Page 97 of Cruel Cravings

“Jael,” he says in his usual admonishing tone. “You’ve been misbehaving.”

The next breath I go to inhale comes up short. A chill has blown through me and left me paralyzed and breathless. Almost numb as I blink and suddenly find the fierce rage that I’d felt has vanished. The knife slips from between my fingers and bounces down a couple of the steps.

His head tilts as he studies me. “Tell me. Do you remember what happens when you’re bad?”

30.Jael

VOID - Melanie Martinez

Two weeks later…

Iwake to the sound of a cart rattling on the other side of the padded walls. I’m lying confined in the dark, strapped down to a mattress that’s closer to a stiff board. Leather binds chaff away at my wrists and ankles, a constant reminder that I’ve lost all control.

I’m buried away in some tomb where no one knows of my existence, where no one will ever find me.

…except them.

Confined to the dark, tight space, I’m stripped of most basic senses. I’m forced to use my sense of hearing above all else.

I strain my ears and listen to the pad of their footsteps. The cart rattles to a halt outside the door. Keys jiggle and the lock clicks as the doorknob turns.

A harsh artificial light spills into the room for less than a second before the door’s slamming shut again. Their silhouettes are nightmarish as they close in on the bed, their head mirrors shining in the dark.

Nurse Big Bird is in the front, followed by two of her assistants. I can make out the outline of her feathered blonde hair and pristine sage medical scrubs that she wears. She exudes an air of authority while her two orderlies are obedient in plain white, wheeling in the cart full of cruel gifts for me.

My gaze flickers to the items on the cart. A small paper cup filled with pills sits next to a tray of syringes, their sharp tips glinting under the light of their head mirrors. The sight sends a jolt of terror through me.

I begin to struggle against the restraints, yanking at the straps with all the strength I can muster. My breath quickens, panic overtaking me as I thrash against the bed.

“Don’t do this,” I plead, my voice hoarse from days of screaming. Maybe weeks. "Please, I have to find my sister!"

Nurse Big Bird simply tsks under her breath, shaking her head as if scolding a misbehaving child. She snaps on her latex gloves, her movements slow and practiced, stretching the moment as if she enjoys watching my desperation.

It’s nothing new. It’s been my hell since I was brought here.

From the time I was first placed under her care years ago.

"We’ve been over this, Jael," she says, her tone dripping with condescension. She gestures to one of the orderlies, who picks up the paper cup of pills and shakes it tauntingly. The pills rattle against the paper insides and make my stomach lurch.

"Open your mouth," the orderly instructs, stepping closer to the side of the bed.

I shake my head and press my lips together.

No more pills. No more sedatives. No more currents of electricity sent pulsing through my body until I’m screaming, begging for it to end.

My heart races at the thought of what’s coming if I disobey. The walls seem to close in, the room shrinking as my fear swells. My body knows what comes next. It knows the pattern, theroutine. Soon, they’ll hold me down and force the drugs into me. Soon, I’ll be too weak to fight…

I’m not sure how much longer I can hold on. Time has begun to feel like sand sifting to the bottom of an hourglass…

“Brontë!” I scream, the sound raw and frantic. “BRONTË!”

If he’s here, if my shadow’s lurking like he’s always been, I need him. I need him more than I ever have before.

The room goes still.

The orderlies glance at Big Bird as if seeking direction. But she remains unfazed. Something sinister flashes across her face, highlighted by the head mirror shining from her brow.

Without warning, she rushes forward and slaps a hand over my mouth. A muffled, panicked sound escapes from my throat as I writhe against her, my body trembling with effort.

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