Unmarked

57. Disappear

Sipping at the bottle, the liquid flows down me, warm and comforting. I know I must be pretty intoxicated because I barely register the pain or the acidic taste of the alcohol.

My head is spinning and everything is disorientated. Maybe Jas has taken me to the theme park Grey spoke about. What was it called?

I open my eyes to ask Jas but we're not on a rollercoaster, we're still in the car and it isn't even moving. Jas is sitting in the driving seat staring at me. He pries the bottle out of my hand. I want it back. I'll get it from him in a minute when I've mustered enough energy to move.

"Where are we?" Through my blurred vision, I see we're parked next to the river, behind us a number of dark looming warehouses. It's the same industrial area backdrop for my reoccurring nightmares.

It's deserted. It's too late for anyone to be out here. At night time it was always dead. Dead. Such a short word for something so immense, so final.

"I'm helping you disappear," Jas says slowly, interrupting my thoughts. "Unless you've changed your mind?"

Disappear? Yes, he's going to help me disappear. Have I changed my mind? Grey's disgusted face reappears. It's too late now. I ruined any chance with Grey when I allowed Teddy to kiss me.

"I haven't changed my mind," I whisper.

"Cady, it's time to stop running and help make a difference. We can change the future, your future, together," Jas says.

I laugh or rather I snort. The only thing I can do is make a mess of everything. Teddy has been caught, Grey hates me. Everyone I cared about is gone.

"It's pointless," I mumble.

Jas sighs. The silence draws out between us until he finally says, "Did you manage to plug in the device?"

My hands start trembling, my chest tightening. Where is this fear coming from? Alcohol? I can't think straight. Confused, I try to recall this evening, it already feels so distant.

They knew I'd left the room Teddy placed me in. They knew I'd been in the stairwell but they didn't know I was in that room. The Birth Brand. The maps. I need to phone Grey. I need to tell him.

"Did you insert the device?"Jas repeats.

I nod because I did, just not into the correct computer but I'm sure what they discover will be even more useful.

I watch Jas get out and walk around the car. Opening my door, he yanks me out, the sudden movement sends a jolt of pain through me and I cry out loud. The whiskey hasn't worked as well as I thought. I'm too weak, my body too wrecked to stop him.

The world tips, the ground is unsteady under my feet and I have to concentrate on moving my one good leg whilst trying to avoid putting too much weight on the other which is a difficult task when the floor is made from jelly or maybe my legs are.

Jas doesn't wait for me to figure out how to walk. He continues to drag me along the ground. Something is not right. Alarm bells start to ring in my head.

"Where are you taking me?" I slur.

Jas doesn't respond but I recognise the sound of the river getting closer. The call of a dark abyss which once had felt like the only option but now sends out the hiss of a warning cry.

"How are you going to kill me?" My voice sounds breathless.

"Even when you're inebriated you're still one step ahead," Jas says. "It's an unfortunate waste of talent but you are so set against joining us."

"How are you going to kill me?" I repeat, my words strained and disjointed.

"You don't beg, you don't say you've changed your mind instead you're trying to plot your escape. You're so clever, so quick. You really would have been an asset," Jas pulls me harder and faster.

He wouldn't believe me if I said I'd changed my mind about helping so there's no point in wasting our time with a meaningless conversation.

I inhale deeply, trying to sober up; the extra oxygen only makes me more lightheaded, more intoxicated. Glancing around, there is no one here. This place is empty and dead, like I will be soon. "How are you going to kill me?"

"Bullet to the head then you'll go into the river. The same end destination you planned for yourself not so long ago." Jas shoves me against the railing and steps back.

I drop to the ground, the dark and ominous river behind me. My stomach twists and I vomit violently on the floor.

Jas pulls a gun from his pocket. Pointing it at me, it trembles slightly in his hands, his usual calm and unruffled facade has slipped.

The world keeps tilting, my vision is blurry making it impossible to focus on my surroundings, on him. More bile sears up my throat like molten lava.

"Jas, I have one last request." My dry mouth sticks together as I talk, my brain whirring desperately, trying to think of any way out of this but the alcohol has slowed me down, everything is delayed and muddled.

Jas wipes his mouth, staring at me, weighing up his options, I guess. He must not see me as a threat because he nods slowly, waiting for me to continue.

I slowly heave myself to stand. "Jas, I want..."

Before I finish my sentence, I fling myself sideways over the edge. My body hits the railing, an explosion fills the silence and I hear my scream left behind me as I fall towards the ripple of darkness.

The only thought I have time for before I hit the water- 'Shit, I can't swim.'