The Third War

Chapter Fifty Five: Kristy

Jeremy remarked while looking up at the sky, "It's gotten colder. More snow is probably going to fall soon."

"Great," I muttered sarcastically.

"Oh come on, you can't hate snow."

"I don't, it just makes things difficult."

He didn't respond to that and stayed silent as we walked into the hospital. I walked through the door not waiting for permission. If he wasn't done he could just wrap it up while I was there.

"Maybe you hate snow because, what was that?"

I turned around to see what Jeremy was talking about. A crash had made me stop walking, and now a nurse was yelling. The sound of running footsteps came toward us.

Haley and Chip raced past me while I stood frozen in confusion, "KRISTY! ZOE'S IN TROUBLE."

Haley's yell immediately made me take off after them. "What!?"

"I FOUND SOMETHING IN HER MEDICINE THAT SHOULDN'T BE THERE!"

My blood ran cold, No.....no....

Jeremy picked up the pace realizing I'd left him behind, "What kind of something!?"

Haley didn't respond.

"HALEY!" Chip almost crashed into her since she suddenly stopped. Haley faced us,  "...something, dangerous. All I know so far is that it alters memories."

Jeremy and I looked at each other's horrified. We took off ahead of them at full speed. Jeremy struggled to get his words out, "The-the doctor, Zoe, she, knew!"

"I know!" I yelled back. As we neared her room, we heard her screams.

"ZOE!" We burst into her room. Tellez was sitting in the chair talking but stood up when we burst in.

Jeremy slammed him against the wall, "Don't, even, look, at, her."

"Wh-what, what?? I simply-" he got caught off as Jeremy dragged him out of Zoe's room.

"Zoe, it's okay, you were right, he's not getting anywhere near you again," that's the only explanation I gave before walking out of her room.

Phoebe had run up as well and stood panting behind Chip. Jeremy had a forearm on the man's neck pinning him to the wall. "Kristy, what do we do with the rat?"

"Rat?? What are you talking about!? Get your hands off me!"

Haley and Chip finally caught up. Haley had leveled out Chip's temper. She always seemed calm, and level headed herself. Not this time. She looked furious. "What did you put in the medicine? There was way more than antibiotics and pain killer. Don't act innocent either, I'm a doctor too, I know how to make someone writhe in agony."

His eyes slowly darkened perhaps realizing his mistakes found him.

"You have five people very protective over a girl you hurt, choose your words wisely."

"Six." Dustin said from the doorway of his room. I glanced at him amazed how drastically his countenance could change. I always knew him as the kind and weird guy who got a sugar rush at the theatre, but he looked cold and mean after overhearing that this guy had hurt Zoe.

Now's not the time, Kris, I turned back to Tellez, "Seven, I count as at least two people."

Chip's glare bore into the doctor, "If Kristy counts as two, so do I, so eight people, now , please explain what the heck you thought you were doing messing with her."

The doctor's lip twisted into a smile, "Why don't you ask her?"

Everyone but Jeremy turned around. Zoe stood in the doorway clutching the frame, "He....he was there....he..." she screamed in agony. I tried to run forward but a hand caught my wrist.

Haley muttered quietly, "Don't."

"Where do you remember me from Zoe?" The doctor asked innocently.

"The, the...I DONT KNOW!" She gripped the side of the door dangerously swaying.

Tellez shook his head , "Memory alterations, messy business. Can give a splitting headache can't it Zoe?" She whimpered. "But not nearly as messy as Pandora's Poison is it?"

The name sounded horrible. She winced, her whole body now trembling. His voice remained cool, like water running over a burn, "Pins and needles all through your body, fire scorching thought your veins, water filling your lungs, hundreds of screams tearing your head into pieces, knives slowly tearing down your arms and legs. We asked you to describe what you felt. I'm guessing it all worked correctly since you wouldn't stop screaming."

The realization hit me. The one time I'd left her behind. When I had run and she had stayed behind. They punished her more then I thought. She didn't even remember it.

Zoe fell to the ground screaming with her head in her hands. I yanked my wrist free but Chip grabbed my other one.

"Let me go," I growled dangerously at her. Chip's eyes were dark; she wanted him dead as much as I did.

Haley spoke softly, "She has to remember Kristy. Otherwise she'll never get better; they'll always be a feeling in the back of her head that she forgot something. It would actually make her insane."

I looked over at my baby sister who clutched her head in agony. Haley was right, but I hated admitting it. The worst part was that he looked amused by her pain.

"That can't be all, why would you tell us the truth? You're only condemning yourself." Jeremy could only hear Zoe's pain, his eyes were fixed on Tellez, determined not to let him slip away.

He smirked, "Because with every word I say, I take another piece of her away. Turns out she was right, but none of you believed her. How would that make you feel? "

As we all turned to look at Zoe who had been crumpled on the floor, she lurched up and ripped Jeremy's small pistol from his holster.

"ZOE!" The three of us all shouted at the same time. Chip and Haley were still holding onto my wrists, but Chip almost ran forward herself.

"Zoe, be careful-" Jeremy started slowly, "Don't hurt yourself." She clicked off the safety, cocked the gun, and then pointed it at the doctor.

Jeremy backed away at lightning speed, "Not like this, Zoe. He'll get a trial."

Pft the trials here are so unjust and biased he could walk away with a scolding. I agreed he should die so he couldn't cause more trouble, but not at her hands, not when it would hurt her like this.

I saw her unfocused eyes, she wasn't herself. Chip seemed to weigh the possibility of getting shot if she rushed forward. Zoe looked so unstable, none of us wound up moving.

The doctor lost his nerve as Zoe began speaking. "You..." she looked up at him with a murderous gleam, "you made them think I was crazy. You made them all think I was a freak. You made me think I was a freak. All the voices, and, and the 'fake' memories, and the screams, and the pain....EVERYTHING, WAS, YOU!?"

She put a question on it, but he didn't dare answer. "I'M NOT CRAZY, I'M NOT!"

A tear raced down her cheek. She desperately wanted to believe all the blame belonged to him. He couldn't resist smiling at his precious work of art.

That was all the confirmation Zoe needed, "I won't let you hurt anyone else."

At this, Tellez jumped toward my sister.