A Flare Of Sorrow

by Elodie Colt

  This was sick.

  I wasn’t afraid of death. Hadn’t been since Shawna left me. I always told myself that whatever kind of death fate had in store for me would be warranted. But not like this… I wouldn’t die down here in a bunker no one else knew about, letting my corpse rot on top of a mass grave. I’d rather get strangled by Cassie.

  We crossed the entire area until reaching the left side of the U-shape where Gordon pushed us through the first door. Blinding lights made me squint my eyes, but it took me barely a second to realize where I was. A hospital wing—big enough for at least one hundred cots filling every free space.

  A man in a white coat fingered with the utensils on a silver plate, and I froze as I recognized syringes, pincers, tweezers, and other wicked objects. My hands started to shake making the manacles clank against each other.

  “No need to be afraid.” Dorian’s playful voice made me spin around. “We won’t hurt you. Not today,” he added with a wicked grin on his face. “We’ll just take some tests. Please sit down.” He nodded to the nearest bed. I didn’t move, but Gordon shoved me forward giving me no other option than to plop down on the cot.

  Gordon opened my manacles and stepped back to stand next to Cassie, who didn’t look at me. I wondered if she’d sat on the same bed as me enduring only God knew what.

  “This is Martin, one of our best Watchers. He’ll do the tests,” Dorian explained as the man in the white coat approached, removing my jacket and restraining me to the manacles on the cot—each foot and hand. It took everything not to start kicking violently. “Don’t make this difficult, Haylie, or we’ll have to begin anew, which would only waste precious time.”

  “What do you mean?” I hissed, warily eyeing the cart with equipment Martin wheeled across the floor.

  “I don’t want to drug you again. It would falsify the test results. The tests also won’t work if you have any injuries because of the high amount of lymph, so I need you to be in a perfectly healthy condition.” This was why Gabby had healed me. And not Cassie.

  The first tests were harmless. Fingerprints and saliva and hair samples followed by an eye scan. For this one, they rolled some machine next to me and used the swinging arm to position it in front of my face. After Martin pressed a button, the machine started to give off light impulses in fast, regular intervals, reminding me of the strobe lights used in clubs. I recoiled as the harsh light burned my eyes, but Martin held me in place.

  “Keep your eyes open as long as possible. The light will activate the Flare.”

  I did as he asked as Martin took a seat opposite me, studying my eyes closely and occasionally taking notes. He said something to Dorian, but I could only make out snippets like ‘wavelength,’ ‘heterochromia,’ and ‘electric impulse.’

  After the test was over, Martin lifted a syringe—its needle nearly as long as my hand—and this was when I started to squirm despite my restraints. Martin ignored me and shoved the needle into my forearm, making me hiss out in pain. He tapped it a few times with his fingernail to get the blood flowing, and I watched the red liquid as it rushed through the plastic tube to then fill a transparent pouch that was big enough to contain nearly half a gallon of liquid.

  “What are the tests for?” I asked Dorian as we all waited for the bag to fill with my blood. “Please don’t tell me you’re trying to clone me.”

  Dorian scratched his stubble as he watched the monitor Martin sat in front of. “We may have made huge progress in medical research the last few decades, but cloning never worked. No. I’ve found a, let’s say, more lucrative business, and you will be my main subject.” The way he said it, one would think I should feel flattered to be picked as Dorian’s trophy.

  “And I guess the end justifies the means?” I tried to get him to continue talking, to squeeze every ounce of information out of him, but it got more and more difficult to speak with the amount of blood leaving my system. The bag was already half full.

  “Oh please, spare me the moral bullshit,” he spat. “Evolution brought us to where we are now and gave us the intelligence needed to do great things, which is what I do. Everyone else is a waste of potential.”

  I pumped my fist as my hand started to prickle. My head spun, and perspiration trickled from my hairline down my jaw. Gordon still towered behind Cassie, standing guard like the loyal dog he was. Cassie’s eyes were riveted on the opposite wall, her expression unreadable, her thoughts probably far away.

  “All right, we’re done,” Martin announced, tying off the blood bag and removing the needle from my skin.

