Chasing Scars

31: An epiphany

There must be a name for the place where a person goes when they're neither asleep nor awake. Perhaps it's oblivion, but it can't be.
If she'd been in oblivion, she wouldn't be listening to every tiny sound, the clutter of laboratory apparatus as her two attackers work in silence is a bit unnnerving.
Her heart is thumping so loudly she's scared they might hear it if they don't start making some discriminate sound.

As she lays there, Scarlet hasn't the slightest idea what she's waiting for, or what she's going to do when it comes for that matter. But she knows she's getting out of here, no matter what. They're not going to give her the alleged forth dose, as it is, she doesn't even seem to have remembered anything. At least not to her knowledge. It's as if the room is rotating, yet it's her mind. And that's when it comes, her pinky twitches, once then twice. Scarlet has to fight the reflex to open her eyes. Have they seen it? Hopefully not. She's already sweating all over as she presses her palm into the beddings willing it not to twitch, and she can move it! Progress! This must be it, it's time. She thinks.

Scarlet slightly opens one of her eyes when there's a sound of a chair being dragged against the linoleum. They're getting up. Holy hell! What is she going to do? Think. She presses her mind for something, anything but no idea seems to come to mind. Isn't it funny that brains tend to forsake us when we need them most? Scarlet can now feel her whole body, she's sure if she decided to get up now, she can move. She wiggles her toes from inside her socks just to be sure. But what if she can't? What if they stop her? She's out numbered two to one. But time's running out too. She will never know if she doesn't try.

"It's time, come on Mandy," Matt says. Scarlet quickly pinches her eye shut. Then it dawns on her. The solution. Yes! She wants to scream out in joy. They're a few feet away, she can get to the table first.
Taking a deep breath, Scarlet exhales and opens her eyes. Thankfully, they didn't put her in those hideous hospital gowns. She's ready in her own clothes. They are about five steps away...

One, two, three ... Scarlet swings a leg off the bed and in a second she's on both feet.

"What the ... get it Mandy!" Matt yells as he realises what Scarlet is reaching for, Mandy leaps but she couldn't get to the table faster than her. She's calculated the distance and in a step she's at it. Scarlet picks up the two remaining syringes. One is transparent and the other is lilac. She needed two transparents as she's sure they're something along the lines of tranquilisers but this will do.

Matt is a few feet in front of her, facing the desktop while fiddling with the phone. Mandy, where has Mandy gone? Scarlet twirls around just in time to miss Mandy's aim of the syringe. She was trying to tranquilise her again. Scarlet grabs her hand, surprising herself with how much strength. She forces it to bend at the elbow, Mandy is trying to put up resistance but she's not as strong. Scarlet presses until the needle is now right in front of Mandy's eye. She's trembling, and that somehow would've given Scarlet some satisfaction if she didn't need to work quick before Matt turns around. Mandy's lips are quivering, eyes glistening.

"P-please," she stutters, no sign of the cold smile she was displaying for Scarlet earlier. "Please d- don't hurt me!"

"Mandy?" Matt growls. There's a thud and the phone is in pieces on the cold floor. Good, Scarlet thinks. "Ugh! You good for nothing woman!" He frustratedly tries to move over.

"Come a step closer and I'm putting it in her eye!" she barks.

"You don't know what you're doing Scarlet!" Matt says, but obediently holds his palms up and stops.

"I don't?" Scarlet asks. She has no time. She needs out of here with no hostages or chasers.

"You don't, put it down Scarlet," Matt switches to negotiator tone. "You could kill her. You don't want more blood on your hands, trust me."