Shards

chapter 28

Chapter 28:

“This is your first time in initiation, right?” The voice of a man barely reached me through the metal.

“Yeah. But I've heard it's easy. Definitely better than deal with the little brats when they're awake. Have you met the little blond yet? Oh my god, he is psychotic. You guys must not being doing your job right, if he's acting like that.”

“Yeah.” The first voice spoke again. “I heard about him. I'm pretty sure that's the first time that's happened, but there's a couple steps you can take to make sure it doesn't happen again.”

“And those would be?”

“Make sure they're not talking. Their head shouldn't be clear enough, not after this. If they seem alert enough to communicate, throw them in for another go around, see if they'll shut up then.”

“I hear ya. Talk, they go back in, no talk, it's good to go.”

“Well, that's the simplified version, but yeah.”

“Thanks for the tip!”

The footsteps seemed to be getting further away, until I couldn't hear them anymore, but there was only one set. The other man sounded like he was moving closer. I wasn't going to talk. I didn't want to go back in here. One time had been bad enough. Licking my lips, I moved my fingers across them, mentally sealing them. A creaking sound filled the room, and the door swung slowly outwards. Light came rushing in, and I couldn't see a thing. My eyes closed involuntarily, and I curled myself into a ball.

“Whoa!” The man sounded surprised. “How'd you get all the way over here?”

I said nothing. Instead blinking my eyes constantly, until I could again make out the world in front of me.

“I'm talking to you.” He prodded me with his foot.

Oh, when Mom came to get me he was going to pay. I stared at him, dumbly.

“Get up now or I'm sticking you back in here for another round.”

I didn't want to take the chance. Getting to my feet, I saw the look of surprise that crossed his face.

“Come on now.” He gestured for me to follow him, and I did so, obediently.

I had to find some way to escape. There had to be one, but first I needed to convince them that whatever they'd tried to do to me had worked. Ahead of me, the man began speaking into a cuff on his arm.

“...Yeah, she's a new subject. Highly responsive, and I mean highly.”

There must have been someone responding to him, but I couldn't hear them. Maybe he had imaginary friends. My mom had told me that sometimes when bad people did bad things, it wasn't their fault. Maybe this man was sick. It wasn't his fault if there were voices in his head telling him to kidnap me.

“In here.” He pulled open a wooden door, and gestured for me to enter.

I froze. There were so many other kids; my age, younger, older. There were even a few teenagers, they walked among the rows of shuddering forms, comforting. One of them, a girl, approached us.

“Hello Katarina,” the man said.

She nodded. “Who's this? Where'd she come from?”

“Initiation. I know, she's responsive.”

“I'm guessing she hasn't spoken.” Katarina's eyes locked with mine, and she mouthed something.