Enjoy. :)
" Why don't you come a little closer? " The Crank in the cage across from me whispers. " You're such a pretty thing. I bet you'd taste delicious. "
I ignore her words as I study her face. The skin on her cheek is peeling off, causing blood to slowly works its way down her face. She's wearing a thin hospital gown that's stained scarlet. Scratch marks trace her arms, scabbed over in some parts, others fresh and bleeding. Dried blood and dirt are caked under her fingernails. Her hair is thin and stringy; patches of it pulled out. A malicious grin lives on her face, showing the five teeth she has left. Even those are yellowing and brown with bacteria.
" Pretty ladies shouldn't lie to their elders. "
This is what Newt will look like if fail. The thought runs through my mind like a broken record, setting my determination in stone. The insane laughter and rotten skin isn't him. I can't let him become this. I hate to think this, but I'd rather kill Newt than let him be like this.
Sadly, I can't do anything stuck in this damned cell!
" Hi. " I say quietly. My only way out could be to get some sort of articulated thought from these Cranks.
" Oh! The girl speaks! " A Crank from three cells down yells.
" What does she say? What does she say! " Another one shouts.
" Shut your pie holes you incessant freaks. " A girl says. Unlike the others, this voice is clear. It has a British twinge to it, and no madness lurks behind it. My eyes search the room, looking for one sane face. She could be my ticket out of here.
They land on a girl, around the age thirteen, sitting huddled in a corner. Her cell is diagonal from mine, and it's the bloodiest one here. She looks thin and frail, like one touch could shatter her. Her brown hair falls around her shoulders in beautiful waves. Her chocolate brown eyes are glued to the floor, empty and hollow. A certain hopelessness surrounds her, like an aura she's giving off. She's too young to be a Crank, isn't she?
I crawl to the front of my cell, being sure to stay out of the clutches of the insane Crank next to me. Becoming Crank food is not the way I plan on dying.
" Hey. " I say softly. Her eyes barely glance over in my direction. " What's your name? "
" What makes you think you have a right to know? " She goes back to staring at the tile on the floor.
Her response barely throws me off. I was expecting it—she is a Crank after all.
" My name is Louisa. "
" I never asked what your name was. " The girl snaps, and I grab the cell bars and pull myself closer.
" She speaks. She speaks! Let us listen. " A crazed Crank says. I ignore them as I try to think of something to bring this little girls barriers down.
" Why-" I start, but she interrupts me.
" I'm really not in the mood. Could you just, I don't know, shut up? " The little girl spits fire. I've tried to be the water that puts it out, but it seems like I'm going to have to fight fire with fire.
" No. And you wanna know why? " I ask, but I don't give her time to reply. " Because I want to get the hell out of here. I've got places to see and people to save. "
She looks up at me, her hair leaving her face. Scratch marks are on her neck—whether they're self inflicted or caused from someone else is unclear.
" Don't we all? " She whispers, a distant look overtaking her features.
" Everybody has their problems. " I say.
" What makes yours so important? " She asks.
" Mine are important to me. I'll do anything to solve them. Just like you would do with yours. " I say.
She goes back to looking at floor of her cell. The light above the cells flicker, but she ignores it.
" They're coming. " She says, fear edging into her voice.
Hope rises inside of me. Hope that it's Janson, and that he's coming to get me out of here. The other half of me is scared shitless. What if they're going to treat me like these Cranks? What if I'm not actually immune?
Screams of panic permeate the room, and I cover my ears. My eyes stay on the entrance, watching for Janson or anybody else. I would listen for footsteps, but the only thing I can hear is the wailing of these crazed morons. It's starting to give me a headache, even though I have my ears covered.
" Hello my darlings. " A woman says as she strolls into the room. Her black heels clack on the floor so loudly I can almost hear it over the Cranks' screaming. " Please. Silence. "
When the Cranks don't stop screaming, she shakes her head. I see the little girl stare up at the lady in terror. The lady moves her hand into her lab coat pocket, painted nails gleaming in the light. A slow, sickening smile spreads across her wrinkled face. Her hand wraps around something—
A scream escapes my mouth as electricity runs through my body. It's like every single one of my nerves has gone haywire and my eyes feel like they're going to pop out of my head. My blood is boiling inside of me. I feel like I'm slowly being cooked from the inside out.
Then, it stops. I can feel it's lingering effects: my teeth feel like they might fall out and my hair smells burnt. I feel a liquid seeping out of my eyes, and it's too thick to be tears. I raise a shaky hand to wipe whatever it is away. But when I pull my hand away, I stop moving. There's blood on my hand.
I hastily wipe at my eyes again, feeling the liquid smear across my face. I look at my hand, finding even more blood on there. My eyes go wide. Tears made of blood. It seems kind of fitting, in a way.
