Efferent

Chapter 37

Somberly, we walked back towards James's house when the sun had nearly set. We had remained near Amelia's grave, prettying the scene with whatever spare decorations we could find, and soon the grave was blanketed with flowers. When the last daisy was laid on top, all that was left to do was to follow James back to the small house in the shadowed woods.

When we crossed the threshold into the house, screams and shouts filled our ears, all courtesy to Clark.

He was in his room, straining against his bindings. He had managed to get one hand free, and it was scrabbling at the knots, trying to untie them. Clark lifted his head once we came in and he proceeded faster, scowling at us.

I approached him slowly, holding my hands up. "Calm down, Clark. We do not mean any harm. We only want to help you." He growled lowly and untied the knot, rushing towards us. He knocked me down but I crawled out of his grip. Blaise rushed forward, pushing me backwards as he stood in front of me.

James ran behind Clark and injected more sedative into him, and Clark abruptly dropped down onto the ground. I stood up, chest heaving as I processed what just happened. "That was my last injected sedative. At this rate, there is no way we can make him swallow the pills."

"We need another method." I confirmed.

"Sedatives are working, but we will need a lot of injected sedatives. We do not have enough to use on this matter. We will have to double and strengthen the restraints as well." James said.

"But we need a new method." Blaise noted. "Nothing is working, and we will constantly have to keep an eye on him. It is not efficient at all."

Travis sighed. "What else do we have? We have exercised all of the options as of now."

"How... how about training?" I suggested. "Such as the training we are going to give to the Afferents."

"True... but he will not be as easy at training the Afferents. The Afferents just need to learn how to harness their powers. They will be more cooperative as well." James replied.

I pinched my brow and tried to stop my shaking from the events that just happened. "Scrap that idea, I do not think it will work. Nothing we have now will work. The only think I think of is to use a stronger sedative, but I do not suppose you have any."

James shook his head. "No, I do not. Let us tie him up now and we can resume our discussion later. I do have stronger ropes, though, so we can try those. And handcuffs? Shackles? I have those from my old days of official work."

"Let us try those. It will not hurt." Travis decided. James nodded, and Blaise helped him chain him up again. "This is getting tiring and repetitive." Travis noted, and I nodded.

"Do you have an idea?" I asked tiredly, rubbing my temple. James and Blaise returned to their seats, and we all turned towards Travis.

"No, I do not-"

"Why not just kill him?" Blaise growled, clenching his fists together tightly. "Just like how he murdered Amelia. Cold blooded murder, it was. Right now, he is danger to all of us in his state. Look, he even tried to kill Ardyn even though she is his closest friend!"

"Are you shaking?" Travis asked quietly, his eyebrow raising as he looked at me.

"N-no." I stuttered. He gave me a knowing look.

"It is okay, Ardyn, to show fear at times. It is only natural. And you are fine now. Safe." Travis whispered, holding his arms out. I was surprised at the affection he was showing, but I immersed myself in the feel of arms around me again.

"Ah hem." James coughed lightly. "I do not think we can do that, Blaise, but-"

"Why not? There is no way to contain him, and how do we know that he does not have traces of his Efference still in him? His power is to disappear and appear somewhere else. How do we know that he can or can not still do that? If we ask, he can lie."

I sighed. "Blaise, you are overreacting. I am sure that what we are doing now will be enough. Besides, Dr. Ross probably took it all."

"There is no way to be sure, Ardyn!" Blaise screamed. "Are you sure? Are any of sure? Sure about anything? What are we sure of?" I exchanged a helpless glance with Travis as Blaise continued ranting. "Why not just dispose of him? What other choice do we have?"

"There is no guarantee that he will ever be normal. What if his condition worsens, even? What will we do then? What about at that point? Maybe we will have to resort to it then. Why not do it earlier then later?"

"Blaise-" I tried to say but he cut me off again.

"Who knows what else he is capable of? What he can do? What are we going to do then?" Blaise's voice rose in his panic and hysteria, and suddenly I felt a wave of paranoia crash onto me. The room began swaying, twisting and turning into different forms.

Every one disappeared around me, and I was alone by myself. Darkness surrounded me, and I cautiously glanced all around me. Dimly, I heard shouts and words but none of them registered, I did not understand anymore.

There was only darkness. And then soon faces appeared. Clark's first, and he pounced towards me, tackling me towards the ground. Screaming, I fell down and his hands wrapped around my neck. I turned away and managed to roll away but fell off of a cliff, tumbling down towards a marsh.

Clark raced after me, and Amelia was there to help me up, her hand reaching towards mine. He leapt towards me but miscalculated, landing onto Amelia and swiftly ending her life. I screamed again, backing away but there was nothing but the rocky walls of the cliff around me.

He made his way towards me, and then he lunged. I dodged and started running but he appeared in front of me. I watched as he appeared and disappeared, using his Efference wildly. I ran in the opposite direction, but he appeared in front of me again.

I tried to head the other way, but Clark was right in front of me again, leering as his hands reached out for me. Finally I ran straight into the rocks again and his hands once again reached my neck, and then everything turned black.