Chapter 74 – Lucy, Study Object 33-5
Emerging from the ground like a resurrected corpse, the barely-alive Luke was struggling to stand. The rain was pouring down heavily, and every attempt to move resulted in his body locking up, causing him to collapse back to the ground.
"I need you to go and find some vines for me, strong and sturdy ones. Bring enough, regardless of size, but preferably the longest ones," he ordered.
His scarf, responding to its bleeding owner, dashed into the forest. As he lay on the ground, Luke looked out towards the horizon. The tornado was consuming everything in its path, whipping up sand and tearing the Veil apart. From a distance, he could see the Veil disintegrating. Desperately watching the Veil tear further, he tried to move but fell again, noticing blood drops on the ground. Wiping his face, he realized it was covered in blood.
"I think I overdid it..."
Dragging himself to the edge, he shouted that he was okay. He heard Anna's response and saw Alice on top of the rock, looking towards the horizon.
"Damn! The tear is getting bigger..."
He glanced at the forest, worried that the scarf might deactivate if it got too far from him. He silently prayed that wouldn't happen.
"I can't believe I sent a scarf into the forest to fetch vines..."
Luke thought about closing his eyes but knew he might not wake up. Paralyzed on the ground like a doll, he occasionally glanced at the horizon where the Veil's tear was widening. Soon, Anna joined Alice on the rock, both staring at the vast ocean opening up.
A few minutes later, he felt someone shaking him. The scarf had returned, carrying numerous vines.
"Good job, buddy."
Luke tried to grab the vines, but his hand wouldn't lift.
Cursing himself, he made an effort and grabbed the vine.
"I'm going to test the length! Don't grab it yet!" he shouted.
He instructed the scarf to throw the vine while holding onto it.
"Easy! I know you can't bear their weight," he said to the scarf.
"Is it reaching you?" he yelled.
"No!" Anna shouted back.
"Damn it... that was the longest one..." Luke murmured to himself.
"No problem, Luke!" Alice shouted. "I can jump high enough holding Anna. Just make sure you hold on tight, I won't survive a fall if you can't hold on."
"And who do you think I am? Of course, I won't hold on."
The vine wasn't long enough to tie around a tree...
He took the vine from the scarf, activated his intangibility, and pushed the end of the vine into the mountain rocks. Then he deactivated his intangibility, leaving the vine anchored as if it were growing out of the stone.
"Test the strength on the end before you start climbing with everything you've got. I... I'm at my limit here. Hurry!"
The tornado was getting closer.
Luke watched as Alice jumped alone and hung onto the vine. She pressed her feet against the wall and pulled down hard, but the vine didn't break.
Falling back to the ground, she grabbed Anna and jumped with her in her arms. Letting Anna hold onto the vine, Alice climbed down again.
The winds were growing stronger. Luke tried to see the horizon; now, the shallow sea was opening up into a vast, deep ocean.
"Gods! Good thing we didn't decide to walk in the shallow sea today…"
I could have tried tying the vine to the other with intangibility to make it longer, but it's better this way. I'm already pushing my luck too far; securing it to the mountain was the best option.
Anna reached the top, and the scarf helped pull her up. She looked a bit puzzled, seeing the scarf acting so alive.
"You can come up!" Anna shouted to Alice.
"Anna…" Luke murmured.
"Luke!" As soon as she saw him on the ground, she was frightened.
The young man in black had his face covered in blood, his eyes were red and crying blood.
"What? What happened to you?"
"Try… to help me a bit. I'm going to sleep…"
Luke fell into a deep sleep, feeling warmth and a green light on his face.
A fear crossed Luke's mind, a fear that his existence would vanish again like when his intangibility was erasing him from the world. Sleep took his mind away.
Darkness engulfed him completely. Forcing his vision, he saw a vast desert. The images of the desert blended with a figure in black approaching a city while fleeing from a sandstorm, running from whatever was chasing in that storm. The figure saw a destroyed bus in the distance, with sand pouring out of it and marble statues sitting inside. The world shattered into fragments, and reality shifted.
Staring at the ceiling, all Lucan could see was the light of the waiting room. He sat alone in a single chair. The place had fake windows and artificial plants scattered around. The TVs showed a commercial for a market, a commercial that brought sad memories of someone to Luke. There were a few toys on the floor and black handprints on the wall.
From the door, a girl in a white dress emerged, covered in a black liquid.
"Will you play with me, Lucan?"
"Sure, but after one of the sisters cleans you up... you messy girl."
She laughed and threw a stuffed ball at him.
"Idiot! It's not my fault I'm like this."
"Alright, Lucy. No need for tickling."
"Don't forget, we'll play together later."
He stared at her. "Okay... you always bother me, but I'll play."
"It's a promise then. Don't run away like you always do."
"I promise, this time I'll keep it."
The girl nudged him.
"Study Object 33-5!"
A man in a white coat and clipboard stepped out of the door.
"Yes, doctor..."
The girl lowered her head.
"To the decontamination room as I told you, then you can play with Study Object 30-5. You need to stay focused!"
He was stern, and she followed the orders.
The doctor watched her leave.
"Doctor Richards..." Lucan called.
"Respect the rules, Study Object 30-5. The protocol is to speak to me only during examinations and only as necessary. Are we in an examination?"
Lucan shook his head no.
"Great. If you had said 'no,' I would have ignored you. Since you nodded, I'll let you speak... but just this once."
"Dr. Richards, how did she do in the tank?"
"Hm... she was, as usual, below average. But what can you do... let's stop wasting time. Get in; it's your turn to die."
Entering the room, Lucan saw a large cylinder filled with a black liquid. The room was spacious and all white. The walls displayed various strange images, and the monitors showed videos of other children undergoing the test. On one of the counters, there was a jar of lollipops. All the children loved receiving sweets after the test, but only those with the best results could earn them.
"You know how it works, right? I'll empty the tank, then you get in, and I'll fill it up. Just hold your breath for as long as you can; when you feel like you're about to fail... push beyond your limit. Don't open your mouth or try to breathe, or you'll be considered a failure. Hold your breath until you pass out, understand? When you lose consciousness, I'll pull you out. If you try to be clever and open your mouth to start drowning, the test will fail... and I'll make your little friend do the test again today if you fail. Got it?"
Lucan nodded.
The doctor smiled as the dark water in the tank drained away. Lucan stepped into the tank, and the black liquid began to rise. He held his breath, but it was futile.
"Today is a good day to die, don't you think?" the doctor asked, smiling at Lucan.
Lucan performed the test.
His presence was weak, and his will had been stripped away after going through this. He was like a walking shell, empty inside.
"Excellent, Study Object 30-5. Which lollipop do you want today?"
He pointed to a pink lollipop.
"Hm... is that lollipop for you or your friend?"
Lucan lowered his head.
"Understand that the reward is for those who do well on the test. She didn't do well..."
The doctor stared at Lucan for a while, seeing the boy covered in black liquid. He sighed.
"But, the reward is yours to do with as you please. So, I'll allow you to give it to the girl."
Lucan left the room and went to the decontamination area. Walking down the corridor, he could hear some screams and walked towards them. With each step, the children's screams grew louder, and the light at the end of the corridor began to dim.
"STOP!" Young Luke encountered little Lucan and shouted, expelling him from that place.
"You're not ready yet!" Luke said to Lucan as everything turned black.
Luke woke up startled. As soon as he lifted his head, it hurt, and he could feel the world adjusting to his perception, seeing everything doubled. A hand pushed him back down, and he lay down again and fell asleep.
"It's okay..." said the voice.
This time, he had no nightmares. The gentle voice seemed to have taken all the sadness from the world.