The Third War

Chapter Fifteen: Zoe

Where am I?

My thoughts were slow and foggy. All I remembered was waking up in a white room with a strange girl telling me it would be all alright. I tried to get up and fight but she just told me to calm down. She wouldn't tell me anything other than that I was safe now. But I didn't feel safe.

Kris was gone, I had no idea if she was safe or dead or in pain like me. I didn't remember much after she left. The man came and asked me where she'd gone and then I fell asleep. I remembered dreams, horrible terrible dreams were I heard myself screaming and Kris wasn't there to help me. All I could do was scream as the girl tried to calm me down, I wouldn't cooperate, I refused to let her hurt me. In the end she just sedated me and I fell into a restless sleep but this time there weren't any bad dreams just my thoughts.

You made the right decision; she was better off without you...but is she alive? It doesn't matter whether she's dead or alive she's gone now and I am alone, and it doesn't matter if I live or die. So there's no point, I'll just stop, it's too hard to keep living anyway. It's tiring and pointless. There's no one here for me anyway. I'll just let the sickness take over. Kris always fought my battles for me, and she's no longer here. It's a waste, it would be better to put myself out of misery.

I did too, I slowly let go, in the back of my conscious I could hear the girl yelling. She was asking me not to let go, she told me she wouldn't let me die.

I felt someone shaking me and my eyes flew open terrified. I screamed and saw the girl looking over me. She tried to calm me but I just keep trying to pull away. I had been so close, I could hear muffled talking to me, "Don't let go Zoe! The sedatives were a bad idea I realize that now, don't die, you can't."

How does she know my name?

That caused me to freak, I thrashed and screamed madly and the poor nurse just tried to help but had to back away to avoid getting hit. She couldn't sedate me anymore, she had to wait, "Zoe, -please- calm down. I don't want to restrain you."

Her voice was pleading and sounded far away in my panicked thoughts.

Eventually, I did tire myself out and my movements got slower. I couldn't feel the pull of the sedative it was just me, my weak body slowing down. I fell into a fitful sleep with roaring nightmares terrified.

One of them was Kristy tied up and struggling on the floor and I watched as someone beat her, I screamed and tried to run to her but my mouth was gagged and my hands were tied behind my back by an invisible bond. She screamed out in agony and I heard her wail, "IT'S YOUR FAULT ZOE I CAME BACK FOR YOU, I GOT CAUGHT BECAUSE OF YOU."

I could only stare as they beat her body till she stopped moving and I was shoved forward to stare down at her. There were many I couldn't recall now and some I can but won't describe for you. But one I remember whimpering. Not even being able to call out, but just a small cry as I stared at the destruction that befell my family because I was too slow, too weak, I wasn't strong enough to save any of them.

I felt cold again and was in darkness. There was a pressure on my lungs and I could barely breathe, voices hissed and whispered from the darkness, "Give up, you don't deserve to live, stop fighting."

I remember something stabbed me suddenly in the back of my spinal cord and screaming out in agony and my eyes flew open. The girl ran over from another patient and tried to calm me as I frantically clawed the air and tried to get up my mind not functioning properly just in panic mode. I remember her calming me and muttering something until I finally looked down and saw it.

The jacket. Dad's army jacket.

I stared at it in awe and everything turned back on.

Only one person would've known to bring it. Known I would want it. Only one person would've insisted on me having the jacket knowing the message would get across,

"Stay alive, Zoe, I'm here. Don't give up, I'm waiting for you."