Numbers
Chapter 8

The days blurred together. I couldn’t tell when one day ended and the next one began. I stopped counting the beatings. I stopped caring if I wept in his presence. I stopped trying to stop the faces of the bodies flashing before my eyes; in fact I welcomed them as an escape from the new found horror that was going on around me. Pain became my new reality, I stopped counting the bruises and breaks almost the same time I stopped counting how many times the man entered the room to give me the daily torture. I stopped caring.

Julianne kept coming in before the man. Julianne with her eyes like stone and fake smiles that never seemed to soften her face. Julianne with her cryptic questions that I couldn’t even hope of answering. It was the same…it was always the same. I would be beaten within an inch of my life, wake up right before she walks in to ask me something that I can’t answer, the man would beat me, and the process would repeat. Meals were sparse and far between, or maybe that’s just what it felt like. It was always the man that came in with water or a few slices of bread but nothing more. He would shove it in my mouth and I had to chew as quickly as possible before he would force the water into my mouth. I didn’t chew quickly I got no water. I learned quickly.

I felt as if I was losing my mind. Every time I closed my eyes I saw the bodies, I saw the ones I had failed. The ones I had killed. The ones that were counting on me. I couldn’t face that fact that I had given them hope, only to come up short. I was the one that had started this mess. I was the one who woke them up and I was the one that was going to set it straight. But now I was the one trapped. I was nothing to Julianne. I had lost my worth as a scientist; I was now nothing but a piece of meat for her to play with. I was no better off than any of the bodies.

After an unknown number of days Julianne entered the room again. I forced my head up and met her gaze, “You’re looking worse for wear,” she said smugly, “are you ready to answer my questions?”

I glared at her, ignoring the pain shooting from my eyes as I did so, “You know the answer to that, Julianne,” I snapped.

Julianne nodded, but this time she didn’t go back out of the door, “I told you,” she began as she strolled about the room, “that there would come a day when I would tire of this game you are playing, Doctor. I believe that day is fast approaching.”

I held my breath, I didn’t know where she was going with this but I didn’t like the start. She turned and smiled at me, “I’m not certain when it could be…maybe tomorrow. But you might want to rethink your stubborn streak,” she shrugged innocently, “just something to think about,” then she left the room.

I was filled with rage; if I hadn’t been tied down I would have done something drastic. I’m not sure if it was the fact that I had been in the same room staring at the same walls for a known amount of days or if it was the stress accumulated over a long period of time. But suddenly I shook with fury. I felt the blood drain from my face and my eyes narrow in a glare. I had a plan, I waited for the man to enter, and I waited for the handle to turn. The man entered the room as every other day. He strode forward and planted himself before me.

“You really should think about talking,” he said cracking his knuckles, as was his daily ritual, “I’m not sure how much more you’re going to be able to take, missy.”

“Did you go to medical school for that knowledge,” I snapped, still glaring.

He paused and looked down at me in amusement, “MIT, actually.”

I scoffed, “Your parents must be so proud! Their beloved college dropout beating a successful geneticist within an inch of her life while she was tied up. So tough.”

The men stared at me. I wasn’t sure if he was mad or shocked. He slowly lowered his hands and strode to the back of my chair. The tight rope around my middle slackened and the rope around my hands fell to the floor. “Get up,” he tilted my chair so I fell to the floor.

For the first time in days I had my hands in front of me, my shoulders ached, but wrists were rubbed raw, and my legs felt like rubber but I forced myself to stand. I leaned against the wall and watched closely as the man moved the chair out of the way, not looking away from me. I wasn’t sure I could fight him off, I didn’t think this would actually work it had been in the heat of the moment. But he advanced on me quicker then I could think of what to do. He grabbed me roughly and planted a hard kiss on my lips.

I tensed. I didn’t understand what was happening. It didn’t make any sense, my mind searched for some reason that he was doing this…but there was no reason. I had insulted him, and that seemed to have been enough. There was no passion in his kiss, just anger. Red hot anger as he pinned me against the wall. I clawed at him, fought him with all of my strength but all it seemed to do was excite him. He wanted me to struggle, he wanted me to fight, and he wanted me to not want him. His hand explored as the other held me close to him. His tongue worked its way into my mouth, almost making me gag. He stared slipping his hand lower and lower until I thought I was going to lose it. I swung my leg back and brought a crashing blow to his crotch.