  “Just one more test, Haylie,” Dorian informed me, but everything until now had been child’s play compared to what awaited me at last as Martin rolled a seat next to my cot, one that looked dangerously like the ones in a gynecologist’s office.

  “No,” I uttered, my head already shaking.

  “We just need a vaginal swab. Harmless.”

  A what? They wanted me to let them poke around in there? Were they insane?

  Martin opened my restraints and helped me up. I shoved him away, but the blood loss made me weak, and I tumbled to the side. Martin’s hand on my upper arm kept me from toppling over.

  “No,” I repeated adamantly when he steered me toward the metal monstrosity.

  “Haylie, I suggest you be cooperative,” Dorian warned.

  “Only over my dead body,” I hissed.

  “What about hers?” Dorian asked as if he’d expected my answer, striding over to where Cassie stood.

  Cassie’s eyes narrowed to slits as she gave Dorian a hostile glare. This was the reason why they’d brought Cassie, and maybe also why she was still alive. They were using her as leverage to make me cooperative.

  “I don’t care about her,” I said with as much determination as I could muster. “You surely know we never got along.”

  “Then you’ve got nothing to lose.”

  With a nod in Gordon’s direction, the guard grabbed Cassie’s wrist, twisting it until her bandaged fingers were raised high behind her back. He put enough pressure on them to make Cassie cry out in pain, fresh blood seeping through the fabric. Gordon drew his knife, holding it at the right angle needed to cut off her fingers.

  “No!” I shouted in horror. “Wait, I’ll… I’ll do it,” I mumbled in defeat. It didn’t matter, anyway. I doubted they’d stop their tests if they disposed of Cassie.

  “I thought so,” Dorian cackled in an arrogant tone, motioning for Gordon to release Cassie. She looked at me with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

  I stared at the ceiling as they heaved me upon the torturous seat, and Martin started to unbuckle my jeans. “I don’t want him to watch,” I whispered with a nod to Gordon.

  “Ah, don’t worry about him. He won’t look,” Dorian said nonchalantly, the answer causing Gordon to grin with a devilish twinkle. They wanted to humiliate me, playing psycho games to make me pliable. Cassie shot me a pitiful look as Martin removed my underwear before placing my feet in the stirrups, opening me up for everyone to see.

  I closed my eyes, trying to recall happy moments of my life as Martin fumbled around. I let my mind wander to Shawna and my parents, to Lauren and her sweet smile, to Sarah and Chris who always cheered me up, to Dylan, and how his arms had felt around me. Warm. Safe.

  Would he come for me? I could easily picture him turning the whole country upside down to find me. I only hoped I could hold on long enough.

  “It’s over,” Martin announced.

  “Convenient to skip the razor, huh?” Dorian commented while I jumped off the seat I’d hopefully never occupy again. Quickly, I hopped into my clothes.

  “What?”

  “Oh, you haven’t noticed? After the Awakening, Naturals won’t grow unnecessary hair anymore. And I’m not just talking about the legs,” he added with a nod to my crotch, a knowing grin playing on his lips.

  I acted before I could think and spat him in the face, my saliva hitting his eyebrow. He didn’t even flinch, but his fist con
nected with my nose before I was able to react.

  A sickening crunch echoed through the room, the pain doubling me over. It made my eyes water, and I held my hand over my nose, blood pouring between my fingers.

  Unrelenting fingers grabbed my hair, and I was roughly yanked up. “You keep forgetting,” Dorian drawled in a dangerously low voice, “that I know about everyone who lives in your precious compound. Who do you want me to kill first, huh?” Another sharp pull, and I grunted in pain as my scalp protested, dots staining my vision. “Sarah? Lauren? Or maybe… Dylan?”

  Familiar shivers ran along my spine announcing the Bluster, but it never came. The blood loss made me sick, and I was forced to bend over and heave out my empty stomach.

  After we were back in our cell, Gabby granted me her healing. Next, Gordon set my nose straight, mindful not to be too gentle. I was close to biting down on his hand and severing a finger or two, just like he’d threatened to do with Cassie.

