I lost myself in the warm embrace of Lakin’s arms, at the center of a soothing group hug from everyone in the spacious, white room. It appeared that any sort of animosity Lakin felt toward me had finally dissolved.
“Are you alright?” Nadia asked softly, as the group parted.
“I haven’t really accepted it yet,” I answered blankly.
Lakin didn’t leave my side, as we retreated to my extended blue chair. He kept his arm wrapped tightly around me, seemingly worried that I might disappear from existence. I imagined how wonderful it would have been to spend the rest of eternity in that moment, uncaring as to what happened outside of the single entity that was us. It felt as though a piece of me had been missing, but I hadn’t realized until it was returned. I stared lovingly into his eyes, immediately feeling complete as he returned the gaze, unhindered by anger or discontent. This new feeling fought against my grief, both aiming for total control over my body; the battle left me vacant.
Unexpectedly, I was so ferociously ripped from my emotional war that I couldn’t comprehend what I was experiencing; my first thought was that the world was ending, and zombies had infiltrated The Facility. The kind faces around me were replaced by those of hostility. Lakin’s protective grasp had disappeared, and powerful arms were yanking me from my bed. As my eyes finally adjusted to the darkness of my bedroom, I identified the two security guards who often attended my lab-runs. They had locked my shackles together, and were dragging me toward the front door of my apartment. My toes barely touched the floor, as they each had a strong hand clamped around my arms. I wriggled and pulled, unsuccessfully trying to free myself from their grips.
The last image I saw of the apartment—of what I knew as my home—was the window at the far side of the living room. The quake had caused the hologram servers to malfunction, and shaky lines maneuvered their way across the moonlit yard. The front half of a deer stood, unsupported by hind-quarters, completely unaware that it looked like something out of a horror film, let alone that it only existed inside a computer program. I was struck with the realization that any comfort I had ever felt within The Facility was forged; a projection of normalcy, meant to fool us all into believing we were anything other than prisoners... and I was responsible for breaking the facade.
“What are you doing?!” I screamed, thrashing as reality sunk in.
The bulky guards remained silent, ushering me toward the door to the stairway. The Facility was so damaged by the earthquake, the elevator was deemed unsafe, even though it was functional. Most residents had been asked to remain in their homes until further notice, probably to keep them from witnessing the ugly truth of their surroundings.
“Where are you taking me?!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, struggling as they dragged me up stair after stair. At that point, I wished I hadn’t been the only person living on my floor. Perhaps someone would have heard me, and tried to help. Of course, they probably would have ignored my cries, anyway. It wasn’t generally the way of The Facility employees to interfere with anything that I was involved in.
I had just been suddenly awoken and abducted after the most emotionally draining day of my life. I didn’t know where these men were taking me, nor what to expect. I was not afraid; I was furious. I wanted answers.
A sense of tranquility flooded over me, as Al’s voice rolled through my mind.
‘Calm yourself,’ his voice whispered, as I continued to battle against the grips of the guards.
‘What is happening?’ I asked silently.
‘This will be unpleasant. Stay calm. You have to trust me.’ His words resonated in my mind, as my adventure came to an end at William’s door.
“Come in,” William called, after one of the guards had used his free hand to announce our arrival with a couple of swift, hard knocks.
The first thing I noticed as we entered the pristine room, was that every security guard in The Facility was standing against the walls, expecting eyes trained on my every move.
William was standing composedly next to the largest chair at the end of the table. I was surprised to see Al staring at me from the next seat over, unwaveringly expressionless.
“Have a seat, Angela.” William gestured to the chair at his side.
I stumbled as the guards dragged me to the chair, obviously assuming I wouldn’t have complied on my own.
I slouched into the tall, leather seat, resting my shackled hands on the cool table in front of me.
I peered at Al with confusion, observing that he was not restrained in any way. He reminded me of a juror, indifferently taking in a trial.
“What is going on?” I demanded, twisting my head in order to shift my gaze to William.
“Would you say that you’ve had a generally untroubled life here, at The Facility?” William questioned, crossing his hands behind his back as he walked.
“What?” I asked perplexedly.
“Answer the question,” William insisted.
“I wouldn’t know. I don’t have anything to compare it to.” I glared at the back of the strict man’s head, before he turned to me with a smirk.
“Have you not been supplied with food, shelter, care, clothing, and a significant amount of freedom since you’ve been here?” William inquired.
“I suppose,” I replied through clenched teeth.
“I ask very little from you, in return for the comfortable life we have provided you,” William began, taking on the familiar tone from lectures he had given me in the past. “But it is apparent that you have been withholding some very important information.”
“What information?” I asked, forehead wrinkling with bewilderment. At first, I feared that he was talking about Al. It didn’t take me long to realize that if this had been the case, Al would have been shackled as well, if not dead.
“If I’m not mistaken, many years ago we asked you whether you thought there were more of your kind in the world. We’ve asked you this many times, and it seems as though you’ve never answered truthfully,” William rambled, coming to a halt behind my chair.
A lump the size of a small child immediately implanted itself directly in my throat, and started playing dodge-ball with my tonsils. If Al had not been found out, that could only mean one thing. The day I had been dreading my entire life had finally arrived: they knew about the others, whom I had so desperately tried to protect.
