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She stabbed the syringe into my neck and plunged every last drop of the drug into me. There was a burning sensation, and it seared all the way from my neck to my brain. I felt like I was being lit on fire, burned alive. I squeezed my eyes shut from the pain, and suddenly, everything went black again.
There was a loud ringing sound in my head, almost as if a mosquito buzzed around my ear. It was annoying, and I jerked my head to the side to stop it.
Opening my eyes, I hissed from the bright light that blinded me. My vision was blurry, but I could make out three figures in the room. Where was I? I couldn’t remember the last thing that had happened before I woke up to the sharp ringing sound in my ear. I frowned, confused about my surroundings. My wrists were sore, and I rubbed them in my lap before bringing the heels of my hands to my eyes and rubbing the haze away.
“Chyler?” a soft voice said. Madison. I dropped my hands and opened my eyes again to see her standing before me with Alexis and Charlotte. I shot my hand up to the side of my neck. I remembered. Charlotte had injected me with Ataraxia to eliminate my feelings of love. I looked between Madison and Alexis, trying to test the theory.
Nothing. I knew I cared about them but couldn’t feel it anymore; I was almost indifferent towards them. The warmth that once filled my heart when I looked at Madison was no longer there; it was gone. A hollow hole where the need to run over and embrace her used to be. My love and compassion for her was gone. Reset.
“Yeah… I’m fine.” No, I wasn’t; I was screaming.
Charlotte stepped forward and held her hand out to me.
“Come, now that you are up, we have a final task for you.” I looked at her and took her hand. I stood up from where I was seated, my body feeling like it had been hit by a Mack truck. I had never felt so empty and numb. Hate and anger were at the forefront of my emotional capacity. No matter how hard I tried to feel something more, something opposite, it wasn’t there. I was stuck with my off switch flipped, not as extreme as when I actually flipped it, but pretty damn close.
She fucking did it. That bitch took away my ability to feel love and compassion.
I needed to play it safe for now. I would comply with her demands and requests until I could get her alone; then, I would kill her. Madison, Alexis, and I were too evenly matched, and I knew I couldn’t go up against all three of them even though I was screaming inside to take Charlotte down and rip her throat out.
“Roman Atwater, right? I can handle him.” I spoke coolly. Slipping into the role of the animal she trained me to be.
“No, a new one. Roman has been handled and dealt with.” She smiled, “Come, let’s test your newfound lack of love, shall we?” She cackled, and I couldn’t help but feel the urge to stab her in the neck as I followed her out of the room. Madison and Alexis followed behind us, neither saying a single word—which was strange. They acted as though they were on her side and agreed with what she was doing to me. I needed to figure out a way to get us all out of here.
Can this be reversed? What will happen if I can’t feel love in life anymore? She took my fucking need for love away from me.
We stopped before a room that looked set up with video surveillance equipment. It had a single desk with four different monitors, each displaying various camera views of a large and empty warehouse—empty, aside from the fact that there was a man sitting in the center of the huge room.
Charlotte walked around the desk and sat; I caught a glimpse of the surveillance feed as my gaze followed her. A man was seated, tied to a chair in the middle of a room. Not just any man, I could tell from his clothing who it was—Atlas. She had Atlas strapped down to a chair in the middle of the warehouse with a dark hood over his head.
Was this going to be my task? Killing the man I used to love and want? I couldn’t even bring myself to feel any want or need for him. My desire to protect and save him was nullified by the drug running through my veins. I had become a shell for anything aside from anger and aggression. I wanted to fucking destroy her.
The longer I looked at the screen, the more I thought of ways that I wanted to end her. Slow and painful would be the only option. She didn’t deserve anything quick and painless, not after this.
“What do you need me to do?” I cleared my throat as I looked over to Charlotte, sitting behind the desk and scanning the monitors.
“What you do best, darling.” She smiled amusedly and held out her hands as if showing me the world. “Take care of him.” She was going to have me torture Atlas. Figures.
“Anything specific you need from him?” I asked, looking back at the screen. He was sitting there motionless. His head was bent forward, and I guessed that he was sedated like most of our kidnapped victims were. I wanted to drag this out with her as long as possible. Maybe if I did, the CIA would find us and get him the hell out of here.
It was a strange feeling, knowing in my mind that I cared for him but unable to feel it; I was completely numb to any sensation he once gave me.
Charlotte hummed, “No, just have fun with him.” I raised a brow. Of course, this would be her request from me. To ‘have fun’ and tear him apart like a vicious animal. I shook my head and took a deep breath, nodding to her. I didn’t want to do this, but my aggressive side was ready for release.
“Lead the way.” I gestured my hand towards the door. If only I could get her alone.
“Excellent. Madison, escort her to the room.” She snapped her fingers and pointed out the door before returning to watch the surveillance feed. Fuck.
Madison turned and left the room; I followed her into the hall and down to where Atlas was being held. She hadn’t said one word to me since I came to, and as we stopped before the door, all she did was look at me with an indifferent, blank expression.
“Madison?” I looked into her beautiful green eyes and saw nothing but a shell. What did Charlotte do to her?
“Everything is going to be fine, Chy. Just flip your switch and do what you do best.” She smiled, and it was the fakest, most forced fucking smile I had ever seen. I knew I should care about how she acted and how out of character she was, but I couldn’t.
She leaned into me, sliding a phone into my back pocket, and whispered, “Charlotte threatened our families. Message Derek and Marcus. Share our location with them. Get us the fuck out of here, Chy. Charlotte needs to be stopped.” Her voice came out strangled as if she was struggling to speak the words she wanted to say to me. I would have to put on a show if I was going to save us all.
Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked back down the hall to the office, where Charlotte and Alexis were preparing to watch me take Atlas apart piece by piece. I might not be able to feel anything for him anymore, but I would figure out a solution. I just needed to buy us time.
When Madison left my view entirely, I pulled out the phone and noticed it wasn’t mine. There was a photo of me on the lock screen. This was Atlas’s phone. Without hesitating, I unlocked it and searched the contact list for the two names she mentioned.