  “Here,” Gabby said in a soft voice, offering two granola bars. “You need sugar.”

  “Would you heal Cassie, too?” I pleaded with her, nodding to Cassie’s bloody fingers.

  “I’m not allowed. And I…” She paused, swallowing hard, “... can’t grow back nails.”

  I choked on the caramel of my granola bar, feeling instantly sick again. I threw Cassie a look of horror, but she averted her eyes as if nothing in the world could hurt her anymore. “They… they pulled out your nails?”

  Her silence answered my question. Jesus Christ, this was worse than the torture methods from medieval times. They would never let us out of here alive. Even if I made it through their tests—either they’d kill me, or they’d force me to work for them. Both were not options.

  I was wrong. Patience would get me nowhere. We needed to get out of here as quickly as possible, and Gabby was our only chance.

  A quick glance at the window assured me that Gordon had his back to us. I used the time Gabby kneeled in front of me to snatch the pen and notepad clipped to her coat and scribbled as fast as I could.

  Rising smoke was already visible from afar when we hit the hilly way up to the southern entrance of the compound. My heart sank when we came to a halt directly in front of a gaping hole in the ground.

  “Jesus,” Chris mumbled as we took in the destruction.

  Concrete, stone, and metal were scattered everywhere, some surfaces blotted with bloodstains. Chris pressed a hand to his mouth when both our eyes fell on the same thing—a severed arm crushed under a rock—bone and sinew visible. The fingernails were painted with nail polish. A woman’s arm. Kim or Patricia…

  Grief filled me, clawing at my heart. I’d seen my fair share of torn body parts in battles, but no matter how often you see it, it always strikes you dead center.

  Ian was still in his massive Shifter form and lifted heavy rocks to free the entrance. Gathering from the greenish tint on his face, he was having a hard time not to throw up. I couldn’t blame him.

  Slapping Chris on his shoulder, I indicated to get going. He nodded before we both stepped out of the car, the scent of burned flesh hitting us. Cole jogged toward us, his clothes dirty with blood and dust.

  “The others?” I wanted to know as soon as he was in hearing range.

  “I told them to stay inside. There’s no exiting through here, anyway,” he added with a nod to the tunnel in ruins. “Lauren is taking care of Scott and Sarah.”

  “Good.” My jaw hardened as I asked in a less steady voice, “Haylie?”

  Cole gave me a pitiful look, slowly shaking his head. I nodded, my eyes finding the ground before I lifted my head again, taking in the destruction. Tamara wore a nose clip as she helped Ian to get rid of the mess. Understandable. A Tracer would certainly go insane smelling the scent of burned body parts.

  “You should join the others and make sure they’re okay. I’ve got this,” Chris said as he tore off a strip of his T-shirt to wrap it around his injured knee. I nodded and sprinted off, crossing the cemetery to enter the compound through the northern wing.

  When I rushed into the control room, Scott sat in a chair, his head tilted back, and a handkerchief pressed onto his nose. Sarah hovered over him with her hands on either side of his head as she took care of his injury.

  “Dylan,” Lauren exclaimed with audible relief, jumping out of her seat and hurrying toward me. Her eyes were swollen from crying and her hair disheveled from ruffling through it too many times. She crashed into me, hugging me tightly and taking me completely off guard. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whined into my torn shirt.

  After the shock wore off, I rested a hand on her head in a comforting gesture. I knew she was as worried about Haylie just as I was. “I’m fine.”

  She pulled away, sniffing. “Chris?”

  “Outside with the others.” She nodded, hanging her head.

  “Ow!” Scott yelled at Sarah, his voice muffled by the handkerchief pressed against his nostrils.

  “Uh, shut up. Healing a broken bone is painful. And you want this one to heal properly if you want to keep your ability sharp,” Sarah snapped, and it sounded as if she’d already gotten an earful from Scott.

  “Are you two okay?” I asked.

  Sarah slapped Scott’s hand away to get a better view of his nose, checking it from every angle before facing me. Her eyes were bleary, most likely the after-effects from the narcotic.

