Watch Me

The Song of Screams

As the ringing dulled, so did Edie's senses. Every living person in the tunnels seemed to be moving at lightning speed, screaming, but Edie's every movement felt slow. No matter how much she tugged at her limbs they would not move any faster. Dominic tried to drag her away but she would not move. People were running, and the guards were closing in. But, Edie could not leave Ivan on the ground, auburn liquid seeping into the concrete floor. It was the sight of his blood that made Edie feel so sick, she'd never been squeamish until she faced Ivan and saw the life and fight dissipating from his eyes. Those eyes that she had previously looked into for warmth were duller then they had been in the past.

It was his shoulder, they'd shot him in his shoulder and all Edie knew was to stop the bleeding, she needed to stop the bleeding. Throwing herself across him she screamed, the first real noise leaving her mouth since Pimento had stormed through the doors.

"Take me, do whatever you want to me, but please just get him a doctor" Edie snapped, the tears pouring faster then she thought possible, she was sick of losing people.

"Edie, just run. Please," Ivan spattered, struggling to speak. But all Edie could do was shake her head before three men had pinned her arms behind her, yanking her to her feet as her screech echoed through the blood-stained hall.

"Ivan" she screamed, but all he could do was keep holding her hand, squeezing it tight as the guards ripped Edie away. Her wail was haunting, and Dominic couldn't get to her before he to was pinned to the ground. But just before she was out of sight, a garbled screech reverberated after them, Ivan's scream echoing.

Ivan tried to get up but all he could make out was a frail "Edie Weber!" But it was all that Edie could hear on repeat as the guards dragged her like a rag doll. Hot tears pouring down her face, she was practically limp, her fight disappearing as she was jolted through the corridors. Ivans's blood-stained body burnt into her mind like a branding.

By the time they reached the council van tears no longer poured, replaced by an eerie silence, nausea dancing around Edie's mind as she was slammed into the back of the car. Shutting her eyes she let an anxious sleep take over her.

When she awoke, Edie found herself surrounded by the emotionless walls she'd come to recognize. The council building. One day in this building and the clinically plain walls were familiar. A sick, unwanted familiarity. Her clothes stained red were a fiercely painful reminder of the past few hours. Ivan, he was out there somewhere, and Edie didn't know whether or not he was alive. Hell, she didn't know if any of her friends were still alive. Dominic and Violet. She had just found them again and now she was alone. Covered in the reminder of loss. She had no idea how long she'd been asleep, or what her future held.

Edie was starting to get sick of being unsure. Everywhere she turned was confusion, no matter what she did there was uncertainty. The world was changing, and Edie was becoming the face of an entire rebellion. The thought of facing her mother was swirling in her head. Did Vivian even know she was here?

The sound of footsteps began to build in the hall outside, Edie didn't know whether to feel scared or absolutely furious. When the door to Edies temporary cell opened it wasn't her mother, it was Pimento Ridel. His charm that had enchanted Edie's classmates was nowhere to be found in Edie's head. To her, he was a monster and a detestable creep. His hair was slicked, and he was dressed like everyone else on the council, a white turtleneck plain beneath a stiff jacket. Antiseptic and impersonal, save for a single silver chain stark against the fabric.

Pimento smiled, chiming "Miss Weber, hello."

"Fuck off," Edie spat, her shoulders stiff and unforgiving.

"Is that any way to treat an old friend? Edie darling, get up." The way he spoke felt like a threat but his voice was soft and stern, his last two words punching at her heart. She had no choice but to teeter to her feet, giving him the satisfaction she so fiercely didn't want to give him. "Good. Now, you didn't really think you could just run away to the enemy and think we would let you? Oh, and the day after your testing. Surely you're not that stupid." He was the image of everything she hated about the council, but she had nowhere to go backed into a corner.

"I'm not a fucking council puppet Pimento, you hurt people. I'm nothing like you."

"You have the blood of a Weber. You're one of us," Pimento hissed, his tone maniacal. "So let's talk consequences shall we?"

"Pimento if you're gonna kill me just kill me." Edie quivered, doing her best to keep her voice steady. But the shaking of her hands gave away her nerves, betrayed by her own body. Pimento just laughed.

"We would never kill you, Edie. We want you back on our side, and no is not an option," he glowered.

A question breaking in her mind, Edie exclaimed, "how did you find us? No one in that building is readable!" Pimento sighed, stepping further into the room.

"The Watched wanna be in the revolution too, too bad one of them slipped up. You see Edie, there is a reason we are on top. The Watched are weak, and the Thoughtless are pests in our organization. You could have everything and you throw it away to spend your time amongst anarchists." The anger in Pimento's eyes is obvious as he paces. "For once in your life stop trying to be a saint and step up to the plate."

Men like pimento were the reason Edie couldn't stand the world today. He promised the council would take her back but she knew she was nothing but a pawn to them. She didn't know exactly what they wanted, but she'd seen the violence, she'd seen how ruthless they were.

The anger was building in Edie and she couldn't hold it in, "I don't need to be a saint to know I'm on the right side." The words set off a terrifying gleam in Pimento's eyes, and in the blink of an eye, his hands were around Edie's throat, an insidious look in his eye.

"You'll change your mind, just see," he snapped, throwing her back to the ground, a fierce grit leaking through his voice as she lay crumpled on the floor. He was like a shadow, a reminder of loss and terror. But as Pimento turned on his heel, slamming the heavy door, Edie broke. Hot tears returned as she struggled to catch her breath, and she wondered what could possibly save her, how she lost everyone once again.