Conquer

Chapter 20:

I instantly stood, almost knocking Max over. It was as though someone had turned on a switch.

Max stood seconds after I. I wanted to stay where I was, but a sudden urge was pulling me to the direction in which I came.

I was exhausted. My body was no longer in pain. Yet, I was half blind, tense, and in desperate need for sleep. Not to mention that I was starving.

Sadly, hearing the cry of agony had only frustrated me; I wanted the pain to stop. I wanted peace. But I knew I had to go see what was going on. It was my responsibility at this point. I couldn't ignore it.

Max and I began a quick jog back to the room in which we came from. I hadn't realized how far I had ran when I did.

I also hadn't realized how many turns and doors I had passed either. There were short hallways and doors that had signs like "Section 7176" or "The Odd Section 23."

The signs were strange and something about them seemed off. Some signs had bold lettering and others had small lettering. I had been running too quickly and was too panicked to notice the signs earlier, but they were there.

There are this many sections?

I breathed easy breaths as I stared at the passing doors.

We stopped running when we approached the door, both of us catching our breaths. We weren't sure what to expect when we entered; we only assumed that something unpleasant had happened. The cry of pain was short and quick, ending before we had the chance to assume who it was.

Max and I entered at the same time. I was instantly shocked to see Jed pointing a gun towards Madame Lambert.

Lambert seemed to be gagging and crying at the same time. I hadn't noticed why until I spotted blood pooling on the floor behind her.

Monsieur Eppinette lied with a bullet in his forehead. I heard Max let out a short gasp. I could do nothing but watch the events unfold in front of my eyes. I was too stunned and overwhelmed to react.

Jed was sweating horribly. His entire body shook like an earthquake had hit. His face held a confused anger like a bird held flight.

"What kind sick place is this?! If you're this advanced, then do something about Faye!" Jed screamed.

Jed's voice seem rough and overly demanding. I knew that he was being somber.

My eyes went from Jed to Madame Lambert. "Aie pitié... I can bring her back... Or you can wait and use your Salvage later."

The familiar feeling of confusion took over me again. I looked around the room. The Conquerors no longer had their Givers on.

Instead, they stood at a reasonable distance behind Jed. They seemed to be as confused as I felt, sucking the air from the atmosphere.

I couldn't stand the incertitude. "What is going on?" I asked as sternly as I could.

Jed whipped his head in my direction. A demonic look shot from his eyes to mine. Jed looked furious, in an unexplainable agonizing pain.

"These Trompers said that they have one Salvage that we can use," he spoked through gritted teeth.

"Salvage?" Max asked, taking the words from my mouth.

Max stood closer to me and almost in front of me. He was guarding me from something that had a vague presence.

"Yes, I said Salvage! Lambert said that it is a medicine more powerful than the Intakes that healed us. That it can bring someone back to life," Jed spat, emphasizing his last five words. The words echoed through my mind.