The Identity Crisis

We Are Silent

Chapter 20

I feel blood trickle down from my lip. My eyes open. I take a shaky breath. A cough wells up in my lungs. I let it out and more blood drips out onto the table in front of me. I raise my head up to look in front of me. Grey. I hear a door open beside me. Tears well up in my eyes. My head lowers.

"I-I'm sorry," I choke, letting another cough out.

"Chin up, sweetheart. It's all gonna be ok." Nathan sets his helmet down on the floor, then sits down across from me.

"W-where's Bryan?" I ask, looking up at him.

"He's ok. Just relax." Nathan folds his arms and leans forward.

"I asked you a question. Where is he?" I snap. Nathan chuckles, rolling his eyes.

"He's somewhere. Listen, Erica. You and I both know you aren't getting out of this. So, let me do my job, and I can be on my way." He gets up from his seat and leans forward onto the table

"Nathan-"

"That's Lieutenant Reeds, sweetie."

"Fine. Lieutenant. Where is my brother." I feel sweat run down my face, and tears well up in my eyes again.

"He's in a cell down the hall. So are some of his friends. None of them have asked for treatment yet. So that means-"

"They'll just experiment on them. Just like with Bryan." I shake my head, a tear running down my face. Nathan nods, pulling his handgun off of his belt.

"That's right. That's all they're good for if they don't obey. Right?" He chuckles.

"Sure..." I shake my head. Nathan strolls around behind me. I feel the cold metal of his gun press into the back of my head. "Why have they kept me alive? Why did they call off the execution?"

"Because. Your father wanted it. He said he knew his daughter would 'never do something like that'." I hear Nathan pull back the hammer on his gun. I bite my lip, my hands start shaking more violently. I take a deep breath.

"I guess I'm just dumb," I shrug. A chuckle escapes my lips. Nathan laughs along with me. He leans down next to me.

"Truthfully,"
"Lieutenant Reeds," A voice crackles over the intercom. Nathan straightens up, pulling his gun away from my head.
"Yes, Chief?" He clears his throat.
"If you're done amusing yourself, could you please get back on track?" Chief Parker asks. Nathan chuckles.

"Of course, sir. Understood."

"Good. That is all."

The intercom crackles again as Chief Parker's voice dies off. Nathan scoffs, then sits back down in front of me. He sets his gun down on the table, and leans back in his chair.

"Alright. So. Erica. You want to be cured?"

I hesitate.
"Yes," I mumble, staring down at the grey and bloody table in front of me.

"Interesting. Well. The most interesting thing is. We can fix homosexuals. Fixing their sympathizers, however, is a bit more... Challenging." Nathan rests his hand on the table next to his gun. I take a shaky breath.

"Well... I'm willing to go through with it." I bite my lip, glancing up at Nathan. He smirks.

"Of course you are. Now, we have somewhere to go." Nathan stands up from his seat. The cuffs around my hands unlock and Nathan grabs them. He kisses me lightly on the forehead and pulls me out of my seat. I choke back a gasp of surprise. My knees caved in and collapsed onto the floor. Nathan pulls me to my feet, and drags me out of the door. I catch a glimpse of Chief Parker who stands in the control room. He glares at me before averting his eyes. I bite my lip, tears clouding my vision. The door opens and a bright light shines into my eyes. Nathan pulls me forward through the hall of cells. My eyes wander down the hall yet again. Some familiar faces come into my view. Kota is on my left. He shakes his head and buries his face in his hands. I feel a tear slip down my face.

I see Monica on my right. Her lip quivers, tears and blood streaming down her face. She doesn't look at me.

Jack is on my left. She presses her hand against the glass. 'Are you ok?' She mouths. All I can do is shake my head. I look away.

Keena peers up at me from my right. She sits on the floor, wearing for the first time, a grey dress. She gives me a passing glance, then shrugs and looks down at the floor. I take a breath.

I see Gabriel. She sits on the floor, sobbing into her hands. She lets out a cry. Nathan halts for a second to kick the glass. Gabriel yelps and hugs herself around the arms, shaking.

"That one's always fun to mess with," Nathan chuckles and starts down the hall again.

Bryan. He stands in a cell on my left. I look him in the eyes. They are red and swollen like mine. Deep and blue like mine. Broken. Like mine. He puts a hand on the glass, reaching out towards me. I shake my head. And tear my eyes away. The elevator is in front of me. It opens and Nathan and I step inside. I catch my last glimpse of light, before the doors close. I take a breath. We are silent.

-The End-