Paroxysm Effect

by Reynolds, Ashleigh

  The group ran past her hiding place without a glance in her direction as they shrieked into the night, dragging the body of the man that had attacked Gemi in the alley. He wasn’t moving or fighting back and Gemi prayed that his death had been swift.

  The hand left her mouth and joined the other arm wrapped around her mid-section. “Are you always looking to get killed?” he hissed in her ear.

  Gemi didn’t have to turn around to know it was Jaxton. “Well it’s not like I had an abundance of options once you guys ditched me.”

  “I looked back and you were gone,” he said as he spun her to face him. “I’ve been running around like crazy looking for you.”

  “Where’s the doctor?” Gemi asked feeling a knot tighten in her stomach once she realized he wasn’t with them.

  “He’s in that building across the way. I think it should be safe to make a run for it now. We can wait until it settles a bit before we head to the tunnels.”

  Jaxton let her go and glanced out into the road to make sure it was clear. “Just run ok?”

  They both took off for the building trying their best to land soft and not draw attention despite the fact that the roads were now silent. Their stalkers seemed to be occupied with their prize for the time being.

  The building was a mere feet ahead when pain unexpectedly lanced through Gemi’s leg causing her to cry out and stumble to her hands and knees. Her brain hardly had time to process what had happened before strong hands were one her, lifting her up and supporting her weight as they dashed the rest of the way to the building.

  The doctor was already waiting at the door. The moment they crossed the threshold he slammed the door shut and secured it with a thick board through the handles.

  “That won’t hold for long once they make it here,” he called out in toe of Jaxton.

  “What was that?” Gemi asked, her breath catching in her throat.

  “An arrow.” Jaxton set her down on her side.

  “Where the fuck did they find that?”

  “There is a hunting store nearby.”

  Doctor Askel pushed past him and fell to Gemi’s side. “Let’s take a look. Well, the good news is that it didn’t hit an artery.”

  “And the bad?” she asked through clenched teeth.

  “I lost the bag with the rest of our medical supplies and this is going to hurt like hell.”

  “Wonderful.”

  “I will need something to stop the bleeding, check the remaining bags.”

  Jaxton dumped the contents of the gear bags at his feet and started rifling through them.

  “That will work.” The doctor pointed at a box of fire starter. “We will have to do this the archaic way.“

  Jaxton lit a small fire beside them and Gemi watched the doctor place a knife into the flames. “Luckily for us, these produce a hotter than normal flame,” he said as he cut away the fabric of her pants to give better access to the wound.

  Jaxton’s arms wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her sides and pressing her face into his chest. She was surrounded by the smell of him and the steady rise and fall of his chest and for a split second forgot about everything happening around her. Then the pain started.

  Gemi felt her body pulling along with the arrow as the doctor worked to dislodge it. A muffled scream escaped her lips and Jaxton tightened his grip around her. “Shh, it’s ok.” His breath was hot on her ear causing her brain to battle for which sense it would focus on.

  All at once the pressure stopped and the arrow clattered to the ground beside her. She could feel blood soaking her clothes, but anything was better than having an arrow ripped from her body.

  “Hold her tight,” the doctor whispered to Jaxton. His arms tensed around her, crushing her and making it to where even if she wanted to move she wouldn’t be able to release herself.

  Doctor Askel removed the blade from the fire and without hesitating or letting it cool pressed the blade to her wound. The smell of burnt flesh surrounded them. Bile rose in her throat, fighting with the scream that poured out of her mouth. She fought, her arms useless to push him away. The pain was so much worse than she could have imagined.

  The world faded around her, blackness blocking out part of her vision. She blinked hard against it not wanting it to overtake her.

  “It’s ov…”

  “Breathe… ok…”

  Words floated into her head in fragments. She knew who was talking, but was unable to put the sentences fully together. There was no time for her to be weak, to lose consciousness. The people pursuing her would no dubitably know where they were now what with her screaming like a banshee. She forced herself to focus on Jaxton’s breathing, although quicker than it had been, it still came in steady rise and falls.

