When we reached the end of the tunnel, we were met by four armed guards. “Identification, please,” the smallest guard said. Maggie and Melissa showed him two cards. “Alright, head on through,” the small guard told them. The three of us walked past them, but a big guard grabbed my arm. “Not you, kid. Let’s see some ID.” I squirmed against his grip on my shirt. “I don’t have any ID. I just got back from the Brick. I wasn’t expecting to ever leave the base.” He pushed me backwards, farther away from Maggie. “I can’t let you in without ID.”164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZuqFmfJ2z
“I need to see Mariah!” I screamed, trying to run past the guard. He grabbed me and threw me back again. “Stay back, kid. Don’t make me do something I’m going to regret.” He placed a hand on his belt, where I saw a… a weapon of some sort. “Hey!” Melissa shouted. “He’s with us. Let him in. He’s going up to Bay C, Room 243.” That obviously meant something to the guard, because he instantly stepped aside. “I’m sorry. Good luck.” I brushed past him. I hurried along with Maggie and Melissa as they led me to Mariah.
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We ran across the bottom of the base, heading towards the opposite side. As we crossed the floor, I saw Sammy sitting at a table, flipping through a book. His gaze caught on Maggie. “Hey!” he called after us, standing up. “Hey, wait. Where are you guys going?” Maggie stopped running, turning to Sammy. “Look, we’re kind of in a rush. It’s important. I’ll come find you later, but right now, I’m busy.” Sammy’s eyes flicked from Maggie, to me. “Okay. Have fun,” he said, backing up. “We’re going to see Mariah, okay?” Maggie burst. Sammy’s face dropped. “Oh. Alright, you guys need to hurry, then. I was up there a few hours ago.” I clenched my jaw. “What happened to Mariah?” I asked tensely. Melissa gestured me forward. “Come on. It would be best if we just show you.”
“Then let’s get going. I don’t want to wait around anymore!” I exclaimed. We continued walking, this time with Sammy with us.
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When we reached the other side of the base, Melissa led us down a hallway, stopping in front of an elevator. She waved the ID card she’d shown the guard, and the doors opened. Taking a deep breath, I stepped inside. As the doors closed, Melissa typed a few things into a keypad on the wall. The elevator started moving, but not up. Backwards, down, then forward. It was the strangest sensation ever. As it slowed, I thought it was over. But then, it jolted to the right, sending me stumbling to the left. Inertia was stupid. I ran into the wall, gaining a few snickers from Sammy, who was holding onto a bar attached to the ceiling. That wasn’t fair! He was taller than me, and I didn’t even know I would need to hold onto anything. “What’re you laughing at?” I snarled at him, regaining my balance and brushing imaginary dust off my shirt. “Nothing, man. Just a bit funny, that’s all,” he said, still snickering. “Sammy, come on. Stop it,” Maggie said, tugging on his arm. “No, no, Maggie. I’m not doing anything wrong. Freedom of speech, right?” I ground my feet together, fighting the urge to say something I would regret. “I mean, maybe it was better when you were the Elite’s lemming. You could at least keep your balance inside an elevator.”
“Okay, that’s it!” I shouted. “Sammy, why do you hate me so much? Why do you feel the need to say all that stuff about me? What have I ever done to you?” He rolled his eyes, letting go of the bar above his head.
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“You left us. You got yourself taken by the Elite and became Reaper. And don’t try and tell me that you didn’t have a choice. Because you did. You always have a choice. The problem with you, though, is that you don’t have the courage to acknowledge your other options. You became the very thing we were working to destroy. So I wanted to destroy you. I don’t care that Reaper is ‘dead’. I don’t care that you’re not currently trying to kill us. I don’t care, because you have killed people. You’ve killed people I care about. And I hate you for that. All of their blood is on your hands. You commanded the demons to kill. By making that order, you put all of the deaths during the fight on your hands. You might have been able to run to the Brick, and hide from all of the terror, but I couldn’t. I was forced to fight, and watch as my friends were murdered by your demons. Just wait until you see Mariah. Then you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Her blood is on your hands, Elias.” The elevator doors opened, revealing a wooden door. “What happened to Mariah?” I asked. “What did the demons do to her?” I screamed, grabbing Sammy’s shoulders. A hateful smile flicked across his face. “See for yourself.” He reached over and pushed down on the door handle. It swung open, revealing a scene I’d had nightmares about. A girl, laying in a white bed, with white sheets and white pillows, connected to various machines, filling the room with different pitched beeps. A girl, unconscious in a hospital, her face puffy and red. “The demons nearly killed her,” Sammy spat. Mariah, my older sister, nearly dead because of the demons. Because of my command as Reaper. 164Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMR2jT5Ynol
