𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐅 𝐀 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 - 𝘋𝘌𝘈𝘛𝘏 𝘊𝘜𝘙𝘌

17 ~ mad woman

Newt

"How long have you been in the Crank palace?" I asked Donna one day over a meager dinner which she didn't seem too pleased with. The question was mostly to aid myself; it would determine how long I had before I would start going insane, like Donna did.

"Oh, it's been weeks," she wailed pitifully. "Weeks since the Immunes kidnapped me." She spat the word "Immune" like a curse. "There's no way out, either. They'll kill us if we try to leave. And they have guns," she breathed.

I did not fall prey to her feigned weakness. "And what about you?" I addressed Steve and Sheldon, who were eating quietly. They did not speak much, and when they did, it was usually because Donna prompted them to. Their eyes seemed to be permanently glossed over, and I noticed that the green veins were slowly spreading across their bodies. At one point, they only covered their wrists. Now the veins had crawled up their torso and neck, about to reach their faces. Theirs were the worst out of the five of us.

"They were here before me," Donna answered for the two men. "When I found them, they were scared, unsure. I brought them under my wing and have kept them ever since," she expressed fondly, as if they were pets.

"How do you keep them... er... like that?" I asked, speaking of course about the way the two didn't seem to have any feeling, and only performed actions Donna wished them to. Sheldon and Steve didn't even seem to notice my question was directed towards them.

"They feel safe around me," Donna explained. "When I talk to them softly, and when I encourage them... there's something with the Flare virus that makes them compliant to me. Especially if what I'm telling them goes along with the Flare tendencies, like wanting human flesh..." She finished in a longing voice. Then she looked at me suspiciously. "Why do you want to know, Newtie?"

"You did it to me, once. When you killed that girl."

"When we killed that girl," Donna corrected. "And yes, I did. Didn't you like it? Didn't it feel nice to give in? You didn't have to worry about anything because the Flare took over. It's addicting... the feeling you get when the headaches and pain go away and all that's left is just the adrenaline and the need for blood."

Her voice had gone soft and silky again. Even though she wasn't whispering in my ear, it felt like she was inside my head. I could feel my body relaxing already. My mouth was watering, and when I ran my tongue over my teeth they felt sharp. When I began to hear my heartbeat in my ears, I knew that she was doing it to me again. She had the power to control me somehow, and I couldn't let that happen.

Instead of thinking of my longing to sink my teeth into the nearest human being, I thought of Posie and her family. Her anchor. It was time to use my anchor.

Lottie wouldn't want me to give in. She would be so disappointed if I turned into a monster without even trying to contain it. I wondered if she and the others were still trying to look for me. All the signs pointed to yes, and yet I hoped they weren't. I hoped that as soon as they lost me in the forest, they used their common sense and turned back. There was no point rescuing me; soon it wouldn't even be me that they were saving.

I turned to look harshly into Donna's eyes. I found surprise there. She didn't think I would be able to throw her seductive tactics away.

"No," I said to her. "It doesn't feel nice. It's not addicting. Maybe it's only like that for evil people like you, with nothing left to live for." I began to stand, but I felt Donna's hand close around my wrist. Her long, dirty fingernails dug into my skin. I tried to pull away but she was stronger than I expected. She had a menacing grin on her face.

"You can't run from me, Newt. Where are you going to go? There is nowhere in this place where I cannot find you."

"I'm not running," I snapped, finally yanking my arm out of her grasp. It left red marks on my skin. "You don't scare me enough to run."

"Then where are you going?" She asked angrily, teeth gritted.

"I'm walking away. You can't force me to do anything, Donna. I don't want to spend the rest of my short life being bullied by you." I turned and began to walk away when I heard her start laughing madly behind me.

"Need I remind you of what happened to the last boy who refused me? Don't you remember Andrew? I'm sure Sheldon and Steve do, don't you, dears?"

I turned slowly. The dim room was filled with Cranks milling about, but all of them avoided coming anywhere near Donna's table where she and the rest of us had been eating. Now they were very still, staring at the scene Donna and I were causing. There was fear in their eyes, but I couldn't tell if it was for me or themselves.

Donna was running a long finger down Steve's face. He and Sheldon were nodding at each other appreciatively, clearly remembering the day they were allowed to tear the poor kid Andrew to shreds. Posie sat slightly behind the three, in the shadows as always. Her eyes flicked between Donna and me nervously.

"You're gonna kill me if I walk away?" I asked, locking eyes with Donna again. She nodded slightly, then turned to glance at Posie. Even after all the days I'd spent here, this was the first time I'd seen her notice the older woman. Not for the first time, I wondered how Donna had even sunk her claws into Posie, especially since she didn't pay much attention to her anyway.

"You," Donna began slowly, then jerked her head in Posie's direction. "And her."

I froze for the second time. I realized I didn't care much if Donna came after me. At least I would go down fighting and true to myself. But now she was threatening Posie, who didn't deserve any of this, and my mindset changed. How could I allow Posie to die because of me?

"Don't think I don't know about you two sneaking behind my back, plotting-" Donna sneered.

"Plotting!" I exclaimed. "What plotting could possibly be done in a place like this? We're stuck here, Donna, it's over for us! We're just trying to keep our sanity for as long as possible, unlike you. What do you even want me with you anyway? What use am I?"

I was getting desperate; desperate to get away, and desperate to save Posie's life.

Donna stood, and slowly walked over to me. I tensed and braced myself as she lifted a hand, but she didn't strike me. Instead, she stroked my face just as she had done to Steve minutes ago. "Because you're just like my son," she breathed. I recoiled in disgust; the thought of being related to Donna was revolting.

She turned to face Posie, Steve, and Sheldon. "And you are just like my sister... my brother... and my husband..." She had a look of fondness in her eyes as she looked at each one of us in turn, and I could see from that look that she did not see us four as who we were, but rather who she wanted us to be.

She smiled wistfully. "You will all stay with me, like families should. If you don't, I'll kill you."

A/N

So basically Donna's insane. Hope you liked it! Vote if you did!

- golden habit