To Be A Runner

Chapter 25: Dreams and Nightmares

Pain. So much pain. Burning, searing pain in her throat, in her chest. Runner Forty-three can feel the inside of her throat burning away and blood beginning to flow downwards. She tries to hack it out but doing so makes the pain even worse.

She doesn't understand how-why. What was in that drink?

Suddenly her arms are held in place by two men-runners. She's had missions with them before. Her bloodied mouth is forced open and a liquid-another liquid-is forced down her throat. Her jaw is forced shut and a hand is clamped over her nose, forcing her to swallow the sour tasting liquid.

She doesn't understand why this would be given to her. She's sure whatever she drank before will kill her; It certainly feels like it will.

Her arms are released, and no hands are around her face, and in just a few seconds she knows why.

She vomits all over the floor, the burning in her throat becoming ten times worse as the contents of her stomach empty all over the floor and all over herself. She coughs and sputters, forcing herself to look at the younger girl standing in front of her.

This girl's face resembles nothing of her normal expression. It's cold and hard-a face an eleven-year-old should never make.

"Why?" Runner Forty-three chokes out, but with all the blood and vomit her words are gargled and non-coherent.

"Why the second drink?" Katelyn asks with a raised brow. "If you wouldn't have thrown all that up, it would've burned though your intestines. You would've died."

She's so calm, and the bleeding runner can't stop the tears that are in her eyes from spilling, from both pain and betrayal.

"In fact, you're still in critical condition. You need to be taken to the doctor to get medical attention immediately to stop the bleeding. But we won't be able to give you anything for your voice.

"M-my voice?" She forced out, but it doesn't sound like her. It's cracked and small.

"I'm surprised you can still speak right now," Katelyn says, although her face holds no emotion whatsoever. "After you recover you'll never be able to speak again."

"Why?" She's croaks out, horrified. It's becoming harder and harder to get the words out. The sound is coming and going, like a bad signal.

"Because I was told to."

Runner Forty-three looks at the girl in front of her with shock, but that shock morphs into anger-rage within seconds. She bares her bloody teeth as her pain filled voice withers away into almost nothing.

"I... hate... you." The words themselves are almost unrecognizable. But she knows Katelyn heard them; She knows she understood them.

Hands clamp around her arms so tightly she knows there will be bruises. She's forced to her feet as she swallows a mouthful of coppery blood. The runners-people she didn't care about but did trust-drag her towards the door, most likely about to bring her to the infirmary to stop the bleeding in her throat before she drowns in her own blood.

As she passes Katelyn, the person she trusted most, the person she would've given her life for, she scowls and spits at her face. For the first time the younger girl flinches, bringing up her fingers to wipe away the crimson saliva in disgust. She looks at the runner with a sliver of pain in her eyes.

"You always lose something at The AMTB. You know that. Wes lost his life; You lost your voice," She sighs deeply, "And I've lost your love."

Runner Forty-three opens her mouth to speak, but when she tries only puffs of air and small squeaks come out, squeaks that will soon no longer be there either. The horror of it-her voice being gone forever, nearly kills her. She doesn't want to cry, but there are already tears running down her cheeks so why should she stop now?