𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐎 (𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐔𝐒) *editing*

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧🌷

Her mind was fuzzy and disoriented.

But maybe that was the drugs pumping through her system making her feel that way. Even lying on the bed, her body seemed to vibrate as if rhythmic tremors pulsated through the building. She floated, though she wasn't really. It was a case of extreme vertigo, everything seemed to buzz in the place. The lights, the walls, the stupid printed paintings the hospital had for decoration.

The leather straps denied her much movement. Her wrists and ankles were bound to the point she couldn't feel the tips of her fingers or toes. The pressure encasing her joints began to hurt when she would try to struggle, not that she could do much. Whatever it was that Marlene said for her guys to give her numbed her. She barely had the strength to lift her head, not to mention, if she would try, she began to feel incredibly woozy and sick to her stomach.

How stupid could she be? Forget annoyed, she was beyond aggravation. At herself, why would she do that to Marlene? To Jordan's own mother? He specifically asked her not to Marlene, and what did she do?

Fucking stupid, that's what you are, Maeve. She would've scolded herself more, that is until the room took a turn, like a fast-moving, out-of-control car. It spun madly, and her stomach churned.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Warmth slipped down her temples, settling into her disheveled braid. You stupid impulsive shit, Mae! She wept silently. Not only for Jordan but for Ellie. While she was paralyzed in that room, her sister was being dissected like some lab animal.

An odd sound made her soul leap from her skin. She had tried to look at the doorway, almost unable to see the person that entered her room. Another Firefly, body protectively padded with bulletproof wear. Under her helmet, the woman rounded the bed to the IV stand. There'd been unused syringes carefully lined on the side table, with a bottle of the drug Marlene ordered for her to be sedated with. She could only watch as the Firefly took one of the syringes and filled it with the clear paralytic medicine. Her heart thudded in her chest and mustered a glare as the woman poked the IV tube with the needle, injecting the liquid inside. It was only a matter of time before she would be unconscious again. She could already feel the coolness of the relaxer drug sifting through her bloodstream, tasting the saline on her tongue.

She gulped dryly, feeling more hot liquid streak down her temples. The Firefly soldier set the syringe and medicine vial on the table, cast an emotionless glance at her lain form, and then left. No words were spoken, just that snide leer.

Fuzzy black dots began to cloud her vision. The fear burst in her chest. It was something to make her unconscious, but she felt like she was being euthanized. Her mouth and throat became increasingly dry the more the darkness blinded her.

Through her fogging mind, she swore she could hear the shrill of an alarm echo through the halls. Maybe even pops that could be gunfire, her mind was so hazed, she couldn't tell if it was gunfire or not. The sounds seemed muffled.

It was quite chaotic.

Loud gunfire sounded just outside the room she was in. Her soul nearly took a leap for the ceiling. And then an out-of-breath person hurried inside, their boots thumping against the tiles of the floor.

She wondered what was going on.

"Maeve!" She figured she should recognize that voice. With each passing second, her mind grew increasingly disoriented. It did sound familiar, though. It was deep and it reminded her of TJ. "Jesus...what'd they do to you?"

A fuzzy face entered her vision, quite concerned for her. His eyebrows squished together and then she felt a slight pressure on her right inner elbow. She heard the ripping of the tape that kept the IV secured on her skin. She couldn't say it hurt, but she felt the intense urge to itch.

"C'mon, we're getting out of here." Warm hands slithered under her back and then legs. Gravity clawed at her body as the person began to lift her off the bed.

And that was the last she saw of the bright fluorescence. She felt herself slump against the person's chest and then nothing.

When she had come to, she found herself staring at a gray cotton ceiling. The floor seemed to vibrate as if she were moving on wheels. The light stung her eyes, causing her to move her hand over her face to shield her eyes from it. If she had made a noise, then she certainly caused a stir somewhere within ear range.

"Easy," a soft voice spoke to her. "Drugs are still wearing off."

"What?" She murmured, finally getting a look around. She was in a car, or SUV, to be specific, laid across the backseat, er, backseat's backseat? Second back seat. A groan left her, and she sat up. They were on a freeway, not at Saint Mary's Hospital. She must've been out all day; the sun hung close to the horizon, casting an afternoon glow over the road. "Where are we? Where's Ellie?"

"She's sleeping." Indeed, she was. Maeve glanced at the first row of seats; her sister was snoozing away, looking quite unscathed and not dissected as she thought. A breath of relief left her, and she leaned on the back of the middle seat.

"I'm not going to ask what happened," she decided, biting her lip. "Thank you."

She watched Joel grip the steering wheel at her words. He seemed to want to say something, but he held it in. TJ, from the passenger seat, glanced at her through the rearview mirror.

"Where to now?" She had about a million or so questions about what happened, but she did say she wouldn't ask.

The guys shared a look; Joel cleared his throat, returning his gaze to the empty road.

"We're going back to Tommy's."

The urge to ask questions reared. Curiosity flooded her. What happened with the Fireflies? To Marlene? Unfortunately for her, she had a feeling Joel, nor TJ would just answer the questions brewing in her head, but for now she'd settle on one:

"What happens when we get to Tommy's?"

Joel chuckled at her question as if it were ridiculous to ask. It seemed to be obvious to him, but she couldn't shake the confounded thoughts swirling around. She met his eyes briefly in the rearview mirror.

"We're going home." That is all he said.

Home.

How strange. She hadn't thought of what home would be. After what seemed like a long time, "home" was just a word. Joel looked back at the road again; she sighed indubitably. So much flew through her, an overwhelming anxiety that caused her heart to pace quickly. Fear, for the unknown. Excitement, for finally, they would be safe in a haven such as Jackson.

"Just get some sleep. It's gonna be a long way." Joel spoke again.

"Sure." She murmured, glancing down at her slumbering sister. An ache hurt her chest. They were withholding some critical information for her, though she didn't ask, it's what her gut told her. After a moment, she lowered herself onto the seat, staring at the back of the first-row seat.

She was tired. Even if she had been drugged into sleep for, only God knows how long, she was tired. Maybe it was the medicine that made her feel that way. Pensively, Maeve closed her eyelids and hoped for a dreamless sleep.