Project L-137

Chapter 16

When I woke up the next morning, the fire was more intense than before. It felt like I was actually melting from the inside and out. But Trevor was still in the same position, holding me with strong arms trying to stop the shaking.

"Hey, you're awake. How do you feel?" He asked.

"Like the fire is melting my skin off," I said. I remembered the deal he made with Luke last night and I needed to know if Luke was out getting the supplies. I tried to focus my hearing in the next room and for a second, I couldn't hear Luke snoring and then an intense ringing came. I couldn't hear anything else except for the sharp noise piercing my ears. I couldn't help but grab Trevor's arms in pain.

He tightened his grip on me.

"Hearing," I said, barely managing to get the word out through the pain. The ringing slowly, but painfully, passed.

"Amber, you can't do that. You're just going to make it worse for you," He said, his mouth buried in my hair.

"I needed...to know...if Luke was gone," I said, slowly.

"He's gone. I sent him away with Lydia 2 hours ago. She's supposed to call me if he runs," He said, stroking my hair.

"Shouldn't he be back by now?" I asked.

"They are on their way back now. They should be here in about 5 minutes," He said.

There was a few minutes of silence between him and I. I could barely get any words past the pain and I knew that he hated seeing me like this. That's when I heard the door slam open and Lydia ran into the room. I looked at her and I felt Trevor's head lift up.

"He got everything, nobody saw us in the facility. How is she?" She asked, walking towards me slowly. I could feel Trevor shake his head in response to her question. I tried focusing my vision on her but the fuzziness kept coming and going. I finally managed to get it to go away and my eyes could finally focus clearly on her.

"Amber? Do you think you can manage for one more day?" Lydia asked, putting a hand to my burning skin. I jumped back when she touched me because it sent my nerves into shooting pain. She backed away from me and then looked back at Trevor.

"Ok. Stay here with her, I will go check on Luke," Trevor said. I felt him get up from the bed and place one last kiss on my forehead. I looked into his dark brown eyes and all I could find was pain in them. He searched my face and I gave him a faint smile before he turned around and left the room. Lydia pulled up a chair to sit next to the bed. I looked at her and she gave me a faint smile.

"What can I do Amber? What can I do to help?" She asked.

"This is out of your control. I just need...to hold on until you guys get the antidote," I said.

She took a moment to look at me, her light brown eyes searching my face.

"Amber, please don't leave me. You are the only one that is keeping me sane around Trevor," She said. I laughed at her words.

"Lydia...," I said, trying to go around the truth that we all already knew. I was dying and there was a good chance that I wasn't coming back.

"Promise me that you will fight. You will hold on until you absolutely have to let go. That you won't die on me," She said. I looked at her and I could tell that the girl from the warehouse, the girl that hated me, no longer existed inside of her. Instead, it was a girl that was trying to save me. The girl that wanted to be my friend.

"I promise," I said, quietly.

"Ok. I'm going to go check on Luke. Try getting some sleep," Lydia said, standing up from her chair. She gave me a faint smile before turning her back towards me and leaving the room. I could feel the pain intensify as soon as she left and I couldn't keep my eyes open. The fuzziness came back into my vision and my eyelids dropped, sending me into pitch black darkness.