Conquer

Chapter 29:

I was standing alone in a forest, surrounded by hundreds of men with guns. I felt panic growing in my chest. I was surrounded and had no where else to go.

No where to run.

No where to hide.

There was no where.

"Jordyn, you have no choice but to come with us now!" a voice shouted from somewhere in the crowd. I tried to find the voice. My eyes darted around me, looking for something. I was unsure of what I was looking for but I was looking for something.

"Please don't do this," said with my voice quivering, "Please, you don't have to do this!"

"Get on your knees, hands behind your head!" shouted a different voice. I had no choice but to do what I was told.

I slowly got on my knees, my entire body shaking. I felt fear pulsing through my veins. Pressure was building in my skull. I tried to calm myself.

"Fire!" shouted a voice.

"NO-" I was cut off. A sudden pain exploded from every inch in my body.

I woke with a panicked breath. My throat was sore and I tasted blood in the back of my mouth. Everything around me was dark and blury. The air was stale and smelt thick with chalk.

I tried to sit up, but something was holding my limbs down, as well as my neck and abdoman. I could still manage to turn my head.

I looked to my left to see Max strapped to a metal table. Max had no shirt on, only gauze wrapped around his lower waist. His eyes were closed and he looked to be sleeping.

I then looked at myself. My chest was wrapped in gauze, as well as the lower part of my waist. My skin had grown pale. But I was also clean and free of wounds.

I looked from myself to my right.

Jed was there. Jed was also strapped down to a metal table. He was in gauze as well. I also noticed that Jed's eyes were open.

"Jedediah-"

"Shut it," Jed hissed in a whisper, "They're watching."

I was going to speak again but his tone was forcing. And I could tell that he wasn't suggesting either.

A shout of pain erupted to my left. I turned my head quickly. It was Max.

Someone in light blue was standing over him, putting a blade to his arm. The person was carefully opening his arm with the blade. Max was cringing in pain, letting out sounds of agony. His hazel eye and blind eye watering in a confused pain.

"What's going-"

"Jordyn, shut up!" Jed hissed again. I took my eyes from Max; the sight of his pain was causing a pain of my own in my chest.

I closed my eyes for a moment, allowing myself to lose to confusion yet again. I couldn't tell what was going on. The Outsiders were definitely trying to hurt us in a way that I had yet to figure out.

When I opened my eyes, a man was hovering above me. He had a doctors mask over his mouth and nose and glasses in front of his eyes.

"Section 124, subject Jordyn Miram Lovell. Injection stable, let's give her some sight," the man said, his words muffled by his mask. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

A sudden burst of pain emitted from my right arm. I felt blood seep its way out of my arm, staining my pale skin.

What are they doing to my arm?

I watched as the man and two others began placing a liquid into the wound that they created; a blood and clear liquid mixture began dripping onto the floor.

What are you doing?

I felt extremely confused and tired. And after a few moments, the man had walked to Jed.

I looked to Max, whom was now looking at me. I stared at him oddly, half expecting him to know what was going on.

Max opened his mouth slowly to speak. He began moving his mouth but no words were making their way out of his mouth. I continued to stare, waiting for the sound.

I caught on after a moment. I was supposed to be reading his lips. I focused more on his mouth.

Phase... you... Jed... beast... Hugo... were the only words that I could make out. I wondered his words, trying to make sense of the ones that I understood.

I wanted to reach out for Max. I wanted him to be closer to me. But I wanted to know what was going on even more.

Suddenly, Nathan spoke, Jordyn, be careful. They're watching you.

I couldn't build up the strength to reply. I was not able to focus well enough. But his words were made into a warning, which I listened to.

I looked from Max to Jed. Jed's arm was bleeding as well. He had the familiar pain in his eyes. His body was sweating as he inhaled and exhaled angrily.

I turned my attention to the ceiling above me. A familiar sleepiness was growing stronger in my system. I didn't want to sleep. I wanted to know what was going on around me. I wanted to know why I trusted them enough to house and feed us.

Everything had finally seemed to be okay. Or well enough for us to escape. I had hope that we would be able to wake Faye from her death. I had hope that we would be able to live a real life and put all of this behind us.

It seems as though the things I was hoping for were the things that are going to destroy me instead. I was becoming too happy, which should have been the first sign of something going wrong.

I put the Conquerors through this. I dragged them through Survival. Conquerors died. I was the fool in this case. I was the lab rat. I was the failed example. I was the false leader.

I was no more than a lie.

How could I have expected to conquer? When I thought that I had won, I had done the exact opposite. I now know that Katelyn was right to stay within Survival. She was smart. She was the one that the Conquerors should have looked up to and listened to.

I was afraid. I thought I was strong, but it was only the surface that was. I could only hope that the Conquerors would forget the wrong that I'd done. Forgetting all the hurt I placed on them; hoping someone could come and save them from the Outsiders.

Without warning, I fell into a deep sleep. A sleep that I was somewhat thankful for. Yet, a sleep I had dreaded.

You need a plan, was all I heard before I was out.