Suddenly he was on the ground, moaning with all his might. I leaned against the wall and stared at him, I couldn’t believe what he just happened. It doesn’t matter, I tried to tell myself, get to the door! I turned and staggered to the door and threw it open. I stepped into an empty white hall as I slammed the door behind me. I locked it and prayed I would have a few hours before someone found him…but where was I? I quickly walked down the hall with my head down, hoping my legs would comply and stop staggering about. I wasn’t sure what I looked like but I’m sure that if one person saw my face they would either send me right back to that metal room or send me to a hospital…and tell Julianne where I was.

I turned a corner and then another, but I saw no signs or a clear way out. But things started to look familiar, as if I should recognize the structure of the halls, as if these blindingly white halls should be routine. Then I heard the familiar sound of clinking beakers and the buzz of the computers and I knew. I was in the institute.

I slowly rounded the corner, no one was there. I let out a slow breath and slowly walked down the hall, as if I was supposed to be there. As if nothing was out of the ordinary. I ducked into one of the empty labs and grabbed one of the white coats hanging on the hook by the door. I slipped it on my shoulders and quickly went back into the hall. I had never been in this part of the institute but I had a feeling why I was vacant. I peered into various labs and found no one manning any of the equipment, not one soul appeared in any of the halls either.

I took a deep breath and entered one of the labs. There was no time to waste. I all but ran to one of the computers and started trying to figure out what was going on. In the lab I had chosen at random a lone rock sat on the table before me encased in glass and under ever kind of light, from ultraviolet to florescent. It didn’t take much searching to figure out two things. One the rock was a meteorite, and two the scanners were looking for foreign DNA. My breath caught in my throat but there was nothing I could do, at least not at that moment. Suddenly I heard a strange sound coming from down the hallway. It sounded like a scream, but it could’ve also been a roar. It was difficult to tell. I felt the blood drain from my face as the horrible sound bounced off the walls and came to my ears again and again. I dashed out of the room and around another set of corners. I had to get away from the sound, whatever it was, whatever had made it. I couldn’t bring myself to turn around and investigate. I couldn’t go back there. I finally came to a bathroom and ducked inside before anyone could see me.

In the mirror I saw something that was worse than I could have ever imagined. Dried blood may have one time caked my face but the man smeared a good deal of it when he forced himself on me. My eyes were both black and my right cheek was swollen to three times its normal size. A fresh stream of blood ran from my left temple and down onto my shirt. There was not a lot I could do with this. I turned on the water and washed my face. I scrubbed my face clean and dried it. I looked back in the mirror; at least I wouldn’t draw too much attention now. I wet my hands and ran them through my hair to get some resemblance of tidiness. I sighed; it was going to have to work. I felt the cold tiles under my toes; hopefully people weren’t very observant today.

I calmed myself with a few deep breaths and walked out of the bathroom with my head held high. I couldn’t help but think I should’ve probably practiced smiling before leaving the room but I shook the feeling off. I was determined to replace my lab as fast as I possibly could. I rushed around corners and down hallways. It took longer than I had hoped but eventually I came upon another living soul in a hall that I recognized. I came out of the winding halls next to the Engineering rooms.

I kept my head down as I passed first one person then another. I quickened my step growing more nervous the longer I walked near other people. Only a few more corners, I forced myself to think; only a few more corners then you can get the bodies and get out of this godforsaken place. I walked through the glass doors of my lab and was greeted with the usual noise of beakers, buzzing computers, and the soft murmuring of “my” staff. I walked to my station as if it was just another day and I had every right to be there.

I shuffled around some papers to make it look like I was looking for something, but I kept my eye on the glass doors. Waiting for the guards that I knew had to come in sooner or later. “What are you doing,” snapped a voice from behind me.

I spun around, startled, but it was only one of the staff staring at me with wide eyes once they actually say my face, “That’s my station,” he murmured.

I looked down at the desk before me. I had been my station since I had first stepped into the institute. This had been the station where I had made the formula that eventually awoke the bodies. This had been the station where Julianne had threatened me time and time again. By the time I looked back at the white coated stranger they were shifting uneasily from foot to foot.

I smiled my best smile I could manage, forcing myself to not grimace with the challenge, “My mistake,” I was surprised how cheery my voice sounded.

