Hidden (Book 3 of the Immune Series)

Lightning

Sakir

How long have I been screaming?

Minutes? Hours? Days?

The latter seems more possible than the first.

Acidic bile mixes with blood to sting my raw throat, making every breath and swallow a struggle. The inside of my mouth feels like a desert, filled with grains of innumerable sand. Cracks spread across my dry lips, catching the vomit that has escaped my empty stomach.

My eyes stare overhead at the grid of ceiling tiles. My chin trembles with every ragged breath.

The pain of the virus drip has subsided. The bag hangs empty from its stand, but I can't bring myself to look at it anymore. If I focus on the popcorn ceiling, my mind won't wander.

The fire coursing through my aching muscles and bones is a million times worse than before. When it first started hours ago, it was minute, background noise to the havoc that the virus was wreaking on my body.

Even worse: it comes in short bursts.

Right now, exhaustion reigns, and I time my breathing.

But, the pain should return any second now. The glowing embers will morph into a raging forest fire, destroying everything in its path.

Maybe a fire isn't the best thing to compare the pain to.

A thunderstorm might work better.

I risk glancing down at myself. Rivulets of sweat bead down my chest. Doctor Julien placed four new white pads on my chest before she left earlier. The red and black wires run out of the sticky squares. The ones before were just black. Somehow, these look more menacing.

The machine that serves as home to the other end of the wires looks very similar to the heart rate monitor. Only one number blinks on the digital interface, though. Right now, the number '70' pulses like a stop light, changing occasionally to another similar number.

A green line creates mountains, valleys, and canyons across the top of the screen.

Any second now, the storm will arrive.

My breathing increases, becoming more like a pant. I can't panic. If I panic, it will only be worse.

When I look away from the machine, lightning strikes.

Electricity dances across my body, freezing time and stretching the minute into years. It fills every inch of me with ice, sending my heart rate through the ceiling. My back arches towards the ceiling. My heart beats against my rib cage, to the point that I can see it racing in my chest. The skin around it sears red.

I clench my eyes closed as a scream pushes itself out of my throat and echoes around the room. My hands form fists, and my nails dig into the soft skin of my palms.

Then, it's over. Just as quick as it began.

I hurry to look at the monitor where the green numbers have turned to red.

What once ranged in the seventies now reads two hundred eighty.

The bursts of electric shocks test my heart's limits.

Without the virus to distract my body from the pain, though, everything panics, hurrying to extinguish the fire.

I rest my head back on the bed, listening as the rapid beeping of the machine gradually slows.

How much more of this will I have to endure?

There's a list of people that I could blame.

Doctor Price created the virus in the first place. According to Papa, though, Ashford forced them. Price did what he had to in order to protect Jaelyn. I could blame Papa; he gave me the vaccine when he created it. Ashford wouldn't target me if I wasn't an Immune. Yet, like Price, Papa was just trying to protect me. He couldn't have foreseen this.

Is this Jay's fault? If she hadn't taken Papa, there would be no vaccine and no reason for Julien to torture me. Is it Quinn's fault? No, he risked his life to create the vaccine that could save thousands of people.

Every road leads back to Doctor Julien.

Out of the original three, she is the only one that didn't stand up against Ashford.

What's the point of blaming anyone? I can't get out of this regardless. No one is coming to save me. Even if they are, I'll be long dead.

I close my eyes, waiting for the next shock, for the next scream.

I wish I was dead. 

I am incredibly sorry for the ultra short updates here lately. The plot is sort of slow, but it's about to pick up! I promise. Hopefully the future chapters will be much longer. Thank you so much for being patient with me while I figure out my life. Lol. Love you guys!