Page 38 of Poison

I sucked in a few ragged breaths before using most of my upper body strength to climb. Halfway up, I heard Trevor shout, "What the hell are you doing, Isaac? Where the fuck do you think you'll go?"

I didn't bother to answer; instead, I kept climbing. I was winded by the time I reached the top. It was a struggle to drag myself up the last few rungs. I got to my feet and began slowly jogging down the wide ledge. I didn't want anyone on the ladder to snatch me.

When I couldn't go any further,I bent over to catch my breath.

"Isaac, stop! Let's talk about this." Trevor had followed me onto the ledge and was slowly inching towards me.

"I'm not your toy anymore." I jumped.

Chapter 27

I was freefalling. The drop seemed to last forever until I felt branches scratch along my skin. My shackles caught on a limb, jarring my shoulders and making me shriek from the sudden pain. The branch creaked, then snapped under my weight. I hit more branches on the way down, spinning towards the Earth face-first. Another branch caught my arm, slowing my descent, and I spun around again until I finally hit the hard ground.

My body was screaming with pain. I couldn't move. This was a slower death than I wanted, but it was death nonetheless. Nobody would chase after me out here. Not even Trevor.

As my eyes stared through the thick foliage, I searched for Trevor through the rustling green leaves. I couldn't see him, which meant he most likely couldn't see me. I'm sure he thought I was dead, and as the blackness seeped in, I assumed it as well.

"Slowly," a voice whispered as my eyes opened to see a thin Asian woman staring down at me with a soft smile.

Immediate panic flowed through my veins. I jolted upright, ignoring her warning, and my head spun so much I could do nothing but barf all over the place.

The woman grimaced. "The nanites have done their job, but your head will still be a little fuzzy."

My body was stiff, but nothing else seemed to hurt. "You used nanites?" My voice was dry and horse.

"I couldn't just let you die out there."

I groaned, "It's what I wanted. I've tried everything. Slicing my wrists, overdosing, and jumping from a fucking wall, and nobody will let me fucking die!"

The woman shook her head sadly and murmured, "I've heard the stories about the servants in that city. They must treat you very poorly if you've tried so many different ways to end your life."

I glanced down at my wrists. The shackles weren't there, and there didn't seem to be a single mark left over from my fall. She really used nanites, tiny little robots that could fix broken bones and other bodily injuries, to save my life.

"My name is Virgiline, by the way. What's yours?"

"Isaac."

The woman started to say something more but was cut off by the door banging open. My body tensed, and I slid my arms around myself. The man who entered glared at me as he addressed Virgiline. "He's up. Now turn him loose."

"And do what with him?"

"Don't give a shit. He can roam around on the outer wall, or we can drop him off inside when we go trade. It's bad enough you used some of our nanites to fix him up."

"That would be cruel, Wilson."

"He had those shackles on, which means he was either thrown off the wall for being a criminal, or he jumped and wanted to die."

"I jumped," I whispered.

Wilson held out an arm in a "see?" gesture. "You saved him for nothing. He wanted to die."

Virgiline huffed, then asked, "Could you excuse us for a moment, Isaac?"

I nodded and watched Virgiline practically shove Wilson through the door. I could hear them arguing but couldn't make out what they were saying. Fabulous, even out in the Wastes, I cause trouble.

I wasn't sure how long I sat there, unmoving, but my butt fell asleep long before the door opened once more.

When it did, I could see sadness in Virgiline's eyes.

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