Hell on Earth

Chapter Fifty - The Next Step Forward

"Are you sure you don't want to look through the newspapers for jobs with us?" Steve asked as he looked through the rearview mirror. "It'll be fun."

"The dingus is right," Robin said. "We're literally the best working trio ever."

"I am sure," Cynthia said. "I almost got choked to death. I need some me time. Besides, my trust fund will be accessible to me soon enough. I don't need the money."

"Well, be boring then," Steve parked in front of the Wheeler house. "You staying the night with her?"

"Most likely," Cynthia said.

"I do have to say," Robin looked out the window to the house. "I don't think Nancy is as much of a priss anymore."

"You're just saying that because you saw her shoot a gun," Cynthia teased.

"Maybe I am," Robin shrugged. "Still makes it true."

"Oh," Cynthia grabbed a small box out of her pocket. "That reminds me, I made this for you." She put the box in Robin's hand.

"What is it?" Robin asked.

"A token to show that you're one of us," Cynthia smiled.

Robin pulled the necklace out of the box. Hers had a small book with a silver cat on the cover.

"It's beautiful," Robin said as she looked at it.

"All of us older kids have one," Steve pulled his out from underneath his shirt. "Mine's a bat with nails in it."

"Mine's a machete," Cynthia pulled hers out. "Since you helped us translate the message, it seemed only right for yours to have a homage to that."

"I don't know what to say," Robin smiled back at her.

"You don't have to say anything," Cynthia smiled as she got out of the car. "Just enjoy it. I'll see the too of you later. Let me know how the job hunting goes."

"We will," Robin called out the window.

"See you later, Cynthia," Steve yelled as he drove away.

Cynthia turned and walked up to the house. She was glad that Nancy's parents weren't home. Cynthia just walked right into the house. She walked up the stairs to Nancy's bedroom. Nancy was sitting on her bed. Cynthia sat on the foot of the bed.

"You're here," Nancy said. "I didn't think you would show up. You've been distant these past few days."

"Almost dying will do that to a person," Cynthia looked down at her hands.

"Why have you been hiding at Steve's house for the past few days?" Nancy asked.

"Because Steve won't ask me questions if he thinks it'll push me over," Cynthia was honest. "You and Jonathan keep pushing until you get the truth from me." She let out a dry laugh. "Which isn't always a bad thing."

"Your face is healing up," Nancy said. "And the bruises on your neck are starting to fade." She seemed to be wincing at Cynthia's pain. "I think your split lip needs some more ointment. I can go..."

"No," Cynthia's voice was firm. "Just no. I don't want to be touched."

"Okay," Nancy nodded. She kept her hands in her lap. "I don't have to put on ointment. I just want you to talk to me. What happened down in that base, Cynthia?" Cynthia stayed silent. "Please don't push me away again, Cynthia. Please just talk to me."

Cynthia trained her eyes at the wall, "Robin, Steve, and I got captured down there. I don't know what we thought would happen, but that did. When we were down there, they wanted information. How we found the base. Who we worked for that. Shit like that." Cynthia paused for a moment before continuing. She was just remembering everything that had happened. "They tried to beat the information out of Steve. When that didn't work, they gave us some form of a truth serum to try and get us to talk." Cynthia forced herself to look at Nancy. "Now, Steve and Robin were having the trip of their lives, but whatever they put into our bodies... it was horrible. It basically put my mind into sensory overload, Nance. Everything was too much. The lights were too bright. Voices were too loud. I couldn't shut anything out. Do you want to know what the worse part of that experience was?"