The Program [Book Two of The Test]

Chapter Forty

The Program 

Chapter Forty

You would think the almost lifeless form of the guy who'd been trying to kill me for so long, his blood leaking from his stomach and flooding the floor as he thrashed about, would make some sense of comfort run over me.

That didn't happen.

There were two reasons for this.

One, I really, really don't like seeing almost dead and struggling to stay alive people. Or people being shot for that matter.

Two, Jack had apparently forgiven him. There had to be a reason for this, and now everything was starting to go to crap.

Mary turned to me, pouting her lips and jokingly wiping at her eyes. "Don't tell me you've gone soft, Lexi. Don't cry over the guy that wanted you dead."

"Why did you do that?" I all but hissed as I gritted my teeth.

She leaned in close, her breath fanning over me and making me cringe. "I was no longer in need of his assistance. But you, Lexi, you are extremely important to me. Without you and John to help me rebuild the test, it could take me a decade at the least to make a new one. Lord knows it took me forever the last time."

Going over the test fact, I asked, "So, you're letting him suffer?"

She didn't answer, suddenly walking away, gesturing with her hand for me to follow.

"Lexi." I heard Reid croak behind me. "Please. Help me."

"Why should I?" I crossed my arms. Mary hadn't left the room yet, looking to be growing insanely annoyed by my not following her.

I could hear the tapping of her shoes as she spoke. "Hurry up."

It was around the same time that Reid said, "Because you're a good person. That's one of the reasons Jack loves you."

Reid pulled at my emotions. But I couldn't disagree with him, he was right after all.

I went over to him, yanking him off the floor and getting myself covered in his blood in the process. Reid glances at his knife in his pocket quickly, seeming to tell me to take it, so I did, sticking it in my pocket. He was heavy -not like I expected him not to be- and I had to literally drag him out of the room as he was groaning and clutching at his shirt in pain.

Leaving the room with all the beds, we walked past many the same way, leading me to ask as I was huffing for breath, "Hey, Mary. What's the point of all this? I get it, okay. The world has gone to crap, but you're just giving up." She stopped and looked at me. "I mean, haven't you ever seen that movie about the cute little robot that stayed on earth to pick up all the garbage with the others, only for the earth to never get better. They gave up on the earth too, and it didn't turn out well."