Coma White (Book 2 of the Razor Blade Trilogy)

IX

'Warnings,' a voice hissed. 'Watch for the warnings.' The voice spoke in Brian's dreams.

"What warnings?" Brian asked aloud.

'Watch for the warnings.' The voice faded.

Brain sat up in his bed, the voice was gone now, but he was sure there HAD been a voice. What warnings? What could he possibly be in danger of for there to be warnings? Was his father going to see his scars? It had been days, it was a new year, and no one had seen; the chances were slim. Was he just being paranoid? The scars were almost gone, there would be nothing to see come his birthday in five days.

That reminded him, time was wearing thin on the drugs; on the eighth, he and Breena would be married. The twentieth and he would be leader; the drugs would end on the twenty first.

Kia examined the houses, empty and decaying outside of Parsh. The brown buildings looked sad and lonely. "Soon," she whispered. "Soon, you will be alive again; full of people and love, again."

"Kia," she turned.

"What, Burn?"

"Look, I'm not here asking for forgiveness...but I found something..." His eyes were dark, but she could see that he wanted to help. "Please, it's important; it could change the game for us."

"Change the game?" Kia asked. "What could possibly change our game?"

"Come with me; please, Kia, I have an idea."  Burn begged, tugging on Kia's arm. "Trust me, please; just this once..."

"Alright," Kia sighed, she allowed herself to be tugged; Burn pulled her through the abandoned streets. The buildings got shabbier and shabbier. "Where are we going, Burn?" Kia asked, sensing fear; then she saw it.

A large gate had been brought into her view. Miles and miles of fence stretched all across her vision. The fence was enormous, a sign read, "Danger, Stay Out", the gates were chained shut. A hundred feet above their heads, barbed wire encircled the top of the fence.

"What is this place?" Kia stared in horror.

"This is the Dump, Kia. When outcasts are caught, they are taken to a clinic; when they are done there, they are brought here. This place is full of outcasts who can't be tested on anymore. The ones who are immune." Burn explained.

"Then why don't they escape? Why not get out?" Kia looked to Burn, barely able to tear her eyes away from the sight in front of her.

"They are given masks; they cannot think or see for themselves. Their brains have been magnetically rewired to just accept who, what, and where they are." Burn shrugged. "But..."

"But?" Kia pressed.

"I heard a rumor, that there is a free one among them." Burn whispered.

"A free one?"

"One of the first to ever be put into the Dump; before they got the masks just right." Burn's gaze locked with the gait. "They call him Chris, he never leaves the dump; he is not strong enough on his own." Burn paused "To get out, he needs help."

"Help, like numbers?" Kia inquired. "We aren't fighting, Burn."

"No, we aren't; but to make an impact, we need more outcasts." Burn insisted.

"And would this 'Chris' be willing to escape and not fight? Hm, Burn, would he?" Kia stared at Burn's bewildered face. "A man with a grudge and an army; no, it's too risky."

"Please, Kia; just meet him?"

A figure appeared.

"I don't like this." Kia stood her ground; in the gloom, he was tall and handsome. He leaned on the gate. "So, you're Chris?"

"That's me." His black eyes bore into hers. "You must be the infamous Kia..."

Kia growled at him. "Yeah, that's me."

"A beauty, just like Burn said." Chris's eyes were trained on Kia, but his mind was elsewhere. "You need numbers."

"Yes, we need help; but of the nonviolent sort." Kia stiffened as Chris stared.

"But of course." Chris smiled. "We are not a violent people." He searched in a pocket and pulled out a razor; an old one, used to shave faces. "Take it; it is the only weapon against them."

Kia took it gingerly. "The only weapon?"

"They want to numb pain, we have to make them feel it." He backed into the darkness, "Just tell me when you need us." He was gone.

Kia turned away from the Dump, studying the razor blade in her hands. "He's mad." She started walking.

"Not mad; tired, lonely. He's a genius." Burn matched her quickened stride. "He knows what he's doing here, he knows how to handle people."

"People who are lunatics," Kia rolled her eyes.

Burn pulled on her arm and pushed her back against a crumbling building. "People like Brian." Her terrified eyes showed the truth. "You fear him."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Kia tried to break his hold on her, but it was no use.

"You fear him, because he is the only one who can save you. You fear that feeling of needing to be saved." Burn's  face filled her teary view. He pushed her closer to the bricks of crumbling ash. "I can save you," He put his lips next to her ear. "I love you."

Burn caught her frail body as she fell. He extracted the razor from her cut palm and wrapped it in his coat, "Kia, what have you done to yourself?" He picked Kia up, bridal style, and hauled her to Dub as quickly as possible; Kia was bleeding fast.

"What's she done now?" Stitch asked as Burn hefted Kia onto the bar.

"She cut her hand accidentally on this." He held up the razor blade Chris had given her. "She was scared."

"Can't imagine why." Gauze mumbled as he stitched up her hand, trying not to vomit with every stitch, eyeing the blade cautiously. "Put that away stupid boy; before someone else gets hurt."

Kia came to as they finished their work. "I don't like him." She instantly lashed out at Burn.

"You may not like him, but he will save us." Burn calmly explained. "We need to make sure we can do this and pull this off, he will make us stronger. More impenetrable."

Kia examined her newly stitched and gauzed hand. "He is a flight risk, who knows what he is doing in there. How do we know he won't just rile the masses he has and take it way too far from there? We need order."

"I understand you having trust issues, but seriously we need to trust him."

"Come on..." Kia began, feeling her hutzpah giving out slowly.

"Maybe...maybe he's right..." Gauze whispered. Stitch took his hand and nodded.

"I agree. What is the actual worst thing that can happen...its only a matter of time before someone gets arrested, or before they all kill us anyway... might as well get a boogie on with it."

Kia sighed, they were right.

Jimbo stood alone in the hovel he and Kia shared. Looking out the window, tears falling slowly from his eyes, it was his mothers' birthday today. He was all alone in their home.

Brian gazed out his window, it was New Year's Eve. The next twenty days would be Hellish, but he would strive for the greatness he knew would be coming. Soon. Very soon.

A/N: Sorry this took so long to update, but I hope you like it...see if you can see the allusion to the first story "Beautiful Monsters" Love you guys! let me know what you think about this!