Adopting Tragedy

Chapter 16

When I sleep, I don't really dream. It's more of bright flashes of light every so often. They do very in color. They go from white to purple to red. I don't think I change them on purpose but it just happens.

What I do end up thinking about is the past. What we have all been through. How we ended up here. It's all so crazy to think for almost 10 years this has been a problem. Running, hiding, fighting for our lives. I didn't know that 10 years ago id end up here today. Here, laying in a dark cell on a white pull out bed. I didn't know I would end up being.. Being a monster.

My eyes were open, staring straight up at the ceiling in my cell. It was pitch black but I could see light seeping through the top. Barley noticeable to the human eye but then again, I'm not human.

"Carter," I heard a voice come over an intercom. "It's Rose."

"Where am I?" I asked, trying to sit up oh to be held down by straps. "Rose these won't keep me down."

"I'm going to need you to stay still and just go along with the treatment." As soon as she said that, the bed I was laying on was lifted slowly so that I could see the surrounding walls. A door opened in front of me, showing Rose and two others.

"What is going on?" I asked, trying my best to relax. She smiled as the walls around us pushed out small tables with medical equipment on it. "Rose."

"When you blacked out, something inside your body had healed itself," she said, putting in gloves. "I just want to see what's going on. is that alright?" I couldn't understand really what she had wanted but I was willing to go along. "Since you're able to heal yourself, I'm going to cut into your stomach." As she said that, my bed had lowered itself again.

"Rose I don't want to do this," I said trying to make eye contact with her. But she didn't listen. She injected a needle, causing me to go woozy. And before I could object, I was out.

**

My eyes had shot open, sitting straight up in my bed. I was no longer in that strange room but in the one I had been sharing with Niall. I lifted my shirt, seeing nothing but a small tattoo I had gotten four years ago from a friend of mine. Confusing had been laced throughout my body as I tried to put things together.

"What the hell..?" I feel a burning sensation in my arm as if someone was branding me. I let out a scream of pain as the pain grew deeper. My throat was dry and soar as if I hadn't had water in years. When the burning stopped, I had slowly lifted my sweater. A black mark at mad it's way around my arm. In the shape that looked like a snake. I lightly touched the mark, trying to see if it was some kind of bruise or burn. Nothing.

I rushed to the bathroom, holding it under running water. I took a rag and started to scrub has hard as I could. Nothing happened.
"Carter?" I heard Niall yell as he entered the room.

"In here!" I yelled, continuing to scrub. Niall entered, confused evident in his expression.

"What happened?"

"I have no idea," I replied. I dried off the mark, showing it towards Niall. It had covered half of my arm, removing my other tattoos as well. The only thing on my arm was this snake mark, nothing more.

"Your other tattoos are gone," Niall whispered, tracing his fingers over the black mark.

"It's this damn chemical in my body," I swore. "It is taking over my whole system and I can't do anything to stop it."

"Rose had said she was looking for a cure-"

"Fuck Rose," I bit my lip with anger. "That bitch isn't doing shit. She literally tied my down and cut me open for her own little experiment."

"Carter..."

"What Niall?" I barked. I had mixed feelings of anger and sadness throughout my body. I could feel my eyes burning not only from the acid but the glowing as well. "You know damn well that I'm no longer human. I'm a fucking monster and no one cares. All they're doing is keeping me locked in the building. I can't leave. I can't call our children. I can't go outside and just let the sun be on my body because no one will let me!"

Niall tried to comfort me but I was in no mood to be touched right now. I stood up, running my hands through my hair. All I wanted to do was rip myself to pieces. "Cater it's not only for your safety but others as well."

"What do they think I'll do? Rip off a random strangers head?" He was silent. "Oh my god. That's exactly what they think." I could feel my blood begin to boil. "No only do they think that will happen.. But you do too.."

"Carter I'm just doing what I was told," he defended. "And that is to make sure you are here and safe."

"Get out," I clenched my jaw.

"Carter.."

"No." My hands had curled into fists now, turning my knuckles white. "Get out." He stared at me with his crystal blue eyes. I could tell he was upset. As was I.. But that was because he didn't trust me.

"Fine.." He said, pushing himself up by his knees. "If that's what you want." And he walked out the door. As soon as the door had closed behind him, I had fallen to the floor, curling my body towards my chest. As much as the tears burned, all I could do was cry. I cried into a towel so I wouldn't hurt my hands again but I was sure that my face was going to look horrible again.

Nothing was getting better. Nothing was going right. I keep getting stronger as the days go by and with no one helping me, training me even, I will just become more of an issue to the rest of the world.

I need to get out of here.