You Won't Feel A Thing

•Chapter 9•

Marcellus

I watched as Quinn dashed through the door like lightning McQueen. Jolly rolled about in her vacant spot on the bed. I climbed over my dog, and stretched out my arms. I can't believe I told her they'd dissect her. I mentally smacked myself. I ran my fingers through my hair, making my way to the bathroom. Turning on the sink, I washed my face with mild soap and warm water, then patted it dry with one of the hand towels hanging up on the rack.

I placed both hands on either side of the sink and stared at my reflection. Light black bags had formed under my eyes over the night. I had tried to stay up as long as I could till Quinn was able to fall asleep. I made sure to give her as much comfort as I could while she fought with her internal demons. I rubbed my eyes and yawned. Just thinking about the way her body snuggled into mine had my mind racing with inappropriate thoughts. We're friends. Friends shouldn't think dirty things about the other. I groaned and reached for the hair gel under the sink.

. Rolling my shoulders and cracking my neck, I took a deep breath and styled my hair. I flossed my teeth and gargled a little bit of mouthwash. I glanced over at where my phone sat on the back of the toilet. Grabbing it, I made my way back to my bed. I gently pushed my dog over to my side of the bed , while I lied down where Quinn had previously been curled up in a ball sound asleep.

Leaning against the headboard, I unlocked my phone and check for any missed messages or calls. I glanced over at her fully stuffed duffel bag on the floor. Please come back. My mind raced with all sorts of thoughts. What if something bad happens? What if they got lost on the way there? I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. I could feel my dog nudging my side with his wet nose, his tail thumped repeatedly against the bed. I looked down to see him looking up at me with those blue eyes of his full of concern. He cocked his head and whimpered softly. I scratched the back of his ear. "I'm alright, buddy. Just got a lot on my mind right now." I tried my best to reassure him, but in reality, I was reassuring myself. I sat there with my head leaned back against the headboard and eyes closed. I scratched his furry head and sighed, "I hope she's okay." I glanced at the clock. It was close to 9am. She should have arrived by now, right?

Picking my phone back up, I quickly typed out a message asking if she was okay and if she had made it to her appointment on time, then clicked send. Placing my phone down on the nightstand, I swung my legs off the bed and decided to do something productive to keep my mind busy. The fur ball's loud snores could be heard all the way in the kitchen. Fixing the coffee pot with my favorite k-cup roast and adding the right amount of water, I place a mug under the sprout and hit the brew button. I took a seat at the kitchen table and leaned back in the chair. I could smell the coffee brewing. It smelled wonderful. I reached above the stove for the sugar and creamer in the cabinet. After adding three scoops of creamer, three scoops of sugar, and little bit of milk, I stirred it and took a sip. I carried my cup back to the table and sat down. I couldn't help but think of Quinn. I thought of how her long silky raven hair felt entwined in my fingers and how her blue green eyes twinkled when she smiled at me. Her beautiful sun kissed skin held no scars or blemishes. She was just beautiful inside and out. Quit it, Celly. I shook my head and took a sip of coffee. So many thoughts were running through my head, they weren't good ones either. Thinking of all sorts of horrible scenarios and of all the what ifs. I groaned again, kneading my palms into my eyeballs. I leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. My thoughts were just out of control today. With a deep sigh, I leaned forward and took another sip of coffee. Man up, Celly! Quit being a sappy dope and go call her. I made my way back to the room, sipping my coffee along the way.

My dog was conked out still, snoring like a freight train and kicking his legs everywhere as if he was chasing a squirrel in his dream. I rolled my eyes. Walking over to the nightstand, I picked up my phone and dialed her number. The phone rang and ranged. Finally, it went to voicemail. I sighed and waited for the beep. "Hey Quinn, I was just calling to check up on you. Hope you made it on time and that everything goes well. Give me a call when you can, okay? Take care." I hit the end call button and sat it back down.

