Ablaze || The Darkest Minds

FOUR

***Emily's POV***

   The light above me blinded me. I couldn't see the faces of the people who spoke "Hey— have you—". There was an odd ringing in my ears. I inhaled deeply, it smelled of chemicals. The sudden sense of where I was overwhelmed me. I felt my body go stiff. A very familiar feeling came back to me. Fear.

     No.

   I could barely move, my wrists and ankles were strapped down against the freezing medical table. No, no please— I can't, not again. I knew what was happening. My breathing came in quick shallow breaths as a mask was placed on my face. I was already hyperventilating, and the mask wasn't helping. I was choking. Help.

    No— stop, please. I couldn't breathe anymore, I kept choking over my own sobs. I'm crying again— why do I keep crying? There's no point to it anymore. People, strangers. They were talking. A man's voice said something I couldn't hear over my own thoughts. I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe— I was choking, there was no air.

   "45, 46, 47, 48, 49..." a woman's voice counted. Black spots blurred my vision "57, 58, 59, 60." Air. I can breathe. "She— quicker than last—" The white fluorescent light above me moved, I could see. Strangers in lab coats, unfamiliar faces which I hated. "Try—" my mind screamed loud enough that everyone in the room seemed to know what I was thinking. Stop it, please.

One of them smiled at me. "Remember, no physical scarring—" They nodded, "It's annoying— both oranges— limits the tests—" a woman's irradiated voice piped in. "Do the damn—" a mans voice said.

    The burning sensation crept down my spine, the searing pain made me fight against my restraints. The scream that left my mouth was a familiar one, I think they actually enjoyed hearing me scream. I hate you. When the flames finally stopped I was thankful for the freezing metal table to soothe the burns. It smelled like burning flesh and smoke, it made me gag. Stop, god— Please, stop. I silently begged. . . "God, does she ever stop crying?"  They're laughing. They're Laughing at me. Like I'm not human. I want to be anywhere but here. Anywhere is better than here.

  Beep, beep, beep.. beep, beep... beep.... My heartbeat slowed back into it's normal pace. Why can't you just stop beating? Let me die, let me die, let me die— The words played over and over in my head. A new voice, A new face, who? He has a clipboard, he's writing. "— great progress— test the — calm control. —bring her— room—"

Calm control? The white noise.

Silence.

Click.

    It was so quiet, the only noise I could hear was the ringing in my ears. What's happening? The researchers were moving around, I couldn't hear them now. What are they saying? I heard distant voices, and the ringing in my ears grew louder.
"— again." The same male voice.

Click. The ringing grew louder.

Click. Even louder.

Click—

    Another scream escaped my mouth as an excruciating noise filled my ears. The white noise. It's different. I strained against my restraints until my wrists became raw. I saw the man with the clipboard speak, I couldn't  hear him "———" he was smiling. I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again. All I could see was red. Red, red, red, red, red—. My cheeks felt wet, I couldn't breathe again. I couldn't hear anything other than the white noise. "Stop it!"

   I jolted awake, I sat up in my cot as fast I could. My hand reached my throat, I was gasping for air. My cheeks were wet, was I crying? I could feel my own rapid heart beat. I was choking on nothing. Cole bursted into the room, I heard a thud. Cole. He came and kneeled next to my cot, the same way he had done in my prison cell two nights before.