Specimen

She nods slowly, and I close my eyes again.

&nbs

p; The pain doesn’t stop. It amplifies to incredible levels and then drops for a while but never ceases. I know there are many people gathered around me in a cramped space, but I no longer know who they are.

“We are out of options.”

“There are always options.”

“Not this time.”

“What are you saying?”

“He’s dying, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.”

*****

I feel myself lifted from the bed. I can’t open my eyes, but the sense of movement is unmistakable. The constant pain has dropped to a nearly bearable level, but I know the reprieve is temporary. I can feel my brain cracking apart. Pieces come loose. I wonder if they’ll fall out of my ears.

I laugh at the image.

“He’s delirious.”

“How long will it take to get there?”

“Half a day, tops.”

“What if we’re spotted?”

“We are going to have to be very careful. Just Anna and Errol on the final leg, along with the driver.”

Rumbling and shaking combine with the pain. I’m moving again but at a much faster pace. When I force my eyes open, I see windows. There are bright green leaves on the trees as I fly past them.

Darkness again. Blessed darkness.

Fresh air. I pull it into my lungs as I’m lowered to the ground.

“We’re just going to leave him here?”

“As soon as I remove that chip from his head, the homing mechanism in his implants will activate again. They’re designed to work completely independently of the drug treatments, so there shouldn’t be a malfunction.”

“How long before they find him?”

“An hour, hour and a half, tops.”

“I don’t know if he’ll make it that long.”

“Nothing else we can do.”

Nausea and dizziness fill me. I shift my weight and hear the dry crackling of leaves beneath me. Peeling my eyelids back, I see that I am alone. It’s dark, and I hear buzzing insects nearby.

Free. Freed. Freedom.

Get back to Riley!

I’m on my back. I twist and turn, trying to flip myself over, but I don’t have the strength to create enough momentum to roll. I barely manage to reach my arm across my chest and grab at the ground next to me. Using a root half buried in the dirt, I pull myself onto my stomach.

Panting, I lay my cheek on the forest floor and tell myself I have to move. No matter what I do, I can’t get my legs underneath myself to push off the ground. I have to get myself up. I have to get away from wherever I am and back to Riley. Her name becomes a chant in my head.