Breaking the Code

Confrontation

I watch as Gavin falls asleep on the couch. He was so concerned about me that he wouldn't let me out of his sight. I smile a little and then hesitate when I remember about Amanda and what she did earlier. I pause when I realize she can come back any time she wants to. I start to feel uneasy as I think about it, and I go into the bathroom, placing my hands on the sink and lean against it, taking a few deep breaths as I try to get my stress level back down to a reasonable level.

I suddenly find myself in pitch black darkness. My stress level skyrockets, and I start breathing faster, slowly beginning to panic. "Well hello again. How badly can I make you freak out your 'friend' today, do you think?" I try to say something but find myself unable to talk. Amanda appears in front of me, as if manifesting from the darkness. She stalks towards me, still seeming to be increasing in size, and she reaches towards my chest, and I try to back away but can't move either.

She opens a small panel on my chest, reaching for my thirium pump, which is going faster than it should be, and I feel heat radiating off of her hand, and she suddenly pulls it out of my chest.

I look at my hands, one of which is holding my thirium pump, and the other is still on the sink. My shut down timer starts ticking off to the right side of my vision. SHUTDOWN IMMINENT: -0:00:30. I try to move my hand to put my thirium pump back in my chest, but I stumble to the side, catching myself on the edge of the bathtub, sliding back into it with a thunk, causing me to let go of my thirium pump, and at 20 seconds Gavin starts pounding on the door. "Nines?! Open the door!" I faintly remember that I locked the door. "I... I c-can't... get up..." I say, coughing a little.

I hear Gavin run over to something, and then come back, and then with a loud bang, he slams into the door, popping it off it's hinges. It clatters to the floor and he looks at me. My vision is starting to blur into static. He practically crawls on top of me, looking at the hole in my chest. Ten seconds left. I weakly point to the small blue cylinder a few inches away, at the other side of the tub. He grabs it, looking confused for a moment, and then looks at the hole in my chest, and hesitantly puts it back with a click.

I cough, feeling some blue blood come out of my mouth, gasping for breath I don't need. Gavin looks at me, concerned. "Nines?" Tears form in his eyes and his hands are shaking. I weakly grab one of his hands, and squeeze it softly. Tears roll down his cheeks and he manages to say, "Nines... w-what's gotten into you..."