The Marked

Tempers Arise

I awoke screaming and I couldn't remember where I was. I tried sitting up only to find that I couldn't. I looked down at the black restraints holding me down and for a brief moment I thought I was still in the hospital.

I looked around and my mind was racing. Why does this room look familiar? As the door opened and a figure walked in I caught a glimpse of the hallway outside. As the figure revealed herself my worst suspicions were confirmed.

My mind flashed back to my first week here. I remembered walking down the hallway and finding that odd room. I remembered looking in and seeing the odd shaped items under the tarp and wondering to myself what they were.

As I looked around that very room now, I'm glad there was a tarp on them before. The items I saw under the tarp were rows upon rows of tubes filled with a bluish colored liquid. On the opposite table there were needles on a cloth and I began to feel squeamish. Needles, why did it always have to be needles!

The figure stood over me and I looked back defiantly. "It's a shame that you have no clue where you are." the figure said as she trailed her finger down my cheek. I stiffened and I knew not to mistake it for a sign of affection. She meant for the gesture to mess with my head. It was working.

"I almost pity you," she said as she circled me. I fought the urge to crane my head as she continued, "because you see, you're at a disadvantage." When she got to where my upper body was laying she slammed her hands down on either side of me. "See the thing is, you can't even remember who I am or what happened to you." she said as her eyes bore into mine. I looked back with a look that I hoped was brave.

I smiled and simply replied with six words, "I remember, but do you Annie?" Annie backed up until she hit the door a look of disbelief in her eyes.

Two days earlier
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"Okay dear now just relax everything's okay." I looked up at the nurse and I itched to punch her. It wasn't the nurses fault she was just another clueless soldier. She straightened my blankets and tightened my restraints for me. I sighed, she was my least favorite of all my nurses. I just counted down the minutes until my favorite nurse would come in.

Finally the door opened and I heard a soft voice say, "Alright Eunice I'm here to relieve you." She tried not to run out as fast as she can.

"Fine I didn't like you anyways!" I cried out after her, although it made no impact on her.

Luke turned to look me in the eyes, "I can always leave." he said as he gripped the door.

Tears sprung in my eyes and I battled against my restraints to reach out my hand. He just stood there, his eyes pleading me to say I didn't mean him.

"Please just stay." I pleaded.

He let go of the door and came to sit beside me. He reached out a hand to stroke my face. My tears soaked into his hand and he let them.

As he sat beside me he loosened my restraints until they fell way. I leaped up and he flinched but I just hugged him. He loosened and hugged me back.

I breathed in the pine and pictured the woods where me and my friends camped before I was taken. I felt the tears trail their way down my face. What I wouldn't give to see them again, just one more time.

I heard someone clear their throat and Luke turned to look at who it was.

"You weren't supposed to free her." The person said.

From the tone of their voice I recognized it was Annie. I also assumed she had a snarl on her face. When I turned around to look and realized I was right I laughed.

As she turned her eyes to me, I realized very quickly that I'd made a huge mistake. She gazed at me furiously as she struggled to maintain her breathing. The paintings of exemplary nursing students on the walls began to shake.

Luke gripped my shoulders tightly and pulled me back behind him. Annie was shaking in rage and her hands were clenched into fists. She unclenched her left hand to grab a syringe from her shirt pocket.

I hid behind Luke because with Annie anything is a weapon, but he whispered, "Don't worry, it's just a medicine to help her when she gets like this."

I looked over his shoulder to see her pulling it out of her arm. I could see her visibly relax and her tremors stopped. I relaxed and that was my first mistake.

Annie turned her attention to Luke, "Knock her around a bit, just don't kill her, yet."

As Luke turned on me I realized my second mistake.