The Door to Tomorrow

Showdown

I tried to avoid the sight of the flashing light above the doorway while approaching the door. I reached for the handle, only to notice the door was already slightly open.

My stomach tied up in knots as I haltingly pushed the heavy door aside. I felt lousy as I scanned the room to see if Shiloh was there. Within a few seconds, frustration rushed through me. Shiloh's red nightgown swayed as she turned around. She apparently heard the quiet creak of the door. I froze when the enraged young woman glared at me.

"W-What brings you here this late, Shiloh?" I asked, hoping to avoid another dead-end discussion. I was surprised to find her still wandering around at nearly two in the morning.

"I was just looking for some pain medicine. I've had a headache all night." She turned back around, grabbed something from a nearby drawer, and stuck it in her dress pocket.

I awkwardly walked up to the counter on the opposite side of the room and opened a drawer with a box of small bandages inside. When I wrapped one around my finger, I noticed the steady silence between us. So did Shiloh.

"I'm the last person you wanted to see here, aren't I?"

I heaved an exaggerated sigh. "That's because I know we're just gonna get into an argument."

"It'd be a lot easier if I couldn't read your mind, huh? Too bad." The girl commented as she flipped her ebony hair. Then things took a more serious turn. "Just to recap—I know everything. I know who you are, what you are. It was all clear to me from the beginning. I also know you're just going to leave us behind to rot in Purgatory. You're doing it for money, right? Tch. Some people get all the luck."

"Wait. You said you know who and what I am. What do you mean by that?" My whole body tensed up again.

"Oh, you'll find out. Or maybe you won't." Shiloh smirked.

"Why won't you tell me anything?"

"Honestly, I'm afraid to. This whole thing freaks me out." Her breathing became more ragged.

"You're not making sense."

"Listen carefully. I heard what Mr. Peterson said when we were on the stretchers. What he said was puzzling, but his thoughts were even more so. That's all I can tell you." She took a few small steps in my direction with one hand behind her back. "I can't let you get away."

"I'm sorry?" Everything felt so surreal all of a sudden.

"If I let you win and take advantage of us, then my life will be lived in vain. I might even die. What I'm saying is, I don't want to be a sacrifice. Not for you, not for them. The more I think about it, the more I want to rebel." Her hands curled into fists, and she stuck both of them in her pockets. "I need you gone, Chuck. I...I need to save the other kids myself. I know someone important needs your help, but I don't care."

Shiloh took a deep breath and gave me a wide-eyed look tainted with derangement. "I just hope I don't screw up too much by doing this. This is both the most selfish and selfless thing I've ever done. Forgive me, gods!"

Shiloh ran straight into me. Before I could react, I felt something slash my forearm. The outer side of my forearm stung deeply, and I felt warm blood oozing out of the wound. I looked down at Shiloh's hand and noticed a bloodied scalpel in its grip.

"You crazy bitch," I raised my voice and backhanded her. "What the fuck are you doing?"

She stumbled as if she were about to fall. However, she grabbed onto the counter just in time to catch herself. "I told you. You're going to be the sacrifice here, not me," she growled, her bronze hand still clutching the weapon.

Shiloh took an exaggerated deep breath and charged at me again. This time she held the scalpel up in the air, aiming for my face. I miraculously dodged her attack and gripped her wrist with every ounce of strength I had. She cried in pain and ferociously scratched at my fingers. I managed to steal the weapon from her and threw it across the room. It made a rattling sound as it fell under an empty medical table. Shiloh freed herself from my grasp after scratching the back of my hand raw. She darted away and dove onto the ground, desperately feeling the frigid floor under that table to retrieve the scalpel.

Livid, I wasted no time grabbing a small safe that was sitting next to the jars of gauze. As I crept up behind Shiloh, my judgment clouded. I grunted as I swung the safe up in the air. The girl gasped and turned her head around in horror. I felt a rush of adrenaline as I swung my weapon back down. My mind stopped working completely, and...

I smashed her head with it, thus caving her face in.

One,

Two,

Three times.

My arms trembled. All my strength left my body. I dropped the safe on the floor and tried to catch my breath. I stood there shaking and held onto the counter, waiting for my strength to return. My teary eyes saw the disfigured girl that lay in front of me, but my mind refused to accept it.