Speechless

Chapter Eighteen

Jason turns to me in confusion and I point at the letters. He walks next to me and I suddenly hear him gasp. I turn to him and he has his hand clasped over his mouth. I look down at the hard tile floor beneath me and I become dizzy, the whole world a haze. I stumble a couple steps back and fall abruptly, landing on my side with my hip hitting the tile first. I barely feel the pain because the room begins to spin and I can't focus on anything. At this moment I'm not ready to die, but it's the only thing I want to do as well. I feel Jason's hand on my shoulder and I finally am able to manage to focus on him and see the world somewhat clearly once again. "Aubrey? Aubrey are you alright?" I hear him say to me softly. I would nod but I would rather just stand up and figure out a way to leave this horrid place, to leave the place where I am to die.

I sit up and hold my hand to Jason, telling him to stay back and let me get up myself. I put my hands on the floor to give me leverage and push myself up so I'm standing. I grab onto Jason for support and lay my head on his shoulder. I shut my eyes and think, Will this be what I see when I'm dead? Will I slowly drift off and not feel the cold metal bed and restraints against my skin when I slowly leave? Will Libby laugh? Will it hurt? Or will I just slowly fall into a deep sleep? I realize I don't want to find out. I open my eyes and look up to Jason, who's hands are around my sides so I stay upright and leaning against him. I smile at him and whisper, "Thank you," to him. He looks at me confused.

"Thanks for what?" He asks.

"Everything," I say. "I love you," I then add.

"I love you, too," he responds. I smile again and then we are interrupted by the shaking of the walls once more and soon enough we see them open. DrReynolds, Dylan, Libby, and another scientist I don't know the name of is standing on the other side. I feel myself gulp. I release Jason and he releases me as well and we separate, almost as if Jason and I are having a staring contest with Dr.Reynolds and them. Libby walks over to us and grabs us both by the collar.

"You just couldn't listen, could you?" She whispers to me. She walks behind us, still holding on to us by our collars. "I told you to run, but you didn't, and look where you are, your grave," she says.

"The whole world is my grave," I interrupt as she walks us out of the Draining Room. "It's just this way I die for humanity,"

"Humanity my ass," she retorts as we walk behind Dr.Reynolds, Dylan, and the other scientist. I glance over at Jason and he has a straight and firm expression on his face. I then look out in front of us again. We turn a corner to the left and the scientist opens a door to the room Jason and I went into the first day we came here. The room with many chairs and that rug in the center. We all emerge into the room and the scientist closes the door behind us. Libby sits Jason and I down next to each other and then she sits by Dr.Reynolds and Dylan. They sit across from us, almost like a stare down again. The scientist soon follows Libby and the rest and sits over with them as well. Dr.Reynolds crosses his arms and looks at us. I feel like I need a blanket or a towel, something to cover myself up. I don't want Dr.Reynolds looking into my soul, there's too much down there I don't feel like explaining to him. To many secrets. Too many memories.

I close my eyes so I no longer see him. I then open my eyes except I look at the floor this time, not meeting anyone's gaze. I search for Jason's hand and I soon find it and our fingers intertwine and it makes me feel a little bit safer.

"So you found the Draining Room," Dr.Reynolds says. I can't help but look up at him because I want him to see how I feel and the look in my eyes while I say this next thing,

"You mean the place you're going to murder me? Yeah, we found it,"

"I was going to tell you that we intended on using all of your blood later in this process but let's skip the nice guy act and get down to business," he says calmly.

"Libby told me," I say. "Libby told me and tried to get me to run. She said that you were going to kill me but I didn't care," I don't know why I said it. I just did. Libby gives me a nasty look. I'm happy I said it, I don't care, this is what she gets for treating Jason and me like this. She's a nutcase, and this is what she gets. Dr.Reynolds turns to Libby and gives her a scornful look.

"Is this true?" He asks.

"Yeah, it is," she answers truthfully. I'm taken back by the fact that she didn't make up some story to cover her tracks and to lie right to Dr.Reynolds' face. God knows that's what she did to us. "She came up to me and asked me if it was true. I asked, "if what was true?" and she said that she found the Draining Room and I told her yes but I wouldn't help her in anyway. She was lying about the part where I told her to run, Dr." She finishes.

There's the story I was waiting for.

"Well it doesn't matter," Dr.Reynolds says. Libby then gives me a smirk like she's just ruined me. But really, I don't care for her story. I know mine's true. "I will give you two choices, Aubrey, both with the same outcome," starts Dr.Reynolds. "You can either go into that room willingly, accepting your imminent death, or you could go the more difficult route. It's up to you, but I would choose option one,"

"Wait," I start as soon as Dr.Reynolds finishes. "I don't get the option to run? I knew I would die long before this moment and you don't have total confidence I will stay? I promise you, if you at least give me the choice to just walk out of here with Jason I will choose to stay. I'll die for the rest of the world." I say. Jason grips my hand a little harder then.

"No, I can't do that," Dr.Reynolds protests.

"Yes, you can," I say back.

"If I give you the choice you have the possibility of choosing to run. You will die here no matter what, accept it and let's get going," he says. I lean in closer to Dr.Reynolds and the rest of the people with him and whisper,

"No," after that I lean back again in my chair.

"Just choose!" He shouts. I don't even blink when he raises his voice.

"If you won't give me what I want, which is the option to run, I choose the difficult route." I say confidently.

"Fine then," Dr.Reynolds says while he looks as Dylan and the scientist. He then looks back at me. "Let's make this a little more harder for you," they all stand up, except Libby, and walk over to us. I lean back in my chair, waiting for the fingers to dig into my skin while they pull me into the Draining Room. But they never come. They don't grab me,

They grab Jason.