"Look here." The female doctor clicks on a small light, and holds up a finger. I do as she instructs, staring at her finger as she slowly moves it back and forth. I carefully follow it until she clicks the light off and lowers her hand.
"Perfect."
"How are my friends?" I ask the doctor.
"I'm sure they're fine, honey," she assures me.
We've been here for a few days. I have lost count, but I think it's been three days. The only person I've seen is Fabian. He comes to check on me every day. They won't let him see Neil either, or Dawn.
"When can I see Neil?"
"Soon. He's still recovering." The doctor holds up a syringe with a clear liquid inside and plucks it twice. "Your arm, please?"
I slowly back away from her, scooting across the cot. "What is that?"
"Just some medicine. For your wounds," she explains, her voice slow and consoling.
"But my wounds aren't that bad."
What is she trying to give me? She's never tried this before.
I shake my head, pushing myself as far away from her as possible. "I don't want it."
Her usual kind face turns nasty in a second. She scowls, eyes darkening. "I said, give me your arm!"
The doctor roughly grabs my arm, yanking me just about clear across the exam table with unimaginable strength. There's no way a small woman like her can be so strong. I yelp as her vice-like grip creates a harsh burn on my skin.
"What are you doing?!" I trill, trying to yank my arm out of her grip.
"Take your medicine!" She tries to jab the needle into my arm, but all my fighting and squirming around causes her to keep missing.
"Monique," a calm but very sharp voice interrupts our little scrap. A tall, blonde haired man enters, striding across the floor with a dangerous gait. The doctor immediately releases my arm and steps away like she'd been scalded.
"Doctor." Her voice shudders as she says the word, almost like she's scared of him or something. It's like a soft squeak now, not the nasty tone she was just using with me.
"What's going on?" He asks the question calmly, but I sense an underlying, cold maliciousness. He appears calm and polite, but in his eyes there's an icy and chilling anger lingering. I don't know what it is, but something about him terrifies me. And I don't even know who he is.
"The patient is refusing to take her medicine," she says, her throat bobbing.
Silently, the man holds out his hand to her, palm up. Monique stares at it for several seconds before finally relinquishing the syringe to him.
His long, pale white fingers curl around the small tube. "Thank you."
He walks behind her and places the syringe on a counter with other various medical instruments. "You may go."
"But-"
"Go." He doesn't yell the word, just simply says it, slowly and calmly, but it's a harsh and firm command.
Monique scrambles out of the room as fast as she can, swinging the door in a wide arch, and then it slams shut. The bang echoes in my ears for several seconds, and then a ringing begins. I stare at the strange man's back while a haunted feeling encapsulates my being, and then I wonder if I would have fared better with Monique. He may have stopped her from injecting me with whatever was in that syringe, but something tells me that he's worse.
"I apologize for my subordinate's behavior," he says, turning around to face me. "What is your name?"
"Carol," I say softly, shuddering.
His hair is really blonde, slightly wavy and somehow neatly messy. All of his features are perfect. He has a narrow face, with fine contours and zero blemishes. His lips are thin, curled in a smile but somehow there's a soft cruelty there. His eyes are a bright, cold and icy blue. Staring into them makes me shiver.
"Pleasure," he says, but it doesn't sound like a pleasure at all. He's wearing a simple white button up shirt and black slacks. As he walks up to me, he rolls up his sleeves to his elbows.
"I'm Keith." Reaching into his pocket he pulls out a pack of cigarettes. Slipping one out, he sticks it between his lips. "You don't mind, do you?"
I nervously shake my head, looking down. A lighter flicks, and then the acrid smell of cigarette smoke fills my nose. I crinkle it up, trying to ignore the smell. It smells sort of like clove.
"Where are my friends?" Liam, the guy who brought us here, hasn't shown up since.
"Neil is fine. He's recovered a lot since you've arrived. But he still needs his rest," Keith explains to me, taking a drag on his cigarette.
"And Dawn?"
"The girl has been adopted by a nice family. She will remain here with them. It's safer here, is it not?"
"I suppose..." Will it be safe here for Dawn? Maybe we made a mistake in coming here. I don't trust these people. Something just doesn't seem right.
"I understand your skepticism," Keith says, carefully picking up the syringe again. My body tenses, and I shift slightly on the cot. Why does he have that again? What's in that?
"But everything is going to be fine. You're safe now," he assures me.
"What is in that?"
