Chapter 29
Why does it feel like I just came out from a hangover....?
A shock sizzled inside of me, waking me up automatically. The pain came from the spot where Layla had stabbed me. The dizziness started to kick in, sending me to the floor. I scrambled to pick myself up.
Then, I walked to the back of the jet stumbling most of the way grabbing the weapons that I first saw. My head throbbed badly and I got out of the jet running as fast as I could to help the others. The bright fiery sun blinded my vision which sent me crashing on the ground, tumbling down a hill.
Blood dripped from my leg but I stood up once again, trying my best to stand straight. I ran as fast as I could but every time I stood up, something kept crashing me down. A screeching sound filled the atmosphere. My ears started ringing and blood was oozing out which was not a good sign. Memories scrambled through my head from new to old. The needle which Layla struck with must have been something that was not anaesthesia because there were too many side effects. As time passed by, I tried my best to keep this overwhelming feeling at bay. Then, I entered a small forest that was just outside the church.
Hope-filled me.
As I was running, I saw a tree surrounded by big bean bags that seemed to move. I went closer to them and heard muffles inside the bags. Then, I pushed them away to see Aanisah there. She was barely conscious with a huge scar on her forehead with blood from the wound spread across her face.
"I'M GOING TO KILL HIM WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HIM!" She promised.
"Aanisah- who- are- you- talking- about?" I asked. Then Aanisah looked at me in fury then her face turned pale.
"Jamie what the hell is wrong with you?!" She demanded,
"What do you mean-I-feel fine?" I replied. Then blood dripped from my leg, staining the ground. I was about to collapse when Aanisah helped me up.
"Jamie, why are you like this right now?" She ordered.
"The-needle-something-was wrong-with it" I mentioned. Aanisah gazed at the church then back at me.
"Well, I need to get going. Are you ok to keep going?" She questioned
"Yeah" I lied, continuing forward.
Elijah
Why does getting revenge have to be so unpleasant...?
A piece of me felt pity for the way I treated Aanisah but I need my revenge. ALIRON had destroyed my life and many others and I needed to take action before someone else was filled with the same grief as me. After ALIRON had left Afghanistan, I had nothing. I was on the streets begging and trying to find my next meal just so I can survive the rest of the day.
Then one day, I found a poster about joining the American Army and the benefits it had with it. With a couple of papers and documents, I was on my way to America for a new life but then after three years with the army, I discovered that ALIRON had created a new society in Boston.
From that moment, I knew this was my chance to settle a score with them.
And I will never stop until my thirst for revenge has been satisfied…
After some time of navigating the sewers, I found a hatch that led to one of the main rooms of the church. I clumsily climbed the greasy old ladder and with one great push, it opened. The room looked like it was from the 1800s with old bookshelves filled with collecting dust and melted candles that covered the room. Battered books occupied the shelves, covering every inch of the torn wallpaper. Rows of wooden oak desks were precisely scattered across the vast room with velvet, burnt orange chairs - what poor taste.
After a quick snoop of the room, I marched out of it hunting for the people that slaughtered my family...
Layla
These are the kind of days when I regret joining ALIRON...
As we walked through the building, a shiver ran down my spine, anticipating what the new creatures ALIRON had created.
The entire hall was filled with cages of laughter, screams and giggles.
"This way, just ignore the beasts. ALIRON is using them for phase three" He ordered.
"What's phase three?" I demanded.
Unexpectedly, he cackled at the question. I could feel something was wrong.
"Layla, are you sure about this? Something is wrong!" Hazel whispered.
"Agreed but we need the serum that's creating these things," I replied.
The guard took us to a room called GH-79 which was where they kept the most valuable objects. In the room were two cages, one for Hazel and one for Jamie.
Oh god!
Hazel started to whimper as I shoved her in the cage with the key I gracefully pick-pocketed from the guard.
"Remember to get out when I come back, ok?" I reminded her.
Hazel gave me a nod and I walked with the guard. The entire church had three sections which were all used for different purposes.
