The colours
"You're terminated." The boss's face was as cold and still as stone as he tossed her out the van and slid the door shut. She landed with a thud and gave a yelp of pain, groaning and writhing on the cold, muddy ground. It was raining.
Perfect.
She was still on the ground when the sound of the van faded into the background. She gave an exasperated grunt before rising to her feet with such determination that it almost sent her back to the mud. She watched the van grow smaller and smaller.
No.
They couldn't do this to her.
Not to her.
Her body began to shake until it exploded with fury. She let out a piercing cry, only dampened by the rain. It did echo, however, in her head. As she ran towards a nearby house, the only noise she could hear, above the rain, above the footsteps and above the silence,
was the echo.
The scream that slowly filled her head.
Not to her.
It isn't fair.
It isn't fair.
She stumbled through the door, the raining beating down against the roof. She hit wall after wall as she made her way through.
The scream echoed in her head.
Not to her.
They couldn't.
They didn't.
She stopped in front of a bathroom sink and vomited. She looked up
and that's when she saw it.
Red. Everywhere.
She screwed her eyes shut and shook her head. She was seeing red. A metallic taste entered her mouth.
How could they do this to you?
You were one of them!
She began to hear a ringing in her ears. Was it the screaming? No. This was something else.
You have to get them.
They deserted you!
The bastards...
More red. She tried to get rid of it but it only grew stronger.
You have to get them!
They're cowards!
They left you alone.
Left her? But why? What did she do? Slowly, the red began to fade. They left her and she didn't know why. The ringing in her ears dwindled down. The metallic taste in her mouth faded.
Why?
Why?
Did you do something wrong?
Her head began to feel fuzzy. She began to feel empty. Hollow. It was as if everything had turned
grey.
What are you going to do now?
Now that they've left you?
As she loomed over the bathroom sink, she swayed slightly, as if there was nothing inside her body and she was just a skin. Confusion. That's what this was. She had to get control. She couldn't lose grip.
Do you have any idea why they left you?
Any?
You're losing control, aren't you?
No.
Stop.
Do you think that's why they left you?
Left you all alone?
Alone. Left her all alone. She started to feel less like a shell and more like a cold boulder. All alone. She was all alone now. All alone. All
alone
with no one
She could hear the rain pattering outside. It made her feel calm. Quiet.
Blue.
She felt like she was full of lead, and the only relief from the heavy weight would be to curl up on the ground.
maybe you should
it looks nice and cool down there
and we won't have to worry about being alone
There was a deep and muted pulse that throbbed in her head. It felt cold and heavy, just like every other part of her body.
it's just you
they left you
on your own
She tried not to listen to the gloomy voice, but it spoke nonetheless.
all alone
with no one
She surrendered to the feeling. Slowly, she crouched to the ground, curling up into a ball. The voice surrounded her. It echoed in her head,
like the scream,
like the fuzziness,
and like pulse.
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Through a screen, he watched.
"Sir, she's not stable," came a voice. He continued to watch. "Sir?"
"Collect her."
"But sir, she's not-"
He raised his hand for silence. He said it again, slowly.
"Collect her."
A gulp, then a set of instructions spoken through a radio. He stood silently, his face as cold and still as stone, watching the girl curled up on a bathroom floor.
"The boss orders for the collection of subject 13. Send a team-"
"Send three teams." The order was met with a look of shock.
"But sir, she's just a girl." The boss turned and began walking away.
"It's not for the girl.
It was never just for the girl."