Chapter 20
Proposition
My sight adjusted from the blinding lights as we exit the hallway. And I'm not gonna say I didn't hear my brother's voice calling me. I won't be lying that I was referring to him, it may be a long time ago when we get to talk but I could still remember the tone of his voice. And I think it's all coming from my head when the incoming group of people attended us to give first aid. I was looking for my brother but no one in those faces wearing medical masks is my brother.
They took him from me and put on the stretcher, and immediately run into the room where help can be provided. One medical staff in front of me, asking things and all I could be to look at his face and didn't get to focus on the matter of what he says.
"Kid, are you listening?" he said that makes me get back to my senses.
"Yes... I'm good." I said, just to end the conversation.
"You're not 'cause your arms are also bleeding." He said and when I look at it. It has a minor cut, wasn't that deep but the blood was gushing out. I didn't even felt it. All the exhaustion got me to feel so numb. I looked back on him and give him a nod, "You'll be directed to the emergency room and clean out your wounds. As for that, do you need anything?"
And there's only one thing popped right in my head.
"Can I talk to my brother?"
"We can do that," he said that and give me high hopes. "We can check the system if your brother made it through here, and if he is already resting." But I do think, he was pertaining to some kind of situation—where, my brother made it through the hallway.
I shook my head, clearing it out, "no, no, no. I was asking if I can talk to my brother on the Noble Land?"
"That's unlikely to happen. It is forbidden and prohibited." He said, "and we can't risk anything even if you begged us to do it, we're only doing our job to give medical assistance to the participants as they will go through their first simulations tests."
I took a deep breath, "how can the High Council be so unfair?"
He didn't answer my question, instead, he called out another medical staff to accompany me to the emergency room. Walking down, seeing a lot of troubled ones who keeps showing how strong they are that they manage to annoy everyone they spot to see. Also, those people who wish they didn't go through this initiation are hugging themselves at the corner, spilling their tears over and over. And people who lose their temper and put all their anger and despair to everyone.
Every time I see those kinds of people, I feel so hopeless that this place would go again to such a beautiful one. But if you just came to put all your drama, it isn't the place for anyone. The tests and trials will only make a person reach its uncertainty of becoming a Licit People. They will start to question themselves, they ask if they really deserve it. It all comes into one conclusion that if you ask yourself if you can do it, don't just think that you can, let the actions flow out and let it be the reasons how it will make your doubt come into wrong senses.
When we reach the emergency, the staff instructed me to stay in the bed and wait for their few check-ups to do. While looking around, a familiar face walked towards my direction. I felt like she has something to manifest in her head and her target was. Her eyes were direct, looking at me, it didn't even flick. She must have been waiting for this time to come.
"What do you want?" I hastily said, trying to hide the fear.
She smirked, "look how we end up in one place again."
"That wasn't the answer to my question."
"What do you want me to hear? That I came here to continue what was left—uhm... what was that, killing you?"
"Do what you want, I'm not afraid of you."
She pucked her lips, "well... that's good for you but you should be but I'm not here to kill you."
"I wouldn't believe it," I said. "Just the first time of seeing you at the High Council facility, you really are something—something dark."
She scoffs, "whatever you insist."
"Get out of my sight," I commanded but she just looked at me, no expression and it seems like she won't be tested by my words. I see that wounds on her hands, and it's like resulting from knocking out some people. She really is a fighter. I slowly move my hands to reach hers to constraints her on it but she had great instinct and quickly gripped her hands on my arms where my cuts are. "Fuck, let it go!" I said, tolerating the pain.
Her hands were going tight and its fucking hurt!
"Listen to me kid," she started, "I will stop following you—killing you or harassing you but only to my condition."
"What are you saying?"
"From my sources, I get to know you—not actually who you are but what can you do." She said I'm still blank on what she's implying, "I have a proposition, it's either you accept or we will have no other options but have you as our bait."
"You are... a piece of shit. How you could you ask something and in the end, would put threats on me?"
She smirks, "it is only to make you choose; life or death, that's only the situation that matters, right?"
"And what is all this, huh? Trying to deceive me won't make me choose."
But she didn't comply to my words, instead, she keeps gripping her hands, I couldn't shove her away because my strength hasn't gone back fully, so I just keep having her actions to concede it.
"I will stop if you let me let you oriented with my proposition."
"What the hell—are you dumb? What are you thinking?!"
"I won't be needing an answer."
"Fine! Just spill it out!"
"We found you very useful, and for this matter, you are high to developed interests and attention to the High Council as our sources found that your brother was working for the High Council."
Her words surprised me, I didn't even have the idea that it will be connected to what my brother's work in the High Council.
"What is my brother here for?"
"That's we may need to look forward," she said. "but now, we need you to make this movement forward."
"What is this movement for?"
"You would know if you come into your senses to join us."
"Us? So that does mean, you're not alone in this?"
"I may look but I'm not." She said, slowly withdrawing her hand from my arms. "I just came here to know you that the High Council has to end their ruthless system of making people divide in living standards. This is how we move forward. This is how we end it." She gets something from her back pocket and handed it over to me, "wear this earpiece if you already decided to join. And you would know how this proposition works for."
I came to a lot of questions circling around my head. And I couldn't help to understand everything she said and my mind were still processing it. When I'm bound to ask her, she already left the room and left me with hundreds of questions. I looked at the earpiece I'm holding that she handed over. I was curious but I'm not sure if she's saying the truth and was just putting me in danger. So in the end, I won't continue my initiation.
But... the thought that lingers still, how did she know I had a brother on the Noble Land? I never talked to anyone about that.
When someone enters the room, I thought she goes back, but it is the medical staff to put medical attention on me. I put the earpiece back on my pocket and I'll just let it for a while. The staff asked where the cut is. I remove my shirt, so she could have a better view of it.
"This is nothing serious but if it's not got to clean, it can be infected." She said, "so, let me do my part, so you could rest after. The first tests would be good for everyone."
"Fill me with that thought."
But she just smiles, "just be aware of everything that's happening." She said and started to clean my cut with a white cloth soaked in warm water. After cleaning the surroundings of my cut, she put some alcohol in it that made me twitch on pain.
"How could you not warned me?"
"Oh, I thought you won't mind." She said.
I smirked on what she said, "just because I saw what you did, doesn't mean I comply with it."
"Don't argue with me now, it is already done." She said and covered in with bondage. "This will do and it heals for few days... you can have your rest now."
"Thanks..."
I laid down on the bed and put my hands behind my head, staring at the ceiling where my mind couldn't stop to think almost of anything that would happen. There are so many things that this dreaded girl I have come to ask but she gets to preserve all those answers when I get to join them.
What possible cause of their movement?
The silence got me but after that, a sting coming from my Therefore tracker attacked me. It never stops. It's killing me. I raise up from the bed and stood up, I almost lack out of my balance. I'm screaming pain! It's burning! The image of the person who blew up his head from experiencing too much pain of its tracker worried me. I couldn't help myself to come in tears as I bear too much pain.
I tried to run out from the help and ask for help but they just looked at me until I landed on the floor. My vision was fuzzy, I heard footsteps coming in my direction.
"Dylan!" a familiar voice.
"Help us!" and another familiar voice. "Shit! If only my tech could help!"
I couldn't see their faces but I do recognize their voices. The exhaustion caught me... and all went blackness.