"Which section are you looking for?" He asked.
"Umm, I'm looking for the labs. I need to report some important information" I said carefully.
"Well, the labs are section 3 so all the way to the top. The elevator is left from here," he added.
"Thanks," I replied.
"ALIRON till death."
And with that, he was gone.
I ran past a couple of scientists and snatched some spare clothes that were in a close-by storage locker.
Dressed in uncomfortable clothes, I took the elevator to the top section which stopped at section 2: you wouldn't believe who came in.
Mr Josiah, the man that Hazel told us about and Dr Summers. My heart at that moment started to beat rapidly.
"So I was thinking about phase 3 with the serum QR-T0. Should we really put people with no humanity on the streets?" asked Dr Summers.
"Micheal, you know the phases, we have to do this. By the way, this is part of a plan you created, so deal with it. The serum worked perfectly and now we can finally decrease the population with ease!" cheered Mr Josiah.
Dr Summers looked disconcerted but then agreed with Josiah.
"Well I have to go to section 3 to talk to Alora about the serum," He said.
When the lift opened both of them left, leaving me clutching my heart in an attempt to pump oxygen faster.
That was so close.
I got to section 3 to see the whole place was a mess. A woman was at the back of the room working on a laptop talking to herself. Tubes surrounded her which were filled with this golden liquid. I slowly walked across the room, looking for the serum. While searching for the serum, the woman talked.
"What are you looking for?" She said in a raspy voice.
"I'm looking for serum QR-T0" I replied.
"That's in the cabinet right by you, take it and leave me in peace" She answered.
A smile filled my face as I walked towards a smooth shiny white cabinet where inside was a golden case that was labelled as SERUM QR-T0. Happiness built up in me. With the case tightly gripped in my hands, I slowly walked to see what the woman was working on when unexpectedly she turned around with a face full of madness.
"I RECOGNISE YOU! LAYLA ANGELOU!" She screamed
She turned around which gave me a better look at her. She had a pale face with hazel eyes. Her tousled light brown hair was clipped together. She wore a thin pair of black jeans with a black top underneath her bright white lab coat. At that moment, I knew she created the second cure. She had that hint of insanity that glinted in her eyes.
"Who the hell are you?!" I commanded.
"I'M ALORA BLUE, HEAD OF MEDICAL SCIENCE IN ALIRON!" She yelled.
Then she got a long taser and drew it closer to me. Blue sparks ignited when she pressed the button in my face. She laughed wildly.
"I'M GOING TO HAVE SO MUCH FUN DISASSEMBLING YOU!" She shrieked.
As she tried to taser me, I slammed the golden case to her face, dropping the taser and smashing her into multiple computers.
"HAHAHA! THAT ALL YOU GOT?" She laughed.
Ok, I hated this woman. She came forward and punched me in the face then slammed my head on one of the tables, tumbling me backwards. Blood dripped from my nose and anger roared within me. But before I even stood up, the woman tasered me, sending pain through my body. I writhed with agony. Maybe this was how I was going to die, by a crazy scientist with a taser. Then bolts of energy restored themselves in me, allowing me to kick the woman in the stomach. As she collapsed, I marched to her and constantly kicked her in the ribs. Then an alarm cried in the church.
"PHASE 3 WILL BE STARTING IN HALF AN HOUR! GET READY"!! she roared.
I knew that I had no time to kill her so I stabbed her with a skewer and locked the door on my way out. I clutched the case with me and ran down a set of mahogany stairs. As I went back to the room Hazel was in, I told her what happened.
"Oh god, Layla! We need to get out of here fast!" She shouted.
With the case in my hands, me and Hazel ran towards the exit to see it blocked by a dozen guards with faces of hatred.
"PUT THE CASE DOWN AND GET ON THE GROUND!" The leader yelled.
"Hazel, do your powers now!" I whispered.
But Hazel was staring at the entrance with a face of confusion. Suddenly, everyone was screaming with pain holding their hands on their heads...