“I don’t understand,” I lied, keeping my eyes forward.
“Do not lie to me!” William roared, slamming his balled fist on the table in front of me.
“I’m not,” I said convincingly, staring directly into William’s harsh eyes.
His face was inches from my own, and was riddled with rage. He shook his head in slight disbelief, as he returned to his spot behind my chair.
“The Energy Room doesn’t sound familiar to you?” William asked simply. My breath caught in my lungs. “Lyla? Nadia? Bryant? Joseph? Lakin?”
“No,” I said with gut-wrenching finality.
‘It’s too late.’ Al’s voice chimed in my head. I was unsure which side he was truly on.
“I have a riddle for you,” William chanted menacingly from behind me. “What hath more fury than a woman scorned?”
I held back tears of betrayal as William lowered his face to mine, his hot breath laced with the smell of whiskey.
“A young boy with a broken heart,” he whispered, grinning with satisfaction.
A loud pounding filled my ears as my pulse sped. It felt as though my heart had started construction in my chest, and was attempting to drill its way through my sternum. Watery streams of anger flowed down my burning cheeks, but I remained silent as William placed his hands on my shoulders.
“You should have known better than to cross the only person who knows all of your secrets,” William sighed, grip tightening briefly around my neck. “Tell me... how many Lakins do you think were born on August 17th, in 1994?”
I remained as still as a statue, turning a deep shade of scarlet. I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping
to block out William’s words.
“The answer, my dearest Angela Dawson, is one,” he said viciously.
It took me a moment to realize, but I was not at all surprised that Eric had betrayed me. I had killed his father. I may have done the same as him, if the situation had been reversed. I was no longer furious; I was terrified. I was scared for the lives of the others. Though, I was still confused why Al was sitting next to me, unrestrained. They obviously were not aware that he was one of us. Or... he had fooled me, and had actually been working for The Facility the entire time, just as Lakin originally thought.
‘You know that’s not true,’ Al’s voice resonated in my mind.
“Now, I’m sure it wouldn’t be difficult to track down this Lakin, and the others,” William started, pulling on a pair of black leather gloves, “but since peace is the way of your kind, I’m going to give you a chance to bring them here peacefully.”
What did he mean, ‘peace was the way of my kind’?
“You see, before, you were under the protection of Mr. and Mrs. Stein because you were underage. They protested against us using any methods more aggressive than the Electro-Cuffs, and we respected that. However, you are now an adult. You are no longer under the protection of anyone. I have decided that it is time to implement a more... effective approach,” William spouted, sitting on the edge of the table to face me. “That being said, I can guarantee that if we have to bring the others here by force, it will be a very unpleasant situation for everyone. So, what will it be?”
I had two options. I could comply, and try to get the others to The Facility without a struggle. Or, I could continue with my loyalty, and do my best to protect them. My choice was obvious.
“I’m sorry, I just have no clue what you are talking about,” I said innocently, sitting up with pride. There was a glimmer in my eye, as I smiled at William’s growing rage.
The following moment happened so quickly, I was laying on the cold floor before I could understand what I had experienced. My cheek throbbed and burned as I looked up at William, who was adjusting one of his gloves. The chair I was sitting in just seconds before, spun slowly behind me. One of the guards stilled it with his foot, before returning it to its place at the table.
I looked pleadingly to Al, but was only met by his vacant, inexpressive eyes. I pulled myself up to my knees, rubbing my painful cheek. Finding the taste of blood on my bottom lip, I spit at William’s feet. My eyes were ablaze with fury. I wanted nothing more than to catch him on fire, but I knew I would be electrocuted, possibly to death, and I needed to be as strong as possible for what I was sure would come.
“Pick yourself up, you disgraceful thing,” William said in a disgusted tone, before dragging me by the back of the shirt into the chair. “Your kind has always been so pitiful.”
“Then why are you so scared of me?” I prodded, glowering at the horrible man in front of me.
It was not startling that my words resulted in another heavy smack to the face, this time sending a stabbing sensation throughout my entire head as my nose shattered. My eyes watered, as blood gushed over my lips and chin in warm rivers, staining my shirt red.
The question made sense in my mind. If my kind was so pitiful and disgusting, why was I wearing Electro-Cuffs, which prevented me from being able to fight back? He obviously feared my power, but refrained from giving me any sort of answer. I chuckled, bearing my blood-soaked teeth as I forced my face back in William’s direction. I would not allow him the privilege of thinking he had won.
“Mr. Waldreck, would you be so kind as to use your unique skill to assist us?” William asked, walking to the bar along the far side of the room to pour himself a drink.
“Of course, sir,” Al replied, his icy-blue eyes invading the privacy of my soul as he moved closer to me.
The pain in my face was nothing compared to the pain I felt in my chest, as my heart split into two cold, jagged pieces. Al had, in fact, deceived me. I was a fool to have ignored Lakin and Bryant when they warned me not to trust him. Because of my ignorance, I had endangered the lives of every person I cared about, and there was nothing I could do to fix it.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Sand Castles