Sanctuary
Part 11
Micarah starts sobbing as Zack takes her in his arms. "Its all right," he said,
"I'm here now." She just starts crying harder.
"What do I do?" he thought, "She should be happy. I just don't understand."
Carefully extricating himself from her he leads her back to the couch and helps her sit down. He sits down beside her and holds her while she cries. "I don't know what else to do," he thought.
"Please tell me what's wrong," he says in an anguished voice, "Tell me what to do."
"Just hold me," she replies.
****************************
As Micarah slowly straightens Zack reaches out and wipes the remnants of tears from her face. She smiles weakly.
"How did you get away? I thought they took you to Block 16. No one ever came back from Block 16, you know that."
"I know. That's why I didn't want you to try to stop them from taking me. I..I..didn't...I didn't want them to take you too" she choked out. The guards took me to Block 16 and locked me in a cell. They said the doctors needed to make some preparations first. I sat there for four hours..."
*********************
Micarah jumped as the door at the end of the hallway opened. "They're ready," she thought before taking a deep breath and standing to face whatever was coming.
Two doctors came in and continued down the hall without looking at Micarah. As they passed she overheard some of their conversation.
"Very odd case. This disease doesn't usually manifest until puberty. I wonder what caused it to activate in a girl so young."
"Once we get her on the dissection table we'll find out."
"Maybe we should keep her alive for a while and study the effects."
"No. Lydecker's orders were to terminate and study."
As the door at the other end of the hallway closed behind the doctors an attendant came though the first door. The attendant approached the cell nervously and took a set of keys from her pocket. She motioned for Micarah to approach the bars.
Micarah warily went closer to the woman. "Is it time?" she asked.
"Shhh...be quiet. The guards will hear you," the woman said as she opened the cell.
"Come on we're getting you out of here before its too late."
*************************
"She smuggled me out in the trunk of her car. They didn't check the car because they hadn't yet noticed I had disappeared. I still can't believe that she risked everything, including her life, for a stranger."
"Who was she?" asked Zack.
"I don't know. She never told me her name."
"But.." Zack starts to say before he realizes something. "That woman may have saved her life," he thought, "but she also doomed it."
"You're getting sicker aren't you" he asked her.
She slowly nods. "Yeah the zinc helps remove some of the copper but the poisoning is getting worse. The zinc loses it effectiveness over time and penicillimine is impossible to get since the Pulse."
"Who am I kidding?" she thought, "It was hard to get before the Pulse."
"The muscle weakness and fatigue are really bad sometimes and I think the neuro symptoms have started."
Micarah runs her hand over her face and takes a deep breath. "I don't want to talk about this anymore Zack. There is nothing we can do about it anyway. Now tell me why you're not still at Manticore like a good little soldier."
Zack pauses a moment then shrugs. "We escaped."
"Just like that?"
"Yeah."
"Well he certainly is uncomfortable with this line of questioning," she thought.
"We? We who?"
"Well me" he said. At her exasperated look he quickly adds, "Twelve of us, me,
Jondy, Tinga and few others." He pauses, "And Max."
Micarah notes his reluctance to talk about Max but decides not to say anything. For now. "Why? Why after all those years did you suddenly decide to escape."
Zack clearly uncomfortable stands suddenly and walks to the window.
"Zack," she says as she follows him, "Zack what's wrong?"
Taking a deep breath Zack turns around and faces her. "Why?" he asks in a tortured voice, "You want to know why."
Micarah looks into his eyes and nods.
"Because it was going to happen again" he grinds out as he fights back tears,
"Thats why. I couldn't let it happen again."
Part 11
Micarah starts sobbing as Zack takes her in his arms. "Its all right," he said,
"I'm here now." She just starts crying harder.
"What do I do?" he thought, "She should be happy. I just don't understand."
Carefully extricating himself from her he leads her back to the couch and helps her sit down. He sits down beside her and holds her while she cries. "I don't know what else to do," he thought.
"Please tell me what's wrong," he says in an anguished voice, "Tell me what to do."
"Just hold me," she replies.
****************************
As Micarah slowly straightens Zack reaches out and wipes the remnants of tears from her face. She smiles weakly.
"How did you get away? I thought they took you to Block 16. No one ever came back from Block 16, you know that."
"I know. That's why I didn't want you to try to stop them from taking me. I..I..didn't...I didn't want them to take you too" she choked out. The guards took me to Block 16 and locked me in a cell. They said the doctors needed to make some preparations first. I sat there for four hours..."
*********************
Micarah jumped as the door at the end of the hallway opened. "They're ready," she thought before taking a deep breath and standing to face whatever was coming.
Two doctors came in and continued down the hall without looking at Micarah. As they passed she overheard some of their conversation.
"Very odd case. This disease doesn't usually manifest until puberty. I wonder what caused it to activate in a girl so young."
"Once we get her on the dissection table we'll find out."
"Maybe we should keep her alive for a while and study the effects."
"No. Lydecker's orders were to terminate and study."
As the door at the other end of the hallway closed behind the doctors an attendant came though the first door. The attendant approached the cell nervously and took a set of keys from her pocket. She motioned for Micarah to approach the bars.
Micarah warily went closer to the woman. "Is it time?" she asked.
"Shhh...be quiet. The guards will hear you," the woman said as she opened the cell.
"Come on we're getting you out of here before its too late."
*************************
"She smuggled me out in the trunk of her car. They didn't check the car because they hadn't yet noticed I had disappeared. I still can't believe that she risked everything, including her life, for a stranger."
"Who was she?" asked Zack.
"I don't know. She never told me her name."
"But.." Zack starts to say before he realizes something. "That woman may have saved her life," he thought, "but she also doomed it."
"You're getting sicker aren't you" he asked her.
She slowly nods. "Yeah the zinc helps remove some of the copper but the poisoning is getting worse. The zinc loses it effectiveness over time and penicillimine is impossible to get since the Pulse."
"Who am I kidding?" she thought, "It was hard to get before the Pulse."
"The muscle weakness and fatigue are really bad sometimes and I think the neuro symptoms have started."
Micarah runs her hand over her face and takes a deep breath. "I don't want to talk about this anymore Zack. There is nothing we can do about it anyway. Now tell me why you're not still at Manticore like a good little soldier."
Zack pauses a moment then shrugs. "We escaped."
"Just like that?"
"Yeah."
"Well he certainly is uncomfortable with this line of questioning," she thought.
"We? We who?"
"Well me" he said. At her exasperated look he quickly adds, "Twelve of us, me,
Jondy, Tinga and few others." He pauses, "And Max."
Micarah notes his reluctance to talk about Max but decides not to say anything. For now. "Why? Why after all those years did you suddenly decide to escape."
Zack clearly uncomfortable stands suddenly and walks to the window.
"Zack," she says as she follows him, "Zack what's wrong?"
Taking a deep breath Zack turns around and faces her. "Why?" he asks in a tortured voice, "You want to know why."
Micarah looks into his eyes and nods.
"Because it was going to happen again" he grinds out as he fights back tears,
"Thats why. I couldn't let it happen again."