Page 54 of Resolve
Damn it! I can’t give up. What if Charles tries to kill Rae again?
I thrash, straining and throwing everything I have at the restraints, even though the pain in my head screams at me to stop moving, I push through it, desperate to find a weak point to help me out. I yell and grunt and try to kick or twist, but I’m granted no wiggle room or even a sign of anything loosening.
The machines are beeping like crazy until I collapse, panting for air and absorbing the repercussions of those attempts as they hit my body like a train. I’m too worn out from the blood loss. Too weak to fight back, even if there was an opening.
The world spins again, and I close my eyes, unable to resist my body pulling me back to oblivion.
“Wake up!” someone hisses in my ear, followed by a tap on my cheek. “Come onnn,” she groans in a whisper. A whole hand starts patting my face. “We don’t have much time.”
As I come to, a grunt escapes my chest involuntarily at the tightness in my muscles from a bed that’s no longer comfortable. It also doesn’t help that I can’t move or stretch my limbs at all, aside from the brief bathroom break I was allowed earlier between exchanging the blood draw and the transfusion.
Something smacks over my mouth. “Shhh!”
I recognize the voice but am too out of it still to place who it belongs to.
Cracking my eyes open, I turn my head toward it.
No one’s there.
I blink, confused. I swear I felt something on my face.
Was I imagining it?
“Hello?”
This time, whatever it is squeezes my cheeks. “It’s Alice.”
“How—” The words come out funny with her hand still squishing my face, and her hold tightens before I can continue.
“I followed you guys because I was worried. I’m obviously an expert spy, so I hitched a ride in the trunk and held onto you when we fell in the portal.”
“If you’ve been here the whole time, you could have rescued me sooner,” I gripe. When she doesn’t say anything, I release a small huff. She was probably too scared to do anything until now. “Never mind that. What’s the plan?”
“The scientist monitoring you went to the bathroom.”
Great. And we’ve been wasting time chatting.
A hand grips mine and tugs. Only now do I realize my arm is free. I bend my knees and test the other arm.
Another groan crawls up my throat, but I bite it back with gritted teeth.
It feels so fucking good to move again.
I push myself upright and throw my legs over the bed, testing my leg strength. I have no idea how long it’s been. Has it even been a day?
Thankfully, I’m still having the blood transfusion, so my body’s almost back to normal once I stretch a bit.
I go to each machine and start powering them down. If they’re anything like the ones in our infirmary, they’ll beep or set off alarms if I disconnect first. Hopefully, being off won’t trigger their own alarm to whoever’s watching my vitals remotely. Then, I start ripping wires and the cuff off, then remove the two IVs and needle from my arm and slap my hand over it to put pressure there.
“Alright. Make me invisible,” I tell her. It’s quiet, and for a second, I think she’s bailed on me. “Alice?”
“Um... right. Let me see.”
She pokes my arm.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I guess where her arm is from that poke, grabbing her and directing her hand to my forearm. “Take my arm.”
“Oh. Yeah.”
