Shatter

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Chapter Fourteen

“Number Sixteen,” the guards called out.  “Number Sixteen.”

“Here,” Jaison answered, refusing to look at me.

The guards walked up to our cell and stuffed both of our suits through the door.  We shot each other a look before turning around and dressing.  The guards ran in and grabbed us, one for each of us with two more in the hallway just in case we decided to fight back.

They lead us down the hallway, our hands held behind our back.  They pushed me towards the end of the hall and past the other cells.  For the first time in a long time, I noticed the people that had made their way to their cell doors.  They stared at Jaison and me as we walked by with a curious expression, probably wondering why we had been called out of our cells so much lately.

At the end of the hall, the guards pushed Jaison and me to the left and then into the torture room.  The boss stood in the middle of the already lit room running a hand over his head and turning to glare at the two of us.

“Put him over there,” the boss commanded coldly.  His brown eyes locked on mine as the guards did as they were told.  The boss looked over at another group of guards and nodded.  The group of three guards moved towards me.  Two grabbed hold of my upper arm while the other moved behind me with a gun pointed at the back of my head.

“Sixteen,” the boss said, turning his back on me to face Jaison.  “I’m afraid that the ball is in your court now.”

Just then the guard on my left slammed his fist into my stomach.  I heaved and slouched forward, feeling my already injured body scream in pain.  I coughed as the tears well up in the back of my eyes.  In front of me, Jaison fought against his guards who rewarded him by slamming a fist into his the side of Jaison’s face.  I let out a mangled cry as his head was thrown to the side with the force of the blow.

“Enough!”  The boss yelled, causing both Jaison’s and my own guards to force us upright.  “Sixteen, here are your options.  One, you watch as Two is shot in the back of the head.  Two, you save her.  How do you save her?  Easy, just take her hand and you two can go back to your room and everything will be okay.”

“I’ll die,” Jaison countered, his voice angry and rude.  The boss’s jaw tightened and his fist clenched.

“Probably,” he said.  “But that’s not all.  If you chose to let Two die, I’ll let you go.”

My heart fell into my stomach.  Freedom for my death, or save me and stay in this hell.  Freedom was all Jaison had wanted from the moment he had stepped foot in this place and with the fight we had yesterday just a few hours earlier still fresh in both our minds, I doubted he would chose to save me and stay.

“How do I know you’ll really let me go?”  Jaison asked, his eyes full of skepticism.

“You have my word,” the boss vowed.  Jaison scoffed, knowing that his word probably didn’t mean much, but then again, I didn’t know that he wouldn’t keep his word.

Jaison’s eyes connected with mine and for a moment I worried that he wouldn’t choose freedom.

“Can we have a minute?”  I found myself saying.  The boss stared at me in shock.

“Interesting…”  The boss trailed off.  “Three minutes.”

The guards released Jaison and me.  I could hear guns cock behind us, but I ignored it.

“Melinda, what are you doing?  They’re going to kill you for this,” Jaison asked, his eyes were wide and the expression he wore was beyond concerned.

“You have to pick freedom,” I told him.  A pained look crossed his face before he covered it.

“No, Mel, are you insane?”

“Listen to me Jaison,” I commanded him.  “It’s either me or you and if there’s even a slight chance of freedom, you have to take it.”

“Would you?”  He asked.  “Would you kill me if it meant you could go free?”

I shook my head.  “I can’t function out there, Jase.  I’ll never get to act normal, but you can.  You can become a doctor, put your dad in jail, whatever you want.  You can live a normal life, Jaison.”

“No,” he insisted forcefully.

“Look, you can go get help,” I tried.

“They think I’ve been in a mental hospital, do you really think any cop in the world would believe me?”

“I won’t be the one that kills you Jaison.”

“I know you won’t,” he said.  “I trust you.”

“Don’t do this,” I begged.  “Please, just get out of here, you can still have a happy life.”

“Melinda,” he said softly.  “I’m staying here with you, even if it kills me.”  He gave me a small smile which I returned with a little laugh.

“That’s enough,” the boss commanded.  Guards stepped back into place.  “What’s your decision?”

“I’m staying,” Jaison announced.

The guards stepped back, allowing Jaison enough room to take my hand and possibly to shatter into nothing.  Jaison stepped up, shooting me a small smile like his life wasn’t on the line.

My heart was pounding in my ears making my blood rush under my skin.  I took a deep breath and focused on visualizing what I wanted.  Jaison’s hand around my hand, no one shattering into a million pieces.

Jaison extended his hand.  I pulled mine away instinctively, my eyes darting up to his green ones in fear.  He gave me a nervous glance and mouthed the words ‘I trust you’.  I let out a shaky breath as he stepped forward.  Now there were only inches between us.  I turned my hand so that my palm was facing up prepared for whatever was going to happen.

“If something does happen to me,” Jaison whispered, low enough so the boss couldn’t hear, “I don’t want you give up.  You have to get out of here, Mel.”

“Nothing’s going to happen to you,” I insisted.

He smiled and inched his hand into mine.

“Ready?”  He asked, no longer bothering to whisper.  My heart was pounding as I looked up at him.

“Ready.”

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Pic>>> Jaison

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