The lack of that fear now is what
led me to believe Kindred spoke the truth when he informed me of Jason’s
amnesia.
Kindred’s fear of me convinced me I am the cause.
ELEVEN
Jason
In the time since
my captors left my room, I found myself straining to remember anything from my
past. I slept fitfully for a while. I couldn’t be sure how long I managed to
rest, because my room remained darkened, making it difficult to tell whether it
was night or day. The only light I had seen since I’d been left alone was from
the crack under the door. My eyes had long since adjusted to the dim lighting,
but there was nothing to see.
I shivered a bit. The
Doctor and the Boss chose to leave me shirtless, for unknown reasons. Maybe
they thought I would be less likely to run if I wasn’t fully clothed. Or maybe
it was simply a way to push my buttons. Other than getting a bit cold, it
caused no harm. What they couldn’t know is that I had no place to go. If I were
to gain my freedom, I wouldn’t have the first clue what to do with it. The one
person who I know is on my side, they have locked up. Anyone else in my life, I
can’t remember.
My shoulder ached,
and when I finally looked down at it, I saw old scars under the fresh bruising.
What happened to me? My eyes widened as I tried to see as much of myself as
possible. Scars were all over my body. Thick ropy scar tissue wrapped from my
stomach around my side, and I suspected it reached my back as well. There were
thin scars along my wrists, and slightly thicker ones going up and down my arms, along with burn marks and a burn in the shape of an
‘M’ on my upper arm.
Sinking back onto
my thin pillow, my breathing sped up and I clenched my eyes shut. I had felt
the tightness of my skin, but had attributed it to pain from the accident. The
truth of it was much worse. Someone… someone tortured me. Why? Who? What had I
done? Who was I that someone would work so hard to hurt me?
“Jason, you
need to calm yourself.” Jeremiah. His voice in my head, while odd, was still
familiar, and I grasped onto it like a lifeline. “What happened? Are you
okay?”
Still breathing
heavily I tried to answer. I almost spoke out loud, but after opening my mouth,
I remembered he wouldn’t hear me speak. “Scars… I have scars everywhere. What
happened to me?”
When he answered,
his mental voice was soft and sad. “So many things. Things I thought… A bad
man wanted to use your power, Jason. You survived and escaped. Remember that.
You SURVIVED. That is the important thing. Your memories will return in time.
Don’t worry.”
As he spoke I felt
the powerful stride of the Doctor coming down the hall and my breathing, which
had started to slow, now sped up again. “Jeremiah, they’re coming back for
me. I don’t know how to use my power! How am I supposed to cooperate with
them?”
“Calm, Jason.
Once you touch the ground your power should become apparent. Do what you can.
Use your injuries as an excuse if you must. Just don’t fight them. Not yet.”
I nodded, knowing
he couldn’t see me. I felt calmer knowing he was still there, even if he is
also a prisoner. “Breathe deeply, Jason. We’ll get out of here soon, okay? I
promise you we will escape.”
The Doctor was now
outside my door, and I glanced up as he entered. “Did you feel me coming,
Jason? That’s one of your abilities, isn’t it?” His tone was clinical, and he
barely glanced up from the clipboard he held as he flipped the light switch,
but I still shuddered.
“Isn’t it?” He
demanded an answer after I paused for a few seconds.
“It is,” I
answered softly. “I felt you coming.”
He made a note on
the chart. “From how far away?”
“Only down the
hall. I think when you got on this floor.” I kept my tone even, trying to hide
my fear.
The Doctor made a
content sound, and finally looked up from his chart. “You ready to get out of
this room? We would like to get started on your testing,
led me to believe Kindred spoke the truth when he informed me of Jason’s
amnesia.
Kindred’s fear of me convinced me I am the cause.
ELEVEN
Jason
In the time since
my captors left my room, I found myself straining to remember anything from my
past. I slept fitfully for a while. I couldn’t be sure how long I managed to
rest, because my room remained darkened, making it difficult to tell whether it
was night or day. The only light I had seen since I’d been left alone was from
the crack under the door. My eyes had long since adjusted to the dim lighting,
but there was nothing to see.
I shivered a bit. The
Doctor and the Boss chose to leave me shirtless, for unknown reasons. Maybe
they thought I would be less likely to run if I wasn’t fully clothed. Or maybe
it was simply a way to push my buttons. Other than getting a bit cold, it
caused no harm. What they couldn’t know is that I had no place to go. If I were
to gain my freedom, I wouldn’t have the first clue what to do with it. The one
person who I know is on my side, they have locked up. Anyone else in my life, I
can’t remember.
My shoulder ached,
and when I finally looked down at it, I saw old scars under the fresh bruising.
What happened to me? My eyes widened as I tried to see as much of myself as
possible. Scars were all over my body. Thick ropy scar tissue wrapped from my
stomach around my side, and I suspected it reached my back as well. There were
thin scars along my wrists, and slightly thicker ones going up and down my arms, along with burn marks and a burn in the shape of an
‘M’ on my upper arm.
Sinking back onto
my thin pillow, my breathing sped up and I clenched my eyes shut. I had felt
the tightness of my skin, but had attributed it to pain from the accident. The
truth of it was much worse. Someone… someone tortured me. Why? Who? What had I
done? Who was I that someone would work so hard to hurt me?
“Jason, you
need to calm yourself.” Jeremiah. His voice in my head, while odd, was still
familiar, and I grasped onto it like a lifeline. “What happened? Are you
okay?”
Still breathing
heavily I tried to answer. I almost spoke out loud, but after opening my mouth,
I remembered he wouldn’t hear me speak. “Scars… I have scars everywhere. What
happened to me?”
When he answered,
his mental voice was soft and sad. “So many things. Things I thought… A bad
man wanted to use your power, Jason. You survived and escaped. Remember that.
You SURVIVED. That is the important thing. Your memories will return in time.
Don’t worry.”
As he spoke I felt
the powerful stride of the Doctor coming down the hall and my breathing, which
had started to slow, now sped up again. “Jeremiah, they’re coming back for
me. I don’t know how to use my power! How am I supposed to cooperate with
them?”
“Calm, Jason.
Once you touch the ground your power should become apparent. Do what you can.
Use your injuries as an excuse if you must. Just don’t fight them. Not yet.”
I nodded, knowing
he couldn’t see me. I felt calmer knowing he was still there, even if he is
also a prisoner. “Breathe deeply, Jason. We’ll get out of here soon, okay? I
promise you we will escape.”
The Doctor was now
outside my door, and I glanced up as he entered. “Did you feel me coming,
Jason? That’s one of your abilities, isn’t it?” His tone was clinical, and he
barely glanced up from the clipboard he held as he flipped the light switch,
but I still shuddered.
“Isn’t it?” He
demanded an answer after I paused for a few seconds.
“It is,” I
answered softly. “I felt you coming.”
He made a note on
the chart. “From how far away?”
“Only down the
hall. I think when you got on this floor.” I kept my tone even, trying to hide
my fear.
The Doctor made a
content sound, and finally looked up from his chart. “You ready to get out of
this room? We would like to get started on your testing,
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