Escape from Eden (Original Series book 2)

by Rachel McClellan

  I hate that I'm here. I hate that I haven't seen Ebony yet. I need to find a way to get to her before I grow sicker. Everyone is counting on me. I imagine different scenarios, but after several minutes, my mind grows fuzzy. I can't seem to form a rational thought. The fuzz turns to darkness until the whole world goes black.

  25

  A sound wakens me.

  "I already checked them twice," a voice says, clearly annoyed.

  "Check them again, Karen," a much colder and sharper voice responds. "We need to be sure her DNA is still pure."

  Ebony. I resist the urge to swallow. How close is she? I don't dare open my eyes to find out. I'm back on the bed, which means they moved me. Probably so they could clean up my mess. By the stronger-than-usual chemical smell in the room, they've cleaned it a lot.

  Karen speaks again. "The strain of the Kiss virus she has will not affect her DNA, but I will do as you ask."

  "Where would she have contracted the Kiss?" Ebony asks. "Especially a strain that was eradicated decades ago?"

  "We're not sure. Maybe it still exists in remote areas. She did say she had been living in the forest for some time."

  "Will it kill her?"

  My stomach swims again so I barely part my lips and breathe slowly, in and out.

  "The virus itself will not, but the side effects will. She will eventually grow so weak that even breathing will be difficult for her, but once we give her the cure she will recover quickly."

  "No cure," Ebony says. "Not until I say so, do you understand? I want this little witch to suffer as much as possible. She cost the Institute a lot of money and time." There's a heavy moment of silence, before she adds, "How soon until I can question her?"

  Heeled shoes click on the tiled floor toward me. "Her blood showed no traces of T-vax, so as soon as she wakes up, we will give her the truth serum and more anti-nausea medication. We don't want her throwing up anything we give her."

  "Don't wait for her to wake up on her own," Ebony says. "Give her what she needs so I can speak with her. I want to find out why she's here. I know she's hiding something."

  The faint smell of roses fills the air around me as the woman draws close, but it's quickly replaced by a repugnant odor that nearly burns my nostrils. My eyes fly open, and I suck in a deep breath. Karen is holding a smelly cloth just under my nose, but moves it when she sees me awake.

  I turn my head away from her. The movement hurts deep inside my bones, which means I can feel pain again. It hasn't been a full twenty-four hours yet, so how can that be? The room grows cold.

  "Sit up," Karen says.

  It takes great effort, but I do what she says. I grind my jaw together to keep from showing how much pain I'm actually in. I've never felt this ill in all my life. I lift my gaze and wipe the sweat from my brow. Ebony is standing as far away as she can in the small room. Two guards, dressed in black suits both with black hair and a red streak on the left side, stand in front of her. Their eyes are red in color telling me they are Raids, a new and rare species of Primes created specifically by the Institute. They are touted as the perfect soldier: strong, loyal, and intelligent with the ability to not feel emotions.

  I'm half-tempted to make a mad leap for Ebony, but I know I would never make it past the guards.

  "Ms. Radkey," she says. My name has never sounded so sharp. "You are the only Original to ever surprise me."

  I lower my head back down, not sure how to respond. Karen pushes the gown up from my knee. Without any warning, she plunges a needle into my thigh. I suck air into my nose at the sting. Warmth fills my tissues and spreads to the rest of my body, instantly relaxing me. The sensation takes away some of my achiness.

  "And this one," Karen says, holding up another needle, "will help with your nausea." She injects it into my other thigh and leaves the room.

  "Get her up," Ebony snaps.

  The two Raids approach me and take hold of my arms, easily lifting me from the table. The landing is rougher than I expect, and I gasp. My nausea is gone but my whole body feels like I haven't eaten in weeks. And I'm incredibly hot. At least the loose gown allows cool air to circulate around me.

  "Follow me," she orders.

  The room spins as they drag me forward and out the room after Ebony. I do my best to keep my feet in front of me but every few steps I stumble. Only their vice-like grips on my arms keep me from falling.