He doesn't answer. He simply holds it up and presses slightly on the plunger. A little bit of the liquid squirts out.
"What is that?"
Keith pins me with a steely blue gaze. "We need to discuss your payment."
"Payment? What?" I blink in shock. What is he talking about?
"The payment for the medical services that you and your friends have received," he explains, approaching with the syringe.
"There's a payment?" I'm utterly flabbergasted by this news. How am I supposed to pay? Where's the currency in a world like this?
"Everything has a price. Even in this world."
"But I-I don't have any money!"
"Money is not the only form of payment, Carol," Keith tells me, his tone unnervingly steady. He's like a robot. It's creepy. "Now please. Remain still. It is time to administer your medicine."
I shake my head, slowly scooting further onto the cot. "I don't want that."
His blue eyes darken. Wordlessly, he snatches my arm and effortlessly yanks me off the cot. With a yelp, I collapse to the floor on my knees.
"Silence," he hisses, holding my wrist in a vice grip.
The pain is so great, I can't even make a sound. Holding the syringe in his other hand, he jabs it into my neck. I lurch and a choking sound wrenches out of my throat. My head suddenly feels really heavy. My entire body is tense, paralyzed. I can't move a muscle. What did he just give me?
"Carol? What is going on in here?" Fabian's familiar voice breaks through my heavy brain fog. I turn to look, but my vision is rapidly blurring. Distorted voices fill my ears, and the last thing I see is Fabian charging towards Keith, shouting something. Then my eyes roll back into my head and I pass out.
I wake up sometime later in a cushioned white room. My neck aches and it hurts when I sit up. My blonde hair hangs limply around my face in small clumps. The bright light, made brighter by the white of the room, hurts my eyes. My entire body feels weighed down and sluggish. On my hands and knees, I crawl over to what I believe to be a door. But I stop midway when my knuckles brush against a dirty boot. I follow the boot up, my eyes landing on Fabian's sprawled out form before me.
"Fabian!" I screech out hoarsely, frantically crawling over to him. I pick up his head and cradle it in my lap, wiping away the sweaty strands of hair stuck to his forehead. Seconds later, his eyes flit open.
"Are you okay?" I stare down at him, my nose inches from his.
"Not sure." He sits up quite fast, almost hitting me. He tilts his neck from side to side, cracking it. "I feel weird."
"What's going on?"
Fabian turns around to face me. "I'm in the same situation as you are, sweetheart. Does it look like I know?"
I scowl at him. "It's really not the time to be a smart ass."
"Well, you asked a dumb question."
Ignoring him, I roll my eyes. "What did he give me?"
"I don't know, but he gave some to me too," Fabian says, rubbing his neck. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted Liam!"
"Yeah, it sounded too good to be true, and it is."
A rush of overwhelming hunger sweeps through me. My stomach growls like a beast. Why am I so hungry? But just the thought of food makes me feel...queasy. Then again, I don't believe I've eaten anything in a while.
"Once we find a way outta this room, we find Neil, and get out of this place." Fabian approaches what appears to be a well camouflaged white padded door. He feels around for a handle, but before he can do anything else, the door swings open. Fabian jolts back in surprise, nearly falling into me.
A very tall and very intimidating dark skinned man walks through the door, wearing a brown duster. Neatly braided dreadlocks are pulled back into a ponytail on his head. Following closely behind him is Keith, a cigarette hanging loosely between his lips. A wisp of smoke curls into the air from the tip. Fabian adjusts himself, shifting into a protective stance in front of me.
"I only want the girl," says Keith, cold eyes on me.
The mysterious man silently moves towards me, but Fabian blocks his path.
"You'll have to go through me first." He balls his fists.
"Step aside," the man growls, glaring at Fabian.
"What do you want with her?"
Fabian's shoulders are tight, tense. He stares down Keith and his dark skinned companion.
"Step aside."
"Not until you tell me where you're going to take her."
Keith sighs. "I don't have time for this."
Motioning his head slightly, the dark skinned man barrels forward like a bull, grabbing Fabian.
"Get off me!" A struggle ensues, but Keith's companion is much stronger. He wrestles Fabian away from me, and I scream as I try desperately to cling to him, but the folds of his shirt are ripped out of my weak fingers.
Fabian is shoved roughly against the wall, and Keith grabs my arm.
"No!" I squirm, but his strong grip only tightens, and something tells me that if I struggle anymore, my arm will break. Whimpering, I fall still, my body tense and wired.
