US (Formerly The After Effect - Book 2)

36 - S E E I N G / T H I N G S

revamped 6/1

What I guess to be thirty minutes goes by before I hear any noise whatsoever. After staring at the walls for what seems to be eternity, I walk toward my door, bored out of my mind, and turn the handle to find it unlocked. Does this mean the president trusts me--us?

I poke my head out and peer down the corridor at a young girl skipping and giggling, headed for one of the many doors. Her long chestnut hair brings her name to my lips before I can zip them tight.

"Katie?" I call. More like gasp. I reach my arm out and blink. The girl stops in her tracks and whips her petite body around to stare at me, her hair swooping across her shoulder.

"Who are you?" she whispers, her brown doe eyes on high alert. As I take a few steps her way, she cringes, so I pause and keep my distance.

"I thought no one lived over here," she continues, her voice quiet still. "I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me," she begs suddenly. She winces when I shift my body weight and ducks into the corner of the hallway behind an end table. "I'm sorry. I won't come back, I promise."

I grimace at the poor quivering Katie, dressed in the same getup as me, her shirt too large for her small torso.

"I...I won't hurt you," I stutter, taken back by her utter fear. Completely lost on what to do, I kneel down and sweeten my voice to the best of my ability. "I—"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" she cries, and covers her face with her skinny hands. "Don't tell on me. I don't want to go outside! Please!"

At odds with the situation, I try my best to calm her down. But Stella's help would be really nice to have right now. "Katie, I won't hurt you. You know me! You know I would never--"

"I know who you are. You're one of the bad people! A monster! You killed my mom and my dad! I hate you!" Her voice is a blur in my brain. My hearing goes fuzzy as she accuses me, spitting out slander left and right. "We won't forgive you!"

"Please. Please, just listen," I start. It's my turn to plead. "I won't hurt you. I'm sorry about your parents!" My voice echoes in my skull like a bell inside a tower. I feel sick. "I don't deserve to be here! I'm sorry," I weep at her feet. "I will...never forgive myself..."

The angry girl leaps at me, teeth bared and violently bangs my shoulders into the stone floor. I let her. I deserve the punishment. I deserve to die.

"A-ror-uh! Hellooo? Knock knock."

I open my eyes to Stella hovering over me on the bed, each hand on one of my shaking shoulders. As I sit up, I nearly knock heads with her before realizing my shirt is clinging to me with sweat.

"Are...you okay?" she wonders slowly. Then she shakes her head. "Let me rephrase that. What were you dreaming about?"

Dreaming...?

I rise to my feet and tug at my shirt to air it out, wishing I could escape embarrassment and lock myself into a bathroom.

Stella grabs my trembling hands and demonstrates deep breathing, but I'm too frazzled to mimic her. "I heard you yelling."

"Yelling what?" I gasp.

"Saying you're sorry. Over and over again."

I go silent and reflect on the already fading dream. "There was a little girl with Travis and I. Back before I was taken. Katie was her name."

Stella nods as if she's heard this before.

"She was so little. Five, maybe. And she died. The virus killed her...she was calling me a monster, telling me I killed her family, that I won't ever be forgiven."