  The pain finally ebbed and Jaxton loosened his grip on her allowing air to enter her lungs at a normal rate.

  “You’re ok.” He pushed the sweat soaked hair out of her face cupping her chin in his hands.

  “We should go,” she croaked.

  His eyes wrinkled at the edges as he smiled down at her. “The doc is finishing his patchwork. Breathe for a second.”

  “No, we have to go, now.” Her still weak arms pushed him off of her, he didn’t fight back letting her crawl out of his lap. Gemi slid to a close crate and used to as support to lift to her feet. They wobbled slightly under her before steadying.

  “You should probably take a second,” the doctor said reaching out to her.

  “No! They will be coming. We have to go.”

  As if summoned, a dark form dropped from the rafters above landing behind Jaxton. In one swift motion something connected with the side of his head with a nauseating crack. Jaxton’s eyes rolled into his head as he dropped to ground motionless.

  Before Gemi or the doctor had a second to react, another person dropped in between them. A hand flew out, connecting with the side of Gemi’s face and sending her tumbling over the crate.

  The doctor moved towards her to help, making it only a few steps before a knife met with his throat. In one fluid motion it slide from one side to the other opening it wide and releasing a sickening spray of blood all over the ground.

  “Kai…” he gurgled as he grasped at his wound. The figure brought a hand high in the air and slashed at his chest the blade sinking in with little resistance.

  Doctor Askel slid to the ground, short strangled breaths racking his body for a few seconds before falling still.

  The stranger stepped out of the shadows and towards Gemi, reveling a familiar face with a twisted smile. Her hands were bathed in red and strung across her back was a crossbow and a quiver of green arrows.

  “Why?” Gemi asked as she pushed herself to her feet. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  Kai just laughed, whipping the bloody blade on her pants.

  Gemi glanced past her to the two figures on the ground. Jaxton was lying on his stomach with his hands tied behind him with Callum perched on his back, the barrel of a shotgun pressed against his throat tilting his head in their direction. He had just come back around, his weary eyes traveling from the doctor’s lifeless body to Gemi and Kai. His face held an expression that she had never quite seen almost as if he had finally broken.

  Kai followed her gaze and then turned back to Gemi. “Well, we couldn’t have him being your little guard dog now could we?” She took a step towards Gemi, her arm raised with the blade at the ready. Gemi reached for her thigh and the blade that Jaxton had secured there, but it was gone. She scanned the room frantically, finally settling on it lying by the fire. The doctor must have used it to cauterize her wound.

  Gemi shuffled to the left trying her best to keep as much space as possible between her and Kai. She needed a new plan. She just needed to make it to the gear bag and her gun.

  “You’re sick, ok.” Gemi put her hands in the air, feigning submissiveness as she continued towards the bag on the ground.

  “I’m not one of you if that’s what you’re implying.”
<
br />   “Sann didn’t know either, it’s ok.”

  A few more feet.

  “You silly, silly girl. I knew Sann was chipped. I work on the research team and I can tell you I am most definitely not chipped.”

  Gemi stuttered her steps. “Then why?”

  “Because I hate you. It’s simple really. You think you’re so much better than us, the non-chipped ones, even though we are the ones who control them and keep you safe. If anyone is better it’s us. You are nothing more than a science experiment.”

  Kai lunged at Gemi trying to catch her off guard, but she was ready. She sidestepped and using Kai’s momentum against her was able to force her to the ground with a quick shove. Kai let out a puff of air as her chest hit first and the knife went sprawling out of her hand.

  Gemi reached the bag and came up with the gun pointing it at Kai. The distinct sound of a shotgun being racked behind her pulled her gaze from Kai. Callum was standing, his foot pressed into Jaxton’s back with the shotgun muzzle on the back of his head.

