These Dreams of Truth

Pinpricks

As myself and the other patients were shuffled out and down the hall, heading to a room with no idea what was in store, I glanced around.

Some seemed nervous as well and looked uncertainly from place to place while others addressed the situation as if it were a regular occurrence. I wasn't sure where I was between those two points, but I assumed I was further on the end of nervousness.

When the head of the crowd reached the doors, the Wards began to organize the patients in what I assumed was alphabetical order. The rooms were organized this way as well and I recognized a few of the girls around me as my "neighbors".

The boys lined up identically to the girls across the hall. There was one girl between Astella and me, who was obedient as she could be while still freaking out. This didn't help Astella's already suspicious mood, since she always reacted the way those around her did. Sebastian and Will were further down the line and had six boys between them. If it were possible, the boys seemed much more at ease than any of the girls. Maybe it was because of their age, being anywhere from thirteen to seventeen, or they were just pretending; but I didn't like it.

A short girl to my right whom I believed was named Meghan tapped my elbow. Her sunken green eyes were wide with fear as she whispered "What are they going to do to us? Is this where we die?"

I paused before responding, not wanting to confidently lie before she met possible doom, but I just shook my head. I realized lying would have to be better than saying this was where it ends.

"No, don't worry. They won't do that to us"

She nodded slowly before turning to face the ground. She rubbed her bony elbows in a nervous gesture. The look on her face made it unclear whether or not that was what she wanted to hear. Maybe she was like Sebastian and just thought this was a hell hole of torture for freaks of nature like us.

A hush fell over the patients as the double doors we were led to opened up with a squeak of unoiled hinges. Everything became cold at once as the air swept into the hall.

A woman in a white dress stood in the doorway. She had grey hair that was styled up elegantly in an old fashioned way and pristine white gloves that matched her dress. She had wrinkles on her face, but they were peculiar. They were obviously different from the typical wrinkles someone gets as they age. This woman's face showed no sign of wrinkles given from smiling. The corners of her eyes looked as though they'd never been crinkled in laughter, the lines spreading from her nose to her mouth edges looked as though they'd been set in a permanent scowl.

"Excuse the temperature," she stated simply in a monotonous tone. "It is necessary for sterilization. We are ready."

The wards at the front of the lines began to lead us inside and down an extremely long table.

Everything in the room was bare and pale, no decoration or color on the white surroundings.

The girl at the front of the line seemed to have stopped behind the first chair, so I stopped behind a chair that would have been mine.

The boys did the same and all patients stepped to their left and sat in unison. As if this wasn't creepy enough.

The woman in white slowly walked to a short table at the end of the room and grabbed a glass of black tea, sipping it slowly. She set it down and grabbed a bell instead. Although it was very old fashioned, as soon as she rang it nurses started walking uniformly out of the doors on either side of her. Each of the nurses had a small white box with them, similar looking to a first aid kit.

A nurse I'd definitely seen before stopped in front of me. Chatter burst out across the room as patients and their nurses conversed.

"Hi," she said. "My name is Lily. You may remember me from previous procedures as I am your regular nurse. I also prepare your supplements for the day and deliver them to your ward."

Seeing an opportunity, I took it. "Yeah I remember you. I'm sure I don't have to introduce myself, either. Why are we here?"

Her smile faded and her hand flicked nervously to her short, curly blonde hair. "Well, Miss Esmeralda assures that it's safe and necessary, but she didn't even tell the nurses what they'll do with the data. All we know is to perform the test and collect the results."

I looked to the woman in white who was apparently named Esmeralda and shook my head. Although I had no idea what was in store, I knew it had to be sinister for the nurses not to know. Lily snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Alright, let's get started. Can you please turn the insides of your forearms up and lay your arms on the table?" I did as she asked and she opened her case. She took out some cotton balls soaked in alcohol and whipped down my arms.

Lily pulled out a small tray with little cylindrical capsules on top in rows of four by eight. She also took out a needle and some rubber gloves.

"I'm going to inject your forearms with some serum. Each arm will have sixteen injections."

"What kind of serum?" I asked. I'd been injected with some questionable stuff before so I was skeptical.

She just smiled. "Don't worry, you won't feel a thing."

Although she didn't answer my question, I knew she would continue to avoid it if I asked again.

Rubber gloves now on, she took the first capsule and punctured the needle through the foil cover. She filled the syringe with a bit of the clear liquid and brought it to my arm, just below the wrist.

At first I felt nothing but the prick of the needle. Suddenly, a burning sensation exploded from the hole and a froth-like substance began to bubble on top of my skin. I cried out in pain but Lily just pressed hard enough on my hand to prevent me from jerking away.

The burning hadn't subsided but Lily went on anyways. "Won't feel a thing" my ass.

The second syringe went in and immediately made my skin turn a bright red. I was overcome with an intense urge to itch at the spot, but I remained restrained.

A third syringe punctured just below the other two. I was surprised to see Lily working so fast, especially as she was struggling to hold me still at the same time. This serum did nothing at first except take all the pain away. I was astonished by the lack of pain and attempted to flex by hand. Unfortunately, this was probably the worst thing I could do as it brought all the pain back and even brought more. It was an intense pressure that I was convinced could even break my bone. Tears streamed down my face as I breathed heavily. Just as the pain became unbearable, another syringe slammed into my flesh.

This went one for twenty eight more times, each new injection bringing another wave of pain. Wails of agony erupted around the room as promises of safety were broken. I watched a boy get carted out of the room after he had passed out from the pain. Esmeralda walked around the room, scowling at every patient she passed. She seemed unamused by their begs for mercy and walked on.

How long all of this went on, I couldn't say. maybe it took fifteen minutes, maybe we were there for hours. By the time was finished, I was shaking in pain and sobbing uncontrollably. Silvia came up behind me and laid a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Come on, Cynder." She helped me to my feet and two male monitors swiftly joined me at my sides as I nearly collapsed from the torment. One of the men wrapped my tender forearms in a cool, damp cloth as the other lifted me up. Cradled in his arms, we followed Silvia back to my room. Somewhere along the way, I slipped from consciousness and gave into the throbbing burn that shrouded my senses.