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Chapter 11: Scared
"I wish you never told me
I wish I never knew
I wake up screaming
It's all because of you."
- "Scared" by Three Days Grace
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"I thought I was gonna die and I didn't wanna go without letting you know that I liked you." Stephen had said when he regained his memories after the centipede attack.
"I fancied you for a bit and now I don't." Abby had told him.
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"Stephen, you-you need to get out of my way, Jenny's life is at stake and Helen could have creatures throughout this place waiting to kill us all."
"This isn't just about the creatures, Abby, this is about our future." He replied.
Tears began to fall from her eyes; those were the last words he'd said to her.
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The gunshot echoed throughout the corridors.
Abby spun around looking to find the origin and then back to face Stephen, aiming her gun at him.
Stephen was aiming a gun at her as well, "please Abby, don't make this any harder than it already is."
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Abby woke up on a cot in the lounge.
"Where—what happened?" She asked confused.
"You saw Stephen Hart and fainted." Becker explained bluntly.
Sarah elbowed Becker in the ribs.
"What?" He asked defensively. "I'm just trying to be truthful."
"Yeah, like the cigarettes," Sarah stated.
"Hey, I'm trying to redeem myself—"
"Stephen's been dead for a couple of years now." Abby spoke.
"Tell that to him." Danny replied.
"What?" Abby asked.
"He only just woke up." Jenny explained. "He's asking for you."
"For me?" Abby asked confused.
Helen, Connor, and the two Cleaners stepped out into an abandoned building.
"Where are we?" Connor inquired.
"The future, of course," Helen smiled.
"Prove it," Connor challenged.
Helen moved forward down a corridor in the building, the Cleaners, still restraining Connor, followed.
After walking about 30 feet from where they had appeared, Helen motioned for them to stop. She stepped forward another ten feet and closed the double doors in front of them to reveal the emblem of the ARC on the doors.
"It can't be." Connor muttered.
"Is this proof enough for you?" Helen asked smiling.
Abby took a deep breath as she stepped into the medical bay cautiously. Stephen's shot over to the doors, almost immediately when Abby entered the room.
Abby walked slowly and cautiously over to him. He was dressed in the exact same clothes he had worn when Cutter had fired him, the day he'd been killed by the creatures.
"Abby." He spoke.
"Stephen." She greeted monotonously.
"You cut your hair." He noted.
"How can you be here?" She asked trying to hold back the tears.
"I work here; at least I think I still do. That is, if Cutter will revoke his decision to fire me." Stephen replied innocently.
Abby said nothing as she stood next to the bed he was laying in.
"What's going on here?" Stephen asked.
"I asked to see Cutter; but I got strange looks and was told that he's not here anymore. Then, I asked about Connor, but they told me a similar story. I didn't know what I was going to do if they told me you weren't here either." He explained.
"What's the last thing you remember, Stephen?" Abby asked, seemingly no life to her voice.
"I-I-had shut myself in a room in the bunker to stop the creatures from escaping. And, as they were about to kill me,—someone pulled me out. I remember hitting a cold floor and hearing screaming. Then, I woke up here." Stephen recalled.
"That's the thing, Stephen. Why everyone's acting so strange." Abby explained, unable to control the tears pouring from her eyes.
"Why?" He asked baffled.
"You died two years ago."
"That's impossible!" Connor cried.
"Believe it, Connor." Helen stated. "But if you help me, we can prevent the destruction of this one beautiful planet."
"It doesn't matter what we do here or anywhere, you can't change the future to your liking, Helen!" Connor shouted.
Helen put a finger to her lips. "Shh. Keep your voice down or you'll alert the creatures."
"You sound like Nick." Helen stated as she turned and led the way deeper into the building.
"How can I be dead?" Stephen asked. "I'm right here talking to you."
"That's what we're trying to figure out." Abby replied flatly.
"We?"
"The team and I. Lester just seems to accept it."
"Then, why don't you?"
"Because of what's happened over the past few years, Stephen, everything's changed!" Abby cried.
"There's something you're not telling me, Abby. What is it?"
"I'll see what I can do about getting you outta here for some fresh air." Abby replied as she turned and walked out of the medical bay, ignoring Stephen calling her name.
"Well, we certainly can't have him running about in public." Lester stated.
"If his family and anyone else outside of this organization saw him walking around in broad daylight, we'd be dealing with zombie panic on top of creature incursion." Lester explained.
"What if he lived with one of us?" Danny asked, trying to be sympathetic.
"That's just brilliant!" Lester said sarcastically. "Anyone need to add Good Samaritan points to their charts?"
"He could stay with me. I have loads of room at my house and I wouldn't mind." Sarah spoke up after a few moments of silence.
"No." Becker replied.
"Why not?" Sarah asked putting her hands on her hips.
"Because he's a stranger and you have a boyfriend." Becker replied.
"I understand that couple's counseling is in order; but now is not the time when we have near crisis on our hands." Lester cut-in.
"He could stay with me." Abby muttered.
All eyes were on Abby.
"Are you sure?" Jenny asked concerned.
"Yeah, I mean, it'll probably only be temporarily, right?" Abby asked looking at Lester.
"That depends on what happens from here on out." Lester replied crossing his arms.
The Cleaners flung Connor to the floor in front of a machine that was the size of possibly a Xerox machine; but had an entire computer, anomaly controller thing running on top of it.
"Is this what you were imagining?" Helen asked.
"Yea-No, I mean, no." Connor answered staring at the dimly glowing screen.
"It's broken and I need you to fix it." Helen stated.
"Why should I? So you can go gallivanting through time and destroy it even more? I don't think so."
"I think you would if we left you here and your life depended on it." Helen smiled deviously.
"You wouldn't." Connor spoke, hoping to call Helen's bluff.
Helen opened an anomaly.
Connor looked at the machine and back at Helen and the anomaly.
"I guess I don't have a choice. You win, Helen; but I don't have the proper tools and there's not proper lighting in here." Connor announced exasperated.
"Come along, Connor. We'll return to the mansion to collect the proper tools." Helen stated as the Cleaners went to restrain Connor.
"Get your hands off me, I can walk myself." Connor ordered angrily.
"That won't be necessary. It seems our friend has seen the light." Helen smiled ordering the clones as they let Connor step through the anomaly after Helen.
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