"Bring him too, Dimitri," Keith says as he drags me from the white room. He releases my arm and shoves me into the hall.
"Do not run. If you do, I promise you won't get far."
"Where are we going?" I gulp, facing forward, and I start walking. I barely know this man, but I am absolutely terrified of him. He hasn't threatened me at all, with weapons or anything. But I get the feeling that he could easily kill me with just his bare hands.
Behind me, I hear Fabian's heavy breathing and grunts of struggle.
"Get your hands off her!" he snaps furiously. Keith says nothing, ignoring him.
Fabian continues shouting and cursing at him, but Keith does not engage.
Soon, I see the faint crack of light under a door. Keith pushes me towards it and I open it. It leads to a bright stairwell and now I hear the distant sound of cheering voices from a roaring crowd. He guides me to the set leading down, and the further we go the louder the cheering becomes. Finally, the stairs end, my feet scuffing dirt. There's a bright light coming from an opening, barred by a gate. The crowd is practically deafening now.
Keith shoves me forward, causing me to nearly trip. He presses a red button on the wall next to my head, and the gate slides open to the sound of a wailing alarm. Beyond the gate is what appears to be a giant arena. It's surrounded by a dome like stadium, where there are hundreds of people sitting in the stands, like a football game. A rancid smell floods my nose and I hold back the urge to gag. Inside the arena are seven, maybe ten zombies. There might be more. Hunks of flesh and rotting meat lay scattered on the ground.
My heart is pounding, eyes bulging.
"What is this?" I turn to face Keith, who watches me carefully.
"If you can kill all the zombies in here, I'll let you go," he explains.
"What? But that's impossible!" I exclaim.
Keith shrugs. "Not my problem."
"You're crazy!" Fabian yells.
Keith grabs my arm and drags me towards the arena. I struggle and fight against him with all my might, but it's useless. "Please don't do this."
"No! Take me instead!" Fabian shouts, struggling against Dimitri's hold. Keith halts and my heart jumps into my throat.
"Fabian don't." I shake my head at him.
With a cold anger in his eyes, Keith throws me to the ground. Dusty dirt flies into my mouth as I cry out from the impact, the air leaving my lungs. Blearily, I open my eyes to realize that Keith had thrown me nearly five feet. My back's against the set of stairs we'd come down.
"If you insist," Keith hisses. "Throw him in."
Dimitri hauls Fabian towards the arena and flings him in. Fabian stumbles a bit, holding his side, but does not fall down.
"No!" I scream, scrambling to my feet. I run over to the entrance, reaching for him so I can pull him back in. But I'm too late. Keith smashes the button, and the gate flies back into place, cutting me off. I yelp and jump away in surprise, my heart hammering harshly.
I grab onto the gate and shake it, gritting my teeth. "Nonononono! Fabian, why did you do that?"
He curls his fingers through the small holes in the steel fence, gently grazing my fingers. "It's okay."
I shake it again furiously, panic overflowing my brain. "No it's not! I'm getting you out of there!"
The button, I need to press the button. I charge over to the wall where the button is, but Keith blocks it. I stand in front of him, shaking with fear but I don't back down.
"Get out of my way," my voice trembles. Keith doesn't budge. Lunging forward, I shove him but quick as lightning, he grabs both of my wrists and twists my arms behind me in a painful restraint.
I cry out sharply, tears flooding from my eyes in globs. Keith pushes me forward, back to the stairwell but this time we go up.
"Come now. It's time to watch your friend die. You wouldn't want to miss that, now would you?" he whispers coldly into my ear.
"G-go to hell," I choke out through the pain, a hot rage burning inside of me.
"I'll drag you with me," he says, all too calmly. Without another word, he shoves me back up the stairwell, where we go up and up until we bust out a door, into the stands. The crowd is deafening, and I wince. Keith releases me, and I go tumbling towards the rail. I throw my hands out and catch myself, palms grasping the bar. I'm staring down into the pit, where I see Fabian surrounded by zombies. My heart pounds so hard I feel it may send me lurching over the side.
At the other end of the arena, there is a weapon wall, and Fabian sprints to it. He quickly chooses a long, deadly dagger, holding it aloft as he readies himself. Without hesitation he throws himself into the fray, viciously slaughtering the zombies as they come for him.
One by one they drop, Fabian twisting and twirling his deadly dance. The crowd boos raucously, shaking their fists. Panting, Fabian drops to his knees. It's hard to see from way up here, but he seems to be in pain. Zombies continue to converge on him, but he's not moving. Something is wrong. My heart rate spikes and I crane my head over the side.
