The Insiders

Chapter 15

Chapter 15- Sharlene

I slowly wake up from a groggy sleep. A cold chill runs up my spine. I force my tired arms to pull the blankets onto my body. I take up the whole bed, spread out relaxed. I bunch up the blankets by my face. The scent of Coren rests on them. I snap my eyes open. Coren! I quickly sit up. He's not here. I get out of his bed and run to the bathroom door and rip it open. Empty. I slowly walk into the bathroom towards a mirror on the shower door. I stare at the girl in front of me. Her light brown hair is in clumps everywhere. Her pale skin around her hazel eyes are dark and baggy. Her black yoga pants are darkened with blood at the hem. Her black tank top has a small rip in it near the stomach area. The girl is me. I look like this. My knees begin to wobble and they give out. I collapse to the white tiled floor. The tears coming out of my eyes can not be controlled. Joy is dead. Kim is dead. I'm alone. I've been left alone.

I stare down at the hem of my pants. I stare at the blood. Joy's blood. That's all I can see is Joy's blood. I can picture it. See it flowing out of her small body. I can smell it. The stench fills my nose like it's fresh out of her. I begin to rub my pants. I need to get the blood off of them. Forget she's dead. Tears continue to come. I'm trying to keep them away but my breathing is uncontrollable too. I continue scrubbing at my pants. Pictures of Joy come to my mind. I scrub my pants even more.

" Stop!" I scream at myself. More pictures. Her blood. Kim's dead body. The gunshots. The screams of death. I scrub even harder. I must get the blood off my pants.I flinch at the feeling of Coren's arms around me. I push them off and continue scrubbing.

" Shar, what are you doing?" Coren asks though it sounds so far away.

" I need to clean this off," I mumble. " The blood. It needs to come off."

" Look at me Shar." He commands softly. I don't look. The blood.

" Look at me." he repeats. Joy's blood.

" Sharlene!" He shouts as he cups his hands around my face. His face snaps me out of the trance I was in. I slowly begin to lean into his right arm, my tears pouring down my face. I grip onto his hand. He pulls me in towards his chest. He places an arm around my head and the other around my back.

" You're okay," He whispers. "We're all okay." Slowly the images off Joy begin to fade. The smell of the blood slowly leaves my head. Eventually I'm fully aware of all my surroundings.

"I'm sorry." I say as I slide myself away from him even though I really don't want to. Coren shakes his head and lowers his arms to his sides.

"You don't have to be sorry." He replies. We hold our gaze for only a moment then he looks away. Somethings going on. He's not telling me something.

'I need to tell her.' I hear in my head.

"Coren, just tell me." I blurt out. He turns back to me.

" Liane and Steve want you to go to the warehouse. Alone." When he adds the alone to the end I begin to panic.

" You don't have to go if you don't want to." He adds. I better go. If the head of this program wants me to meet her somewhere I guess I better go.

" Where's the warehouse?"

*******

We walk hand in hand to the warehouse. It turns out the warehouse is the room where Coren and I found the fighter jets and the tunnel. We decided he'd come with me until the doors. Then he'll leave to make it look like I'm by myself. When we reach the grey doors, I realize how much I do not want to go in there.

" When you're done in there, you can come straight back to my room if you want." Coren offers. I nod. He leans in and kisses me on the forehead. He begins to walk down the hall. I watch him, trying to drag out the moment when I have to go into the warehouse. Coren turns around just as he's about to turn the corner.

' It'll be fine. Go' I hear from him. I nod to tell him I heard that. I turn around and open the door. The fighter jets are all gone. The only pieces of furniture there are the cabinet, A tall desk with a fancy chair, and an empty solid dark wood chair and table. Steve and Liane are in the centre of the room arguing about something. The door behind me slams shut which makes them both stop their conversation.

" Sharlene," Liane says very politely. "Please take a seat at that table over there." She points to the smaller chair and table. I obey her. As I sit Liane walks towards the taller chair and table about three feet across from me.

"You may let them in." Liane says to Steve. Steve goes over to the door I just entered from. The instructors pour in from the hall. I look back at Liane with wide eyes. She just smirks at me. The instructors form a large semi circle around Liane's table. I just stare at them in disbelief.

" Let's begin."