The Fence

Chapter 13: Unconscious

~Grey~

Kirbena lets out a small groan in her restless state of sleep, her eyebrows crunching with pain. I clutch her tightly to me to support her as I rush to the elevator, pushing the button with my back. After somehow pressing the button to the infirmary floor, I let my back rest against the metal walls of the elevator.

It's hard to suppress my anger at Luci right now, with him deliberately going against my wishes and using all of his skill in their battle. But even through all of that, Kirbena had held her own with him until the very end. She was strong and determined, but in the end, Luci's speed was too much.

But more prominent than my internal rage toward Luci is my fury with Kirbena for not listening to me. I gaze down at her in draped in my arms, her long lashes fluttering as her eyelids twitch with unsettlement. The elevator doors ding open, and I push myself off the wall with a grunt.

I open the door to the infirmary with my shoulder, shuffling my way through the doorway. I lay Kirbena down on one of the under-stuffed mattresses in the room, her brown hair contrasting with the very white sheets. Once she's safely tucked in the framework of the bed, I make my way over to the office connected to this room. I knock on the glass after I discover the knob to the door is locked. The boy inside jumps, pushing his thickly framed glasses up the bridge of his nose as he swivels in his chair to look at me. My best friend, Donte Travis, stares back at me through the reflecting glass. Despite only being here for 2 years like me, he's a skilled doctor for the military and luckily has been assigned to my squad. Donte stands to answer the door, swiftly ducking under me when he sees my trainee laying on the bed. He's tall and skinny, but not lanky. His peachy skin matches his dark brown hair, and caramel eyes shimmer despite the glint of the lenses in his glasses. His thick eyebrows are furrowed in concentration, taking in Kirbena's injuries. Due to his lack in physical strength, our previous mentor sent him here to train as a doctor.

"Grey, nice to see you," Donte says as he makes his way through his office door. He skillfully sets up an IV, pushing a needle into Kirbena's arm. "Unfortunately under these circumstances. Is she one of your students?"

"Yeah," I reply. Donte has, for the most part, been a polite boy. He says hello to the people in lower castes, even though he's judged for it. Donte is a kindhearted person and is from Caste 1. He was always my go-to guy the first year, and I was his. I told him everything. But preparing for my new squad had made a dent on the time I could stop in and see him, and he had his patients. At least he would be my squad's doctor from now on.

"What happened to her? Do you know?"

"Luci Connor. We were testing Kirbena's combat skills and he took a grudge too far. The two of them, along with a few others, got drunk last night."

"Ah," Donte replies, hooking Kirbena up to a heart monitor. "That makes sense. I've been made aware of his LCSD."

"He has Lower Caste Stress Disorder?" I ask stupidly, my brow furrowing in confusion.

Donte nods, a sad look coming to his face. "Yeah. He was diagnosed a little before he arrived here at the Central Building. I understand why it developed over the years. Apparently, he had been left alone in Caste 8 with some pretty nasty people. He and his brother had to do everything on their own."

"No parents?"

"Like I said, nasty people," Donte sighs, giving me a pointed look. "Said he had a friend to help him with it, but when he left for the military, he had no support system."

To sum it all up, LCSD is a mental disorder similar to PTSD or Bipolar Disorder that is developed in the lower castes due to stress and fear. The disease makes someone rash, and if triggered, the person will react with brute strength.