The 4th Subject

Chapter 25: Stronger than the Nightmares

None of us knew what to do. The Apple was smashed, meaning our connection to Deb was cut off. Syphus somehow got into the vault, took all the serum, and was able to trap Matt, Sam and Woods in there. As well as give me even more nightmares and nearly a concussion. His mask was still imprinted into my mind. I just stared at the floor, trying to focus on anything else while the others discussed what to do. Matt grabbed the camera we set up and suggested we watched the footage.

"Can we..." I paused for a moment, words escaping my brain. "Can we take a minute to... I don't know, just..."

"Sarah, you're not breathing normally," Sam said softly, clearly concerned.

I didn't realize until she said it, but once I did, I couldn't stop.

Shoot.

My nose flared as I tried to fix my breathing, but it wasn't working. My body still felt weak and limp. I could feel tears welling in my eyes, but not one fell. I stared at the concrete beneath my feet, my head suddenly feeling full and heavy. I needed to ground myself, but I wasn't even capable of taking oxygen like a normal human being at the moment. The chair I was leaning on scraped against the floor as more weight was applied.

"Sarah?" A muffled voice started piercing through. But not nearly enough.

Suddenly, I couldn't get Syphus's face out of my head. The intensity, the lights, the dark brokenness that weighed down on me as he stared into my eyes, my soul even. And the eyes behind the mask. Those lifeless, soul-sucked eyes that were now forever etched into my brain. They were always there, no matter where I looked, no matter what I did, they were looming over me. Haunting me like a ghost. It was like I was still being forced to stare into that mask, like I was still being held firmly by my shirt. I could still feel his hands pulling and pushing me around, like I was nothing but a sack of flesh. I could still feel his hands strongly gripping my shoulders as he threw me into the darkness. They stabbed into my shoulders, like used needles and dull knives. Everything burned.

"Sarah!"

The burning sensation pulsed under someone's fingers as they fell upon my shoulder. I flinched and looked up to see Matt, the usual amount of concern and confusion on his face doubled. Once my eyes fully adjusted, I saw Sam next to the camera on the ground, as if she just set it down. The same concern was knit into her brows, deeply furrowed. Woods stood to Matt's right, his arms slightly extended, almost like he was ready to catch me if necessary.

I finally got a deep breath in, allowing myself to keep looking the three of them in the eye. Their faces kept me grounded.

"Sarah, are you ok?" Matt asked.

"What's going on?" Woods added gently, slowly moving closer. After another moment or two, I finally spoke.

"His face. I... I can't get it out... get it out of my head."

Understanding flashed across their faces; pity as well. At this point, I didn't care.

"Do you need some time to decompress?" Matt asked, motioning to the front lounge.

"Yeah, actually, I just..." I cleared my throat. "I need a minute."

The four of us walked up front and sat on the couch, Matt turning the lights on as we walked through the dark hallways. I curled up into the corner couch, hugging my knees to my chest. Sam set the camera down on the table.

"Are we still recording?" I mumbled.

"No," Sam said, "I figured we'd all take a moment to just breathe."

After that allotted time, Matt looked up to me as Sam turned on the rig.

"Sarah, would you be ok... explaining what happened with Syphus?"