Death's Exception

Chapter Fourteen

"Rory, we have to go." My head snaps upward, and a hand clasps onto my mouth. A muffled scream escapes my lips, and my eyes dart wildly around the room. My eyes settle on Titus' worried face. He takes his hand back from my face and I sigh. I sit up, pulling the blanket over my bare chest (I have to sleep topless due to wires tracking my heart beat), and pull my hair over to my right shoulder. He blushes as he looks down at my hand holding up the blanket. I frown, and follow his gaze, then look back. He looks apologetic, but decides to overlook it. A decision I appreciate.

"What's wrong, Titus?" He sits heavily by my legs, and buries his head in his hands. I put my hand on his shoulder, and search his face for eye contact. He looks at me, his eyes burdened with guilt and horror. I swallow hard. He stands, grabs a backpack from his shoulder, and stuffs the rough pink blanket from my bed into it. He also starts grabbing medicines, syringes, a supply of tanked oxygen. He shoves a backpack in my arms.

"Put some clothes in it. It is going to be cold." He turns around, and lets me slip some clothes on. He gives me a large coat that I slip around my clothes. He starts grabbing food and stuffs it in the backpack. He takes a tablet from my bedside, and starts typing something into it.

"What are you doing?"

"Transfering some your money to my tablet."

"I have money?!" He looks apolegetically at me.

"Yeah, you have a bunch. I guess your family was wealthy. Well, I mean no offense, but your parents were most definitely wealthy. Cryonics costs alot of money." He rubs his forhead, and starts to mouth words.

"Please, Titus. Where are we going? What is wrong?" He steps closer to me, his mouth almost touching my forhead. I feel the warmth of his breath on my face. I look up into his eyes that shimmer with tears of stress or fear. At this point I can't tell the difference.

"Tacenda." He whispers, closing his eyes. I look up into his face mine written with confusion.

"Titus, what does that mean?" My throat is raw with oncoming tears. He opens his eyes, and ruffles his hair.

"tacenda; noun; things better left unsaid; matters to be passed over in silence. Sorry, words calm me down."  Helplessly, I step away from Titus.

"At least tell me what to do." He hits his head several times with the palm of his hand; trying to remember something.

"We have to get a ride." I pull my hair into a ponytail. I am trusting this guy that I have only known for a month or two. He is absolutely nothing to me, yet I would put my life in his hands without a second thought. He hasn't proved anything to me, nor has he told me to trust him. He expects me to. He expects me to go with him, and take tacenda as an answer. And I do. I cross my arms, and look up at Titus who is frantically trying to pull his throughts together. The leather that jacket he gave me engulfs me, and pools around my knees. The sleeves surround my hands.

"Okay, how do we accomplish that?" Titus seizes my hand, and pulls me to the door.

"Are you ready, Rory? This. This is when the adventure begins."

"I am scared." He smiles a little bit, a dimple that I haven't noticed until now forms on his cheek.

"Adventures often start that way." He throws open the door, and we run. We run into rooms that I have never seen. This place is alot bigger than I ever thought. The hallways are lined with an orange uplighting against the rouch concrete walls. The hallways just open into new identical hallways, and it seems impossible to navigate through here. I hear a massive clang ring through the halls. Titus grabs my arm harshly, and yanks me into a room that is dark. He presses against me. The walls are close around us, so I think this must be a closet of some sort. A sharp metal object inturdes my back, and I almost scream, but Titus holds my mouth closed. Tears fill my eyes, and the pain starts to spread. I look up at Titus frantic for comfort, or an excuse to ditch this hallway. We both jump when we hear a shout. My back starts to ache even worse.

"WHERE ARE THEY?!" I take a shaky breath. Titus looks down at me, and sees the pain in my face. He looks at my back, and winces visibly. I wimper and lay my head on his chest. We listen intently for any other footsteps before bursting out of the closet. I fall onto the floor, and barely catch myself. Titus kneels beside me, and examines my back.

"What was that?" I struggle not to cry as I force the words out. He rubs his head, and strokes my hair.

"It was a loose screw. Here." He pulls out the bandages he snatched out my room, and pulls my shirt up shamelessly. I feel my cheeks grow hot as he starts to wrap the cloth around my abdomen carefully. Once he is done with that, he picks me up, and starts to run. I hear shouting, and I look over Titus' shoulder to see shadows of men gliding behind us. A tear escapes my eye, and I do something that I thought would never happen. I doubt Titus. I doubt that i should have left with him in the first place. I doubt he will fulfill the promises of escape. I doubt he can carry me to his desired destination. And doubting someone that you have poured all of your trust into hurts.

"Titus-"

"Rory, we are almost there. We can make it." I put my hand on his cheek, but he refuses to look at me. He refuses to fail. He stumbles a bit, and cusses to himself.

"HALT!" A soldier grabs my hair, and yanks. I tumble out of Titus' arms and down on my knees. I do not even know what we are doing. I do not even know what makes leaving here so important. One of the men in dark masks forces Titus to his knees and holds the gun to his head. "Dr. Finley has strict orders to keep the girl alive. This kid, however, is dispensable." Says the one still firmly gripping my hair.

"No! Please!" I scream. I scramble towards Titus, but he yanks me backwards. I elbow him in the face, and yank the arm that is holding the gun to Titus' forhead. Titus screams as the butt of the gun hits me in the forhead, and I fall to the ground. I writhe in pain and defeat.

"Just kill him." The man whom I elbowed in the face groans. I am unable to speak. I just stare into Titus' eyes. His eyes are burdened with defeat and fear. I let out a whimper as the arms clicks the bullet into place. I watch the finger close around the trigger. He smiles at me slightly.

Suddenly, Lilly bursts into the hallway and pulls the gun away from Titus.

"LILLY!" A hoarse scream wrenches through the air. I gasp. Lilly holds her stomach, and looks at Titus. She smiles a sad smile.

"Run, my big brother. Live the adventure we have always wanted."