I stepped away from the station and allowed him to take his station, my station. I didn’t look back as I walked to the hallway door that housed the bodies, but I listened. I listened for the tail tale clicking of the guards boot on the tile floor. Thus far none came; I tensed and leaned against the wall but the bodies’ door. I tried to ignore the curious stares by the people who didn’t recognize me. I tried to think of nothing else but what I was going to have to do when the guard walked through that door. I forced my breathing to stay slow, I kept my focus on the glass doors in front of me, and I prayed, hoped, wished that the guards would come faster.

Then the glass doors slid open. I had everything riding on the fact that a guard was going to walk through those doors, but what if it was Julianne? What if it was the man that had somehow gotten out of the metal room? I tensed and hoped with all of my heart. Pete walked through the doors. I nearly collapsed with relief but held onto the door frame for support. I forced myself to glare at the guard that strode forward. “Is there a problem, miss,” he asked as he came forward.

I took a deep breath, “You’re damn right there’s a problem,” I snapped at him, “Where the hell where you! You were supposed to be here thirty minutes ago, and now I have to come down here and supervise all of your work because you are too incompetent to do anything by yourself!”

The guard looked at me quizzically, “I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience,” he said slowly, “I’ll be sure to walk fast net time.”

I stepped up close to him, blocking his sight of my hand as I held his eyes in mine, “If this keeps going on there won’t be a next time, sir,” My hand found the holster were the taser was kept, “I overheard Tony, and he said they might have to start letting people go. I wonder who might be the first to walk out of here if he hears that someone is sleeping on the job,” I slowly eased the taser out and hid it up the sleeve of the lab coat I was wearing as I stepped back, still glaring up at the guard.

He had grown pale, I almost felt sorry for the things I had to say as I looked at his horrified expression, “I-I,” he sputtered trying to replace the right words.

I waved him off, “Just open the damn door and think on what I said.”

He nodded, “Yes, ma’am. Right away, ma’am.”

He turned away from me and I let out a long breath of relief. The loud buzz sounded as the door slid open to reveal the same long white hallway I remembered. He led the way inside and the door slid shut behind us, I eased the taser out of the coats sleeve. “Which one do you need, ma’am,” the guard muttered, still very pale.

I put the taser to his back, he stiffened, “All of them,” I snarled, “Start with Number 302.”

He hesitated and I pressed the taser firmly into his back, “It wouldn’t be wise to resist, sir.”

This time he quickly made his way to Paul’s door. He entered the code and the door slid open with a loud buzz. Paul was leaning against the wall, his eyes were red and his cheeks were wet, but he didn’t look up when the door slid open. “I’m ready,” he rasped, “do whatever you want just don’t-“

“Paul,” I muttered, “it’s me.”

His head whipped around so fast I thought he had given himself whiplash, “Olivia? But how -?”

I shook my head, “I’ll explain later, get out of there.”

Paul jumped up from his spot on the floor and practically ran to me, slamming the door shut behind him. At first I thought he was going to hug me or do something else that extreme, but he stopped himself when he saw the taser. He looked from me to it and back again, but said nothing. “24601,” I snapped at the guard, Paul looked at me with a mixture of relief and uneasiness. That didn’t fill me with much courage.

The guard slowly made his way to Cynthia’s room and the door slid open with a loud buzz. Cynthia sat on her bed with her head in her hands, she looked pale and scared, but she again didn’t look at the door when it opened as if she thought she already know who it was going to be. “You’re a damned coward,” she sobbed, “You won’t get anything out of us, you overzealous doorknob.”

Doorknob? What, I thought as I peered into her room. “Cynthia,” I called to her, her head snapped up at the sound of my voice, “Cynthia come on! We have to move! We don’t have much time.”

Slowly Cynthia turned her head to me and then stared at me with wide eyes, until my words hit her with meaning. She jumped out of her bed and rushed out of the room. I half expected her to say something but she stopped herself, studying my face instead. I stopped myself from explaining, we didn’t have the time for it, but I pressed the taser into the guards back. He whimpered, “Why are you doing this,” he wailed.

“10345,” was all I answered him. I thought that he might have started crying on the way over to the next door, but I couldn’t believe it if that was the case. I refused to allow it to touch me, this guard had been as much a part of this whole thing as I had been. But at least I was trying to do something about it.

The door to Luke’s room slid open. Like the others he sat but he had his back turned to the door, so I couldn’t see his face. He hardly moved as the door slid open. “Ya know,” Luke said in an unusually serious voice, “Tyra Banks says that ‘the most important item in your make-up bag is a good night’s sleep’ but I tend to disagree, especially in your case. Your hair cut it horrible.”

