One Last Time

3

As I lay down on the basement floor. I think of what my life has become in the last couple of years. I've realized that i'm afraid of myself. I'm afraid of hurting people  and putting people through pain.

Pain, such a simple word but packed with so much meaning. I have come to learn that pain is the strongest emotion one can feel. Unlike every other emotion, pain is the emotion every human being is guaranteed to feel. There is no upside to pain, no positive aspect can make you look at it from a whole different perspective. Lately, I've become very familiar with pain. The ache has become nearly unbearable. 

I hear the heavy metal door creak open and hear dense footsteps making there way towards me. 

"Get up, you have another long day tomorrow so you need to get some rest." the deep voice says. 

I try standing up but the pain is unbearable making me stay put. I look up at the man and of course it's the one and only, John. 

I feel the tears start to form as I look at him. I can feel my stomach drop and out of habit I start to crack my knuckles, trying to keep myself sane.

"Come on we don't have all day." he says. Without hesitation I stand up as fast as I can afraid of what he would do If I didn't obey his orders again. I clench the side of my rib trying to keep the pain from getting any worse. Just like that John leads us out of the basement and back to the only space I would consider home. 

*** 

It was raining, with occasional bursts of thunder in the distance. My hands go up near my face. I feel the dried blood crisp on my cheeks. 

I get up from my bed and head to the small bathroom. The door creaks as I push it open. I look at myself in the mirror. There was so much blood -  dark crimson, with a discreet, metallic scent. It cascaded along my forehead and cheeks. I also notice a bruise starts to form under my eye. I feel like screaming. I start to pull up the white cotton shirt that is still drenched in blood. My sweatpants are blood free. Thank god. As I am pulling up the shirt goosebumps start traveling up my arms and legs. 

I gasp at my bruised rib cage. I slowly rank my fingertips up and down my sides a gently as I can. As I take a deep breath in I feel a sharp pain near my left rib cage. I bite my lip to keep myself from crying but I couldn't keep my scream in. My eyes screw shut as the shrill deafening sound left my lips. 

My face reflects on a now broken mirror and for a moment I felt as if I really had shattered too. 

*** 

I hear the doors outside my room slam shut. One by one. I knew this was my chance to get out of here. Once I feel everybody has left the facility I start springing into action. I grab a duffel bag that I hid under my bed quite some time ago. Put clothes that John has given me in the bag, nothing but sweatpants and baggy shirts. Sometimes memories can be the worst form of torture. If I don't get out of here, escape. I'm going to end up dead in that basement. I feel my ribs throbbing with every breath I take but I choose to ignore it the best I can. 

I've studied the government's routine because their is not much I can really do. So once I heard the last door slam as I held my ear against the metal door I knew this was It. On the other side of the hallway I knew there was a spare key hanging on the wall for my room. I look through the crack that separated the door and the wall. I put my full concentration in the silver keys across the hall. I pulled the keys off of the hook without a problem. The keys were still floating in the air, I then slowly settle them to the ground and slide them under my metal door. 

I immediately grab the keys and start unlocking the door from the inside.  As I made my way out the hallways were eerie quiet which made the hair on the back of neck stand up. I continue to walk down the hallway through doors that I didn't recognize but I didn't care. I just needed to find my way out. 

As I am beginning to open another door I hear the sound of metal drop to the concrete floor. I slowly turn my head to see one of the security guards looking like hes seen a ghost. I bite my tongue knowing what I might have to do next. 

"I am not here to hurt you," the security guard said. "Ella, I need you to put your hands where I can see them, okay?"

I look at him from head to toe and see that he is slowly reaching for his walkie talkie.

Oh hell no, I thought. 

Before I could react he quickly grabs his walkie talkie and says, "We have a code blue I repeat we have--" He stopped abruptly putting his finger to his nose and sees blood drip from both nostrils. 

I started to smile as his face was turning blue and his eyes started to roll to the back of his head. I couldn't help it, I was enjoying the show that I was putting on for my imaginary audience. 

My concentration was caught short when I saw flashing red light sweep across the hall and sirens coming right after it. 

I look towards the man I had just killed laying on the floor. I didn't feel sorry for him. He had wanted me to get caught and that was most definitely not happening. 

I hear the sound of sirens coming closer. I knew John and the others were coming for me. They were trying to scare me with the loud noises but that wasn't going to work this time. A shiny silver thing caught my eye near the security guards limp hand. I looked closer and realized it was keys. 

I grabbed the keys and headed toward the only door I knew would be my way out.