Confessions of a Lab Rat

Chapter 17

My heart is pounding.

"Free-dom, free-dom, free-dom," it says.

Somewhere down the hall, voices can be heard.

"Pepper?" Sugar suddenly asks. Then she leans over the wheelchair and throws up.

"Oh, Sugar," I groan, searching for something to wipe her off with.

"Leave it, Pepper," Beech grunts under Chip's weight.

I want to protest, but I can see the strain in Beech's body. I have to remember that he has cancer too.

I silently wheel Sugar through the vomit.

"Pepper, I don't feel good," Sugar whispers.

"I know," I say. "It's okay. You're gonna be okay."

She bends her head and closes her eyes again.

We keep down the corridor.

My lungs hurt from the pace Beech is keeping. I can see Paprika tiring too.

But suddenly, the corridor ends. And there's a door.

My freedom is on the other side of that door.

"You ready?" Beech asks.

I take a deep breath.

"Yes," I say.

He opens the door. Cold air rushes in and stings my face, but its beautiful.

Snow. Pure white snow, falling from the sky.

"Angel dust," I whisper.

"Come, Pepper," Beech says, gesturing towards a van not far away.

I step out. Snow seeps in between my toes and freezes my blood, but I can hardly care.

I'm crying.

Beech works in a hurry, wrapping Chip's body in a blanket and laying it in the trunk alongside Sugar's wheelchair.

I lay Sugar across the back seats, covering her in blankets.

Beech puts the keys in the ignition, Paprika buckles in. I climb over the center console and sit in the passenger seat.

"Ready?" Beech asks.

"Yeah," I say.