He rolled over, falling back into his soundless sleep. I scooched to the bed’s edge so I didn’t disturb either of them. Looking back at the sleeping men, I was whole. These were my guys. The two that have stolen my heart. The two I completely trusted. While I didn’t know what the future held for us, I knew I’d never be without them.
My legs trembled as I pulled one of Gabe’s shirts over my head and crept towards the kitchen. Bracing myself against the polished wood of the small bar, I removed the crystal stopper from the decanter and tipped the vessel, filling a heavy rocks glass with the ruby liquid. My dry mouth craved a sip as I dropped one cube of ice inside, hearing it clink softly against the glass.
A hand clamped over my mouth and nose, shoving a perfumed cloth into my face, its cloying sweetness filling my nostrils. The scent was somewhat intoxicating and slightly nostalgic, though I couldn’t place where I knew it from. My mind became hazy, and with one last shuddering gasp, my body went limp. Before my vision blurred, a silent scream tore through my throat, a desperate attempt to rouse Gabe and Jude from their sleep, but no sound escaped my lips.
Where was I being taken? How will Gabe and Jude know where I am?
I didn’t know how long I’d been out, but when I opened my eyes, a bright light seared my retinas. Was it the sun? The air in the room smelled sterile, like a mixture of bleach and burning hair. My vision was blurred, but the shining light didn’t disappear. I was strapped to a cold table with leather belts wrapping around my legs and chest. My arms were stretched out wide, like a T, the rough white gown scratched against my skin.
As my eyes focused, I knew exactly where I was—the lab used for the Extraction. The place I’d come to know once per year for the past sixty-five years as a symbol of my dad’s control over me. The place, many times, I thought would kill me.
Two tables flanked me, each laden with racks of vials and a single, menacingly long needle. Fear and anger delved into my core, creating a potent mix of emotions. My father knew I wouldn’t be willing to take part in the Extraction, so he tookmatters into his own hands. He forced me to be his puppet once again.
Two doctors, clad in crisp white jackets and surgical masks, entered the sterile lab. I knew them well; they were always the two who conducted the Extraction. They used to chat with me and make me feel comfortable before they started this procedure, which essentially left me on the verge of death. Now, I only felt a seething hatred toward them, knowing their complicity in my father’s cruel plans.
“Good morning, Vincent,” one of the doctors started. His voice reminded me of an actor saying lines. Totally scripted and rehearsed. “This is your yearly routine Extraction, we’ve done this many times, so there’s no need to be alarmed.”
“Just relax.” The other doctor, a woman, sat next to me. With one eye closed, she inspected her needle, which was the length of my forearm.
I tried to scream once again, but nothing came out. I summoned every ounce of strength I could muster and began to writhe on the table, jerking my body erratically so they couldn’t get a clean poke from their needle.
“Vincent, I need you to calm down,” the male doctor cooed. “Or else we’ll have to sedate you.”
“And we know how much you hate that.”
Each convulsion sent jolts of pain through my body as the straps bit into my flesh, holding me fast to the table. I didn’t know exactly what I was doing, but I refused to go down without a fight. I hated my father. I hated how he continued to use me for his own benefit and power. This entire interaction made my decision to take him down all the more easy. I was no longer the good boy standing idly by. I was determined to fight back, no matter the cost.
“Get the sedative!”
The woman next to me abruptly stood from her chair, its legs scraping against the floor, and began rummaging through a nearby closet. She filled a small needle with a clear liquid, holding the syringe between her fingers, like a cigarette, with one bead of substance glistening on its tip. Taking a seat beside me, her eyes crinkled in each corner. “Calm down, or you’ll force me to use this.”
In response to her, I thrusted my body in the air. I knew as soon as the needle reached my skin, I’d already be asleep. I’d be useless. I needed to do anything in my power to get out of here. Tears pricked my eyes as I watched the doctor rest the needle on top of my skin, ready to push it in.
I tried one last glance at her, pleading not to sedate me, but to pity me instead. Her eyes darted from the syringe, then glazed over, losing all focus. Like whatever she was thinking about, she completely forgot. The doctor slumped in her chair next to me, her shoulders heavy, while the man standing over me crashed backward, hitting the floor hard.
What the hell just happened?
Gabe and Jude stood in the doorway, their guns pointed inwards, the heavy weight of their presence filling the space as I looked toward the door. The table holding the needle next to me filled with blood as her injury grew. I let out a low groan from deep within my throat, hoping to alert the two men’s attention.
They hesitantly stepped into the sterile, brightly lit operating room, their arms outstretched, weapons ready to shoot at anyone else who may emerge. Once they deemed the room safe, they ran over, their faces etched with relief, and swiftly removed the gag from my mouth. The straps around my legs and chest finally loosened, and a wave of relief washed over me as the pressure disappeared. I sat up, rubbing the red wounds around my wrists. “I’ve never been happier to see both of you.”
“Aw, come on!” Jude pursed his lips and smiled. “You can’tonlybe happy to see us when we’re saving you.”
“I don’tneedsaving.”
“Why can’t you ever admit you need help?” Jude’s lip curled into a half-smile. He whirled around, keeping his gun pointed toward the door. “Anyways, we need to move, it won’t be long before these dead bodies are found.”
Gabe threw me a pair of spare black medical pants and the T-shirt I was wearing when the doctors abducted me. “Get dressed, we have to go. Once they’re found dead, they’ll be looking for you. We need to disable the gate right now.”
Damn. I knew this time would come, I just didn’t expect it to be so soon. I thought we’d maybe have another day to plan. No time like the present, I suppose. Stuffing myself into the unflattering pants and throwing the oversized band shirt over my head, I ran my fingers through my hair. “Let’s start this war.”
Gabe handed me a pistol and a box of ammo, and I put them in my pocket. “We have silencers if they’re needed.”
I nodded, now understanding why I didn’t hear the bang from their guns as they shot both doctors in the head. “What’s the plan?”
“Now that I’m reinstated as a guard, I’ll head to the electrical control room and turn off all power.” Gabe turned to Jude and me. “And the two of you are going to open the gate to the city. Vin, I think you know where the controls are.”
I furrowed my brows. Do I know how to open the gates? I delved into my mind, thinking back to the limited places I went outside my penthouse, but my mind only showed me the same image. The heavy, black metal door at the hallway’s end struck me with a sudden realization. “The Carlton.”
