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Chapter 14
One day earlier
Shay
I don’t know how long I’ve been in this cold, dark, dingy room. My body is weak, my mind is debilitated, and my body is frail. I’m praying that there’s a god above that will just put me out of my misery once and for all. Animals get treated better than this.
“I love you, Clay.” Tears roll down my cheeks and I attempt to wipe them away.
I just hope he knows how much I love him. I’ve never had the chance to say it out loud to him, but I hope my actions shouted it louder than my words ever could. I heard him on the phone - before I was tossed in here - tell me he loved me. It isn’t the way I was supposed to hear those words. I was supposed to say them first. I was supposed to say them when we were both ready. But, knowing that Clay still loves me, even after all this time, it keeps my heart beating and my determined mind working.
When you’ve got so much time on your hands, you think all kinds of crazy shit. I’ve been imagining myself stuck on some remote island, soaking up the sun, sipping on cocktails. It beats being stuck in this room on my own. And, because I’m dehydrated anyway, it’s easy to slip off into a dreamworld. A dreamworld is better than living in hell.
I hear the lock on the door click open. Usually the door opens enough for someone to push a tray of food or water into me, but this time it bangs off the wall and light floods in. I cover my eyes to stop the burning, which in turn just makes my head hurt more. I’ve become accustomed to the dark; my body isn’t used to anything else. I’m dehydrated because I don’t dare drink what they give me, because I don’t trust them not to drug me or worse. It isn’t making my condition any better, but I’d rather die from my own stupidity as opposed to their neglect and abuse.
“Get up!” drawls a deep accent.
I’m dragged to my feet, but my leg gives out and I end up on my knees. I cry with the pain radiating up my leg. I just want it to stop. I want it all to end. I can’t take much more.
I’m hauled up a second time, this time with two arms, one person at each side of me. I’m dragged away like a prisoner. Like a nobody. Like a piece of garbage tossed into the trash. This is what has become of my life.
“Shay!” someone yells from behind me.
“You can’t help her now, Doc.”
The voice must belong to Keir, but I’m not fully with it to be a hundred percent sure. I don’t know anything anymore, and that’s the worst part, because I’m a control freak. I like to know what’s happening, when and where. Being stuck, oblivious to everything around me is torture. The only thing that kept me strong in the army was the people. It didn’t matter what mission we went on, the people were always the same, minus anyone we lost in the previous mission.
I’m dragged through corridors; corridors I don’t think I’ve been in before. It isn’t until I feel a cold draft surrounding me that I lift my head to look around. I’m outside. I sigh with relief, I think. I never thought I’d see daylight again, never mind feel fresh air on my skin. It’s amazing the things you miss when privileges are taken away from you. It’s bewildering what we take for granted.
“Get in!”
I’m pushed into the back of an open army Jeep. I’m literally flung in like a waste sack. My body cries out with pain and exhaustion. I don’t even have the energy to move myself into a comfortable position; I just lie there like a broken toy. Someone climbs in behind me and keeps watch over my every move. They’re not as stupid as they look, not that I’d have the energy to escape and get far, they’ve made sure of that. I feel worse now than when I originally arrived here, and I can’t hide it.
The Jeep starts up with a loud roar. It’s a sound I relish. A sound that I’m used to. But now I’m terrified of where I’m going to be tossed next. Is this my last ride? Am I finally meeting my maker? Will I finally be put out of my misery?
I’m hurled from side to side as we bounce over the rough terrain. I don’t know where I am, or where they could possibly be taking me, but fear of the unknown is debilitating.
The person sitting closest to me is speaking in another language. A language I know nothing about, so I can’t even pick up one or two words and piece it together. I feel like I’m living in a strange nightmare, but I can’t wake up to get out of it. I’m stuck; until someone either rescues me or I take my last breath. And the way things are going, the latter option seems more likely.
The vehicle comes to a sudden stop. We can’t have travelled far from where I was, because I haven’t been in the Jeep for longer than five minutes if my perception is still on point.
“Get her out!” A voice booms around me and I jump.
The voice is harsh and deep. A voice that would stick in your memory for many years.
I’m dragged out of the bed of the Jeep by my feet. The man grabs my arm when I start falling out. I’m glad he did, because it would have been a hit to my head that I didn’t need.
Arms tighten around my biceps and I’m on the move again. I try to focus my attention on my surroundings, anything that will tell me who is here or what they’re up to, but we’re moving so fast and my eyes can’t focus quickly enough. I feel drunk.
“Look at the state she’s in,” booms an American accent.
I try to see where the voice is coming from, but they remain out of sight.
“Who are you?” I ask croakily.
“You don’t need to concern yourself with that. Just listen to me and listen carefully.”
I nod, but I could be nodding to anything.
