Soulmates - Jack Thompson

-24-

I woke up, tied to a chair. Howard was sitting about two feet from me, also tied up. He looked expressionless. The creepy Doctor stood next to me. Dottie stood in front of Howard. She slapped his face after he gave an answer I couldn't hear. I wanted to jump up and hit her, but instead I fell over, chair and all. Dottie grinned as she turned. I have to admit, if it had happened under different circumstances, I would have laughed out loud. The doctor hoisted me back up.
"Look at her, Stark. This might be the last time you see her." I panicked when she said that. Just like Howard apparently.
"No! Do what you want, but don't touch my sister!" He tried to tear himself free from the chair. It only made the two grin even more. I was really starting to get scared now. Ivchenko pulled out a pocketknife and held it to my cheek.
"Every time you work against us, she gets a cut. I'll show you how it works." I felt the metal blade cut into my cheek. Blood gushed from my chin to my t-shirt. I wanted to scream, but I could barely contain myself. Howard's eyes seemed to be getting wet and he sat quietly in his chair. Ivchenko turned back to Howard, this time holding the knife to my forehead.
"I have heard much of your genius. It is a shame that you put your gifts towards creating such horrible weapons."
"Midnight oil was not supposed to be a weapon, Dr. Fennhoff. Should never have been used." Howard said, as he looked at me, with worry in his eyes.
"And yet, it only exists because of you. Do you know what your creation does?"
"I saw it... afterwards." He looked at his feet.
"And I saw it while it happened. I was only spared because I had a gas mask to protect myself. My comrades were not so lucky. My brother wasn't so lucky. When I found him, he had no eyes. Pieces of his flesh had been bitten off. Can you imagine this?" Fielt another drip of blood on my shirt. I didn't even dare to look at it.
"I am sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am." A teardrop rolled down his check.
"Since that day, I have thought of you often. In fact, you have been my singular focus."
"Look, if you're gonna k*ll me... Go ahead. I probably deserve it, but..." He looked at me.
"Leave innocent people out of it." I couldn't help myself and yelled at him.
"NO! YOU CAN'T KILL HIM!" Without a second of hesitating, the knife cut in my forehead. I felt blood dripping down, I had to close my eyes. Howard looked at me in horror.
"I have no intention of k*ll*ing Mr. Stark. I am going to make him suffer." He held te knife to my other cheek, while the blood was still coming out of my forehead.
"Please. Please don't do this. Don't hurt her." "You feel guilt? Remorse?"
"Yes, of course, I do."
"I imagine you have done many things in your life that you regret."
"Hmm."
"A man such as yourself cannot allow kindness and empathy to cloud his vision." Howard sighed.
"I am not a bad person." I felt the knife touching my skin.
"Yes. Yes, you are. It is the only way to achieve such remarkable success. Others have paid the price. Your sister has paid the price. You have paid the price, as well. Your guilt eats you, destroys you from the inside out. Yes. Yes. Focus."
I watched how he looked at Howard. Then I remembered what Dooley said.
"NO! DON'T LISTEN TO HIM, HOWARD!"
Again, the blood gushed down my face. I was pretty sure my shirt was all red right now.
"There may still be a way to atone for your sins. Simply focus." I shook my head when Howard looked at me, helpless. But Ivchenko saw it and this time it was on my nose.
"Focus, simply focus." I saw Howard's eyes begging me not to say anything anymore.
"Go back in your mind to a time and a place that holds your greatest shame, and simply focus. What would you change if you could?"

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Omg, we are already past 1k readers! Thank you so much, I never expected this to get so many attention.

I am so F-ing sorry for not uploading much. I stopped writing for a while and had 20 chapters left, so I couldn't upload every day anymore. I'll start writing again and that means I'll upload more!

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