Chapter Fifteen: Exam Room 2

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December, 1977.

Jake's POV:

I didn't want to go back to that room. But there was nothing I could do without getting in big trouble. I was one of the most troubled kids here. If I make another scene...

So I did what I was told, and followed the man from my room down the hall. I passed 10 and 11 on my way. They seemed tired and 11 looked like she had been crying. Both still had a bit of blood coming from their noses.

I start to slow my pace a bit, remembering where I'm going. I then feel a nudge on my shoulder pushing me back to a faster pace.

I don't want this.

None of us want this.

We finally make it to our destination. "Exam room 2". I take a deep breath before I enter, immediately greeted by 'him'. I know his actual name is Brenner, but he wants up to call him 'papa'.

I don't like it.

Not one bit.


Before I know it, I have a head-thingy on and am on the other side of the glass sitting at a metal table. There's a cat in a cage in front of me. Because of last time, I know what I have to do. But I don't want to.

I look to the glass not being able to look at the cat. People look like their getting impatient with me. I don't know what to do. I don't want to hurt again. I don't want to cause pain for something living. I don't want to kill.

"Nine, do it," he says over the speaker. I close my eyes to hold back the tears my body wants to let out. If I do it, the cat will die, but if I don't do it, I'll be punished again. I-I-

"Nine." He sounds mad. I don't like it when he's mad. I finally open my eyes and see him staring back at me. Those eyes. Before I know what I'm doing I shake my head no. He looks down, says something, then two men enter the room. They start walking towards me.No. Not this.

I Tear the headset off and throw it to the floor, backing up out of my chair and into the corner. Then I saw it. It was the collar. He said he would use it on me if I was bad again. I start frantically shaking my head while saying no over and over again. I look to him hoping he'll give me another chance, but it was clear I was out of chances.

The men were now about two feet away from me, the one with the collar in front. I can feel myself crying now, tears pooling on the floor below me. All I can think of is how I want them away from me, so I use my wind and knock them back a few feet making them end up on their backs. Brenner then shouted for them to hurry up. The men did what they were told.Brenner walked away.

When I looked back at the guys in front of me, there was a third entering the room. I did my best to knock them down again, but I only got two of the three down. The third one stayed up and got ahold of me. I thrashed and kicked, anything I could think of to get him off of me, but it was too late. I felt the click and the collar was around my neck.

Not even two seconds later, I felt a sharp pain in my neck, causing me to fall to my knees grabbing at the collar.

Then again.

And again.

The time in between shocks was getting shorter each time, the pain increasing. I was sobbing on the floor clawing at my neck hoping something will get this thing off of me. Finally, it stops. I lay on the ground for what felt like hours, exhausted. But in reality, it was a minute or two. The men then grab me, put me back in the chair, and put back on my headset. They left the collar on.

Brenner was still gone.


He's the reason I have this stupid thing around my neck. He's probably the whole reason I'm here. He always says he saved us, but this place has never felt safe. I wish I could leave here with 10 and 11 and find a place where we weren't hurt or used. I wish-

Zap.

"Pay attention. Stop fooling around."

I grab at my neck where I felt the zap and look up to the window. There were five people in there that I could see. I then looked around me and saw the same three men from before still in here. I hate all of them.

Zap.

"Do it, Nine."

I can feel my fingertips starting to tingle. I look up at the lady who is making commands."No."

She looked surprised and a bit taken back. She then zapped me again, this time long and increased the wattage.

"What was that?" She asked sounding very annoyed.

I gritted my teeth, trying to remain in control. I kept repeating to myself things like, 'you don't want this' 'control' 'you're in control', but that's the thing, I wasn't in control. My rage was. Everything I've been put through, we all have been put through here, it's just too much. I can't... control...

Zap.


"I couldn't here you."

I snapped.

"I said, NO!!!!!" With that, my fire took over. I blasted it to all corners of the room. I hear glass breaking but I don't stop, all the rage I've been pushing down was coming out at this moment. I hear alarms going off and people screaming, and it's then I realize Im yelling. I feel something cool hit my skin and start to feel a bit drained. I did just use a lot of energy. I retract my flames and see that the coolness i felt on my skin was the sprinklers. I also see the collar was on the floor, burnt, just like everything else.

That day I killed 8 people. The three men in the room with me and the five behind the glass. All were burnt alive. The exam room was burned to a crisp as well. It was never used again.The worst part about it all was that I killed the cat as well.

I was put into different groups from them on. They tried to make me use my fire again but I always refused, and they never brought the collar out again as they knew the outcome of that. I refused to do anything they tried to make me do, and they were to scared to punish me.

After about four weeks of this, it was overheard that if they could not get control of me in the near future, I would have to be "dealt" with. We all knew what that meant. I would have been the third one that they had "dealt" with if I didn't hear about it happening. It was from then on that me, 10, and 11 devised a plan to get out before anything else could happen to not just me, but them as well.

And the night before we left, I swore to myself I would never use my fire again.

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Thank you to everyone who has been reading this story and if you like it, please interact with it. It doesn't have to be a vote, I like reading comments, they honestly make my day. Hope you liked this chapter!!!

-Blue

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