CaNdY

After getting her bearings back Candy ran along with Ice, only partially leaning on him. He led her back to the room where she and Angela had first come through. Angela.

“Angie’s still here somewhere…”

Ice stopped.

“What?”

“She’s here, they took here somewhere when Gavin found us.”

Ice turned around and lifted up the heavy tile. “She’s dead then.”

“You don’t know that.”

“You don’t know she isn’t”

“We have to find her.”

“We don’t have the time or the resources to search the whole Facility for a dead body.”

“She isn’t dead.”

“Maybe not, but if we stay here much longer, we will be.” He reached out and pulled Candy by her arm. She knew he was right, but she wasn’t going to admit it. She snatched her arm back.

“I won’t leave her.”

“Candy please we don’t have time.”

“I can’t…”

Ice had never seen her so pitiful. Her face was a burnt bloody mess, her shirt was practically falling off of her. He was going to kill that son of a bitch Gavin. If it wasn’t for the fierce look in her eyes he would have thought she had been broken. Those golden orbs of hers reflected her determination. God he loved her.

“Look…if she is still alive then they don’t plan on killing her right away, or they would have shot her in front of you. If they are holding her somewhere that means she has a purpose for them. She’ll be safe for a little while, we can come back later, when we have what we need to help her, there’s nothing we can do for her now, you dieing is the last thing she needs.”

Candy still looked hesitant.

“Please…just this once….Candy I need you…” he looked to be on the verge of crying. Candy stood still for what seemed like an eternity, then walked forward and climbed into the manhole.

*****

Phillip sat with his back against the wall. The whole room smelled like copper and bile. When her blood gushed over his hands he couldn’t hold back the vomit. It was so warm…he could smell it so thick…it wouldn’t stop flowing…no matter what he did. His eyes burned from the tears.

Mike was dead. Kay was dead. He was alone with Celeste, who just sat in a corner staring at her feet. The blood on his hands and face was a brown color, it didn’t even look like blood anymore, more like rust colored mud. He wanted to go to the shower, he wanted to rinse Kay’s life from his skin, wash away what had just happened but he couldn’t. All he could so was sit there and stare at the bodies.

Pieces of Mikes head were splattered on the wall and bed, he saw what he thought was a piece of his scalp hanging off the night table. Kay was just laying there with her eyes wide open. He didn’t know why people said that when you died you looked like you were sleeping. Even if he hadn’t watched her die, even if he had just walked in, he would have known she was dead. There was a presence about a dead person, a kind of lingering feeling, like part of them was still there when the rest wasn’t.

He wanted Nathan…he wanted his sister…he wanted anyone, he just didn’t want to be alone with these bodies. He wanted someone, anyone, to walk through the door and make him leave. To take him by his hand and guide him like a small child. Until then he would just sit there, and wait.

*****

As soon as Candy’s body hit the soft car seat she let it all go. She closed her eyes and just let go. Sleep was comforting. Ice buckled her in then laid her seat back a bit and went to the driver’s side.

It was going to be alright, she was with him now, and she was alive. Her wounds would heal, within the week they would be nothing more than pink scars. On the way out they weren’t pursued by anyone, this surprised him, he wondered if Gavin had managed to get himself out of that room yet, by there lack of escorts, he guessed not.

He pulled out slow and took corners carefully so not to rouse her. She was going to be ok. HE was going to be ok…

*****

Angela listened as Beta told her about Celeste, how she had been created, and how Beta had been condemned to a life inside this tank. She felt a tinge of pity for the monster human. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to live her life in a tank, to never know anything beyond her room.

“Why do they keep you here, wouldn’t it be easier to just…”

‘Destroy me? Pull my life support? Starve me? I too have asked myself theses questions, but alas I have no questions, only but one request.’

“What?”

‘Set me free so that I can see beyond these four walls.’

Angela took a step backwards. “Why should I? You’d kill me!”

‘I would not. I don’t wish to harm anyone, I wish only to live, truly live, as every other creature has.’

“How can I trust you?”

‘What do you have to lose? If you free me I can get you out of this room.’

“You can eat me is what you can do.”

‘Even if I did eat you, what would I have to gain from your death? And what do you have to gain by not releasing me? Certainly you know they intend on killing you.’

“You make a good point.” ‘Not to mention I have my taser if it changes its mind.’

‘Please.’

Angela looked around and thought for a minute. Either she could sit her like a damsel in distress waiting for them to come and kill her, or she could risk it and let Beta loose, and maybe escape. Not good choices.

“Alright…how do I do this?”

‘Over there on the far side of the room there is a control panel…’



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A/N: OK, an update...finally! TY Chanda for the review! Sorry for leaving you guys with a cliffy for so long, but my brain is frazzled, this might be the last time I update for awhile with that damn hurricane wilma staring its Ugly Ass right towards Central FL. last time when charley frances and jean came through we went without power and phone lines for like two weeks! GAH! I hate hurricanes -.- ANYWAY! Reveiw please.

~Love Torne