  Ebony walks several feet ahead. Even if I got a burst of energy, I don't think I could reach her before the Raids stopped me. All I need is a hair sample or some blood. I pick up my pace to see just how close I can get to her, but the Raids jerk me back to walk in line with them. I'll have to look for another opportunity.

  I turn my attention to my surroundings, hoping I might find a way out when the time comes. Surprisingly, the hallways are mostly empty unlike when I was here before. Doors to other rooms are all closed, and I hear no movement from within them. Where is everyone?

  Ebony stops in front of a black door at the end of the hallway and reaches inside her pocket.

  "There's a lot going on in the city today," she says. "And I think it's all tied to your arrival. You create a storm wherever you go, Ms. Radkey."

  She unlocks the door and opens it wide. I do not want to go into that dark space, but I have no choice. The two men are pushing me forward. I focus on my breathing, slow and steady.

  The room I stumble into smells like it has been cleaned a thousand times. The chemicals fill my lungs until I cough.

  "Keep walking," one of the men says. He's the only one to speak. The other Raid has yet to say a word. His silence frightens me.

  I shuffle to where I think they want me to go – to the back of the room where a hard chair is bathed in light. Across from it rests another chair and a small table. At least the room is bigger than I thought. I breathe a sigh of relief.

  "Sit there," the abrasive man barks, pointing to the chair. His eyes seem redder somehow.

  I don't move right away. I'm looking around for something that may help my situation, either to escape or to defend myself, if that were even possible with how weak I am.

  The silent Raid shoves me forward into the chair. My hands grab the back of the seat to stop my face from smacking into it. Before I can correct my position, Mr. Silent jerks me around and slams me into the seat, knocking the air from my lungs. I suck in short breaths until I can finally inhale a full one while he ties my wrists to the armrests. The sharp cord cuts into my skin, and I curl my lips in tight to prevent myself from crying out.

  Think of something else. Be somewhere else. I silently say these words over and over, my gaze focused on the ceiling. But the sting on my wrists and the bone-deep achiness all over my body prevents me from being anywhere else but in the present.

  Inhaling quick breaths to the point of hyperventilating, my head lobs forward. Ebony stands at the back of the room, scowling at me.

  "What are you guys going to do to me?" I gasp. "I came to you for help!"

  Ebony's laughter suffocates the air in the room. "You are a liar. You came here to get something from us, and I'm going to find out what."

  "That's not true," I plead. "I'm tired of running. I'm tired of feeling like I'm going to die. Please just help me! I'll give you my DNA every day for as long as I live. I just want to feel better and have a safe place to stay."

  While I am speaking, the talkative Raid leaves the room, but returns a moment later wheeling in a narrow cart with all kinds of medical-looking instruments on its top; light glimmers off their silver handles. Only one item is out of place—a black box the size of my hand. My heart races as the wheels squeak toward me. I speak faster.

  "You don't need to do this, Ebony! Please, I'll tell you whatever you want to know!" The panic in my voice brings tears to my eyes.

  Mr. Silent circles behind me to where I can't see him, but not before he grabs the black box from off the small cart. His powerful presence so close to me lifts the hairs on my arms.

  "Since we
are about to get very personal with each other," the talkative Raid says, pulling up a chair next to me, "I feel it's important you know my name. Everyone here calls me Sting, but I want you to know my real name, Thomas. Sage is yours, correct?

  "Please don't do this," I beg, but I'm staring at Ebony. She is the only one in the room with the power to stop what's about to happen.

  Her arms are folded tightly to her chest, and her mouth is a straight line. "You have information we want."

  "And I'll give it to you. Whatever you need!"

  "Let's begin with the basics, shall we?" Thomas interrupts. He's holding a thin pad, similar to the ones Techheads carry, but smaller. He's looking down at it when he asks, "Tell me your name."

  My eyes flash between him and Ebony, searching for… what? A speck of emotion? A moment of hesitation? But there is nothing there. They feel nothing for me.

  My shoulders drop in resignation. "My name is Sage Radkey."

