Page 8 of I Will Mend You

I shrink against the window, trying to put as much distance as I can between Dolly and me, but she edges closer, like a predator admiring her quarry before moving in for the kill.

These people aren’t just murdering rapists, they’re gleeful. They remind me of bullies on a school trip. They want so much more than to film my degradation and death. They want me to suffer for sins I can’t even remember.

Dolly’s breath reeks of acetone as she closes in, her fingers tracing my jawline in a mockery of affection.

“How about now?” she asks.

My brow furrows.

She grips my jaw with harsh fingertips and turns my head toward the front of the bus. “Do you recognize it now?”

I turn to look out through the windshield, my chest tightening with unease. We’re now on the unkempt grounds of a Victorian building. Its crumbling red bricks hide under a thick layer of ivy. Nature has taken over its courtyard, which is now overgrown with weeds as tall as saplings.

My mind flickers through a state of déjà vu that knocks my sanity off balance. Despite not knowing what the hell is happening, there’s no denying this chilling sense of familiarity.

“Well?” Dolly snaps.

I shake my head, not wanting to give her any satisfaction.

“Those photos I sent should have refreshed your memory.”

Gasping, I reel forward in my seat. All this time, I thought the polaroids were the work of an older man.

“This is the Saint Christina Lunatic Asylum.” She wraps an arm around my shoulders and pulls me into a hug. “Welcome back to your former home.”

FOUR

XERO

I rise off my cot, only for Jynxson to grab my shoulders.

He shoves me back down. “What are you doing?”

“Going to interrogate that priest.” I push against him, but in my weakened state, he may as well be a boulder.

“Stay down,” he snarls. “We have people watching Reverend Thomas’s hospital room. Someone will seize him the moment he gets discharged.”

The door opens, and Isabel storms in, her eyes flashing. “I told you what would happen if you tried leaving.”

My glare drops to the syringe she’s wielding like a pistol. I clench my jaw, forcing myself to lie down. It isn’t like me to be so impulsive, but the situation with Amethyst is fucking with my mind. I don’t know why she attacked, if she’s having a psychotic break, or if she’s fallen into enemy hands. One thing is for certain: fighting Isabel head-on will set back my recovery.

“Fine,” I snarl. “Give me a laptop. Let me reach out to the operatives at Simon’s Memorial.”

Jynxson turns to Tyler, who reaches into his messenger bag and pulls out a computer. I lie back, fix my gaze on Isabel, and force my features into a neutral mask.

I can disable Tyler and Camila in a few moves. If I fight dirty, I might be able to take Jynxson in my shitty condition, but Isabel is the most likely to hit me with a tranquilizer. Out of every operative in the room, she’s the most dangerous, and the most familiar with my moves.

Tyler approaches with the laptop, and I focus my attention on the screen. Isabel remains in place for several moments before leaving. My friends and family are already reeling from the loss of Port and Bowker. I won’t worsen their grief by acting out.

“Alright then.” I turn to Tyler. “I need someone tracking the movements of that truck. Where did it go after the EMP attack? Check the recruiter’s house and its surroundings to see if Amethyst went to that location downtown and put me in touch with the operatives you assigned to Reverend Thomas.”

Everyone in the room exhales a collective sigh and launches into action. My people at the hospital inform me that the reverend is being kept overnight with a concussion and an eyelid laceration.

Tyler set up my room at the infirmary as the headquarters of the investigation into what happened to Amethyst. It’s no coincidence that she went missing the day her family and two of our operatives were murdered. The truck is registered to a salvage yard north of Beaumont City, a common tactic criminals use to hide illegal activities.

We scour X-Cite Media’s website for any mention of Amethyst, but it’s still hyping up the production they made of Lizzie Bath’s murder.

The footage of Amethyst in the vicarage with Reverend Thomas shows her scared and confused. She tries to talk her way out of the locked room, but he attacks first.

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