I took a seat on the bed and finished off my coffee. My phone began to vibrate. Picking it up, I unlocked the screen and clicked on the new message. My brows knitted in confusion as I read her message. "70 miles just to get to a medical clinic? Why couldn't her mother just take her to one in town?" It was the last part of her long message that caught my attention. I could feel my heart beating rapidly. "Fuck, that old hag seriously signed her up to be a damn test subject just for cash. Unbelievable." I texted her back asking for her location and telling her I was going to head that way to pick her up. There's no telling what that drug will do to her, no telling what kind of horrible side effects there may be.

I waited for a response but it never came. Slipping my phone into my pocket, I grabbed a pair of sneakers from the closet and slipped them on. I whistled for my dog. He shot up and scanned the room looking for danger. "Come on, Jolly. We're going for a drive." We made our way down the hall and I grabbed my wallet and keys off the coffee table. I waited till he had padded outside before closing the door behind me. He hopped into the backseat. I glanced across the road and noticed her father sitting on the porch swing with a bottle of whiskey beside him and his face in his hands. If I can't get the directions from her, I know exactly who will tell me. I climbed into the front seat and started the engine.

I pulled into their driveway and threw open my door and stomping up their porch steps. I could hear Jolly barking behind me from the driver's seat. "Where the hell did your bitch of a wife take her!" I spat at her father. He sluggishly lifted his head in my direction, his eyes were red and puffy. "I told her not to bring her there. We needed money, but I was willing to get another job. I don't know why she brought her there." I closed in on him and lifted him up by the collar of his shirt. "She's not some animal you can ship off to the jabbed, stabbed, and cut into. She's a human being. She's your damn daughter for Christ sake."

Her father's eyes swelled up with tears, they streamed down his face. The man's body trembled as he sobbed. "We needed the money." I don't know why I did it, my mother always told me to respect my elders, but these people didn't deserve my respect. My fist hit his jaw with a hard whack. I hit him over and over again, taking my anger out of him. It wasn't until I felt Jolly tugging on my pants that I finally stopped. I released his shirt. Her father slumped back into the swing with a bloodied face and tears trickling down his soon to be bruised cheeks. "Where is it at? "I asked him. He shook his head. "Don't play stupid with me, old man." He shook his head again and sobbed. Digging into his back pocket he pulled out a wrinkled-up flyer.

"It's a long way from here, its heavily guarded. It's not your average drug trial at a hospital. It's being ran by the government, somewhere secret and isolated. I remember hearing Darlene talk about armed guards protecting the place and huge walls keeping people from coming ....and going out." Her father sobbed some more, taking a long swig from the whiskey bottle. "I haven't heard back from her in a while, I'm sure by now she's probably halfway back to town. She left her there. She left our only living child there to have god knows what done to her." Her father continued to sob. Jolly whimpered beside me. I glanced down at the wrinkled paper in my hand and gritted my teeth. I'm coming for you, Quinn.

I left her father there. I didn't bother apologizing for what I did to him. He didn't deserve it. I motioned for Jolly to get in the truck. He hopped into the open driver side and climbed in the back. Hopping in the truck, I slammed the door shut and pulled out my phone to call Shaun. "Shaun-o-nator here, what's up man?" Him and that stupid name. I rolled my eyes. "You busy right now?" The line went silent. "Shaun, are you busy? If you are, I won't ask you to come—" "It's about Quinn, isn't it?" I sighed. I leaned back in the seat, staring out the window at her father still crying on the porch,"Yeah, it is. I'm going to get her from some whacky clinic her mother decided to dump her off at."

"Don't tell it's the one that's been advertised on the television," I could hear him groan in annoyance on the other end. I sighed, "You've seen it to then?" I heard him grunt in response. "The new girl...you know the one I told you about at work? Well, she was talking to me this morning bout possibly signing up to be a participant in the trial. I don't know, man. The whole thing just doesn't sound right to me. Is Quinn, okay?" I started the truck, backing out of the driveway. "Honestly I'm not sure, I'm hoping to god she is." Shaun sighed. "Come get me, we can both go save our depressed little princess together."