Everything is falling apart. The streets are oceans and we are the fish. We are drowning from there ignorance. What will remain after a time of grave destruction and peril? Will there be anything left? Everything will fall apart.
That didn't seem correct. Nothing like what I saw has ever happened in the time I've been alive. Maybe before, though. I wonder, have my memories gone back farther than before my time? It was almost unbearable. Children were screaming, blood was everywhere, and I could still smell the stench of rotting corpses.
I almost speak to tell Noel of my memory but then realize where he is. I want to see him. Slowly, with a slight dizziness, I stand to my feet and begin banging and slamming on the door almost insanely. I start to wonder if maybe I am insane? I could be. I mean, I have memories of things that I don't even understand. I'm a lab rat being tested on for.. what exactly? Just when my thoughts begin to overtake me, the door opens, sending me tumbling forward to land in a heap on the cold floor.
"You aren't looking so hot, girl. We may need to get you some meds."
The girl helps me to my feet and carries me to a bed, supplying me with a glass of water and two multicolored pills. I see her name tag. Liana.
"Where's Noel?" I whisper.
She smiles sincerely as I swallow my medicine.
"He's okay. You'll get to see him in a bit."
With that, she leaves. I honestly don't want to go to sleep, so I start to look at the ceiling. Today, and tomorrow. Two more days until I'm out of here. That is, if it works. If this whole crazy, unorganized plan actually works. I used to hate when things weren't organized and planned out. My "mother", or Johanna, used to always do things at the last minute, which I hated. But I got over it, because I loved her. She might have given me away because of a reason I can't control, but, at one time, I did love her. Sometimes, it seemed like she loved me too, when she wasn't acting strange and weird. At times, she almost seemed robotic, like a drone programmed to recite a certain mantra over and over again. That's what she would do. Over and over she'd say," We won't function properly in our life if there is disorder. Disorder must be vanquished for cooperation to live.". I'd asked her what it meant once, when I'd grown tired of her repeating it to herself whenever she looked stressed. She didn't answer me, just repeated the phrase again and turned away. Now I wonder if she meant me. If I was the disorder than disrupted the cooperation?
"She might have, but it could have been some phrase she heard her mother say once before." I'm startled when I realize that there's been someone in here with me, and that I've been talking out loud.
I lift up in the bed and look at the mans face. He looks to be in his mid 20s and sits with a clipboard and pen to accompany him.
"How much did you hear?" I ask, afraid he might have heard my mumbling about the plan.
"The first thing I heard was something about your mother. You called her by her first name which, at first, I thought was odd, but then gave into consideration your circumstances," says the man.
He kind of reminds me of Gerard. Gerard was a student in one of my classes during grade school. The moment I heard him speak he was immediately added to the list of people who get on my nerves. That's kind of how I feel about this unidentified man.
"Are you my overseer or something? Here to make sure I don't develop a special ability to come loose of these chains?" I gesture towards the chains that bind my hands onto the bed.
He sort-of chuckles. "Was that humor? It's nice to hear someone make a joke in all this seriousness."
Not really, smart guy. I don't find this situation at all funny and my statement was only said half-jokingly. If Gerard is his name, it suits him well.
My spine is itching and invisible bugs tickle my legs as I lie, unmoving in the bed. The Gerard man is gone and a nurse who I recognize as Liana comes in, a key in her hands. She bends to unlock my hands from the cold, metal chains.
"I bet you've been waiting to see Noel," she says as she helps me to my feet. I link my arm with hers to steady myself and get ready for severe dizziness & head pain. Instead, I feel perfectly fine. The medicines must have a higher advancement than they used to claim.
"He's doing better now, and it's almost time," she tells me as we walk down the long hallway.
"Time for what?" I ask, almost a little bit too quick.
She presses her lips together and turns to see if anyone is around. A tall male nurse is on the opposite side of the hallway, only about a foot away.
"To return to your chambers, of course."
But I see a slight wink in her eye as we turn the corner, the door to Noel right in front of us. Right away, I rush to his bedside and squeeze his hand tightly.
