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Rendering Flames

Twenty Five

His face was crimson red, sweat gathering along the temples of his head as he fought until the door shut behind me. He barely stopped his struggling to look up until he stopped completely, a long exasperated breath following after. His body stayed attentive though, looking at me unsure as I approached. I reached up on my toes, my arms wrapping around his neck as my lips drew close to his ear.

“We’re being watched,” I whispered lowly. I felt him nudge against me in compliance. I pulled away, looking at him. “Can you let him down please? His skin is scrubbed raw from your ropes.”

I stood for a minute, thinking that it wouldn’t happen until he was released. He fell to the floor in a similar fashion I did, in crumpled pile. I knelt down, scooping him up the best I could with the condition I was in. They probably meant to have us weak and hungry, thirsty and lost feeling. It was working.

“Where are we?” He asked, holding his wrists carefully as he sat up with my help.

“A research facility.” I reached down and untangled some rope that was still around him, tossing it to the side.

“Is it--,”

“No,” I interrupted him. “It’s not.”

“Then where? Who?”

“It researches and tests cures for Kruger’s chemical warfare weapons.” Things noticeably clicked in his head. “I’m just here to make sure things don’t go badly for you because I knew you’d be too stubborn to take their offer.”

“And what is their offer?” He face scrunched together in worry.

“To a testing subject. Be compliant and you get a safe environment to live in but don’t and things will be difficult, whatever that means.”

He shook his head. “It sound likes bullshit.”

“But do we have another choice?” I gestured between us. “I mean, look at us.”

He did and frowned. “I can’t, Dahlia. I won’t be submissive to someone else who is just going to fuck things up more. You get that we’re willing signing our lives away, right? You could die right off the bat, first test. Boom. Done. I can sit back and just watch it.”

“Think of how much faster you’ll die fighting though. You might not even make to a test if they don’t
feed you or give you water. Please, just for once submit, okay? Even though I know you have no reason to take advice from me because of what happen, because I got us in here.”And I’ll get us out. God, how badly I wanted to say that to him.

“Don’t carry that. You can’t do that to yourself, we’ve would have been found anyways probably or have been killed by the aerial raid.” I smiled at his empathy.

“It’s already done.” Then it slipped away. “Just do it, Jaden. If not because you can’t do it for you, do it for me because it would be so predictable for you to get yourself killed because of your pride.”

He stared at me thoughtfully for a few minutes in silence. “Okay.”

I rose to my feet, brushing my dirty clothes off. “Thank you.”

He followed my actions and quickly pulled me in with a tight grip, stopping just as our lips brushed together. “We’ll find a way out of here. Don't give in.” he whispered to me.

“I’m already trying to see a way out.” I whispered back against his mouth.

“Me too.” I was surprised to feel him smile before he the coolness of his lips pressed against mine only briefly but fervidly for just a respire of a much needed breath.

I heard the door click and I pulled away immediately, afraid that showing our personal closeness was a forbidden thing. Eugene entered, smiling. “I wasn’t aware it was this sort of friend.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” I turned my nose up slightly to seem unconcerned by his opinion on it. “What’s it to you?”

“Oh, it’s no matter. I was going to offer that you could share a conjoined room.” I stared dumbly at him, wondering if he was just that stupid or conning.

“That is suspiciously generous of you. What is it that you want in return?” I asked.

“Nothing.” His smile was tighter than ever before and I grew very afraid.

“No.” I answered.

“Dahlia.” Jaden cut in, shouldering me a little.

“Jaden.” I looked at him rigidly.

“It would be better that way.” He told me tautly.

No.

“Yes,” he said a little louder than I. “It actually will be the only way I will cooperate.”

“Splendid.” Eugene clapped his hand together. “I will be back momentarily.”

When he left, I shoved Jaden. “Are you insane!”

“It’s better if we stay together, Dahlia.” He answered with a stiff tone.

“Do you know how much a fun project we are for them now? They’ll probably get off on watching us watch the other being injected with god knows what, being tortured, or worse killed.”

“But we’ll handle it. It’s much better to be together than apart in the long run” He gave me a pointed look and I realized what it was all about. It was about our best chance of escaping out of here.

“You’re right.” I snuffed.

“I always am,” he smirked.

I frowned. “This isn’t good, Jaden.” I started to think about all the things that could go so absolutely wrong. “What if something makes me forget things again? Or I get bad and no matter how compliant I am, I get put in some crazy room. Part of me is even worried I will remember things, I think that’s the scariest part. The things I’ve remember, Jaden--,” I stopped short, panicked by the images turning in my head. My father and mother and the man and the terrible things he did to me, watching people be pulled limb from limb or melted down into piles of charred guts and blood in front of me. Things are the things that I’ve already remembered, do I really need to see the full picture?

“You’ll get through it,” Jaden assured me carefully.

“And you,” I squeezed a hand around his, “Jaden, one test of your dn-,”

“I know, Dahlia.” His eyes were wide, thinking that I’d actually say it aloud.

“The things they would do to you.” I spoke almost inaudibly. “I don’t want to see what happens because of that.”

“All we have to do is take it day by day.” I released his hand from mine, turning away to pace around the room.

“This is such bullshit. How do find ourselves in these situations? It’ll have to stop one day.” I slid against my back down against the wall, plopping down on the floor.

“It’ll start to end when he’s not around anymore.” Jaden was looking around the room, examining the ropes he was tied up in. “Until then, we just have to get through this.”

“If we get through this, Jaden.” I corrected him, “if.”
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Short chapter but it'll do for now. Thanks for reading, would love to hear from one of you!

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