Unstoppable: Revitalized

-21-

"I'm getting sick of this."

You can guess how well me trying to escape went. All I can remember through the pain was Charlotte being put aside as Callum carved holes in me with a sharp blade, before he threw the remaining part of me over his shoulder. The blood was everywhere, my flesh dotting the hall to accompany it, nerves loitering nearby.

"M-m-me t-t-too..." I chattered between frozen teeth, my sarcasm clearly not caring about getting me killed.

Is it even being killed anymore? It's more like sleeping. Just... longer, and harder to wake from.

My head felt like a nailed piece of wood as I lifted it, feeling heavy and uncomfortable, a weight I didn't need on my shoulders. The only thing I noticed, beside how heavy my body felt, was the coldness of the room, my breath seeming to steam in the candlelight. It didn't take me long to figure out I was back in 'The Cooler.' I'd already tried to rip myself out of the ropes, but to no avail, as The Boss had already appeared, alone and seemingly unarmed. He sat the candle down near me, taking a seat opposite, the darkness seeming to cover most of him.

"So why do you do it? Why antagonise another experiment we have? Why was an unconscious woman in your arms, another one in the other room? Care to explain?" The Boss kept himself still as his voice strained, his anger seeping into his usual calm exterior I was slowly becoming accustomed to. I kept my head down, trying to think of how to explain it.

"Charlotte saw me burn. She then saw me in class-"

"And what did you tell her, hm? That your Superman? Your body just... Regenerates on it's own? Come on Adam, Christ..." A deep sigh accompanied his words as he put his head in his hands. "I've had Callum deal with her. We can't have people knowing what you are, whether they believe it or not. Simply put, you keep your 'superpower' to yourself, alright? Her death is on your hands."

I felt a tear grace my cheek as my breath became shaky, my lungs refusing to work as I bent over in the chair, silently breaking down as the last few days finally caught up with me. The Boss put a hand on my face, catching a tear as he did, before seeming to examine it. A silence swept the room, before he grunted, turned, and left. As soon as the door closed, everything came out: I screamed, wailed, thrashed, kicked, let every single piece of fury out of me, the room absorbing it and throwing it around me, the four walls listening to me break into pieces, being reduced to crying silent tears onto my chest before my body gave out. 

"Ain't no way yer dead from cold, are yer?" 

A voice came from the darkness, hidden by the now very dim light of the candle. I gnashed my teeth together to stop them from chattering as I woke, trying to work out where it came from.

I've heard that before. I know I have.

"Hold on there, let me... Ah, that's tha one." 

A faint hum could be heard, before a few streaks of white buzzed above me, blinking in and our of focus before a bright light sprung from them, causing me to close my eyes with pain. It took a while to adjust to the new colours, but finally regaining my vision, I found the culprit: The Caretaker, the same guy who stuck a taser in my chest and dragged me down here.

"Fancy meetin' you 'ere. 'eh?" He mused, a cigarette hanging on for dear life in his lips as he examined me up and down, a butcher choosing which part of meat to pick first.

"G-G-Get me o-out o-f here, it-t-s f-free-ezing..." The cold had seeped into me so deeply even words and thought were a struggle. Curtly laughing, the man shook his head, already heading towards a door.

"No can do, mate. No chance. The Boss'll 'ave me head, 'an I ain't dyin' for no one."

"P-p-please!" I cried out, my voice breaking as I struggled against the bonds, still refusing to give up. He stopped, turning and facing me, a stone look overtaking him.

"Yer ain't the first 't beg fer mercy, 'n yer won't be the last."

And with that, he closed the door, leaving me alone, with nothing but emptiness, fear, and a piercing cold feeling that overtook me.

Oh my god... I'm stuck here. I'm stuck. I can't escape. No. No, hold on, there's something. There's always something. Breathe, push the cold out of your mind, come on-

The door swung open full force, crashing into the wall and coming back on itself slightly, Callum emerging from his entrance, heading straight for me

"M-make it p-p-pain-n-less." I chattered out, letting my head droop as I accepted yet another death. All I heard was silence as he moved behind me. I tensed my body, ready for whatever he was about to do to me, accepting my situation.

Please make it painless.

Instead, I felt the pressure loosen around my body as my arms were once again at my sides, my legs able to stand, albeit a little shaky. I looked down at myself, confused, before looking back up at Callum as he fidgeted slightly, pocketing his knife.

"Come on. Now." Without another word, he headed towards the door, gesturing for me to follow. I didn't argue: Freedom was staring me in the face, and who was I to turn it down? Heading through the door, I felt the shift in temperature, almost collapsing to my knees in happiness, before noting the stairs. The door opened into a short hallway, also bright, with maybe forty stairs leading to wherever was next. Callum hadn't looked back, already halfway up and moving fast. I took them two at a time, almost slipping on a few, before catching him up just before he broke to the top, sunlight being a relief I never though I'd be so happy to see.