The Mindless Man's Paradise

Chapter fifty-one

I woke up and I felt wonderful.

  My bones weren’t aching, my throat was completely healed, and I didn’t feel like I was in an arctic tundra any longer.

  When I looked around, the blood-stained walls seemed to be a distant memory. I turned my head to see Cyrus leaning against the wall casually.

  Immediately, I ran to him, throwing my arms around him in giddiness.

  But we knew we were only in the eye of the storm, and that the next phase would surely be upon us. So, our hug was short lived, but when we pulled away, I wrapped my arms around him, treasuring the warmth that radiated from him.

  He put his head on mine, and as if they knew we had just woken up, my brother opened the door ostentatiously.

  “Having fun?” he questioned as he stepped in, the door locking behind him.

   I rolled my eyes, refusing to stoop to his level of mocking. But I couldn’t help but wonder what the next phase would be, so I spoke up.

  “Get on with it, we just want to know what the next phase is.” I spat.

  He brought one of his hands in front of him, and opened his closed fist. Inside, were two electric blue pills.

  “Phase five.”

  I looked at him like he was crazy. Which he was, of course.

  “You think we’re going to voluntarily take those?” Cyrus scoffed, stealing the words from my mouth.

  As if in response, my brother used his free hand and reached into his back pocket. He fished out something shiny, and it took me a moment to recognize that it was a knife.

  “No, no I do not. Which is why I will use this to forcibly make you take them.” he smiled.

  He jokingly stabbed the air, and I wondered where my brother had been hiding this side of him his entire life.

  I invited him into my home, his children, his Soul Mate, he had acted so kind… so much like any regular Landie. I wondered what his Soul Mate would think of him if she knew that this is what his job consisted of. Torturing his sister- any people for that matter- and getting pure joy out of it.

  I stood up, crossed the small amount of space between us, and easily knocked the knife from his hand. It lodged itself into the plush flooring with ease, with only the hilt showing.

  The look of surprise that he made gave me pure joy, and I punched him in the face.

  My heart swelled as I felt his face crack under my knuckles. Nothing so violent had ever given me so much reprieve before that moment.

  “Just shut up and give me the damn pills.” I said, swiping them from his clammy hand.

  I downed my pill without a second thought, and so did Cyrus.

  My brother left without another comment and a bloody nose.

  But once the door closed, Phase five was already commencing.