Find a way out of the tank.
Find a way to survive.
Find a way to be human.
He crawled out of the bathroom, relieved to see no one in the corridor. He needed to get away from the toilets so he wasn’t linked to Kaden. It had been the right thing to do to leave those papers for the time being. He managed to get to his feet but even shuffling with his back against the wall didn’t feel safe. He knew to avoid the cameras but it wasn’t easy. His breathing grew ragged. Making any effort was draining the small amount of energy he had. He hadn’t dared take too much from Kaden.
Joe’s heart hammered painfully in his chest. The world was pressing in on him. He’d not foreseen the state he’d be in. He fell against the first door he reached and it opened, sending him sprawling and he banged his head.Ouch.He didn’t have the strength to push himself up, so he just lay there. People came. Leaning over him. Crowding him. His heart raced faster.
“Are you okay?”
“Where are you hurt?”
At least he could understand. Joe tried to speak, but nothing came out.
“What’s your name?” a man asked.
Joe pointed at his throat and shook his head.
“You can’t speak?”
He nodded.
Alone, surrounded by people. Like them, but not like them at all. The noise. The colours. The faces. It was too much. His systems crashed. And everything went black.
11
Kaden came round slowly.
He didn’t need to open his eyes to know he was in a hospital bed. He’d been in enough of them. The antiseptic smell, sheets too stiff to ever feel comforting, along with the low hum of machines watching him and others. Voices murmured somewhere nearby and there was pressure on the back of his hand. A drip, then.Oh God.
What he didn’t know was what the hell had happened to him.
A problem with his heart? Was this down to Harris? Had he finally gone too far? He tried to swallow, couldn’t and pain flared. His throat felt burned and scraped, as though he’d swallowed something corrosive. He didn’t want to imagine what that might be. No way would he have done that voluntarily. Why couldn’t he remember what had happened?
“Kaden!”
Oh fuck.He knew that voice without looking. Could he pretend to be asleep? If Harrishaddone this, he didn’t want to be anywhere near him.
“I know you’re awake,” Harris said.
Kaden opened his eyes. Harris stood by the bed looking genuinely freaked out. Kaden tried to speak, but nothing came out of his mouth. Not even a croak.What the hell?And what were those fading bruises under Harris’ eyes?
“What happened to you?”
He sounded concerned, but then, if it was Harris who’d hurt him, he’d want to protect himself by playing innocent. Did he think Kaden would just acceptthis?But he didn’t know whatthiswas. Maybe Harris hadn’t hurt him. Why couldn’t he remember? It was also possible that Harris’ concern was not for him but for himself. Hospitals were not one of Harris’ favourite places. Too many germs. Too many opportunities to die from some hospital-borne issue. A nosocomial infection.What?That brought Kaden up short.How do I know that word?
A nurse appeared at Harris’ shoulder, the gentle smile on her face aimed at Kaden. “You’re awake.”
Oh, you noticed?Good to know he wasn’t too sick for sarcasm. He didn’t feel ill exactly, just a little battered, with a painful throat. He wondered again if Harris had gone too far. Had he brought Kaden to the hospital but was denying that he’d hurt him? Kaden couldn’t claim that he had if he didn’t remember. Was this anotherI didn’t mean to do it but you made memoment?
That it felt probable rather than possible scared him considerably more than the issue with his throat.Why haven’t I dumped him?
He tried to speak. Failed again. Panic flared and his heart raced. How could he make them send Harris away?
The nurse lifted a plastic beaker with a straw. “Small sip,” she instructed.
He was so thirsty, he sucked hard and the water had barely touched his throat before he gagged, chest jerking as muscles spasmed. His eyes watered and panic wrapped around him, biting like barbed wire.What the hell has happened to me?