"Fabian! Look out!" I scream at the top of my lungs.
That seems to jolt him back into action, and Fabian spins around, jumping to his feet. The remaining zombies are cut down, sprawling around him in pools of thick red gore. Then he slumps back down again as the crowd screams with dissension, some of their glaring eyes on me. They must have wanted to see someone get ripped apart. Well, not today.
A rough hand snatches a handful of my hair, pain ripping through my scalp. I cry out as I am yanked backwards, flailing my arms in a desperate attempt to free myself.
"One more sound, and I'll rip your tongue out," Keith says slowly, voice measured. He conceals it well, but there's so much rage behind his words. "Understand?"
I nod slowly, tears streaming down my face. He releases my hair. I move back to the railing, wanting to be as far away from him as possible. Just then, a man I don't recognize bursts out of the doors, looking frazzled. His hair is very messy, with the glasses on his nose askew.
"Dr. Jacobs..." I hear him mutter as he approaches Keith before the two of them move farther away to talk privately. My eyes widen. Did he just say...Jacobs? Like the name Jacobs on the scrap of paper I found in my attic? I don't know how common of a last name Jacobs is, but this can't be a coincidence. Does he know my father? I am very, very afraid of this man, but I must ask him. I doubt he will give me answers. But I have to try. Considering my most recent events, this man is not my friend. He is evil.
I wait for the other man to leave, and when he finally does, I take a small step forward. Sucking in a determined breath, I approach Keith, who is already turning towards me.
"Did he...did he just call you...Jacobs?" I ask shakily, trying to muster up my courage.
Keith eyes me curiously. "Yes. What's it matter to you?"
"Um..." I falter. I can't tell him anything, I realize. I can't trust him. If he did know my father, it might not be good to reveal my identity. If he did know my father...he might not have been his friend. What if he's the reason why my father has been missing all these years? Then there's no telling what he will do to me if he finds out who I am. I gulp, rethinking my choice.
"Nothing...never mind." I clear my throat nervously, hoping I haven't made him too suspicious.
His eyes narrow. Before I even have a chance to move or do anything, his hand is around my throat. He squeezes just enough to make it difficult to breathe, but not cutting off my air completely. I try to suck in a breath, but it gets stuck in my throat and I choke.
"You will tell me now," Keith demands, mouth twisted in a snarl.
"Hck..." I gurgle, my brain fumbling for a decent excuse. But I can't think! All I can think about is air and how much I want it. "M-my f-fa..."
Someone walks through the doors again. "Dr. Jacobs."
Keith immediately releases me and I crumple to the ground, coughing my lungs out. I wheeze, heavily sucking in air. My head spins, dizziness flooding my mind.
"What is it?" His voice snaps irritably. I glance up, seeing the blurred face of Liam standing in front of Keith. Fabian was right. We shouldn't have trusted him.
"You..." I hiss out, glaring at him. He notices me, but refuses to meet my eye.
"I brought the brother. Like you wanted," Liam says, and then steps aside. Neil stands behind him, looking weak and dejected. Keith grabs him by the arm and drags him over to me, flinging him down next to me. Neil grunts in pain and I cry out, taking him in my arms.
"Carol. You're okay," he mumbles, his head falling into my lap.
"For the most part," I whisper hoarsely, stroking through his matted hair. Blinking, Neil sits up, glancing into the arena. He moves closer.
"Is that Fabian?"
"Yes."
"How did he get in there?"
"Stop. Talking," Keith snarls.
The ground begins to tremble and shake. I hear the familiar sound of the arena door buzzer from below, and then the creaking as it opens. There's a bone chilling roar, and I watch in horror as a towering, gigantic monster steps into the arena. Fabian is still on the ground, staring bewildered at the creature.
"What the hell is that?" Neil stares, face white as a ghost.
"Fabian can't fight that thing!"
It shakes its huge head, fine, stringy black hairs hanging from the scalp. Its skin is a dull, gray green with thick arms and a massive body. It has to be at least ten feet tall. One arm is bigger than Fabian's entire body. They're like tree trunks. I can smell its rotting breath from here.
