𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 (𝐃𝐚𝐛𝐢 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)

35

You were able to force yourself to stay calm for a bit. The dread didn't set in right away. At first, it was relatively easy to take deep breaths and keep yourself distracted by shutting your eyes and imagining that you were somewhere, anywhere but here.

Time seemed to move differently while you lay there, causing minutes to feel like hours. You weren't sure exactly how long it took for the reality of your situation to set in. When you could no longer picture that you were in bed somewhere instead of trapped in a metal box that pushed your arms so tightly against you that you feared you may suffocate.

Blood. Your blood. You could smell it, the metallic scent coated the warm, stuffy air. The sticky substance spread across your skin, soaking through your damaged clothes. That was when your breathing became sporadic. You couldn't focus on keeping yourself calm because your mind's only focus was on getting out. That primal fight or flight instinct took root but there was nothing to fight, no way to move even if you tried. But when your body opted for flight, only to realize that that wasn't an option either, every nerve went into complete panic mode.

You tried to bring yourself back, made yourself ignore the burn that the imprint of the collar was causing. Breathing through your mouth to keep the scent of your growing weakness from permeating your insides.

And that's what it was, weakness. The injuries you'd suffered represented your inability to fight back, the utter helplessness you felt in this place where you couldn't manage to keep that little girl alive. You hadn't even asked for her name.

Memories of that scene continued to play on repeat, like those songs on the radio that played on a constant loop because one of the verses was trending on social media. You couldn't escape it no matter where in your head you tried to hide. She was innocent. You didn't care what she'd done to land herself here. No child deserved to suffer through such prolonged periods of pain and isolation.

She had her entire life ahead of her and those vile people had cut it short. For what? Because she no was no longer a useful tool in furthering their agenda? The commission had murdered a child and then continued to turn around and present themselves to society as peaceful leaders. And there was no reason for anybody to doubt them, not whenever they kept their inner workings so well-guarded. You wondered if all the pro-heroes knew as Hawks did, or if they were just as ignorant as the rest.

Hawks. The thought of the Number-Two hero made your stomach roil. The one person that you'd made sure to never trust completely had still managed to pull one over on you. You hoped that if Aya managed to escape that she'd get the opportunity to punch the guy. At least once. She deserved it considering that he'd been someone she idolized.

Your head was starting to feel foggy, which helped lessen the panic that had built itself high. You wondered if the man who'd put you here realized how much blood had been coming from your back. It would be somewhat gratifying to die and ruin the Commission's plans as a result of their own stupidity.

But, alas, the gratification wasn't meant to come that day. You didn't hear the guards enter the room, but the sudden burst of white light that pierced your eyelids brought your attention to the fact that the cover had been removed. You were dizzy and too tired to try and resist as four of the masked guards lifted you from the box and began to carry you through the halls.

"Sir Itami instructed us to retrieve her after eight hours. It's only been six. Are you sure that this is necessary?" The voice was masculine.

"The other Higher-Ups have all explained why it is important that the program is started as soon as possible. Eight hours is too much of a delay." You recognized this voice as the girl who was often sent to watch over you. "And look, if we'd left her in there for much longer she could've bled out. All of her stitches need to be redone and the cut in her arm is too deep to be left unbandaged. I'm pretty sure having her die is worse than cutting the punishment time a little short."