Resentment

Part 8

I hung limply from my chains, unable to process what he had said. My head whirled. There was no way. Julia, my best friend so full of life... dead? How could it be possible? She had cheated death countless times over the years, but she was always the one who came out on top. It couldn't be real. She couldn't be dead. I had been searching for her all this time. Surely I would have felt it if she was no longer in the world. It didn't seem imaginable that such a strong life could be extinguished without some fundamental change to the world.

I realised that I was crying. David made a sound.

"Why are you crying? You're the one that went on your little holiday, left us alone to defend ourselves!"

"I thought you were safe!" I moaned. "She was my best friend."

"I knew you cared about her more than me." David muttered. "You care about everyone over me. Probably sleep with anyone over me... hell you sleep with that filthy hunter."

"Hey!" I snapped, trying not to be angry. "David you're my friend! I made it clear to you that I'm not interested in you that way! It doesn't mean that I don't care about you. I spent this entire time trying to find out where you were! Where BOTH of you were!"

"I slept with her you know."

I blinked, "What?"

"I. Had. Sex. With. Her. Is that clear enough for you?"

"So?"

He spluttered, "SO? So? I thought you would be jealous."

"Why would I be? David..." I sighed, "I'm in love with... someone else. We are very happy together. You are my friend! I hoped we could keep it that way."

"She wasn't you though..." he muttered, ignoring or oblivious to what I was saying.

I sighed, feeling a tear run down my cheek. Julia... how could it end like this? I had lost a lot of people over the years, but she had always been someone I could count on in times of need. Likewise, I had always been there to help her out. How could this have happened?

A spark of anger made me look up, "You are talking about a dead girl David, you are talking about my best friend! How dare you speak so disrespectfully!"

"Respect?" He snapped, "I don't care about respect! I have been here for god only knows how long! I have been questioned, tortured, and starved! But at least I'm alive." A sneer formed on his lips. It didn't suit him at all. "Honour and respect is so important to you people! That's why she died you know, wouldn't go down without a fight. Tried to take on them all at once, just to defend that stupid mansion of yours. I helped too, it was stupid, but , once she was dead, her brains sp-"

"Shut up!" I couldn't hear the details, I don't think I could bear it. He started muttering some sort of nonsense to himself so I tuned him out, trying to clear my head. I had to focus on the situation at hand. It was even worse though because it seemed that I had lost not one but two friends. Julia was gone but David had lost his mind. He barely resembled the kind caring person that I knew, and I wasn't sure that person could ever be restored.

A weird feeling was building within me and for a moment I didn't realise what it was; nausea. "ooh" I groaned. "I'm going to throw up."

David stopped his muttering, "What?"

I couldn't answer as the contents of my stomach hit the floor. There was not much left of the phone, just the occasional small metal or plastic fragment which were still disappearing before our eyes. My body did not take kindly to foreign substances. Hopefully by the time anyone came in the room there would be no evidence at all, just a nasty red looking substance on the floor. I hoped they had managed to track the phone at least some of the way before it was too damaged. It was kind of reassuring to think that someone on the outside might know where we were.

I looked up as David groaned, "So hungry."

My nose wrinkled, "There is barely any blood left in that mess."

"Can still smell it though... trust me, once you've been here for a while that will be a luxury... or torture."

"I don't plan on staying that long." I said dryly.

His eyes widened. "You have a plan?"

"Not exactly no... the plan was to find you."

The sounds of locks turning outside made us both turn our heads as much as we were able.

"What's happening?" I asked.

"They're probably bringing blood." He said, his voice hungry. "They inject you with a little bit, from an animal. It keeps you talking but..."

I understood. It wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to keep the monster fed, or too keep the madness at bay. Just enough so you had the strength to talk, but not enough to keep you strong. It explained his malnourished appearance.

Several guards entered the room, accompanied by a woman carrying a tray with two syringes filled with a familiar red substance. David let out a low groan. The woman was dressed like a scientist, but the confident way she held herself suggested some kind of military background or training. She met my eyes with a cold, fearless gaze. Her hair, which looked greyer than her age would suggest was pulled into a tight, neat knot.

"What is that?" One of the guards snapped, indicating the mess on the floor.

"The female vomited." The woman said coolly, "I saw it on the camera. I will collect a sample in a moment."

She picked up the first syringe and approached David. Clearly he was used to the procedure because he held out his arm as much as possible and turned his head away before he was asked. Without hesitation the woman stuck the needle in and pressed, releasing the fluid inside. David let out a moan which in any other circumstance would have been quite uncomfortable to hear. As it was, I was quite past caring.

Deciding that the whole situation would probably go easier if I cooperated I mimicked David's position when she approached, allowing her to inject my arm. There was an initial flood of relief as the blood entered my system. As David had said, I was sure it was only from an animal. However within seconds there was also something else unexpected, a weakness that made my eyelids feel heavy. If I wasn't chained up I probably would have fallen to the floor as every impulse I had told me I wanted to lie down.

"No." I tried to shout but it came out as a distant sounding groan. Without any further warning the world around me faded to blackness.