Promises Remade ☆ Gally - TDC | ONGOING

Consciousness

A loud bang is what wakes me up. I feel everything shake around me and I try to look to see what it was but I cannot see anything. 

All I see is darkness. 

A black abyss. 

The ground shakes beneath me again– or what I think is the ground, I am not sure though. I can tell that I am laying down. However, the ground is not this comfy... I know this cushioned ground... It is a familiar surface...

I slowly and shakily drag my fingers across the cold surface– Leather. 

I pry my eyes open, painfully and slowly, forcing past the blurriness and drowsiness until the black abyss fades. Fluorescent lights blind me as I take in my surroundings. And, sure enough, the red leather straps are tied tightly around my wrist and ankles like every time I have sat on a similar exam table, if not the exact same one. I look around more to see that I am in not just any lab...

Not now, Finley. Come on, focus. 

"Do you know what this place is?" It takes me a moment for the words to register, each syllable running through my mind, trying to understand what is being said, or more specifically, who is saying it. "It's a lifeboat." I look over my shoulder to see Janson. He looks over his shoulder just as I do, removing his gaze from the burning city on the other side of the thin glass. Janson glances from me to my right side, I quickly follow his gaze to see a second exam table. Thomas strapped down to the red leather fabric just as I am. Teresa sits beside him, drawing a sample of blood from his forearm, the blue veins sparking under the pale complexion. 

"Traitor," I spit under my breath, and just as I hoped, she hears. But she barely gives me a glance, though I can see how her eye twitches at my word, fighting to keep a tear at bay. 

"The whole world might be sinking..." Janson continues, "but, doesn't mean that have to go down with it." I change my gaze to focus on Thomas, fighting past the blurriness, he is already staring back, looking at me with a sense of anger while his eyes flicker downwards. I follow his gaze, Teresa has moved to sit in front of me, needle in hand. Instantly, fight or flight mode is sparked within me. 

I try to fight the restraints around my wrists, pulling at them as my legs begin to attempt kicking. I jostle side to side, trying to get away from the shiny piece of metal that glistens under the fluorescent lighting, the shiny piece of metal that will soon enough pierce my skin. 

Trying, trying, trying to get away. But failing, failing, failing. 

From the corner of my eye, I can see Thomas attempting to fight the restraints around his wrists just as I am. I need to get out of here. Now. 

Teresa tries to reach forward, trying to grab ahold of my arm but I let out a scream. "NO!" I panic, my breathing picking up in fast breaths, my whole body shaking, tears rushing to the forefront. "No, no, no. Please, Teresa. I can't, not again. Not again, not again." I meet her gaze. "Please, I don't want to do it anymore." A sob racks through my body. 

"Leave her alone," Janson's words cut sharp through the thick, heavy air like ice. "We'll sedate her later." I see a look cross over Teresa's dark eyes, but I cannot decipher it. And, as fast as it comes, it goes and she looks away. Standing to her feet, pushing the chair back and moving toward the countertop on the far side of the room where all of the machinery and equipment are lined up. 

"No, no, no," I pull on the restraints harder. If I am sedated, I have no control. Not over my body, my words, my thoughts, my actions, let alone what is done to me. I cannot do this again. "No, no, no." 

"Leave her alone-"

"How much longer?" Janson questions, ignoring mine and Thomas' struggle.  

"It's almost done," she answers easily. 

Janson lets out a breathy sigh and moves to stand at the end of mine and Thomas' exam table, glancing between the two of us. 

"Why don't you just kill us?" Thomas questions through clenched teeth. 

"Kill you?" There's a pause, he takes slow steps toward Thomas. I want to say something but it feels as if my mouth is sewn shut while my breathing continues to come out in now ragged, short breaths. No, no, no, leave Thomas alone. "No, we don't wanna do that. We're gonna take special care of you," Janson continues. "We'll keep you both alive. Just-" He is cut off as Thomas tries to lunge at him but is held back by the restraints. What did Thomas expect? The restraints are there for a reason after all. "And, in return, you will give life to the rest of us. The ones we choose to save, anyway."

He turns to his side, grabbing a small device of sorts– it is hard to see what it is with his back turned to me mostly– but with the push of a button, I see a blue light flash on. "Of course, there's not gonna be enough for everyone between you and Ms. Paige over there," he juts his head back in my direction. Thomas' eyes fleet to me in a slight panic, however, he quickly covers it with rage as if it is his only shield of protection against Janson. "Hard choices are gone have to be made. In time, the Flare virus will burn itself out. The only question is, who will be the ones left standing?" Janson is now speaking over Thomas' grunts as he tries to fight the restraints and my heavy breathing as I try to push my panic attack to the back burner– for a better timing. 

Teresa holds up a blue vile, to which Janson wastes no time in grabbing before turning back around, standing at the side of the exam table I am strapped on, his eyes slowly and leisurely taking looks between the two of us as if we are amusing to him. "And, thanks to you two, to this..." he holds up the blue vile, "we finally get to choose." He places the blue vile into the device he had picked up seconds beforehand, and a small click erupts the silence. "A future of our own making..." He rolls up the sleeve of his black jacket to show a series of black and blue veins cascading his pale arm, veins pulsing with an urge. 

I glance over to Thomas with shock but only find him looking up at Janson with a wave of shaking anger. 

"To your health-" Janson does not get the chance to finish his sentence as the glass shatters across the room, falling across my body, I have to look away as a piece pierces the skin of my cheek. It all happens so fast, I do not even realize what just happened. I carefully glance back to see Janson's body slump to the floor, Teresa standing behind him with a shattered piece of glass that remains from a beaker. 

Teresa bends over and grabs the small device, pocketing it into her jacket before moving to Thomas. "Okay, let's get out of here." She says, moving to loosen the restraints before allowing him to undo the rest. She is about to turn to help undo my restraints, however, I see Janson move to his feat. 

"Teresa!" I try to warn but I am too late... I am always too late...

A/N - 

Guess who's back, back again!

Hope everyone is doing well. I am on summer break right now, is anyone else?

I will post more often, I am aiming to do weekly updates on Wednesdays because that is my day off from work, and/or maybe Saturdays as well, it just depends on what I have planned– you know, busy life and whatnot *note sarcasm*. We are so close to the end, so close, and I will try my best to have it done before the end of summer (which is the end of August for me) but with how many chapters I have left planned, it should be hopefully done by the end of July. Who knows with me though. 

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed!

Much love, 

- Alex <3