Bad Little Californian

Chapter 18

Curling my shaking fingertips I poured the pills back in its bottle and squeezed the cap as tight as I could, slamming them back onto the side table whilst pressing eagerly at the button that summoned a nurse. My finger reddening and starting to become sore each time I jabbed the button; impatiently waiting for someone to explain whatever just happened to me.

What type of twisted dream was that? I haven't had a dream I could remember so vividly ever since I was either a kid or on a heavy drug trip with Acacia. Both (by the way) I haven't been on for a long time. Wiping my forehead and my nose with the back of my hand I couldn't get rid of the grueling, sickly feeling that lurched in the back if my throat and the bottom of my stomach, what if that dream meant something. That it wasn't just my mind and conscience reacting to those insomnia pills. God, how many of those white little powdery things did they make me take? My eyes started to fog over and it felt like my brain was furiously pulsating against my skull as if it was punishing itself for the 'dream; it made me endure .

Patience warring off I slammed my hand against that useless button and brought both hands to my eyes; completely submerging myself into darkness, trying to control my uncharacteristically heavy breathing and to  understand what the hell just happened. What does all this mean?

"Miss Dallas, what's wrong?" I took my hands away from my eyes to see the familiar face of a male nurse step into the room, staring down at me, a worried face when he saw the cold sweat matting my skin and hair and how I was still shaking despite trying with the best of my ability to stop.

Without saying any words I reached over to the bottle of pills and tossed them at the nurse, him successfully catching with one hand.
"How many of those did I take" The mans eyes widened as he when he turned the bottle sideways, the few pills in there rattling against each other. Without a word he turned the transparent orange bottle over to check the printed letters and dates on it.

"How many of these were given to you?"
"How should I know, I don't remember falling asleep" He nodded and if by magic another nurse walked in.

"You called" she spoke without emotion and held a straight face. No, I was just trying to break that fucking button for my entertainment.

"Who gave her the insomnia pills?" The male nurse gave her the bottle, she took a quick glance before walking inside the room and grabbed the clipboard handing from the lowered bed frame, scanning through it before commanding the other nurse to get a few more nurses who were specialized in something I couldn't really hear because of her accent.

"Accidently, the nurses treating you gave you a few too many pills, therefore there is a slight chance you suffered from the side effects, but not to worry, we'll pump them out your system before you overdose" and with that she left with the clipboard and the bottle. I squinted my eyes and glared at the back of the nurse; now in hell can she casually just say all that without any type of emotion?

In a matter of seconds she came bac with a glass of water and pressed it against my hand, "I have a question for you before you go into surgery" I nodded, taking the cold glass up to my lips and swallowing the liquid, a chill running down the back of my throat making me cringe at how it itched at the raw parts of my throat.

"Doctors found a peculiar looking scar on your abdomen. An 'x' if you will. Can you explain to me how to got that"

Sweat stuck to my skin as well as the droplets of soft rain as I ran messily through the foreign streets of this new, dystopian town. My inside burned painfully but I pressed on, the disgusting laughter of the strange man echoed through the crackling silence of the evening. 

Running into a dead end I cursed myself for being new here and not knowing my way around the town. If I did maybe I could've avoided this psychopath.
"A pretty girl like you shouldn't be wandering around these parts all alone" I turned around slowly, my heart thumping and my eyes glossing over. I could only see the silhouette of the man but since I was under a streetlamp I could see his weapon shining in his hands. Ready to inject into my skin.

He breathed a chuckle before lunging at me, I cowered into a ball on the floor, awaiting the death sentence he bestowed on me but instead I heard an ear bleeding sound of a bullet being shot. A whine of pain growled from the back of the mans throat before it was replaced with trickled of dark red blood, staining his patchy, dirty red beard. He collapsed onto the floor, a pool of blood forming around his torso.

"Oh look at that" a younger, deep voice sounded form behind the man. I shakily looked up, not taking my eyes off the dead man whilst picking myself form the ground and standing up, wrapping my arm around the lamppost so I could maintain balance.
"Looks like I just saved your life" the mystery guy came into view, a smirk evident on his face and black pistol comfortably held in his left hand.

"What, no thanks?" I tried to form words but I couldn't take my eyes off the pool of blood seeping through the cracks of cement.
The guy followed my direction of eyesight and looked down at the dead man.

"So I'm guessing your new" he clarified. Shamelessly looking at me up and down before bringing out his hand for me to shake.

"Ali. And are you going to leave me hanging or..." I finally got the courage to stand up on my own and rip my stare from the man on the floor over to the guy with the gun.

"That mans life is on your hands"
"And your life would've been on his hands. Along with many other civilians if I hadn't stepped in. Your welcome" Taking a deep breath, I hesitantly shook his hand.

"Kylie"
"You don't look like a Kylie to me. Mixed race?" I nodded and snatched my hand from his. He breathed a laugh.
"Well since your new and you don't know the rules to the game yet, I'm gonna let your rudeness slide. You see, now that I've saved your life; you belong to us"

I gave him a confused glare, "Us?" he ignored my question and brought the gun up to my head. Swiftly he took out a white bandana from his back pocket and pressed it into my hands; indicating for me to tie it round my eyes. Ignoring my extreme heart rate and the fact I might pass out from fear and exhaustion any minute I complied with Ali's order.

 "Looks like Austin isn't the newbie anymore" the next thing I know is that the gun was taken off my head momentarily and instead was replaced with cold fingers harshly pulling my thin t-shirt from my abdomen and gripped tightly onto my waist, 
"This might sting a lot" he said hastily just as I bit down on my cheek to muffle the feeling of excruciating pain as a sharp tip swiped deeply into my skin, a slight cold touch to it. Letting my warm blood stain my clothes and skin he clasped on my hand and put the gun back in its uncomfortable position on the side of my head. He dragged me out of the alleyway, telling me to mind my step over the body lying on the floor.  

"What the fuck was that for?" I mumbled, still in pain.
"Oh it talks" he laughed to himself and continued to pull me through the darkness of the bandana wrapped around my eyes.
"Once you pass the initiation, then the 'x' will be completed. You belong with us now"

"Excuse me, Miss. Dallas" I was snapped out my memory, a cold look overtaking my previous expression.
"It was coincidental" I glared at the nurse, the 'x' on my skin aching a little at the half a memory of how I got the first mark.

.   .   .

3RD PERSON POV

She stormed into the waiting area, an angry and betrayed look on her face as she swung the doors open; making sure everyone's attention was on her so everyone was aware of her emotions to this situation she should have been apart of from the start.
"Where the hell is my sister!" Ignoring everyone else in the room she towered over Cameron, who was sitting there, staring into his phone before she made her large and dramatic entrance. Her rage intensified, as she glared around the room and landing on Hayes who sat there awkwardly, his eyes wide with shock since she had just woke him up.

"Where's Kylie?!"