REAPING INNOCENCE ◦ STILINSKI [3]

xxxiv.

xxxiv. LIKE MOTHER LIKE DAUGHTER

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"CARTER!"

     "Carter, you better not be dead or I'm going to kill you."

     A thud and a groan. "Shut up, Logan. You're not helping."

     "I'm trying to get her attention, you didn't need to kick me."

     Carter's vision was clouded as she whirled into consciousness. She was still strapped down to the metal table, now sticky with her blood. To her right she could vaguely make out two figures sprawled across the floor—blinking rapidly, she tried to clear her vision, but it was difficult.

     She may not have been able to see them, but she recognized the voices.

     Logan and Liam were still alive—though they sounded distressed but that's better than being dead.

     "A-Are you guys alright?" Carter croaked out, her throat dry and sore from all the screaming.

     She was not sure how long she had been unconscious for—the minutes seemed to pass by like hours. The only thing she knew was that she was glad that Raeven hadn't hurt the brothers any further and her entire body ached. It hurt—everything hurt, and she just wanted to close her eyes and cry, but she couldn't even muster up anymore tears.

     The blurry image of Logan stretched forward. "Don't worry about us, Car. We're more concerned about you and where they took Hayden."

     The door connecting the two rooms was abruptly slammed shut and the Surgeon emerged from the shadows, his cane pounding down onto the concrete as he moved forward—the metal torture cart in tow. He stood beside her, the cart positioned to his left.

     Carter didn't know how much more of this torture she could take. She began to think that she would never make it off that table alive, especially when she barely managed to escape them the first time. That has to be it, Carter thought, they're drawling it out because I managed to evade them for so long...not long enough.

     Carter was going to die—and unlike last time—it wouldn't be on her own terms. She would die without having her last goodbyes to anyone other than her conscience inside. Everything that she had done to survive up until that point would all be for granted. She would die without finding out how to stop The Dread Doctors or how to put an end to Raeven's scheming.

     How did she get here?

     She tried to recall all the bad decisions in her life that would have led her to this point. You don't want to open that door, Carter chided to herself. This is going to end bad enough without you needing to feel guilty about all the stupid things you've done.