  “Sure. Just made a face-plant that broke my nose and took a nap while the compound blew up,” Scott muttered sarcastically, scrunching his nose to test that it sat correctly. He made a sour face as if disgusted by the smell of blood in his nostrils.

  Sarah rolled her eyes, clearly running low on patience with nursing Scott. “Any idea who managed to break into the compound to drug us?”

  “No one. But there’s one person missing, isn’t there?” I smacked my lips, watching as Sarah’s eyes grew wide.

  “Phil,” she concluded in horror.

  “No way,” Scott yelled. Jumping out of his seat, he rushed to the corner where the attacker had used the camera’s blank spot. He sniffed, going over every inch of the wall. “That bastard,” he muttered after a minute. “His scent lingers here.”

  “This also explains how the explosives were placed without us noticing,” Sarah mused.

  “But what about Cassie?” Lauren interjected, her voice turning darker at saying her name. I, myself, found it difficult to keep my temper in check.

  “She was in cahoots with Phil. He used the explosion to draw the guards away from the northern entrance so Cassie could snatch Haylie and escape with her.”

  “But why set off a second bomb?”

  “The second went off just in time as the other guards arrived at the southern entrance. It was meant to dispose of them. Whoever is behind this wants to see our numbers reduced.” Just like we reduced Dorian’s.

  “Do you think it’s more than the two of them behind it?”

  “Believe it or not, but this reeks of Dorian.”

  “Cassie and Phil are working for Dorian? Please tell me this is a joke.”

  I heaved a deep sigh rubbing three fingers over my forehead. “I don’t know. Listen, we need to get things in order quickly. Jimmy gave me the responsibility for now. He’s in the hospital, and Josh and Jared are staying with him. We don’t have enough guards left. This compound isn’t safe anymore. We need to get the students out of here. Could you two inform the parents and see to it that the students leave as soon as possible?” I addressed Lauren and Sarah, who both nodded. “Scott, have a look at Jimmy’s files. He was in contact with other compounds nearby. Make some calls and see if they can spare some Roes for us. And I wouldn’t mind getting one more Regenerator.”

  “Why not ask Serena for more?”

  “And wait days for her department’s approval?” I shook my head. “We need proper security quickly.” Not that I anticipated another attack soon. They already had what they wanted…

  “Understood,” Scott said
, turning to Jimmy’s desk and getting to work.

  I heaved another sigh as I deflated into my usual seat in front of the monitors and frustratingly raked my hands through my hair. I was fucking tired, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to close an eye before I found her.

  Going through the recent footage, I watched what had happened inside the compound over the last few hours. I replayed the recordings a dozen times, but nothing gave me a clue where to start.

  How could Cassie have played us like that? How could she have played me like that? I refused to believe that she resented Haylie so much to want her out of the picture like this.

  And what about her pregnancy? Wouldn’t it be wise to keep low and put battling on pause for the next few months? Or did she not care if her unborn baby was put in danger? Doubtful. Cassie could be cruel, but she had a good heart when it mattered.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket—a text message from Josh. “Surgery went well. Jimmy is okay, he’ll be able to leave in a few days.”

  I sighed in relief. At least one good piece of news today.

  “I’ve found two compounds nearby that would be willing to help us out,” Scott announced.

  “Good. See to it that the guards will be stationed before nightfall,” I ordered before heading to Lisa’s room. I hoped the others had already filled her in on what happened to Jimmy. I didn’t want to be the one to break it to her.

  Just as I was about to knock, the door flew open, and Lisa swung herself at me. “Dylan, thank God!”

  “I’m fine,” I told her, just as I’d told Lauren, returning her hug and drawing comfort from her soothing aura.

  “Not really,” Lisa sadly remarked as she pulled back. “One more ounce of this rage wreaking havoc inside you, and you’re gone for good.”

  Of course, she’d feel my turbulent vibrations. I needed to keep it together. This time, Haylie wasn’t around to save me from the Bluster. Actually, she was the only reason I was still on the sane side. If I lost focus, if I lost myself now, I’d lose her.