Desolation, J. B. Everett [reading a book txt] 📗

his face.

"Well now that you're back, can you let us out of here?" Dylan asks.

"No. If he does, they'll find out that his trance wore off, and who knows what they'll do to him then..." I say.

Dylan crosses his arms.

"So you're telling me that we still have to stay in this shithole when Ian can easily let us out?" he asks incredulously.

I sigh. As much as I want to leave this room, I know that we will be caught if we do. And worst of all, Ian will be in trouble.

Big trouble.

"I have an idea" Ian says suddenly.

I turn back to him.

"What?" I ask.

"They have this supply closet full of lab coats and masks. I can go and get some, then come back down here. We can all wear them to disguise ourselves, then escape" Ian explains.

"You really don't think they'll notice that it's us?" I ask dubiously.

"If we all wear the lab coats and masks, we'll look like all of the others doctors and blend in. I promise" Ian says.

He then reaches down and squeezes my hand comfortingly.

"I'm in" Dylan says.

"Me too" Nikki adds.

"I guess I am too then" Tristan says.

Ian looks at me.

"Fine" I say.

He smiles, then squeezes my hand again.

"I'll go get the disguises now. I'll be back here as soon as possible" Ian says.

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"Okay" I reply, nodding.

This seems like a crazy idea, but hey, everything that has happened the past week has been far from normal.

Before Ian leaves, he leans in, kissing me softly on the cheek and sending shivers throughout my entire body.

"Be careful, make sure they don't suspect you" I say when he pulls away.

He nods, then walks out, locking the door behind us. I close my eyes for a moment, smiling to myself. I  can't stop thinking; Ian is back.

"Well that went well" Dylan says.

I turn around, grinning at them through the gloom.

"I guess now we wait for him to come back" Nikki says.

I nod, then lean back against the wall and close my eyes again. Time ticks by as we all wait. And wait. And wait. I don't know how much time goes by, but I start to get nervous.

What happened to him?

What if they know what he's up to?

Worried thoughts crowd my mind like a virus, spreading and multiplying. Just when I am about to say something, I hear the sound of a key twisting into the lock.

Filled with excitement, I rush over to the door, waiting as the person pushes it open.

"I'm so glad you're..."

But I am abruptly cut off when I see that it is not Ian. Instead, I find myself staring into the rough face of an middle-aged man with a beard. My heart pounds in my chest as I take a shaking step backwards.

Something is not right.

"Are you Tessa?" the man asks in a dull, monotone voice.

"Y...Yes" I reply.

Without a word, the man grabs me.

"Leave her alone!" Tristan shouts, running towards me.

I look at Tristan panickedly as the man ties my arms behind my back.

"What are you doing?" he shouts.

"Don't worry, she'll be back soon" the man says gruffly, starting to pull me out of the room.

Before I can say anything, the man shuts the door, locking them inside. He begins to drag me down the hallway. I have a sickening feeling in my gut; this cannot be good.

We turn the corner and begin walking down the main hallway. The bright fluorescent lights blind me, making my head start to pound. Suddenly, we stop in front of a door to my left. The man twists the handle and opens the door.

When I see the two people who are inside of the room, I nearly faint.

One of them, sitting in his wheelchair, is Hal. And the other person is Ian.

This is why he hasn't come back yet.

They both look up at me and my eyes immediately lock with Ian's. He has that same distant, glazed look painted on his face from when he was brainwashed.

"Come in Tessa" Hal says.

The man unties the rope behind my back then pushes me inside, closing the door behind me.

"Aren't you glad to see your friend Ian again? Except, now he is one of us" Hal sneers mockingly.

I swallow hard and clench my fists, trying to stop myself from punching him square in the face.

"Sit down" Hal says, pointing to the cot.

I stand still, rooted to the floor.

"I said, sit" he demands.

Reluctantly, I walk over and sit down on the edge of the bed.

"What the hell do you want" I snap, looking into Hal's grey, lifeless eyes.

"We need more of your blood. Your special blood" Hal says.

I shake my head.

"Tessa, I don't think that you want to misbehave. We can easily do what to did to Ian to you" Hal says coldly.

"Fine" I spit out.

"Don't worry, it will be quick and easy; just like last time. But this time, I thought I could have Ian take your blood. He needs to get trained as a doctor" Hal says.

I glance up at Ian, hoping to see an emotion on his face. But instead, he wears a distant, impassive visage. Either he is really good at acting, or he is brainwashed again.

I really hope it's not the second option.

"You may begin" Hal says, looking at Ian.

Ian mechanically walks over to the counter and opens up a drawer, pulling out a needle connected by a tube to a plastic bag. I gulp as he walks towards me.

"Roll up your sleeve" Ian says mechanically.

I look up at him pleadingly.

