Rotting Flowers

Chapter Two

My head pounded dully, and as my eyes opened, bright light sliced through my retinas, making the pain worse. I groaned and reached up to hold my aching head.

Once my eyes adjusted to the brightness, I pushed myself up into a sitting position, wincing as my body protested, and gauged my surroundings.

For a moment, my mind felt like it had turned off, and I couldn't think, couldn't comprehend what I was seeing.

It's not real, I thought.

I blinked. Once, twice, three times for luck, but it didn't disappear, didn't change.

I stood up, staring out at the world--high mountains, green grass, a blue sky, the sun-- the real sun.

My legs shook and tears filled my eyes as  slowly my mind began to function again and I realized that I wasn't standing in one of the Scourge's artificial, domed worlds. This was earth, alive and bright and full of color.

I didn't know how; I didn't care how, but somehow...somehow...I was home.

I took a shaky step forward, and as my foot hit the plush grass, the echoing sound of banging metal reverberated in my ears. The noise was enough to shock me into retreating backwards a few paces, where my back hit a wall--a cold, metal wall--and when I spun around in confusion, the beautiful landscape with it's sprawling fields and high mountains vanished.

Now, I was standing in a small, dark room with metal walls, floor, and ceiling.

I sank to my knees. Having my home ripped away from me again was too much to handle, so I collapsed to my side, my cheek pressed against cold metal. I no longer had the strength to move, no longer had the will to move. That...that vision had brought with it so much hope and longing, and the loss of it had been devastating.

There was a grinding noise, and I lifted my head to see one of the walls rising. A couple drones flew in, shining the bright lights in my face. I held my arm over my eyes and listened to their whirs and clicks, which were followed by the sound of something clattering against the floor. The drones left, the walls falling shut behind them.

I waited for my eyes to adjust to the dark once more then reached for the bowl that had been left behind. Inside was...something. It was liquid--I thought--and was obviously meant for me to drink--probably some kind of supplement, but my stomach roiled at the sight of it and I pushed the bowl away. I knew that I would need to keep my strength up if I planned to get out of this mess, but that thought was distant at the moment. I didn't feel weak, and that liquid didn't look like it would do me any benefit at all.

I stood up and made my way over to the wall that had risen to let the drones in. I pressed against it, tried to wedge my fingers beneath the bottom, even though there was no way I'd be able to lift a whole wall. After a few fruitless minutes of pushing and prodding and kicking and swearing in vexation, I stopped, leaning against the wall and breathing heavily.

I should be scared. I didn't know why the Scourge had taken me; I had always played by the rules in order to stay safe, much to Cole's annoyance, so there was no reason for me to be here. I hadn't done anything, but I guess reasoning with the Scourge wasn't going to happen.

Cole.

My eyes widened, remembering that he'd fought when they took me, and he'd been hurt. Was he dead? That possibility was very likely, and I found myself on the verge of tears.

"Please, no," I whispered. "Please let him be okay."

Hᴇ's ғɪɴᴇ.

The sudden voice made me jump, and I pressed my back tightly against the wall as I scanned the darkness for the voice's source, though as far as I could tell, I was completely alone. Had I imagined it? Wishful thinking? Needing to believe that Cole was alive and well? Or was I so lonely that I had to invent some disembodied voice to keep me company?

"H-hello?" I called tentatively.

Dᴏɴ'ᴛ sᴘᴇᴀᴋ, the voice said. Tʜᴇʏ'ʀᴇ ʟɪsᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ.

I stiffened, unsure as to what was worse--the fact that I was definitely hearing a voice or the fact that the Scourge were apparently monitoring me. The latter shouldn't have been surprising, but somehow it still was.

I ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ ᴏғ ᴛɪᴍᴇ, sᴏ ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ʟɪsᴛᴇɴ.

It didn't really seem like I had a choice, so I kept my mouth shut, hoping that this voice would give me some answers to the millions of questions that were circling around in my head.

Wᴇ'ʀᴇ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ sᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ. Dᴏɴ'ᴛ ɢᴇᴛ ᴅɪsᴄᴏᴜʀᴀɢᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ɢᴏ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴏᴡᴇʀ. Tʜᴀᴛ's ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴀɴᴛ, sᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ sᴛᴀʏ ғᴀʀ ᴀᴡᴀʏ.

Tower? What tower? I opened my mouth to ask just that, but the voice was quick to interrupt me.

Nᴏ, ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ sᴘᴇᴀᴋ. I ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴇxᴘʟᴀɪɴ, ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ'ʟʟ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀsᴛᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ ɪs ᴜᴘᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜ. Sᴛᴀʏ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴏᴡᴇʀ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴇ'ʟʟ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ sᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ.

My heart pounded and I waited for the voice to continue, but it seemed that I had been left alone--well, as alone as could be with the Scourge watching me from...wherever.

The voice was obviously paranoid about something. I was trapped in a metal box; there was no way for me to go anywhere, let alone some tower.

I sank back down onto the floor and closed my eyes.