Jared didn’t want to be here with the doctors. He hated their invasive prodding and they told him he was too old for a lollipop. He was tough; he could handle a shot but Dr. Gandon’s rancid breath made him sick. He wished he could get up and leave but Mom wanted him to be here so he lay still in a long chair that belonged in a dentist’s office. Jared tensed as Dr. Gandon’s assistant Reyes strapped him down.
“Don’t move. The process is delicate,” Dr. Reyes warned.
“Damn it, the equipment is still upstairs,” Dr. Gandon said. Two pairs of shoes quickly clacked against concrete as the doctors left the basement.
Stale-smelling darkness that was not darkness surrounded Jared. He was blind. Mom had told the doctors to fix his eyes. Of course, she was probably just falling for another scam like the credit lines and diet pills. She was on a new pill this week—she never learned and never listened. Blindness couldn’t be cured. But this process was new, experimental. Maybe it was possible. Mom liked that it was free.
“Free?” Jared spat. “It’s gotta be a scam.”
“Oh God, I am so sorry I couldn’t stop him from tying you down. I’m so sorry you’re here,” a woman’s voice emerged from the darkness.
“What? Who’re you?” Jared tilted his head toward the voice. She was close, maybe a foot away—was she also tied down?
“Heather. Heather Syrn.”
“I’m Jared.”
He felt a smooth hand clasp his and hold on like they were the last two people on earth.
“Resist them,” Heather said. “Resist them.”
The door creaked open and her hand dropped. Jared heard Dr. Gandon’s boots clump down the stairs and then come toward him. Jared felt the prick of a syringe. He closed his eyes. He felt warm and relaxed. His consciousness faded. He didn’t know how long he was out; it felt like the space of a breath. But when he woke and opened his eyes, he screamed. Light stabbed into his irises for the first time. He tried to cover his eyes but found that he was still strapped to the chair. He squinted to let just a tiny bit of light through. The colors made him queasy. What about her? He listened hard. Heather was breathing wetly. He couldn’t hear the doctors.
“Heather?” He listened again. Nothing. He smelled the thick copper scent of blood. Adrenaline rose within him. This wasn’t right. Why wasn’t she speaking? He yanked and strained against the straps until one began to tear. He slid a hand free and dug for the pocket knife he always carried. He gritted his teeth and furiously sawed at the restraints. Each second that passed was a second too long. Dr. Gandon could open the door at any moment.
Finally, Jared pushed himself away from the chair. He walked tentatively away from the bed, navigating toward the woman with his eyes closed. He reached out to touch her and felt raw meat. Carefully, he opened his eyes to see Heather for the first time. Everywhere was red and purple and white. A low growl clawed out of his throat. The skin of her face was sagging off her skull in piles. He touched his own face where the skin was smooth and whole. His eyes trailed down her body. Her ribcage was open and deformed. Her arms were boneless and her legs were gone.
“What did they do to you? What in H-ll did they do to you?” Jared’s voice was all rage and darkness. “Heather!”
Nothing. But she was breathing; she was alive. Somehow, she was alive. Teeth grinding together, he viciously tore through the blood-soaked straps around her remaining lumps of flesh. He pulled her to him with one arm and carried her to the window. He tightly gripped his steel knife in a fist and slammed it against the glass again and again until it shattered. He pulled them both through the opening and set her down for a moment. He turned around with the knife still in hand. He then carved large, sloppy letters on the building in Heather’s blood:
“I was born blind but you saved me, Gandon
I am your Nighthawk
I will save you with steel”
For poetry and short stories, see my website:
http://zellie.bigcreepymansion.com/
It also includes character sketches for "The Resistance," the novel I am currently submitting for publication.
For two more sample chapters, see my myspace
www.myspace.com/zellieberraine