  Kai laughed, evil and triumphant. She picked up the blade and walked to where Gemi stood, simply pushing the gun out of her face.

  “Throw the gun in the bag.” Kai demanded.

  Gemi glanced back at Jaxton then complied.

  “I’ll tell you how this is going to work. You are going to stand here and take it. Take whatever I do, do whatever I say because if you don’t there is going to be a large hole where dear Jaxton’s head used to be.” She lashed out with the knife and sliced open Gemi’s bicep. Gemi bit the inside of her cheek to keep from wincing. Kai’s smile widened. She knew she had won.

  “Now take this and stab yourself in the leg.” She handed her the knife. Kai was now unarmed. If she knew that she could take her and somehow save Jaxton she would have. Instead, she took the knife and jammed it hard into her thigh. Despite herself she cried out in pain.

  Kai didn’t wait a beat before backhanding her. She fell to the ground, her body felt as if it had been hit by lightning. Several points of injury now welled into one giant entity. It made her eyes water, her brain hazy.

  Kai’s foot rested on her ankle, her hand reached for the knife, ripping it from the meat of her thigh. Gemi screamed. Heavy sobs shook her body. The pain was too much, but the thought of how drug out this would be was so much worse.

  “Stand up!” Kai demanded.

  Gemi heard her, she did, but her brain could hardly process what she was saying. “I said stand up!” Kai grabbed her by her hair and forced her to a standing position. Gemi’s legs wobbled under her, her vision was blurry. Even if she could have fought back she would have been useless.

  Gemi let out a gasp as she felt the blade penetrate her stomach. Kai grabbed her by the back of the neck not wanting her to slip away. She removed the knife and plunged it in again this time twisting as the hilt was flush with her body.

  “No!” Jaxton screamed, fighting against Callum as he tried to knock him off.

  “I’m going to kill him next,” Kai whispered in Gemi’s ear as she plunged the blade in her again.

  Gemi grasped at Kai’s jacket trying desperately to stay upright as the blade sunk in her once more, this time higher and at angle. She could feel her lung collapse in her chest as the blade was removed.

  The world pressed on her, her breath now coming in bursts as her one working lung struggled to supply enough oxygen. Far off she could make out the sound of shouting; Kai had stopped her attack and was now pointing the blade in Jaxton’s direction her mouth spewing out words that Gemi couldn’t quite make out. Her mind shouted at her to grab Kai’s blade from her, to slide the blade across her throat as she had done to the doctor, but an icy numbness had crept up her limbs rendering them useless.

  Gemi fell to the ground as her grip in Kia gave way. The motion brought Kai’s gaze back to her. She smirked at her, “Pathetic…” The word tumbled around in her head not quite making any sense.

  The numbness spread to her stomach finally blocking out the searing pain from her wounds. Gemi’s eyes were heavy, begging her to close them, but her brain still frantic kept them open.

  Gemi slid her hand off to the side where the gear bag lay mere inches from her now outstretched fingers. Kai caught on to what she was attempting and brought the blade down on her hand pinning it to the earth like a tent stake. Gemi moaned, the only sound she was able to make even though her head was screaming. Screaming and begging for her to kill her.

  Kai reached into the bag and brought out another knife along with Gemi’s gun. She weighed them both in each hand staring at them as she decided which she wanted to use to inflict more pain. She returned holding the blade, obviously wanting to drag this out as much as possible.

  Kai slid the blade up Gemi’s pinned arm her hand shaking from the pressure she used. Her icy limb turned to fire as blood began pooling around it before soaking into the dirt, staining it a bright red.

  Gemi’s head lulled to the side although blurry now she could still see Jaxton struggling with Callum. He had flipped on his back and had him in a headlock with his legs. The gun was on the ground off to the side.

  Kai sensing the urgency slammed the knife down in the center of Gemi’s chest. She followed through with another set of quick thrusts.

