Page 9 of Promises in the Dark

Doc rolled her eyes so hard, I half expected them to get stuck. “Oh, for God’s sake,” she muttered, clearly pissed off. “I knew you were a pain in the ass, but I didn’t realize you were such a smartass.”

“Well, you’re not here for chit-chat, sweetheart. You’re here to patch me up.”

She sighed, clearly fed up, but stayed focused on my wound. As I laid my ass on the operating table, those hospital lights bore into me, making me feel like I was being grilled alive. My mind was spinning with a shit tone of emotions; fear, panic, confusion, desperation, and a strange sense of peace.

I strained to move my head, looking around the room like a desperate fuck, searching for any sign of my teammates. My side ached and my torso itched where the stitches ran. My chest heaved as I focused on slowly and deliberately breathing, trying to ignore the discomfort.

“We don’t know anything about your team,” the nurse told me gently.

Obviously. They were all dead.

I gritted my teeth, suppressing a scream. Every death I witnessed made me grow colder and numb. Death had become this icy, merciless reality, and I had transformed into a machine, operating efficiently without giving a fuck about the losses.

In a fucked-up way, it had become easier to deal with, knowing it was all just part of the sick game. I didn’t want to remember their faces or their names, or even feel the agony that accompanied their loss.

None of that shit mattered anymore.

Our mission was to extract a high-value target, but it had all turned to shit. It was a setup. The insurgents knew our every move, and my team paid the price in blood.

I tried to wrap my head around how the hell they could’ve known about the mission, but there was no obvious explanation. It was as if those assholes had been tipped off, lying in wait for us. There was no way to rule out the possibility that we’d been betrayed by some sleezy cocksucker within our own organization.

We had been played from the very start, and the thought of someone from the inside selling us out made my blood boil. I needed answers, but I sure as hell wouldn’t get them lying here, tied down like a goddamn dog, at the mercy of some nameless doctor.

“How long does it take you to patch up a couple of holes, Doc? You’d think we were rebuilding a Swiss watch here,” I grumbled aloud in a sharky tone.

She rolled her eyes again, clearly about done with me. “I’ll be done when I’m done,” she finally said, her voice rather annoyed.

“Yeah, thanks for stating the fucking obvious,” I retorted, letting out a sarcastic laugh.

“Alright fine, if you want to bleed all over my operating table, be my guest,” she said, shaking her head slightly before returning to her work.

“Well, you better hurry the hell up then,” I added, my voice tired and worn out.

She let out a frustrated groan, finally losing her patience. “Are we really going to do this right now?” she asked, her nerves on the edge.

“Oh, my bad, Doc. Guess I’ll just bleed to death in silence then, shall I?” I retorted, sarcasm dialed up to eleven.

“Just shut up and let me finish my work,” she blew air, her annoyance bubbling the fuck over.

I felt irritated by her snide attitude as she continued to work, taking her own sweet time.

“Or what? You’ll stitch me up even slower?” I taunted, pushing her buttons a little too hard.

Too much?

I knew better than to keep poking, so I shut my mouth and let her work in silence. The fatigue was dragging me down fast, the pain and exhaustion pulling at every fiber of my body. Her needle finally stopped, and she pulled it out of my gut, making me sigh in relief.

“There,” she said, sounding pleased. “All done. Happy now, soldier?”

“Oh yeah, Doc, over the fucking moon,” I replied with a sarcastic edge to my voice.

She peeled off her gloves and washed her hands, not even bothering to look at me. Her indifference bugged the hell out of me, but I knew better than to say anything. As I watched her finish washing her hands and walk out, I remained quiet and still, trying to process everything that had happened.

I felt that all too familiar pang of anger and frustration building up inside me, but I pushed that shit down. I couldn’t afford to be distracted by those petty things. I had a mission to complete and I needed to stay focused on finding that traitor, no matter the cost.

“Untie me,” I hissed, struggling against the bindings that kept me from moving. “Now.”

Doc didn’t even look back. Just walked out like I didn’t exist. Her indifference was annoying as fuck, to say the least.

---