck snapping reaches me. I push it away, asking, “Why can’t you just steal the food from the kids? Why do you have to kill them?”
“Even if you take the food away from them that they currently have, they’ll probably find more and eat that. We need all the food to survive. The healthier we are, the less likely to disappear. By being part of this group, we’re practically immortal.”
I bite back the urge to spit at their feet in disgust.
I say, “I’m already dying. Wouldn’t it be easier just to leave me to die here and capture someone else who can work?”
“If you are already dying, why shouldn’t we speed it up?”
I ask, trying to keep my tone light, “How much further do we have to go?”
Leah shrugs, “Only a couple more hallways, why? Are you scared?”
I lie, “I’m ready to get out of this horrible place.”
Their faces twist up in confusion, but they don’t say anything more.
I take their confusion and push it further, “Death would be a relief from all this pain. I’m sure death is better than your disappearance. I’m almost the lucky one here. By killing me, you’re sending me to a better place, rather than disappearing.”
They shift uncomfortably, no longer sure of how to respond.
I say, “I’ve heard rumors of what happens at your disappearance. There’s another monster lurking in the halls, just like the Thing except worse. No one sees it until their disappearance. The monster is invisible, there might be one in this very hall and we wouldn’t know. The monster absorbs you, dissolving you into nothingness.”
I don’t believe what I’m saying. Tooth’s idea of a monster dissolving you into nothingness is too eccentric for me to trust.
Leah and Lucy look horrified.
Leah’s voice shakes, “Where…where’d you hear that?”
I shrug nonchalantly, “My friend who got murdered? He saw one of them while his old alliance was being taken. Well, he actually didn’t see it. He described it as the air shimmered above his alliance, and then the alliance started vanishing piece by piece until he was gone.”
Lucy tries to sound confident, “He was probably just lying to you. He was a man, you know what we’ve learned about men in the Complex.”
I shake my head, “No, he was serious. He said his roommate’s mouth was open in a silent scream the whole time, his face contorted in absolute pain but no noise came out. Besides, almost everything the Heads told us were lies. Do you trust them after they put us in here with the Things?”
Leah desperately argues, “But that kind of thing can’t exist, right? I mean…”
I say, “If you hadn’t seen the Things, would you have thought they exist?”
Lucy and Leah fall silent. I struggle to keep the smile off my face. They’ve bought my lies, but how do I get them to let me go?
I allow a hint of fear to creep into my voice, “You did say that I was going to disappear soon. That means one of those monsters are most likely following us. It might attack at any moment.”
Leah tries to argue, “But people only disappear one at a time, so we wouldn’t have to worry.”
I counter, “Really? I’ve heard multiple stories where people have disappeared together.”
Leah says, “Could Lucy and I talk alone for a little bit?”
I force my face to stay emotionless as I nod, “Sure, I guess? I can just lean against the wall or something.”
Leah and Lucy help me limp to the wall. Most of the ache has worked itself out of my muscles, but my head and mouth are still laced in pain. My vision blurs at the edges.
Lucy and Leah pace a little ways down the hall, harsh whispers filling the air. I can’t make out any individual words, but their tones are coated in worry.
I lean against the wall, trying to save the little energy I have. Although I’m no longer in severe pain, I feel drained. My body feels heavy with no energy left.
Leah and Lucy come back to approach me. I try to read their shadowed faces, but I can gather nothing as to what they’re about to say.
What if they kill me right now to avoid this imaginary creature?
Leah says, “We’ve decided to get the opinion of our leader. We will go there immediately and ask her what we should do.”
My heart sinks, but I keep my face blank. If I’m taken to the base, I’ll most likely be killed. I need to think of something quickly. We have to be close to wherever they are taking me. I don’t have much time. The closer we get the less of a chance I will have for escape.
I can’t outright fight back, I don’t have the strength. What else can I do?
Leah and Lucy slide their arms behind my back and help me limp forward. I want to twist out of their grip, but I force myself to stay still while my thoughts are spinning. What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?
I can’t just let them lead me to my death.
Soft, echoing footsteps find their way into my ears.
I’m not sure whether I should be relieved or terrified. A Thing is within view in just a few seconds, barreling towards us. Lucy and Leah mutter under their breath, letting go of me. I sway on my feet, trying to force my legs to move but they won’t listen. Lucy and Leah separate to different sides of the hall. The Thing slams into me, knocking me off balance.
I crash to the floor yet again. My head slams to the ground, my pain stabbing from my chin all the way to my forehead. My arm is pinned beneath me, but I don’t have the energy to move.
I’m going to die anyway. Why should I force myself to get up? Why should I put myself through more pain of fighting back? I’m stuck in the continuous cycle of pulling myself up to only get knocked back down.
What can be accomplished by continuing to try?
I find myself staring blankly at the wall to my left. Shouts ring out behind me, the screech of the thing echoing off the walls.
I lift my head slightly to see what’s happening behind me. Even that small action brings a wave of pain crashing over me. Leah and Lucy are fighting off the Thing, tackling it and kicking it in the sides. The Thing tries to fight back, throwing its fingernails up and down their skin.
I lay my head gently back down to the floor, unable to hold it up any longer. Tears leak out of my eyes, dribbling to the floor. I’ve given up any hope in fighting, surviving. This will most likely result in my disappearance. I simply can’t continue on.
I stare blindly at the wall, listening as the Thing screeches behind me. The screams start to fade. The Thing must have left, realizing that it couldn’t win against Lucy and Leah.
Lucy and Leah bend over me. Their mouths move, but I can’t hear anything. I’m trapped in the silent numbness of desperation.
Lucy disappears from my vision line, but Leah remains. She still mutters something to me, but it doesn’t reach my ears. I don’t care enough to try to listen. She’s probably talking about my upcoming death.
My eyes find a thin crack in the steel wall, near the floor. I allow myself a small smile. Not even the Complex is perfect, not even the Complex is immortal. Even it breaks and falls apart every once in a while.
Lucy returns minutes later with other people. Their faces blur together. My ears pick up the soft murmuring of the voices in the air, but no single words. Hands lift me up, carrying me away.
Why do they care? I’m certainly going to die or disappear soon. Can’t they just let me die alone in peace?
The murmuring abruptly stops. An empty silence jars me into awareness. I slow crane my neck around, trying to discover why it is so quiet?
A silhouette stands in front of us. Power seems to radiate off of her. She takes one careless look at my limp, bruised body and frowns.
She commands, “She’s useless. Execute her.”
I need to move. I need to run. I need to escape.
I do nothing.
Paralyzing fear blankets my body. I fall back into the muffled silence of despair. I’m going to die and there’s absolutely nothing I can do about it.
I thought I was prepared to die. I thought I realized that there was no point in continuing to live in this place. I’m not ready.
Echoed shouts and screams fill my ears but I don’t bother trying to see where they are coming from. It’s probably just someone else getting murdered. I suppose I must have to wait in line to die. I’m not even that important.
The hands holding my body above the ground vanish. I’m falling to the ground, my back taking the most force. My head snaps back to meet the ground. Darkness covers my blurred vision. Something pulls me towards the blackness, promising a break.
I let go, relaxing myself into the darkness. I may be heading towards death, but I can’t fight it. I lose consciousness as the screams continue behind me.
˚˚°˚˚
I open my blurry eyes. The first thing that hits me is the incredible brightness of the room. Light hits every surface. A face floats in my vision. The face lights up with a smile. The mouth forms words that barely reach my ears, “Welcome to the real Unknown. You’re safe now.”