Page 10 of Satan's Naughty List
“It’s not my secret to share,” he shrugs, backing away. Brows furrowing, I try to scream at him. Nothing comes out.
His figure suddenly vanishes into thin air, dust flying in the wind. I try to struggle, but it’s as if my body is weighed down by a ton of bricks. Darkness envelops me as my brain goes light. Airy.
“How do you know her?” One guy barks quietly, obviously worked up. The tone he uses forces my body to relax, but Ineedto wake up. Sitting here while they argue only makes the chances of me being taken again higher. It’s like I’m paralyzed. Almost like those dark dreams I used to have, ones where I’d stare into the darkness only to see people and monsters looking back at me. I’d never be able to do anything about them, even as they tormented me and ripped me apart.
“I think we should wait for her to wake up.” Her voice…where do I know it from? Trying to pry my eyes open seems to be more of an effort than I remember. Light penetrates beneath my closed lids, lighting part of the darkness. I can see figures shadowing my bed, but they’re not getting closer. They’re simply there.
If I opened my eyes, would they be haunting me too?
Focusing my energy on moving, it feels as though there’s white static stuck in my body. My limbs are sleeping, failing to wake up even when danger is present.
I have to get out of here!I scream internally, shifting my eyes to the shadows. They move, their chatter falling silent as my heart hammers in my chest. I try even harder to do something.Anything. Breathing seems impossible as they move around me, their tones escalating. What they’re saying is damn near irrelevant. I have to get out of here.
Let me go!
“Guys,” a gruff voice calls quietly, but the others talk over him. The muffled sounds make it hard to distinguish what they’re saying. Chair screeching and a harsh clattering, my body finally gives a response. They slam open on their own, ignoring the harsh fluorescents as I look around. Two large guys and two females are staring at me, presumably in shock.
If anything, I probably have the same expression as they do. Except, I’m the first to react. Swinging my good leg over the side, I quickly grapple with the wires again. Once I’m free, I can work with the solid weight on my other one. Pain grips me, but it stopped me last time. It won’t stop me again.
They’re all here for me, and I know that one against four odds aren’t great, but if I move fast enough-
“That’s enough,” he barks, stomping over to me and ripping my hands away from my arms. In swift succession, he rolls me back onto the bed with my arms high above my head. It didn’t take any effort on his part to get me to stop. In my moment of surprise, I stop to take a good look at the guy. His dark beard is heavy and thick, definitely untamed like his long hair. He’s got tattoos leading all over his body. Just like…
“Get off me,” I snarl, trying to buck my hips.
“Listen here, little lady,” he retorts, pointing a finger on his free hand. “You just endured a fucking surgery that required plates and shit to repair your leg. We didn’t kidnap you, in fact, they’ve done everything they could to save you. How about a little gratitude?” Staring at him in shock, my body won’t respond with anything other than my jaw dropping open. With an eye roll, he pushes away from me.
“I’m Doctor Solla,” a female says, tugging the man back gently. “That’s Nomad, over there is Techy, and that is Heallie.” She points to another guy and a female with bright blue scrubs on. Heallie pops a bubble before pulling her hair back into a ponytail.
I attempt to say something, but all that comes out is air. Swallowing even seems to be a challenge. My heart hammers against my sternum as I try to calm myself down.
They’re not trying to help you. In it for themselves!
“Your vocals are strained from the struggle as well as malnourishment. We’ve got you on antibiotics and pain relievers. As Mr. Gruff over there mentioned, we had to conduct an extensive surgery on your leg. If you’ve not even noticed yet, you have an external fixator on your leg.” Looking down, I realize I’ve got a giant metal bracket around my leg with pins disappearing into it.
“A what?” I rasp, knocking my fist against my chest to get more air.
“An external fixator. Basically, it fixes your bone from the outside. Due to the severity, we placed several rods and plates in your bone. The fixator helps keep the bone in place from the outside. Pins are attached then routed to the bars here.” She points to a few of them on the inside. “It just holds your bones together while they heal.”
“Why not just use a cast?” I retort, slapping a hand to my mouth quickly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that-”
“Don’t worry,” she urges, a non-predatory smile on her face. “A cast really doesn’t do the same thing that a fixator does. Due to the severity, you will need another surgery. For now, it helps with getting you back on your feet with a form of stability until your overall health is better. I would go over why other forms of treatment were inappropriate, but then I’d be overloading you with medical terminology mumbo-jumbo.”
Words can’t compute inside my brain, so I simply nod. What more could I say? She’s right, I’m already overstimulated with information.
Looking back down at the bracket thing on my leg, it’s at least silver, not black or gold.
“Are you allergic to anything, Aspen?” Dr. Solla asks, flipping through her chart.
“Uhm, penicillin…I didn’t give you my name,” I pause, my calming heart rate jumping back up. Blood rushes to my head as I focus on the brace.
This was a ploy, you’re not safe!
“You don’t remember me?” She asks softly, leaning down to meet my eyes.
I stare at her for what seems like hours, trying to formulate thoughts. Sadly, I can’t seem to remember much of my old life. Only the new memories and the people who dumped me for money.
“No,” I whisper, shifting them to look elsewhere, only to grab the attention of the gruff male. Arms crossed over his chest, his fists are clenched tightly beneath his biceps. Another guy, a little shorter than his counterpart, stands with his hand resting over the bearded guys. Switching between the two, I can sense something between them.