  "And where are you from, Sage?"

  "Maine. By the coast."

  Thomas continues to stare at the pad in his hands as I answer his questions. I think whatever they injected me with is communicating my answers, the tone of my voice, heart rate, blood pressure, and whatever else to his little pad. This is how they know if I'm telling the truth. However painful the Kiss is, it’s worth it so they don't know I've also ingested T-vax, letting me lie to them without their special machine detecting it.

  "Is that where the Institute found you?" he asks.

  "Yes. A little over six months ago."

  "And who was found with you?"

  A lump the size of an apple swells in my throat. I try to swallow it but tears spring to my eyes instead. I think of Max in this moment. How trapped he must've felt inside his own body for all those years. My current restraints are small in comparison.

  "Answer the question," Thomas says, his tone threatening. "Who was with you?"

  "My brother."

  "Good. And who rescued you from the Institute the last time you were here?"

  His question throws me off guard. "No one helped me."

  Thomas's gaze lowers to the pad, but before he can say whether I'm lying or not, Ebony says, "Punish her."

  Behind me, Mr. Silent sounds like he's removing a lid from the box he grabbed earlier. He jerks open the back of my gown and presses something cold to my bare skin. The coolness quickly turns to a searing heat that races through my body, touching even my bones. I scream and arch my spine as much as the stiff chair will allow. He removes the box quickly. I slouch forward, gasping for air.

  "There's no way someone like you could have escaped the Institute without help," Ebony says.

  "Did…did you s-s-see anyone help me?" I stutter before I can stop myself. I should know better than to challenge her.

  "Punish her again," Ebony orders.

  I move away from the device as it's pressed to my skin, but there's nowhere to go. Intense heat fills me and settles deep into my abdomen. My jaw clamps down until I think it will break. Mr. Silent lifts the box from my skin, but the mind-numbing pain remains.

  "Lie to us again and your punishment will be much more severe," Ebony growls.

  "Once more," Thomas says. "Who helped you escape from the Institute?"

  My breaths come in tiny sips. It's difficult to concentrate with the amount of pain wracking my body, but I need to think clearly, need to choose my next words carefully.

  "I escaped from the roof," I say, speaking slowly, "by hiding on the cables beneath the walkway that leads to the next building."

  I pause. How much do I tell her? She will verify everything, including any names I give her.

  The box presses to me again, but no additional pain comes. Mr. Silent holds it there as a warning. I don't know why I'm hesitating. They already know about Anthony, Colt and Jenna. It's not like I would be betraying them, but for some reason it feels like I am. I do not want to say their names out loud.

  I hesitate too long. The box burns again, and the intense heat transmitting through me feels like it is liquefying my insides. I cry out and sob at the same time.

  "Not too long," Thomas warns, looking at Mr. Silent. "We can't have her dying on us quite yet."

  When Mr. Silent withdraws the box, my body slumps into the chair, and my head drops back. I'd give anything to suffer the side effects of the Kiss, instead of what I'm feeling now.

  "Last chance," Thomas says. "Answer or we'll try something more drastic."

  My gaze lifts to the camera in the corner. I hope they will understand. It's not like I'm admitting something they don't already know.

  "After I crawled out from under the bridge, I ran to the next building. To MyTalk where I met Anthony. With Colt's help, they snuck me out of the city."

  Thomas looks down at the pad and smiles. "Good. Now we’re getting somewhere."

  For the next thirty minutes, Thomas continues to ask me questions. Where did I go? Who else was involved? I mostly tell the truth, leaving out the part about Bram's involvement in giving us the colored contacts. He doesn't seem to notice. Occasionally Thomas will glance back at Ebony as if to tell her that I'm still speaking the truth.

  "Tell us what happened at the battle near the ocean," he asks me.

  This is the part where I'm going to have to lie a lot. "When I got separated from the group, I ran and hid. I didn't know what else to do. I wasn't strong enough to fight, and I didn't know where to go. I thought someone would come looking for me, but no one ever did." I pause for effect and lower my head. "So I did what I do best—survived in the forest. I found an abandoned cabin and lived there for several months, but then I got sick and came back to the city."

