“You promised! You said no more. I’m safe here. You said I was safe.”
“He’s obviously deranged,” Rick murmured.
J.C. watched Tristan become more agitated and could only agree. He reached forward, but Tristan jerked free with a cry of horror. Before J.C. could get to him again he’d twisted away.
“Come on, Tristan. It’s time to go.”
“No!”
J.C. acted too slowly. Before he could do anything, electricity sizzled through the air. Blue sparks moved beneath Tristan’s skin and then suddenly, he dropped to the ground, seizures violently shaking his body. J.C. dropped to his knees, pressing two fingers to find the man’s pulse, but nothing could be done.
Their number one suspect had killed himself.
* * *
Amy woke from the sticky web of darkness, struggling to separate her consciousness from J.C.’s memories. They were a weight, a presence that shifted every time she moved to isolate them. Jagged shards slashed at the edge of her mind, trying to imbed deep into the network of her brain. She couldn’t let them in. She would never survive.
The splinters of J.C.’s memories pierced into her shields, threatening to tear them down. At the crack of her defenses, the world closed in, spilling into her head before she could react. Amy twisted, closing her eyes tight against the screams only she could hear.
Reaching for her pillow, she pulled it over her head, burrowing herself into the thin blankets on the bed, anything to try and block some of the stimuli. There was nothing she could do. Nothing but lie there as her mind fractured.
Breathing carefully, she pressed her fingers to her sweat dampened temples as J.C.’s memories breached the flimsy walls of her defenses. She felt trapped, unable to escape the confines of her own mind. There was no Amy during these moments, only a ghost of who she was.
She whimpered as the pressure built, the strain too much. She didn’t know how she could handle more when it suddenly went quiet. The memories stopped and her mind settled, giving her room to breathe and think. She didn’t feel J.C.’s consciousness anymore.
Silence.
Mind numbing, shocking silence. No voices. No stray thoughts. No emotions. Nothing. The echo of it reverberated within her. She’d never felt this…there had always been someone. Ever since she could remember, there had always been another’s voice in her mind or something to distinguish that she was not alone. But there was nothing now. For the first time she felt completely and utterly alone.
Dizziness swam through her head, her skin feeling too tight, her vision blurring as pain stabbed at her brain.
Blood dripped down her face and lifting her hand, Amy brushed her fingers over her cheeks, horrified when her fingertips came back red. She pushed herself off the bed, unfolding her legs so fast that the room spun. She closed her eyes, focused past the head-rush and hurried to the window. Her reflection stared back.
Her complexion was pale, beads of blood trailing down the side of her neck from her right ear. In the reflection, a shadow of a man stood behind her, the door to her room wide open. She shied away from the image in the window and took a stumbling step, only to press against the solid weight of him.
He wasn’t real, Amy told herself. He wasn’t real .
But he was.
Amy screamed and jerked herself away. She landed on her hands and knees, scrambling away as fast as she could. How had he gotten in? She hadn’t heard him enter.
And she should have.
Her vision blurred dangerously until she could barely see. “What do you want? I’m not scheduled for another round in Testing today.” Her legs shook as she rose to her feet. He was just a scientist. There was no reason to be afraid of him. And yet…
“Follow me.” Large hands wrapped around her arms, pulling her forward despite her struggles. His touch was like ice—so cold it burned her skin.
There was something about his voice that was almost familiar. It was… If
“He’s obviously deranged,” Rick murmured.
J.C. watched Tristan become more agitated and could only agree. He reached forward, but Tristan jerked free with a cry of horror. Before J.C. could get to him again he’d twisted away.
“Come on, Tristan. It’s time to go.”
“No!”
J.C. acted too slowly. Before he could do anything, electricity sizzled through the air. Blue sparks moved beneath Tristan’s skin and then suddenly, he dropped to the ground, seizures violently shaking his body. J.C. dropped to his knees, pressing two fingers to find the man’s pulse, but nothing could be done.
Their number one suspect had killed himself.
* * *
Amy woke from the sticky web of darkness, struggling to separate her consciousness from J.C.’s memories. They were a weight, a presence that shifted every time she moved to isolate them. Jagged shards slashed at the edge of her mind, trying to imbed deep into the network of her brain. She couldn’t let them in. She would never survive.
The splinters of J.C.’s memories pierced into her shields, threatening to tear them down. At the crack of her defenses, the world closed in, spilling into her head before she could react. Amy twisted, closing her eyes tight against the screams only she could hear.
Reaching for her pillow, she pulled it over her head, burrowing herself into the thin blankets on the bed, anything to try and block some of the stimuli. There was nothing she could do. Nothing but lie there as her mind fractured.
Breathing carefully, she pressed her fingers to her sweat dampened temples as J.C.’s memories breached the flimsy walls of her defenses. She felt trapped, unable to escape the confines of her own mind. There was no Amy during these moments, only a ghost of who she was.
She whimpered as the pressure built, the strain too much. She didn’t know how she could handle more when it suddenly went quiet. The memories stopped and her mind settled, giving her room to breathe and think. She didn’t feel J.C.’s consciousness anymore.
Silence.
Mind numbing, shocking silence. No voices. No stray thoughts. No emotions. Nothing. The echo of it reverberated within her. She’d never felt this…there had always been someone. Ever since she could remember, there had always been another’s voice in her mind or something to distinguish that she was not alone. But there was nothing now. For the first time she felt completely and utterly alone.
Dizziness swam through her head, her skin feeling too tight, her vision blurring as pain stabbed at her brain.
Blood dripped down her face and lifting her hand, Amy brushed her fingers over her cheeks, horrified when her fingertips came back red. She pushed herself off the bed, unfolding her legs so fast that the room spun. She closed her eyes, focused past the head-rush and hurried to the window. Her reflection stared back.
Her complexion was pale, beads of blood trailing down the side of her neck from her right ear. In the reflection, a shadow of a man stood behind her, the door to her room wide open. She shied away from the image in the window and took a stumbling step, only to press against the solid weight of him.
He wasn’t real, Amy told herself. He wasn’t real .
But he was.
Amy screamed and jerked herself away. She landed on her hands and knees, scrambling away as fast as she could. How had he gotten in? She hadn’t heard him enter.
And she should have.
Her vision blurred dangerously until she could barely see. “What do you want? I’m not scheduled for another round in Testing today.” Her legs shook as she rose to her feet. He was just a scientist. There was no reason to be afraid of him. And yet…
“Follow me.” Large hands wrapped around her arms, pulling her forward despite her struggles. His touch was like ice—so cold it burned her skin.
There was something about his voice that was almost familiar. It was… If
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