"Miss me that much, Mallon?" He says, making me smile and my heart rate quicken. I sneak a glance at Liana to see if she caught him calling me by my last name, but she's still looking down at her clipboard.
I lower my voice to a whisper.
"You know it was-" I start.
"All part of the plan? Yeah, left a little note inside my pill bottle." He opens his hand to reveal a little slip of paper then slips it back into his pocket.
I roll my eyes playfully.
"Gosh, Porter, you already know everything don't you?"
I am abruptly interrupted by Liana reaching over and removing the nebula from Noel's nose, and turning off the heart monitor.
"Move fast," she says and passes me a pistol which fits perfectly into my hand.
Noel's gun is a little bigger, but I think he can manage. I've never shot a gun before. I guess now is as good a time as ever to be my first time.
"On the count of three," commands Liana," 1....2....3!"
The door shoots open, my pulse quickens, and before I know it I'm running with a burning sensation towards the exit, wherever that may be. I follow Liana, who shoots down guards as quick as they come, while I look back and forth with my gun ready. Noel isn't slacking either, maybe one to two inches behind me and still going strong. I've never ran like this before and while it sends a rush of adrenaline up my spine, it burns throughout my body and chills my throat. I don't and can't waste time as we round corner after corner, and shoot down soldier after soldier and guard after guard. Suddenly, without warning, Liana stops. We've come to a four way; it's either straight, back, left, or right.
"Which way?" She shouts.
"It's either underground or outside. Which one?" She yells.
If Noel won't decide, I will.
"Outside!" I say, my voice hoarse.
The running starts again, this time piercing every inch of my skin even worse by the minute. The guards are armed too and one of them lifts there gun to aim at me. I surprise myself, shooting with excelling aim right at his heart. I feel a pang of guilt, knowing I've taken a life, but keep moving with the constant reminder that this is our only chance. And that'd be enough to keep me going for miles. I brace myself for the cold, bitter air. It does sting as I expected, but not as much. I must have gotten used to the pain. I can't remember a time when I ran with such force and strength, but even so it's taking everything I have to keep going.
Hard branches snap beneath my feet. Noel still runs steadily behind me with Liana in front. I start to think: I don't even know where the heck we're going. All the while, I keep moving, hoping for anywhere as long as it's better than imprisonment and exile.
"How much farther?" I shout and my hearing seems to have weakened which is most likely from the heavy wind contributing to my running.
"Almost there." She points ahead, and I look, seeing a cliff. A cliff that just so happens to be the end of the road.
Noel sees it too.
"What the heck?" He yells.
Still, I don't stop running. The soldiers haven't been on our trail as far as I know, and thankfully, we don't have any trackers implanted into ourselves.
"Jump!" Liana quickens her pace, readying herself to spring off her feet.
Jumping seems almost as absurd as coming back the way we came but something tells me there isn't a bottomless pit down there. I slow a little bit, allowing Noel to catch up with me and we both look up to see Liana seemingly disappearing into the foggy abyss. He grabs my hand and mouthes,"Together?" I nod.
I jump, and then immediately descend into chilling water that then causes a hitch in my breath. I thought the air was cold, but that was before I felt this. Liana is waiting ashore, a key in her hand that she must have retrieved from somewhere around here. Noel and I come up out of the water, shaking but persisting.
"Follow me," says Liana.
An old, abandoned building sits on a rocky surface, which we're heading to.
Noel seems almost uneasy.
"No offense, Lee, but that looks about as comforting as a bed of nails."
Liana doesn't say anything but unlocks the door to the building, where the inside looks surprisingly ten times worse than the outside. But then there's another key, and then another door.
Click. Have we actually made it?
The door opens where a guy, no not just any guy, the guy who's watch I was under earlier, stands straight and tall as if he was awaiting our arrival.
"Bonny, Noel, my name is Gerard." I knew that had to be him.
"And welcome to your all inclusive safe haven."
AUTHORS NOTE: Hi guys! I'm so happy to be updating!!! **Also, picture of Noel at the top!** This chapter is unedited but I hope you enjoyed it all the more! Please tell me what you think in the comments! Thanks for reading!!! :)