M3RG3

Chapter 32

Saturday

Something wasn't right. An aching pain raced across my forehead like a searing burn, numbing my entire body. This had to be the serum. There was no other reason for my erratic reaction.

I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the pain to stop, willing it to go away. The pain flared, spreading across my entire body, engulfing me in its flames. The pain was impossible to tame, like a wildfire burning on drywood. I wasn't foreign to pain, but this was completely different. It was a mixture of burning and numbness in my entire body. I didn't know what was more scary: Feeling that intense pain or knowing you were in intense pain but feeling nothing.

I had to fight through this. I had to get rid of the serum, yet its effects felt endless and infinite, as vast as the ocean itself.

Think out of the box. This wasn't just affecting me, it was affecting everyone. It would control us as one, forcing us to move as one, becoming one with the Republic.

Breaking free was the problem. They're stuck in this cramped box that limits their thinking, their imagination. I had to get out of the box, break it so I could escape from the Republic's clutches.

I shuddered again, the tingling sensation brewing to a maximum. A fire, that slowly burned through every cell of my body, leaving me dry and scorched. I shuddered again, forcing myself to focus.

Almost instantly, something cool and refreshing splashed across my forehead. It temporarily drenched the fire, and I finally had a few seconds of clarity.

When the fire burned again, I was ready. I relaxed one muscle at a time, allowing the fire to slowly diminish, realizing that I was not a threat, realizing that there was no need to harm me. Slowly, it diminished, the pain becoming nothing more than a mere whisper.

A gurgle of complaint came from my stomach, growing to a growl. I dashed to the bathroom, heaving up the contents of yesterday's dinner. Swiftly flushing away the disgusting contents, I stumbled back to my bedroom, hands reaching out blindly to grasp whatever was in front of me. The world just couldn't stop spinning.

Lyla and Natasha were long gone. I fumbled into my gear, slipping on the smooth black hoodie and stretchy pants, before feeling something that wasn't there before. A mask made of black fabric that hooked around my ears, covering the lower half of my features.

Keep your identity safe. Thank Natasha later. -Lyla

I knew that I was far from recognizable unless someone pulled my hoodie and mask off. A large section of the population had brown eyes and unblemished faces. These were the times where I was glad of my plain face. Not pretty, not ugly, just plain.

A faint thump vibrated the room, followed by several others. I hooked the mask to my ears and pulled my hood up, tucking my auburn hair, the most glaring giveaway of my identity, inside it.

With my gear ready, I carefully opened the door. Hundreds of Security were holding their weapons as they marched away from the doors. Within the troops, Lauren's black hair swished in the wind, matted down by sweat. They all marched at the same pace, sporting blank expressions and identical stances. Even with years of practice, nobody could achieve such perfection. It had to be doing of the serum.

My stomach gurgled again, threatening to force more contents out of my mouth. I pressed a hand to my stomach, easing the pain. My stomach ache had to wait.

I couldn't slip out by the front door. Blending in with the Security wouldn't work either. The only way, the fastest way, was to jump out of the balcony.

I had done this three weeks ago, out of a reckless act to prove myself to the Revolution. Now, I was doing this again, to save and alert everyone from a disaster that would happen in a few hours.