  Blood bubbled up into Gemi’s mouth causing her to choke and gag on it. She could feel her life draining out of her quickly now. Her brain fought it, told her to get up to protect Jaxton, but in a moment of sheer weakness and self-preservation she let go of the thread that was holding her onto this world.

  The world faded around her, the last thing her eyes took in was Jaxton screaming silently at her before the world went cold and dark.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The sound of beeping grew louder, a rhythmic comforting sound. It drew Gemi from the darkness, letting light sharpen the edges of her memory. The blood, the anger, the searing pain that ripped through her hit her all at once.

  Gemi fought to move, to fight the onslaught of the blade, but her limbs lay there motionless not responding to her will to protect herself. She tried to scream, but her voice abandoned her as well. So she stood there feeling the blade ravage her insides over and over. She saw the frantic look in Jaxon’s eyes as he tried to get to her, unable to stop the relentless blade. The doctor lay motionless at her feet, blood surrounding him as the gash in his throat refused to stop bleeding long after his heart stopped.

  ***

  Was she in hell? Would she be damned to forever relive the worst moments of her life?

  The cold spread over her body then as life left it. Her legs fell out from under her unable to bear the weight of her life any longer. Was that why she couldn’t use them? They had given up first, betrayed her when she needed them to run, to carry her far away. They hadn’t made it to base yet.

  The knife continued, but she couldn’t really feel it any more. Each thrust reminded her she had failed that their whole journey had been a waste. That she had caused the death of the only two people she ever considered friends. Friends despite the fact that they thought she was crazy. Friends despite the fact that she was weak and brittle and unmanageable. Friends because in a world where there is nothing and no one left you have to hang on to what you have.

  Her chest became heavy. Liquid flowed and into her throat warm and tacky, blocking any attempt to bring air into her lungs. Was she suffocating on her own blood? Of all the ways to be killed with a knife…

  The beeping was unbearable now, no longer comforting. It grew faster, erratic, causing a ringing in her head that wouldn’t stop. It beeped in a way that reminded her she was forgetting something important.

  She was tired now all she needed was sleep. After all they had been through she deserved at least that. She closed her eyes welcoming in the cold stillness of her world. Her body no longer hurt.

  The beeping wouldn’t let her rest. It intruded the silence, pulling her back out every time she felt the world finally closing in around her. She tried to force her e
yes back open to see where it was coming from, but they resisted, heavier than she ever thought they could be.

  It beeped. She needed to do something, but what was it? It beeped. There was something she was forgetting. It beeped filling her head with a buzzing that pushed everything else out, taking over the memories she had from her last few weeks on earth.

  With her last bit of strength she focused her energy willing her eyes to open to find that damn beeping. It was racing, barely a pause in its pattern. She would never be at peace with it in her ear.

  Gemi’s eyes flew open at last, temporarily blinded by the florescent light that shone back in them. She wasn’t in hell.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Gemi squinted against the bright light letting her eyes slowly adjust to her surroundings. Her vision was still blurry, fuzzy around the edges, her eyes aching with every movement. She tested her limbs, flexing and relaxing her feet then moving her way up the rest of her body checking each muscle group. Surprisingly, she didn’t feel as bad as she thought she would for surviving what had happened.

  Gemi lifted her head slightly still squinting against the light as she surveyed her surroundings. The room she was in was unfamiliar. It had whitewash walls that somehow magnified the brightness of the lights and was completely lacking in any kind of wall decoration. The room for that matter was completely lacking in anything except the bed she lay in and a small side table to her left and one chair on her left. On her left she finally found where the infernal beeping that had brought her back around had been coming from. A small heart monitor that connected to her finger by a thin cord was illuminating with each beat of her heart.

  Someone must have found them after she had lost consciousness. But who? The thought made her heart race, which reflected loudly on the monitor.

  Gemi pushed herself to a seated position and after a moment where the world moved and shifted around her, she removed the various cords and tubes attached to her. The monitor flat lined as she tossed it to the bed. It was a slightly unnerving noise all things considered.