Beyond The Sea Blue Light

Dark Places I Know Too Well

"Please wake up," I beg, my hands covered in blood. I focus on my energy, imagining it flowing into Jack's body, healing his wounds. He can't die, I won't let him die here. "Please, Jack, please." I don't know how long it's been. Someone should be coming for us. They should have realized that something was wrong. They should have sent someone for us. The comm in my ear is silent, deadly silent. I can almost hear a whisper in my ear, the one that calls, signaling doom, signaling death. Alex should have made it out by now. There's no sound of gunshots, no explosion rockets through the air. The attack is over—they should be coming for us now. Unless....

I glance around desperately. There's nothing around but the cold, gray walls, stretching endlessly in every direction. No sign of the others, no sign of life. If they're not coming, then...something must have happened.

"Can anyone hear me?" I scream, my voice shaking. "Alex? Vic? Gerard?" Dread claws its way through my whole body. I'm trembling, as I struggle to keep pressure on the wound. Jack's terrifyingly still beneath me. My powers can't be failing now, can they? What happened to everyone? Something must have gone wrong—I know that for certain. Something terrible. Everything is terrifyingly silent, as if the entire world is collectively holding a breath, afraid to let it go.

"Come on!" I scream. I imagine my power, my energy flowing into Jack, struggling to get it to work. It's almost worse than when I was still at the old Facility, when I was too afraid to use my powers. When they came up with the cruel idea to try to get my powers to work, hoping that desperation would solve the problem. And it did, so why isn't it working now? Why isn't it—

The memory hits me all of a sudden, making me scream out loud from the intensity of it. I register myself falling backward, my shoulder scraping against the rough concrete ground. In the distance, I hear someone call my name and feel hands gripping my shoulders. But by then, I'm too far gone.

The darkness opens up in front of me as I find myself standing in a front hall, seeing Ronnie looming over me—no, not me. Jack. A slightly younger version of Jack, who is shrinking against the stairs, pressing his back against the wall as he tries to get away. Ronnie's face is livid with rage, but most of all betrayal and anguish are written across his face.

"I can't believe you're one of them too," he spits. "You'll get what you want."

Jack, cowers, shielding his face as the first blow comes.

"You're a monster!" Ronnie screams, tears pouring down his cheeks. "You deserve to be locked up for what you've done! They were right all along, you know that? It's because of them that he's dead. It's because of you!"

Jack tries to respond, but he can't as he cowers to get away. He curls up on his side, his hands up to protect his face as best as he can. I can see him trembling, tears leaking out of his eyes.

"You'll get what you all deserve," Ronnie spits. He steps back and I can see, clutched in his hand is a photograph, one of a dark-haired boy. He looks so familiar, but Ronnie turns away before I can get a closer glance. Ronnie casts another disgusted glance over at Jack just as the front door is opened and guards spill in.

Jack is dragged away, staring at Ronnie the whole time. Jack's lip is split and both of his eyes are black, but he still doesn't struggle, just stares at his brother, betrayal written clear as day across his face.

I'm pulled along in the memory as Jack is shoved down the hallway, dressed in the terrifyingly familiar blue uniform. His gaze is locked on the ground as he is pushed toward a room, a dark three painted on the door. For a moment, his eyes flicker up, seeing his brother standing there, dressed in a guard uniform and hurt flashes across his face. Jack looks away before Ronnie can notice, letting the guards drag him away again. I move to follow him in, but something stops me, freezing me in place.

Pain spikes through my skull as I struggle, fighting against whatever is holding me down. I can't seem to breathe, the energy slowly fading out of me, even as I fight. As I look down, I see ice spreading along my fingertips, turning the skin pale. Ice freezes the fabric of my jeans solid, the icy blue snaking its way through my veins. I fight against it, but I know I can't win, my energy vanishing. I'm so, so cold, I can feel my whole body trembling as I struggle to conjure up any hint of warmth. Every inhale feels like shards of glass ripping through my lungs. Every exhale feels like the last one I will ever take. My heart beat echoes in my ears, but it seems to be growing quieter and quieter, fading away into the darkness. Ice solidifies along my arms, holding me in place as I lift my head, trying to take a last breath before it brushes against my lips, sliding over my eyes until there's nothing but darkness left.