Desolation

Chapter Thirty Five

((Okay, Desolation was ranked #3 in Adventure today! OMG! That is the highest it's ever been ranked! Thank you all so much for your reads, votes and comments! It really means so much to me! And also, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Especially the ending; it may leave you dropping whatever device you are reading this on on the floor!! Also, I don't think I ever put a picture up of them, so here is a picture of Dylan and Nikki! Aren't they cute together??))

Ian closes the door, leaving us in the gloom.

Before I can even turn around, Tristan rushes over towards me.

"What happened? What did they do to you?" he asks worriedly.

I turn around, facing him.

"They took more of my blood," I say.

"Then why did Ian bring you back? I thought he was getting the lab coats and masks?" he asks.

"They forced Ian to take my blood. He had to; if he refused they would know that he wasn't brainwashed anymore. And he's going to get them now," I explain.

Tristan looks at me intently, his bright blue eyes radiating in the darkness.

"Are you okay?" he asks softly.

I nod, even though I still feel dizzy.

"I'll be fine," I say.

Nikki and Dylan walk towards us.

"Hey, so even if we do escape from this place, where are we going to go? We're still stuck on this island; they'll find us and capture us again," Nikki says.

I bite my lip, unsure. The fervent dreams of escaping this place had overshadowed the harsh reality that we are still stuck on this island.

"Hey, I still have that map of the island," Tristan says, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the crumpled piece of paper.

He unfolds it and we all crowd around him, looking at the hand-drawn map. Most of the handwriting labeling the various locations on the map is so sloppy that it is nearly illegible. Tristan points his finger to a dot that is at the peak of the mountain. I squint, unable to read the writing that is beneath it.

"What does that say?" I ask.

"Radio tower..." Tristan murmurs.

"As in a radio tower that we could use to call someone and get rescued?" Dylan asks excitedly.

"Maybe. I say we go there. It's at the highest point on the island, so it's going to be quite a hike up there," Tristan says.

The thought of calling someone to rescue us makes me giddy with excitement. I try not to get my hopes up though. First, we have to escape this place without getting caught. And the chances of that happening are very slim.

As Tristan begins to fold up the map, the door opens and Ian walks inside, carrying a heap of white lab coats.

"Got everything," he says.

I smile, relieved that he didn't get caught.

Ian tosses us each a lab coat, mask and surgical hat. I throw on the coat and put on the hat, stuffing all of my knotted hair underneath. Finally, I put on the mask and nearly vomit when I do. It is damp and smells like mildew.

Yuck.

"How do I look as a doctor?" Dylan asks, twirling around in front of Nikki.

"Hot," Nikki says, laughing and rolling her eyes.