Linked

Chapter 15

[Casey's POV]

"Casey?"

I heard a voice again.  No.  Go away.  Stop doing this to me.  The voices had continued to come since I first heard Dustin's voice.

They always began as calm name calling or whispers, but ended in angry shouting or accusations that I was a terrible human being.  Each time they came I covered my ears and curled into a ball, telling myself "they aren't real" or "they aren't actually saying that."

It's mind numbing.  All the speech eventually blurs together as they shout, "I can't believe you!" or "How could you?" or even the small audible cries from Emily that shook my body with madness.  Stop.  Stop.  Stop.  Maybe I am going mad.  Maybe they aren't recordings at all.  Maybe they're all in my head.

Stop.  Stop.  Stop.  I continued to utter each time.  I think my ears were beginning to bleed.  I pressed on them so hard that I barely noticed the stinging or ringing in them.  Anything to stop the voices.  My mind no longer raced with how to escape or how to help the others.  Now I just begged for the tortured souls to stop calling to me.  I begged for mercy, or sometimes I even begged to be put out of my misery...  The voices only increased in pleads from there.

"Casey, help!  Casey I need you!"  They yelled, "Casey!  Casey!  CASEY!  CASEY!"  It was a chorus of friends I'd once known.  If I do make it out of here alive, I'd thought, I don't think I'll ever be able to hear their speech again.

Now another voice spoke to me.  It wasn't one I'd heard yet which just brought more fear.  The mother of all sounds must now be readying to finish off my frail brain.  I listened, but this sound seemed different.  The tone was less harsh... almost... worried about something.

"Casey?"  It called into the darkness, and then I recognized the voice... It was Liam's.

"Liam?"  I shouted and stood up for the first time in hours.

"Casey?  Casey!  I'm here!  Where are you?"

"I'm in this cell!"  I yelled back, and for the first time in what seemed like years, I heard a familiar, human-like sound...  Footsteps.

It's really him.

"Casey, I'm coming!  I think I found the door!"  I heard him shuffle to the side of the cell.

"Yes!  You found it!  I can hear you!"  My eyes began to tear up.  How long had it been since I'd actually heard his voice?

"Oh, Casey.  You can't even imagine how much I've missed you."

"You can't imagine how much I've missed you,"  He seemed to be holding it together, but my weak heart was giving way.  I can't believe it,  "How did you find me, anyway?"

"I went to the place you said, only you had been moved to a different place.  So I knocked out a nearby guard, and read his mind.  Turns out he was the guy to bring you here."

"Lucky you,"  I knew now he could hear my words stuttering from overwhelming relief.

"Hey, I'm gonna get you out of here.  I'm working on finding the key to your cell,"  Liam jumbled some keys he'd located.

"I know.  I know... Thank you for finding me, Liam.  You're my savior,"  I wiped my face with my arm.

"Well,  now.  I like the sound of that,"  Even in a sticky situation he could crack a joke.  And I laughed in spite of myself.  I laughed all my cares away.  I laughed until all the tension built up began to fade away, and then I knew why I'd grown attached to Liam Walker.  He's the only boy that could truly make me feel this way... safe.  And I'd longed for that feeling for a while.

"Yeah, yeah, Mr. Popular,"  And I knew he was smiling too.

"I think I've almost got this lock open...  There!"  The door flung open and I ran to him.  Arms wide, I sprinted across the long cell and waited to be met by his arms.  Reaching the door, I crossed the threshold, but stumbled and fell.

"Oof!"

Liam laughed, and extended his hand to me, "Just like old times, huh?"

"Yeah,"  I took his hand and stood, but then a blaring noise emanated from all around.

It was an alarm that consisted of not just beeping, it included my voices as well.

"Don't leave us, Casey!  Casey!  CASEY!  Help!  Please!  She'll torture us!"  The sounds were the most terrifying now.  The came from all around us and Liam looked startled.

"Yikes!  Should we save those people?"  He glanced at me, unknowing.

"NO!"  I screamed, a little harsher than I meant to, "They aren't real.  We have to get out of here before someone with real flesh and blood traps us."

"Okay.  Let's go."  We ran out the door and far beyond the compound.  Liam hauled me up over the fence and my hands barely felt the sting from the barbs.  He climbed over next, and had the same unfeeling reaction as he jumped down beside me.  We both glanced back at the compound and saw nothing.  No one chasing us.  This would've been even more eerie if I'd been alone, yet Liam was here.

He gazed back at me and we took deep breaths, not needing to say anything.  I could feel the pressure melting away from my body, and Liam's gaze filling me up.  Our breathing slowed, and the blaring sounds from the compound stopped.  Then it was just me and him.  Just my savior and I.

We embraced and the tears came back.

"Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you for saving me,"  I sputtered out and hugged him tighter.

"You're welcome, Casey Thomas.  Anytime.  And thank you for staying alive until now."

"I barely made it,"  My voice cracked, as if reinforcing this fact.

"No, you made it back to me in one piece.  More than that...  I needed you to stay alive, and now you are here, alive, well, and with only a few scratches," He paused and pulled my face up to stare at his, "You still look as beautiful as ever, C,"  I leaned into him and we kissed.  It was short and sweet, but meant a lot.  Just the right length to break us out of our shells.

"I love you, Liam Walker."

"I love you too, Casey Thomas."

We walked away from the torture camp hand-in-hand.  He lead me to his car on the side of the road as we talked of our separation and hardships.  He told me of how he visited my parents.

"You were awkward?"  I smirked, not believing such a thing.

"Well, yeah!  You were gone, and you messed with my brain, C!"  He shoved me while smiling and putting the car into drive, "I mean, I just stood there like a bump on a log!  The only thing that saved me was your mom.  She's very nice by the way."

"Yeah, she's a great mom.  Wow.  I can't wait to see my parents.  They must be worried sick."

"Probably.  I'll get you there soon though.  Don't worry."

"My hero,"  I called him with a tinge of sarcasm, and we drove on for a bit, "Wait!  Wait!  Stop the car!"  I suddenly remembered something.

"What?  What is it?"  He slammed on the brakes, thankfully the road was still empty so no one got hurt.  Although, I was hurting that I'd forget such a thing.

"Jordan, Dustin, and Emily.  I forgot about them..."  I paused, and shot a decided look back at Liam, "We're not going back home yet.  It's time to save my friends,"  And this time I won't just call out to their voices.