Project Castaway (Sequel to Project 14)

Chapter 15

A shooting pain burned through my cheek. "I don't know what you want!" I screamed at the hooded men.

"Junior, we can do this the hard way or the easy way." The man on the right asked.

The door to the room opened and I stared in shock. My heart beat quickened. I cried in pain as the metal cuffs around my wrists cut through my skin.

"We killed you! How the hell are you still alive?" I demanded.

Cassandra's Dad strolled into the room. "You can never kill a higher power. Don't you know that?"

A cool liquid fell down my wrist and on to the floor. I noticed someone filling up a syringe. The person flicked the tube a few times. I struggled but the man behind me held my arm down. The coolness from the needle entered my arm and in an instant everything turned black.

A million pictures, every sort of color. I heard giggling, talking, screams of horror. My mind was elsewhere. I had no idea where I was. There was cool ground under me. I felt lightheaded and dizzy. As I stood my knees fell from under me. A groan escaped my lips as I tried picking myself up.

Out of the corner of corner of my eye, I saw a little girl with sopping wet dirty blonde hair and icy blue eyes. I then felt the realization. That was my little sister. She drowned when she was only seven. I couldn't do much to save her and I hated myself for it.

"Junior, why did you do this?" She asked her small voice cracking.

"I'm sorry, Renee. I wish I could've helped."

Renee began to cover her face. I tried walking over to her but it hurt too much. The little girl approached me as if she was reading my mind. Her small arms wrapped around my neck and she pulled me close. Her hair plastered to my face.

"Mommy could've helped. She didn't. Hunter could've helped me. He didn't. Why couldn't you help me?"

Tears fell down my face and Renee scanned my eyes. "I didn't know what to do. I was scared."

"You were scared? Do you know how I felt? No one helped me. I was scared." Renee cried. "You, mommy, and Hunter just stood at the shore line while I drowned. Did you even call for help?"

I nod and the memories ate away at me.

The next thing she did was not expected. Her small hand slapped me across the face. I was flabbergasted. Astonished more than anything. Renee backed off. She told me to get up. I followed her word and then she took off running. Screaming it hurt so bad to move. These bastards injected me with some sort of hallucination drug. I followed the giggles and the words telling me to hurry up.

Renee's voice haunted my head. It hurt just thinking about it. Tears welded in my eyes. My vision blurred. I couldn't focus. A scream ripped through the air. I clutched my ears and to help stop it. Nothing worked. Renee began calling out my name again. She appeared in front of me and I skidded to a stop. Tears fell down her face.

"I loved you guys. And you let it all slip away. Within a blink of an eye."

"Dammit Renee, you know we loved you."

"Apparently not enough! I looked up to you and Hunter. And it all went away."

Sobs racked my body. All this from a little girl. It killed me. Was this really how she felt? Did I betray her? I hate myself for what I did and I didn't even have a chance to tell her. This was it. My own worst living nightmare was before my eyes. I wanted to give her another hug. But my mind was screaming no. I decided to go and give her a hug. She defended herself and sliced her nails across the soft flesh of my face. I hissed in pain and stepped back.