I slip in and out of conciousness for the next few, I can only assume, days. In between the waves of black I either wake in my cell or the 'treatment' room. In my cell I'm always taken away by the Doc, Jen or Rob. When I wake again in the room, my hero appears again with another pill to ease me away. I'm so used to it that the pain in my arm doesn't affect me any more. I just feel numb. That's if I'm awake long enough to register how I'm feeling.
"Abbey." I try and slip back into the pool of darkness. I don't want to face him. "Abbey." His voice is harsh and pulls me out of my sanctuary. That's what they're called isn't it? Places where you are safe?
I groan and open my eyes. The lights are on but at least I'm in my cell. Nothing's happened to me here before. The Doc sits on the end of the bed and I move sluggishly away from him to the wall.
"I'm not going to hurt you." Yeah right. Like I'm going to believe you. "It seems your blood production has decreased since your, transformation. So we'll have to wait a few days so we don't kill you." He smiles crookedly and I feel sick. He's trying to scare me. But I'm not scared of anything any more. After everything I've seen and done nothing could spook me.
"So now what?" I croak. My lips are chapped and my throat is like sand paper. I don't need to be fed so they don't. I don't feel hungry, but I feel empty and my mouth is dry. I feel like I'm dying.
"You will be here for the next few days." He stands up and taps the chain that's wrapped around my right wrist and fixes me to the bed. "Don't do anything stupid. You may not be as easy to kill but you'll take a lot longer to heal." He glances at my forehead where I know my bullet hole still is and then walks out. I roll my head to the side and stare at the wall. I don't feel anything. Not scared, worried, sad. Nothing. Maybe I am becoming a monster. I close my eyes and try and focus but my mind doesn't want to. It drifts from thought to thought and doesn't fix on anything. In a way it's a mercy. The memories of the last week or so only flash. Mum on the lounger, Dad thrashing around, Tim running with panic in his eyes, Alex standing up to Jack, Britney shooting me in the head. I jolt awake to find a hand on my shoulder.
"Abbey." I turn. It's their voice, my saviour. I can now see them properly since I'm not in my half concious state. He's about my age, maybe a little younger, his skin is dark even in the harsh light and his eyes look black. "I have a plan." He whispers. I try and sit up, it's difficult because of my attached wrist but I just manage it. "Tomorrow, you're getting out of here."
"What?" My voice still feels strange in my dry mouth.
"Tomorrow there's a gang coming. They want you for their research."
"Research?" I can only manage one word questions but I want to know so much more. I want to know his name at least.
"For a cure. They're a massive drug trafficking gang they got me the job here along with a few others. They think with your blood they can make a cure and supply it to people for a jacked up price." My head aches as I try and piece it all together. "You'll be taken to the meeting room. There's a window there. Me, and a couple of others are going to make a distraction and you will use this," He places a small gun under my pillow. "To threaten your way to the window. They're thin and you're strong so you should break it easily and then jump and run."
"But, what if I can't? What if they gun me down first?" He takes my hand.
"You can do this."
"What happens if I don't?" He looks down then back and locks his eyes on mine.
"It's going to be a lot worse." I swallow. My heart starts its irregular thumping again. "Here." He hands a small bottle of water and two pills. I hesitate. For all I know he could be poisoning me and telling me this plan to send me to my death. But then I decide I have nothing left but chance. I place the pills under my tongue and drain the water in seconds.
"Thanks. Why are you helping me?" He shrugs.
"You remind me of someone." He gets up I take his hand with my free one.
"What's your name?" He smiles.
"Michael." I return his smile.
"Thank you Michael. I owe you one." Michael nods and then leaves, locking the door behind him. I lie back down and watch as two flies crawl over the cracks in the ceiling. Maybe there is some kindness left in this fucked up world that's left. I feel more awake now that I've had something to drink and I can't help but think about Tim. What's happened to him over the days I've been fighting and falling. Maybe it's better if he is dead. If I do ever find him again, he's and orphan and the only thing he has left is a zombie for a sister, who can't heal. I trace the large red lines that cover my forearms. Would he even recognise me? I know I lost weight just in the few days I was still alive and I'm covered in bruises, cuts and dirt not even starting on my skin and my eyes. If he saw me on the street he'd run and I don't blame him. I'm not Abbey any more. I'm different. I'm broken. I'm a monster.
"I'm so sorry." I whisper and curl into a ball. I swim in the guilt. It's all my fault. I start to sob, but no tears come. I can't even cry properly. I scream and kick the wall. Anger builds up inside of me and I swing my legs over the side and stand up. My arm is violently pulled back by the chain. With another cry and pull up and throw the bed across the room, breaking the rusty chain in the process. Panting I collapse to the floor. Footsteps come down the stairs.
"Holy shit..." Jen's voice enters my ears and I look up. "Oh God, you're bleeding." She opens the door, leaving the teenage boy she brought with there watching with wide eyes. I look away from him and down to my wrist that Jen picks up. The skin is completely shredded but I just stare at it. I know it won't heal for weeks at least. But I don't care. "I'll get the Doc." I slam her against the wall and she yelps in pain.
"Don't you dare." I let her fall to the ground and walk out the cell, closing the door behind me. The young boy looks at me with even more terror. "Get in there." I point to the cell. He stands still, his eyes flicking to the stairwell and then back to me. "You think I'm fucking joking?" I pick him up by the collar of his ragged t-shirt and drag him before opening the door and chucking him inside as well. They just look at me with blank expressions and as I walk up the stairs, loading the gun I picked up off the floor I start to wonder. What the fuck am I doing?