Why does everything hurt so much? My throat felt like it was full of rocks, I slowly open my eyes and gag at the bad taste in my mouth. My arms and legs were pinned down to a chair. I look down at my lap and turn my head from side to side.
My head was secured in a vice-like thing, I can't breathe properly. There was a crackling sound before a voice echoed in the room, "Milana...Rebecca..Barnes."
"What is this?" I choke out, "Where am I?"
A metal door creaks open as a shadow stood in front of me, "You're back home. We've been looking for you for a while now. Don't you remember me?" They come into the light.
I shiver as I saw him smirk at me, "It's you," I say, "You were in Stark's tower, you knew me. Why are you doing this to me?"
"I haven't done anything to you, Milana."
"Let me go. My dad will be here, he's looking for me."
He nods, "I hope so, your dad was good at fighting, knew how to kill. He did a good job fixing you and getting rid of the things you saw here," I spit into his face. He wipes it off and shook his head.
"Whoever you are, get away from me."
"I am Bishop Teague," He announces, "I am the one who made the perfect soldier you are."
He presses my head into the vice and held onto my jaw, forcing a mouthguard into my mouth. I scream into and writhe around, "I know you're probably afraid and feel powerless, but don't worry, Milana. I will fix you again, I've done it before."
I arch up and break one of the restraints, as I did, another pair of hands held me down and strapped me back into the chair, "You're getting stronger I see, you know, Mr Barns might be good at making you forget, but I'm better."
I scream through the mouthguard again as a wave of electricity runs through my head and body all over again.
-
"It's raining again," I state. Dad glances outside of the van, then wrapped his arms around my waist as he nodded, "We didn't get this much rain in Russia, it only snows. I don't like this place."
Dad rolls his eyes with a smile, "We've been here for ten minutes, give it a chance."
"No," I turn to dad "Can we go back to the motel? I don't know these people. They won't even know how to talk to me."
Dad turns me to face him, "It's going to be okay, Mil. Look, you and I are going to have a great new life here. It's going to be good for us, you don't have to talk to anyone if you're not ready."
"I want to go home."
"This is our home, you're going to love it," I face him nervously. Dad hugs me tighter, "I promise that this is going to be great. You and me, we're going to have a better life. We're going to be safe."
"Do you think she's going to wake up?" A voice says.
"No, it's dead, don't touch it," I feel something poke into my side, "Noah, put it down."
The first voice gasps, "I think it moved, I'm going to poke it harder."
"Noah, stop it." I open my eyes, groaning quietly. "Look what you did, now we have to babysit." I turn onto my back and look at the two shadows in front of me, one of them walks away as the other reaches to help me stand up.
I look at the boy in front of me carefully, then my hands as I clench and unclench my fists, "What is this place?" I ask, "Who are you?"
"I'm Noah," He held out his hand, I ignore his hand and glared at him, "This is...it's home for most of us. You'll likely die here before the week ends," I roll my eyes and tried to leave the room but he grabs my wrist.
As he did, I spun around and slammed my palm into his nose, Noah grips my arms and pulled me into his chest, locking me against him, "Watch it," He warns, "I'm just trying to help you. Calm down and I can walk you to your room."
I shake in his arms and then sighed, "Fine!"
Noah dropped me onto the floor. I glare at him, then walked towards the door. Noah opened it for me and the two of us walked out to the hallway. The building was filthy. Each wall was covered in mud and old rusty doors. I look up and down the hallway before seeing Noah walk the other way.
"You must be freezing," He says as he pushes open the door on the left. I peer down at my body and saw I was only wearing a sports bra and shorts.
Noah pulled out a thick coat and long sweatpants. I don't thank him as I took them from him, he didn't turn around when I put them on, I guess he didn't need to if he's seen me like this the whole time.
"Why am I here?"
"Who knows," He turns to face me as he walked backwards, "The professor likes to give everyone a second chance with life, what did he say when he picked you up?"
"I don't even know who you're talking about."
Noah stopped, staring at me with a realisation in his eyes, "Oh, you're one of those."
"One of what?" I snap.
"The survivors, from like, 20 years ago or something, there were all of these kids who were kidnapped and I guess he found you."
I frown, I was taken? Noah and I walked down the hallway for a long time, it was so quiet in the building. I did hear a faint scream then a loud snap but Noah shrugged it off and said someone probably fell.
He pauses, looking over at me, "IT used to be one big hall where we would all sleep, then it got blow up so now we live in this place. There isn't a lot of people here but it'll feel like it. After today I can't promise I'll be nice to you anymore."
This is him being nice? I nod my head, holding the jacket, "The rooms aren't ideal, no windows unless you're lucky, you aren't, and you're sharing with...Bextley."
"Why?"
"Everyone has to share their rooms, I share with an OCD freak and a guy who uses his fork to clean out his ears. Don't talk to Bextley, she is very scary. Not someone you want to mess with."
Challenge accepted. He knocked on the door before opening it, "Bextley?" There was a girl hunched over a bed, her blonde hair hanging in her eyes as she sharpened a knife, "This is..." He looks at me, "Oh..right. You don't get a name yet. Maybe tomorrow."
She stood up, easily towering over me as she raised a knife in my face, "Touch my stuff, and I'll kill you."
I peer at the knife then her, "I was about to say the same thing to you."
Noah snickered, "Noah what did I tell you about poking dead things? Now I have to watch it. Nice job dick for brains." I look over at Noah who shrugged, "Leave, it's almost lock down."
Noah didn't hesitate. Bextley shoved me slightly as she walked over to her bed again. Well, bed is a bit of a stretch, it was a half-inflated air mattress with an old blanket over it. I look around the room, then at Bextley.
"You're not very pleasant are you?"
"Shut up," She snapped.
Noah should've left you to die."
"Well, he didn't, so now we're sharing a room."
She glared at me, "I get the first shower in the morning, I get the first choice of what you eat and if it comes to fighting, I will walk away alive."
I nod, "Okay. Whatever you say Bext."
She throws her knife into the ground before she sat on her bed. I face the wall, looking down at my bare feet. How did I get here? Was I in danger before this? Is that why this man has brought me here?
I wanted to ask the girl more questions but it's obvious that she's going to be useless. I put Noah's jacket on again and laid on the bed. A voice came through the room and demanded that we went to sleep. The bed felt like it was scraping against my back too much.
I cringe and roll onto my side looking at the girl. She was straight as the board she was sleeping on with her head facing me. I looked at her, then tried to copy her position.
This must be home for me too.