“I thought you liked my hair,” I asked from the doorway, not able to keep the smile off my face.

Luke jumped and turned around. His eyes were wide with shock and his mouth was in a perfect circle of disbelief as he regarded me. “Oh, Jodie,” he breathed, “We can get some cover up that’ll fix all that.”

Luke jumped up and ran out to me, he didn’t stop or hesitate to give me a giant, yet gentle, hug. When he pulled away he smiled down at me but then he caught sight of the taser in my hand, “Oh,” he smirked, “I like ’em when they pack some heat.”

This time I giggled as I put the taser to the guards back, “872.”

As Rose’s door slid open she was leaning against her toilet, her face was white and her breathing heavy. When her doors opened she jumped, “I told you already, I don’t-“ she stopped when she caught sight of me in the door way. She opened and closed her mouth but found no words, instead she jumped up and ran to us. She threw her arms around Cynthia and began to weep while Cynthia awkwardly patted her on the back.

“20345,” I muttered to the guard, keeping my eye on Rose.

The door to Gab’s room slid open and we found him lying on his bed. He had his hands over his eyes and when the buzz sounded he snapped, “How many times do I have to tell you I don’t know!”

“Gab,” I called.

He paused and slowly took his hands down from his eyes. He peered over to the door, “Olivia?” he asked sitting up, “But they said…” he stopped himself and looked to the others. Rose, who was still crying nodded to him, and the others followed suit. That was all Gab seemed to need, he jumped up and joined us in the hall.

I hesitated before forcing the guard to move on. It wasn’t what Gab said, I knew from the look on Paul’s face that something must have happened. I knew that someone must have said something. But it still took all my effort to say, “476.” And even so everyone else looked at me skeptically as the numbers left my mouth.

The loud buzz sounded and the officer sat leaning against his bed, staring at the wall. He didn’t look at me, he didn’t move from his position, he just merely sat and waited for something to happen. “Have you made your decision yet, Officer?” I asked from his doorway.

The officer jumped, I was obviously not who he had been expecting. He looked over at me and judged my features. I saw him look me up and down, weigh me in his eyes, I can’t say it was a pleasant feeling. “What happened to you,” he croaked.

I shrugged, blocking the image of the man forcing his tongue down my throat from my mind, “Unpleasant things… I will explain later.”

The officer nodded, “I can’t stay here any longer.”

I nodded, “Then come on,” I pulled the trigger on the taser and the guard went down in a fit of spasms. The ring of electricity sounded throughout the hall and everyone stared at the man on the ground. I just looked at Officer Smith, “We have to move fast.”

Officer Smith jumped up, also ignoring the man still writhing on the floor and stepped into the hallway, “He’ll be fine,” he explain to the others, “He’ll just take a little nap.”

Everyone else didn’t seem very reassured as I led them all down the hallway and into what was once my lab. I took a deep breath and slid the door open. The staff didn’t look up, they didn’t look at us curiously, they didn’t even seem aware that we strolled through the lab. It made me glad this wasn’t my staff; I liked to think my other staff would’ve noticed eight people walking through the lab. Especially since six of the seven where the experiments and the seventh was covered in bruises. Either way, getting out of the actual lab wasn’t the problem but leaving the institute grounds was going to be a problem, I didn’t exactly bring my car.

We came into the hall. A few of the scientists that walked before did spare us a glance, but didn’t stop to question what we were doing. I hoped that this was a coincidence; I hoped Julianne didn’t pave the way for us only to turn up by the exit and escort all of us back to our “rooms”. As we continued to go around corners and down halls I kept looking around for Julianne. I expected her to appear as if out of thin air. I jumped at the slightest sound; I flinched as one scientist after another rounded corners in front of us, only for someone to put a comforting hand on my shoulder. I patted it reassuringly and picked up my pace. I ignored my pain as I walked. I ignored my pounding heart, my aching bruises, and my racing thoughts. I focused on getting us out…I couldn’t go back to that metal room. I couldn’t and I wouldn’t.

We rounded the last corner and came to the entrance of the institute. The lone receptionist behind the desk was buried in another magazine as always, she didn’t look up as we walked past. I glanced at the camera hanging in the corner and for the first time since I left the metal room I wondered why no one was watching the screens in the security room. Or if they were…why did they not alert someone already. I stopped asking myself questions and walked through the glass doors into the fresh air of the outside world.