" Oh, Louisa. I didn't see you there. " The lady says, an apologetic smile splattered on her face. Her eyes bare into mine, and I glare at her. " Oh dear. "
She walks closer to me, her skin tight black dress moving with her. Her veiny legs are exposed, making me cringe. I feel the urge to scoot away, but I hold my ground.
" I was ordered not to hurt you. "
I imagine how I must look. Hunched over in the cell with frizzy hair and a bloody face. I'm probably starting to look like a Crank.
" You must be wondering what's going on. " She says, stopping just arms length away from my cell. I send her my coldest look, hoping to deter her from speaking, but it doesn't work. " You see, these things, " She stops to gesture at the Cranks, " are abominations. We are making their worthless lives mean something. "
" How? " I ask, my voice cracking. My throat feels like it's been fried.
" They volunteer for experiments. The experiments are to see if the Flare is reversible, and to see the body of a Crank. We study them. " The lady says all this with a sadistic smile. I don't know what kind of experiments they're doing on these Cranks, but it's not humane. Hell, even keeping them alive is making them suffer. Just kill them and put them out of their misery.
" You are going to help me. " She says, walking forward with a key in her boney hand. She was the golden thing in my face, taunting me with its promises. This could be my ticket out of here, but can I really torture people? The answer is simple.
" No. " I say, balling my hands into fists. I expect the electric shock to come, but it never does.
" I'm sorry. But you don't have a choice. " She wraps her hand around one of the bars. " Not when the lives of those you love are at stake. "
This could be my chance to test that theory. Would WICKED really kill my family? I'm praying that the answer is no. I don't want to believe that my mom would work for such a sickening organization. I don't want to believe that I worked for such an organization.
" I said no. " I say, this time more forcefully. It makes my raw throat burn, but I ignore it.
The lady raises her eyebrows. " No? " She questions. " Well then. "
She reaches into her pocket again, and I brace myself for the inevitable shock, but it never comes. Instead, she pulls a phone out of her pocket and dials a number. After a couple of rings, the other line picks up. The woman's ruby red lips stretch into a wicked smile. The sight makes me sick to my stomach. Did I just get one of my friends killed?
" I'll get back to you. " The lady says before walking away. She opens the first cell and the Crank in there darts forward. His clothes are nothing but strands of thread. Sores are all over his back, and the skin on his arms is missing. It makes me gag.
She manages to get the Crank subdued. How, I don't exactly know. One second he was trying to eat her and the next he's glancing around, dazed and confused. He stumbles over his own feet and falls face first in the floor. I hear a crack, and know he broke his nose.
The lady shakes her head, the disgust clear on her face. She simply steps over him as she moves the tools off of the table and onto the floor. The first one she picks up looks like a pair of pliers. My mind races thinking about all the rotting teeth that were pulled using them. The next ones look like shears they use for sheep. I don't even want to know what they're used for. The rest are small surgical tools-things you can find in a hospital.
I notice straps on either side of the table, and I feel pity for the man. I scoot to the very back of my cell as the lady hoists the Crank onto the table. His body doesn't move. It's like he's dead. A sack of blood and bones WICKED pokes at until they get what they want.
She straps him in and picks up the scalpel. The blade gleams in the light as she presses it to his neck. She pushes down and I expect a scream, but nothing happens. He just lays there and let's her cut him. It's like he's given up. What drugs did that bitch give him?
I shake my head and hug my knees to my chest. Who tortures people? I don't care what it's for. No living soul should be treated like this. Poked and prodded at until they bleed to death. This makes it seem like the Familiars got off easy.
" I don't get it. Where are we going? " I hear a voice yell from down the corridor. My heart jumps to my throat.
Not five seconds later he's shoved into the light. The lady barely acknowledges him, but he notices her. He sees the Cranks and the blood, and his eyes go wide. They dart everywhere, scanning the room. And then they land on me.
" Louisa? " Minho breathes out. I shake my head as he rushes over to my cell. He grabs the bars so tight his knuckles turn white. He pulls on the door, but it doesn't budge.
" You need to leave. " I force out, my voice sounding raspy.
" What? No. I'm not leaving you here. " Minho says, glancing over at the lady who is now wiping her hands on her lab coat. " What the hell is going on? "
" I don't know Minho. " I say, my voice cracking. " Just leave, please. "
My eyes start to water. Whether it's from my emotions or my sore throat, I don't know. All I know is that if he doesn't leave, he'll be tortured.
" I thought I was a traitor. "I rasp out. If he hates me, he'll leave.
" You are. " Minho says, his eyes pleading for me to tell him something useful. Something he can use to get me out of here.
" Then leave. " I say. " Leave me to whatever-"
" Well now. " The lady says, shoving the dead Cranks body in the floor. " That was no fun. "
I stare at the corpse in bewilderment. Was it an accident, or did she mean to kill him?
