Page 67 of Anarchy Chained: Alpha Thomas

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - SADIE

His face is handsome, even with the scar. It’s his eyes, I think. They are brown, but not just any brown. They are the light brown of autumn leaves, with golden flecks of brilliance shining through the darkness.

Sadie, he says. But it’s in my mind.

I think I love him right now.

Sadie, come back to me.

I’m here.

Sadie, Sadie, Sadie…

I open my eyes and he becomes real. “Iziah,” I say, my lips trembling and my voice shaking.

“Shhhh,” he says, sitting down on the bed next to me. “Shhh. I got you, chick. I got you. Don’t think about anything right now. Don’t worry about anything right now.”

“Where am I?”

“What did I just say?” He laughs, sweeping a strand of sweat-soaked hair out of my eyes. “Just relax. You’re all good.”

I close my eyes, mostly because they are too heavy to keep open. It’s just too much effort. “I’ve missed you,” I mutter, almost asleep again.

He leans down, making the bed move, and kisses my forehead. “We’ve missed you too. But forget it for now. Just sleep a little longer, Sade. You’re safe here.”

The next time I open my eyes, I see him again, but not him. “Uzi,” I whimper.

The reaction is much the same. “Shhh, Sade. You’re OK. I’m just changing your drugs. Your stupid fucking friend messed you up good with that gas. But we got a hold on it now. Don’t worry. Just sleep.”

“Cyan,” I whimper back. “Where’s Cyan?”

“She’s been in and out the past week. She’s sleeping now, like you should be. I’ll tell her you’re almost ready. She’ll be so happy.” Uzi caresses my cheek with his hand and then leans down and kisses my forehead, just like Iziah did the last time I woke up. “Just sleep.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN - SULLIVAN

My body is cannibalizing itself from the inside out. I have no idea how long they’ve had me locked in this room, but it’s more than a few days. Maybe more than a week. This is a prison cell. I’ve measured it by pacing more times than I care to count. About six feet wide by six feet deep. Gray cinderblock walls. Gray concrete floor. No windows. The ceilings are tall, at least. So I was able to stand up and move around. There is a toilet in the corner. No mirror. And a concrete bed. No blankets.

No one has come. No one has fed me. No water. No demands. Nothing.

I stopped pounding on the door days ago. I don’t think anyone’s out there. I think they locked me up in this room and left.

I’m hoping for unconsciousness soon. The pain in my stomach from not eating is constant. My mouth is so dry it feels like it’s stuffed with cotton. The floor is cold and there’s nothing to cover myself, so I shiver uncontrollably.

Thomas is gone too. I have no idea what happened to Thomas. He might be dead. Which is just fucking great. I tried to use my powers but nothing’s there. I’m not talking about a weak wind, either. I’m talking about nothing.

I have been completely disabled.

I have no idea where Sadie is. If she’s alive or dead. Where this place is. Whether or not anyone will come back, or even who these people are.

But I can take a good guess.

Prodigy.

Everything about this place has Prodigy written all over it.

This cell is one I’m intimately familiar with. It’s just like the one they used to lock me in as a child. That’s what broke me, I realize. That cell back when I was little. Back when I was whole. Back before Thomas, and mentalist abilities. Back before I knew anything, they put me in a cell like this and they broke me.

Split me right in two.

They created Thomas from parts of me.

They starved me back then too. It’s a trigger. Something in me breaks free when I have no food or water. So they’ve already started the experiments again.

I can’t pace anymore. I can’t even crawl. So I just sit here, my back against the cold, hard, concrete wall, and wait. Shivering as I wait for the darkness to come.

I reach for Sadie’s mind. We’re linked. We know we’re linked. I was in there. I can call for her.

Sadie, I message. I’m still here. Help me.

Nothing.

This is my past, my present, and my future.

There’s nothing else I can do but wait.