"I said, roll up your sleeve" he says again.

Grudgingly, I roll up my sleeve. Ian wipes the crook of my elbow with an antiseptic pad, then takes the needle, hovering it over my skin.

I look up at him again to see a pained expression on his face.

He mouths the word "Sorry" and then plunges the needle into my skin. I wince as he begins to draw my blood. Hal sits behind us, watching us intently. Watching to see if Ian does anything wrong.

A few minutes go by and I begin to feel nauseous and dizzy, breaking out in a cold sweat. My vision starts to blur. I don't know how much longer I can handle this.

"Please, make it stop..." I murmur.

"Not yet" Hal says.

Ian looks at me, a worried look on his face.

"Please..." I murmur to Ian.

I begin to sway back and forth, slipping in and out of consciousness. They must literally be taking almost all of the blood out of my body.

"Okay, you can take it out now" Hal finally says.

To my relief, Ian pulls the needle out. It takes a few moments for my vision to return. I watch as Ian hands the bag to my Hal, which is filled to the top with my blood. The sight of all the blood in that bag makes me want to lose my stomach. Hal looks at the bag with a greedy, malicious look in his eyes.

"You're free to go now Tessa. Ian, bring her back"

Ian nods robotically and grabs me, pulling me down from the bed. As we leave the room, Hal wheels out behind us and heads down the hallway. Ian grabs my arm and begins to lead me down the hallway in the opposite direction. Once we turn the corner, he stops and pushes me against the wall.

"I am so sorry..." he whispers.

"It's...it's okay" I say woozily, still dizzy.

"I had to do it. Or else Hal would know that I broke out of my trance" Ian explains.

"I know. I understand" I say.

Ian nods.

"Are you okay?" he asks, looking at me intensely.

"Er...yeah" I say, even though I feel as if I might vomit any second.

"Good. Well now we have to go back and get those lab coats and masks" Ian says.

Right. I almost forgot.

"How about I go back and you go and get it?" I suggest.

He nods and we begin to walk down the long, dim hallway towards the steel door at the end. When we reach it, Ian reaches into his pocket and pulls out a key, sticking it into the lock. Once he twists the handle, the door creaks open, revealing the dark gloom.

I walk inside. Before Ian leaves, I feel his hand touch my shoulder. I turn around to see his face, looking intently into mine.

"When I come back, it's go time. We are all getting the hell out of here" Chapter Thirty-Five

Ian closes the door, leaving us in the gloom.

Before I can even turn around, Tristan rushes over towards me.

"What happened? What did they do to you?" he asks worriedly.

I turn around, facing him.

"They took more of my blood" I say.

"Then why did Ian bring you back? I thought he was getting the lab coats and masks?" he asks.

"They forced Ian to take my blood. He had to; if he refused they would know that he wasn't brainwashed anymore. And he's going to get them now" I explain.

Tristan looks at me intently, his bright blue eyes radiating in the darkness.

"Are you okay?" he asks softly.

I nod, even though I still feel dizzy.

"I'll be fine" I say.

Nikki and Dylan walk towards us.

"Hey, so even if we do escape from this place, where are we going to go? We're still stuck on this island; they'll find us and capture us again" Nikki says.

I bite my lip, unsure. The fervent dreams of escaping this place had overshadowed the harsh reality that we are still stuck on this island.

"Hey, I still have that map of the island" Tristan says, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the crumpled piece of paper.

He unfolds it and we all crowd around him, looking at the hand-drawn map. Most of the handwriting labeling the various locations on the map is so sloppy that it is nearly illegible. Tristan points his finger to a dot that is at the peak of the mountain. I squint, unable to read the writing that is beneath it.

"What does that say?" I ask.

"Radio tower..." Tristan murmurs.

"As in a radio tower that we could use to call someone and get rescued?" Dylan asks excitedly.

"Maybe. I say we go there. It's at the highest point on the island, so it's going to be quite a hike up there" Tristan says.

The thought of calling someone to rescue us makes me giddy with excitement. I try not to get my hopes up though. First, we have to escape this place without getting caught. And the chances of that happening are very slim.

As Tristan begins to fold up the map, the door opens and Ian walks inside, carrying a heap of white lab coats.

"Got everything" he says.

I smile, relieved that he didn't get caught.

Ian tosses us each a lab coat, mask and surgical hat. I throw on the coat and put on the hat, stuffing all of my knotted hair underneath. Finally, I put on the mask and nearly vomit when I do. It is damp and smells like mildew.

Yuck.

"How do I look as a doctor?" Dylan asks, twirling around in front of Nikki.

"Hot" Nikki says, laughing and rolling her eyes.

"So what's the plan exactly?" Tristan asks, looking at Ian.

"We will walk to the hatch and climb out" Ian says flatly.

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