Page 39 of The Order

A human life is cleaned up and disposed of in no more than ten minutes. All those memories, all of those connections she created, stolen by the hands of a lie we let them put inside our heads with no second thoughts.

Or did we let them?

“Time to go, boys. He wants us back in time for the Lottery bids,” Adam barks to the other Officials, their feet dragging across the ground as they move. My eyes slowly creep open at the sound of their exit.

The man in charge of the Re-Regulation device hits his screen, watching the chips of those on the ground blink once more. The land once coated in the girl's blood is spotless, concealed by the bloodied paper towels now shoved deep into one of the many garbage bags the Officials hold. Adam slings the girl over his shoulder, pulling her dead weight with no issues. The group moves farther from the screening, one of them hitting the projector as they start the movie from where it was before the attack. Five black Official cars are parked, each one of the trunks being filled with their supplies. They finish loading the trunk with the girl’s body, throwing her in carelessly before slamming the trunk shut with a thud. The men smile, some laughing as they each file into their car. Their headlights light up the area, each revving their engines before disappearing in the night as if they were never even here.

I pry my head away from the ground, gasping as I struggle to take a full breath. My voice is nothing more than a silent scream. My mouth salivates, pushing away nausea clouding my system. I grasp the front of my shirt, clawing at its material as I linger on the Official's touch. The blood sure to have soaked my front has vanished, and I see nothing but the clean gray shirt I had come here in. My hands rub my face violently, trying my best to wipe away the blood that’s no longer there. My mind keeps reflecting on the moment her life left her eyes. He pulled that trigger with no hesitation and a look of satisfaction.

“Calm down,” Fallan says aggressively, grabbing my bruised wrist as my eyes begin to water. He immediately re-adjusts his grip, holding my jaw hard, forcing me to stop my panic to look at him. I see now the small cut lining his forehead. The Official had managed to mark him up despite Adam’s wishes.

“You need to breathe, they are going to wake up any minute, and you can't be panicking when they do,” Fallan says, pressing his hand to my chest.

“Take a full breath. Don’t think about anything else, breathe. Focus on my touch. Breathe from here,” he continues, applying more pressure to my chest. His hand takes up a great deal of my front, helping guide my breathing as he inhales with me.

I comply, feeling the air enter my lungs in greedy, shallow breaths. Fallan continues holding my chin, dragging me closer once my breathing has regulated. His eyes grow narrow, holding me still with such a brief touch.

“I could care less if you expose yourself to your Officials, but you're sure as hell not bringing me down with you,” Fallan hisses, shoving me back and closer to my brother as he pulls himself to his feet.

I watch him quickly move past the bodies. Some begin twitching, moving their limbs slowly as they gain consciousness. Fallan kneels next to Hunter, dragging him farther behind the shed, not giving me a second look.

“Forest?” Kai’s voice questions, pulling me away from my dazed stare toward the shed and back to my brother as he blinks away his confusion. Once abnormally blank and void of expression, his face now shows a flutter of emotion. He’s standing, looking at my dirtied figure kneeling on the ground.

“Kai!” I say in a sob. I force my arms around his neck, pulling his hands around me before pressing my face into his shoulder. “Are you okay?” I mumbled against the material of his shirt, squeezing him as tight as possible. I narrow my eyes at his chip.

“Yes, crazy,” Kai says, speaking like normal as he begins to pry away from my touch. I stumble back, taking a long look at my brother. He looks completely fine, even brushing off some dirt from the front of his clothes. All the others around him are on their feet, some still trying to watch the movie, the twins included.

“You've just been staring off into space. I’ve been trying to get your attention for like five minutes.” Kai says, rubbing the back of his neck as he fidgets anxiously. I clutch my damaged wrist, shielding it from his prying eyes.

Officials return to the area, casually glancing around as they once had, letting their eyes linger on the crowd they so easily manipulated.

“Y-you don't remember?” I question, knowing the answer long before he dares to say it.

“Remember what?” Kai questions, looking back at our friends in a way that I know is meant to mock my current state of sanity. Hunter and Fallan are back in the booth. Hunter happily continues serving popcorn. Fallan watches me, crossing his arms, waiting to see what I will do. He looks unbothered, as if nothing ever happened.

The space around me feels smaller as the eyes of neighboring Officials seem to linger on my brother and me. Everything seems tighter, the very area around me closing in. My stomach churns as I reflect on what I saw. The visual of a fragmented skull painting the grass in puddles of red still lingers. My stomach twists. Maybe it wasn’t real. I skipped my meds this morning. Maybe all of this is in my head. Perhaps it’s just the hallucinations again.

My focus moves to my hurt wrist and sore jaw from Fallan’s touch.

No, not in my head.

I clutch my stomach, covering my mouth and backing away from my brother.

“Forest, what's wrong?” Max’s voice finally questions, creeping up behind my brother, finally inserting himself into the conversation.

“I don’t feel so good,” I say honestly, unable to fight back the influx of saliva that I know is about to turn into something much worse.

I force myself away from the pair, letting my knees hit the ground. Breakfast and lunch leave me in a hurl, covering the ground beneath me. My spit trails out of my mouth, making the pain in my stomach only grow once there is nothing else left to expel. A few straggling Officials move closer, looking genuinely concerned as if they didn’t just have pistols ready to use on any of us a few minutes ago. Kai and Max reach their arms out. I force myself up, stumbling backward, backing away from the gentle touch of one of the Officials I had seen laughing at the girl’s lifeless body.

“It’s the popcorn. Too much grease,” I say, dismissing the Official's concern with a simple statement. My shaky hand covers the quiver in my lip. Many watch me, all observing my humiliating display on the lawn.

“Are you sure you're alright?” the Official questions. His voice perfectly matches the one of the man who stepped right on my arm.

“I need to go home,” I say, turning away from the numerous eyes on me. I shove past my brother and Max, pressing my arms across my body as I walk farther away from the screen's light. My head continues to pound, my scar growing hotter as if it’s ready to burn through this shirt and expose me. “Now,” I finish, watching the roll of the tram's wheels as it stops at the bench outside the school.

“Forest, wait a moment-” Kai begins, grabbing my elbow.

“Don't!” I yell, looking at all of my friends and anyone else who feels like staring. “I want to be alone,” I hiss, yanking away my arm with a great deal of aggression. Kai doesn’t push it, even putting his hand on Max’s shoulder, telling him to let it be. He whispers something in the blonde’s ear, ending his statement with a comment about this being “One of her episodes,” solidifying the fact he has no faith in my sanity. I take that as my opportunity to leave, trying my best not to feel the fear that only grows with each long stare from the Officials trailing behind me.

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