We might have taken two steps before everyone stopped and looked around. They had been locked behind the institute’s wall for so long they had never thought that this day would come. They had never thought that they would ever see the outside world ever again. They had relied on memories and, when that started to fail, their imagination. But pure imagination was nothing compared to the sweet scent of fresh air filling the lungs, or the sound of wind rushing through trees, or even the song of birds filling the air. But we didn’t have time to admire the surroundings.

“Come on,” I forced through my suddenly stiff lips as a new sharp feeling of pain forced its way to my awareness.

I herded them into the parking lot and to a minivan that was parked not far from the entrance. “And how to you expect to open that,” Cynthia murmured from behind me.

I turned to Gab, “Would you mind doing the honors?”

He hesitated but stepped forward and placed his hand gently on the door. Within seconds there were a series of clicks and he nodded. I reached out and opened the door, turning to Cynthia, “Like that.”

“Oh, well when you put it that may,” she muttered climbing into the back seat without further comment. But Paul gently grabbed me before I climbed into the driver’s seat, “you’re not looking so great.”

I opened my mouth to protest but he held up a hand, “I know how to drive…I suggest you sit back and let someone else take the stress for a change,” he looked me up and down with a worried expression then added, “Please.”

Luke came up from behind him, “He’s right, Jodie, and no one wants to say it but you look like you could really use a drink.”

I sighed and stepped aside so Paul could climb into the driver’s seat, while I climbed into the back. Once I was in there I saw that Gab had taken the passenger’s seat, Cynthia lounged in the trunk with Rose, and Luke and the officer were climbing in behind me. Paul looked back at us, “Ready?”

“Just get us the hell out of here before the black helicopters get here,” came Cynthia’s call from the back.

Luke smiled but said nothing. Gab reached over and placed his hand over the key hole. The engine roared to life, and Paul quickly got us out of the parking lot. “Um, guys,” Luke said tentatively, “Where are we going to go?”

The car was silent as we continued to go down the road. I closed my eyes as pretended I didn’t feel every bump in the road, I tried to breathe slowly but with every bump a new wave of pain enveloped me. “There’s an empty warehouse in New Port.”

“Unless you have enough money to get us to California I suggest you limit your knowledge to the east coast,” I muttered through stiff lips.

There was silence again; I didn’t open my eyes to see what caused it this time. I focused on my breathing until I felt the fingers on my neck. My eyes snapped open; I saw six pairs of eyes looking at me with worry. Gab was turned around in his seat with two of his fingers gently pressed to my neck, his mouth moving as he silently counted. Paul, from what I could tell, had slowed his driving considerably and was sending worried glances back at me. Gab shook his head, “We need to go to a hospital,” he told Paul, who nodded in agreement.

Turning back to the back seat Gab addressed the officer, “Keep her awake,” Officer Smith took my shoulders gently. I couldn’t stop tensing, I don’t remember shaking him off but then he was holding up his hands in an innocent solute. “I’m not going to hurt you doctor,” the officer said slowly.

I don’t know what had come over me. I could stop shaking. I had been fine only moments ago, I had gotten them out, and everything had gone fine. We were out of the institute and on the road…so why am I sweating? Why am I shacking? Why did I react to the officers hands on me? “Olivia,” Gab said gently, “I need you to tell us where a hospital is.”

I started to shake my head but Gab held up a finger, “Olivia…you need medical attention. I may have a PhD but I’m not an MD. Please tell us where to go.”

I took a deep breath, “We have to go to East Point.”

“What’s in East Point, Doctor,” this time it was Rose.

“House,” I forced through gritted teeth, “Empty family house.”

“Covenant,” someone muttered.

“Okay,” Paul sighed, “East Point it is.”

Gab shook his head, “I don’t like this. She should be monitored.”

“Well she doesn’t want to go to a hospital,” Cynthia snapped, “Just go to East Point before those crazy people from the institute come after us. If she gets worse then we’ll stop and get some help, deal?”

Gab looked at me, studying me, sizing me up with his eyes. Finally he sighed, “Fine,” he murmured, “But the moment she starts looking worse we replace a hospital.”

Everyone nodded, I sighed with relief. If I walked into a hospital what would I tell them? I fell down some stairs? I leaned against the window and closed my eyes again. I felt every bump in the road but this time I knew that we were going to safety. This time I knew that I wouldn’t be woken up but Julianne coming in to ask questions I couldn’t answer. This time I had faith that we might be okay, for once.