Fabian stands up and slowly backs away from it as it makes its way further into the arena. Rearing back, it lets out a deafening roar that shakes the entire stadium. It runs forward, shaking the ground, and swings its massive fist at Fabian's now feeble looking stature. He dodges at the last second, rolling to the ground. Running around its feet, Fabian skids underneath behind it. With his dagger, which compared to the hulking thing, looks just like a mere, measly toothpick now, he jams it into its ankle.
It does some damage because the monster cries out, reeling to the ground. Fabian wrenches the knife out with both hands, managing to slip out of the way as it swings its massive arm back in retaliation. Hopping to his feet, Fabian runs to the other leg and slashes it across the calf. He sprints away quickly to the other side as the ugly monster falls to its knees, roaring in pain.
Even though this thing is much, much bigger than Fabian, it's very slow. With his speed and technique of making quick slashes, Fabian just may be able to win. But then, Fabian falters. Going pale like before, he falls to his knees, keeling over. Wrapping his arms around himself, Fabian vomits, a stream of almost clear, translucent green liquid spewing from his mouth. It splatters on the ground in front of him, his chest heaving. Several seconds pass, and then he wretches a second time, this time clutching his throat.
"What's wrong with him?" I whimper, grasping Neil's arm, who's watching just as intently.
"Something must have made him sick," Neil says, not taking his eyes off the action.
Fabian grits his teeth, and something underneath of his skin ripples. I blink, thinking that maybe I didn't see it. It was barely there. But his skin moved, I'm sure of it. And is it just me or are his teeth...longer? Sharper? Maybe it's just the lights. When I blink and look again, his teeth and skin look normal.
"Did you see that?"
"See what?"
"His skin moved...and his teeth..."
Neil shakes his head. "I didn't see anything."
Having regained its balance, the creature swings its hand, palm flat, right at Fabian. He ducks, raising the knife above his head. It slashes the thing right across the palm, blood raining down. Screeching, it falls again, and this time, Fabian is ready. He sprints towards it, climbing up the monster's body like a monkey would climb a tree. His swift and agile frame easily hangs on as the creature bucks and flails.
Fabian climbs all the way to its neck, grabbing a fistful of its hair, slinging a leg over a shoulder. Then he plunges the knife into the thing's neck, twisting and driving it deep. It roars louder than ever, bellowing into the air. The crowd covers their ears while simultaneously booing. Reaching around, it plucks Fabian off of its back and flings him like a rag doll across the arena. He's thrown right into the weapons, and like a bug he crumples to the ground as lots of small and useless weapons fall around him.
Fabian sits there stunned momentarily, but shakes it off. Eyes glittering, he picks up one of the fallen weapons. It's a long, fine piece of wood, about as long as Fabian himself. At the top there's a sharp and pointy piece of metal. A spear. Confidently, Fabian stands back up, twirling the spear in both of his hands. Taking a few steps back, he raises the spear, aiming it. Just as the beast takes a run at him, Fabian flings the spear, letting it soar high into the air. His aim true, it slices right through the monster's eye, the sharp point sticking out the other side of its head.
The beast comes to a jarring halt, screeching in pain. Then, the legs wobble, falling to its knees until finally collapsing with an earth-shattering bang to the ground. Dead. Like they say. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. Instantly, the crowd jeers and boos in disappointment, shouting expletives into the arena. Relieved, Fabian slumps to the ground, tired and worn. I nearly pass out from relief. I can't imagine if it were me in that arena.
"Retrieve him," Keith's voice says sharply from behind me to someone. Moments later, his henchman Dimitri strides into the arena. He helps Fabian roughly to his feet and drags him out. I stand up expectantly, waiting for him to come through the door. The two of them bust through, and Dimitri shoves Fabian inside. He staggers, about to fall but I rush over to catch him.
"Fabian!" My arms encircle his waist as he falls into me, head resting on my shoulder. My legs buckle under his weight, but I manage to keep my balance.
"Carol..." he groans weakly, his arms hanging limply by his sides. I hug him, smelling the putrid scent of blood, sweat and vomit all at once.
"You're okay, I got you," I whisper reassuringly.
He moans in relief. "You smell amazing."
"Alright, I've got you brother," Neil says, pulling Fabian's weight off of me and onto himself.
"Dimitri will escort you out." Keith glares at the three of us.
It might be safer in this city, behind these walls. But I think I'd rather take my chances out there. Anywhere is safer than here. Soon, we are brought back to the gates. With a loud buzz, they open up and we are unceremoniously thrown out. The last thing I see before they close is Keith's evil face, his cold blue eyes staring straight through my soul. Then it slams shut.