Beyond The Sea Blue Light

A Dose Of Reality

I'm so relieved to see him, I almost start to cry as relief fills me.

"Are you okay?" Gerard asks.

I nod, taking a deep breath. "I think so," I respond. "Are you?"

"I think so," he echoes. After a moment, he continues dryly, "As well as one can be when they are trapped in the lace of their nightmares."

"What do you think they're gonna do?"

"Nothing," Gerard says. "I think we're the bait. Why kill two when you can get all of them?"

"I hope they're alright," I mutter.

"They'd be fine if they just ran," Gerard says. "But we know they would never."

"So do you think we can get out of here?" I ask. "We've done it before, several times."

"I never thought I'd be here again," Gerard sighs. I look over at him curiously. He never did speak much about what happened to him, him or Frank. Gerard sees my expression and laughs, the sound haunting and echoing, seemingly so out of place in a hell like this.

"I wasn't here for long," Gerard explains. "Neither was Frank. We escaped pretty quickly. Well, escaped from this place at least. I think we're still running though, aren't we?"

"I guess so," I say, doubt creeping into my voice. It's the same worry that's run through my mind from the moment I stepped out of the door of the Facility. We left in the midst of tragedy, running away, scattering through the woods, knowing that our pursuers were right on our tail. But we had hoped, prayed for so long that we were a step ahead of them. It's almost the final blow for me, the realization that no, we haven't. They've been ahead of us, following our every move, waiting for us to drop our guard, thinking we've won before they strike.

"It'll be okay," Gerard soothes. "No matter how bad you think it is now, it'll get better, I promise. When we look back on today, it'll seem like a dream, or a nightmare when right now every moment weighs like the entire world."

I can't help but marvel at his strength. He and Frank have managed to keep fighting for so long. Through so many losses, through so much pain, the two of them have fought, keeping their heads held high. They pulled each other up, not letting each other surrender. Yes, of course their doubts wavered as fears seeped in. But they managed to push through, sacrificing everything to build a better world for us. They could have run, disappeared into the world and left the rest of us to die. But instead, they fought, trying to save all of us.

I want to say more, but the door opens again and several figures enter the room. Gerard flashes me a comforting glance as he's led out of the room.

Be strong, he tells me. I give him a curt nod as he turns away from me. I cran my neck to watch him as he goes, but he disappears around the corner, to a part of the Facility I've never been before.

As the door closes, the silence seems louder than before. The walls in the Study room seem to taunt me, pressing closer and closer around the edges of my vision as I lower my head into my hands, closing my eyes. I wonder what Gerard is doing right now, where they took him. I wonder where Vic is, where all the others are and what they're doing. It's hard to keep track of time, with the lack of windows or clocks, but I think almost a day must have passed by now. I haven't seen any of them yet, so they must still be free. The knowledge comforts me a bit as I chew on the inside of my lip, tasting the metallic tang of blood. They're still free, but for how long?

I start to nod off, my eyelids growing heavy. It's sweltering in the room, sweat prickling under my arms as I stand up, trying to keep myself awake. I swear the temperature of the room has risen since Gerard left, the air nearly shimmering with heat. I shake out my arms and legs, staring at the light until my eyes hurt. I don't want to be asleep if the guards come back. Who knows what the hell they might do to me?

But I am exhausted. At last I give up, leaning against the wall and closing my eyes. The last time I slept, the house, Vic, everything seems so far away right now. I can barely imagine the world outside, just layers and layers of gray concrete trapping me inside. What did the sky even look like? What did the cold breeze feel like against my skin? It's as if I'm shrinking, becoming the boy who was here so long ago.

It's not long before I've slipped into sleep, lost in the daydreams of past memories as I try to escape from the pressing harshness of reality.