  "She's lying," Ebony says.

  I brace for the searing heat from the box again, but it doesn't come. Instead, Mr. Silent smacks the side of my head hard enough to rattle my teeth.

  "I'm not lying," I breathe. "Check your machine."

  "I don't care what it shows," Ebony says. "This witch is lying."

  "Tell us again where you've been these last six months," Thomas says, his voice sharp.

  "I already told you. Living in the forest."

  Ebony's gaze lifts to Mr. Silent. "Punish her."

  He presses the box to my back. I lean forward to get away from it, but the heat comes in a giant flash that seems to tear right through my brain. A wave of burning pain follows and races through my bloodstream, making my fingers and toes curl until they hurt. Through my clenched jaw, a great cry erupts.

  This is when I feel it. Something fractures in my brain, creating a deep and dark gully that reveals an ugly truth. I have grossly misjudged what I'm capable of handling. I am not strong. I am not smart. I am nothing.

  Before I'm finished, Ebony asks, her voice loud, "How did you get away from the fight?"

  "I r-ran," I say, hot tears rolling down my cheeks.

  With just a look from Ebony, Mr. Silent clocks me on the side of the head again. Stars explode into my vision. As much as I'm able, I try to think why Ebony doesn't believe me. Then I remember. When the Canine and I were fighting, we both went over the edge of the cliff. I would've died if Colt hadn't caught me before I hit the bottom. One of the Institutes guard's must've seen me go over, which means they all thought I was dead. No wonder I'm being treated so poorly. They really think I'm some sort of spy.

  Ebony opens her mouth to speak, but I interrupt her. "I think there's been a misunderstanding. I did run away, but not before I nearly died falling from a cliff with the Canine. At the last second, I caught myself on a root. I managed to climb down the rest of the way onto the beach. That's when I ran. I figured that was my best chance at survival."

  "If you hadn't run away, where would Tank and the others have taken you?" Thomas asks.

  "They never told me," I say, fear gripping my chest. This is the part of the interrogation I dread the most. I have to be strong and not give away anything.

  "I don't believe you," she says.

  My mind works quickly
. I need to give them something. "They mentioned Eden a couple of times, but it was never clear. They weren't very organized."

  "Where is Eden?" Thomas demands.

  I shake my head. "I don't know."

  "She's lying," Ebony says, her voice growing louder.

  Mr. Silent grabs the top of my shoulder and curls his fingers around my collarbone until I scream. I'm afraid he's going to rip it right from my body, but then he lets go. My head slumps forward, and I cry quiet hitched breaths, my thoughts dark and hopeless. I feel as if I'm trapped within that new crack in my brain and getting out may prove impossible.

  Thomas is staring down at the pad in his hands, his lips tightening. He rubs the scruff on his face. He seems to be confused by whatever it is he's interpreting. Finally, he looks up and sighs.

  "One way to find out for sure," Thomas says. He reaches over and grabs what looks like small tweezers, but thicker.

  "Please," I say between my cries. "I really don't know."

  Thomas takes hold of my hand with his left one. I try to pull away but his grip is too strong.

  "Mercy," I beg, my voice barely above a whisper. "Mercy, please."

  Thomas gives no indication that he's listening or cares. He moves the tool toward my fingers. I close my eyes tight. Be somewhere else. The forest. The Island. The city. Anywhere! Each of the locations flash in my mind, but I can't mentally grab onto one to ground me. I'm too stuck within the fracture of my mind.

  There's pressure on my fingertip, then a tug as my nail is ripped from its bed. I scream again, a horrible sound that bleeds with pain.

  "Quit screaming!" Ebony yells. "You're hurting my ears."

  Mr. Silent smacks the side of my head, nearly knocking me unconscious. Every nerve in my body is on fire, but somehow I manage not to cry out again. Fear of more pain stops me.

  "Where is Eden?" Thomas asks again.

  I can't speak. I'm breathing too fast to actually talk.