" Quite personally, I like it when they scream. " She says, staring right at Minho. Panic and concern build up inside of me. This is all my fault. I can't let her torture Minho. Even if it means I have to discard my own humanity.
" I'll do it. " I say, just as she starts to walk towards him. He looks down at me in confusion, but I ignore him as I stare the old hag down.
" Will you now? " She says, smiling. " This ought to be interesting. "
" Just let Minho go. " I say, forcing myself up on wobbly legs. I grab one of the cell bars for stability. Without it, I might fall over.
" Of course! " I expect Minho to be relieved, but he isn't. He still seems tense. " But if he breathes a word of this to anyone, I will feed you to the Cranks. "
An involuntary shiver runs down my spine as I feel imaginary teeth bite into my flesh. She walks over, forcing Minho to move away from the door. She uses the gold key to unlock it, setting me free. Yet, I've never felt more trapped.
I take a couple of shaky steps before Minho grabs my arm. I look down to where he's holding it, staring with a blank face.
" If you don't leave, I'll die. " I hiss. He hesitates, but his hand leaves my skin. I don't look at him as he walks away, feeling my throat tighten. I can't help but feel like my hope is leaving with him, attached to him like a leech. What are the chances I'll ever see him again?
" Perfect! " The lady says, clapping her hands together. " Let's get started. "
She opens the little girl's cell, and my stomach drops. Her eyes are wide with terror and she's shaking her head. The lady pays no attention to the fact that the girl is trembling as she grabs her arm and drags her to the table. She pulls against the woman's grip, but to no avail.
" Louisa, secure the straps. " The lady says, putting the girl on the table. I can only stand there, watching in horror. The little girl's eyes are pleading for me not to do this, but I have to. If I don't, Minho will get hurt.
" I'm so sorry. ' I whisper as I wrap the leather straps around her wrists. I expect her to kick with her feet, but she just stares at my face. I know she's never going to forget me. You never forget the face of the person who was your last hope.
" Good. Now make her scream. " The lady says. I look up at her, dread filling me.
" Why? " I ask.
" For a cure. " The lady says, taking my hand in hers. " Just do it. "
She hands me the scalpel, and I take it, shaking hard. I turn around, eyes wide and staring at the girl. Tears are streaking down her face, leaving trail marks through the dirt and blood. The lady's hands were covered in the blood of the man. Are mine going to look like that? Covered in the blood of this little girl? The blood of an innocent?
I press the blade to her chest, which rises and falls with rapid breaths.
" Good Louisa. Just like that. " The lady says while leaning over my shoulder. I can smell her breath—it smells like tuna.
I push the knife further down, drawing a drop of blood. The little girl whimpers, and my eyes flash up to her face. It's twisted in pain. All of a sudden, it all becomes too much. The girl doesn't deserve this. I can't do this to her. I will never do this to someone.
I lift the knife from her chest and turn around to face the woman.
" What are you doing? " She asks, her voice shaking.
I do nothing but grip the scalpel tighter. My breathing becomes labored and my mind is blank. Faster than she can react, I bring the knife up, and bury it in her stomach. She stumbles back a couple of steps, her hand going to the knife. Her eyes are wide and her mouth is hanging open. I follow her staggering steps backward, and watch as she falls. Her mouth is moving like a fish, and I stare down, a hollow feeling inside of me. With a certain essence of vengeance, I bend down and yank the knife out. Her chest stops rising, and my heart sinks.
Blood pools onto her black dress, altering it's color. I stare down, feeling sick to my stomach. I just killed someone, again. I never wanted to hurt anyone, but she wasn't going to stop. If I hadn't killed her I would've had to have tortured someone. I had to do this. I tell myself, drilling the thought into my head. I glance at the knife and drop it; it lands with a clatter. It was coated with her blood.
What did I get myself into? I collapse onto my knees, landing next to her dead body. How many people knew her? How many people have I hurt but killing one person?
Tears sting the back of my eyes. They're not for her. They're for me. Each time I kill someone it's like I lose a little bit of myself. How can WICKED kill so many people? Innocent kids to beat it all?
They've lost their humanity in the pursuit of a cure. They kill kids to study their brainwaves. But they are getting closer to a cure. Ironic really. How they kill people to save people.
But it's the same thing I'm doing. I killed the lady in exchange for the little girl. Will it always be one or the other?
Will I have to become a murderer to save the people I love?
What did you think?
also I SAW THE SCORCH TRIALS NOT TWO HOURS AGO AND I KID YOU NOT NEWT CALLS THOMAS TOMMY AND OOMGAK LHD AU
ok now that I got that out of my system, I feel like most of my followers from the last story aren't here. Where y'all at?
Also I wrote this on my phone again, so please let me know if there are any grammar mistakes or if anything doesn't make sense. I'll fix it.
Im excited to get the next chapter written so I'll be back Monday! Maybe Tuesday.
Have a good day!