Page 97 of Healer’s Betrayal

“He’s not here.”

“Renee,” I slip and call her. “Please.”

I think at first she’s not going to answer me, but then she does. “He went with the Northwoods Pack.” There’s a sneer to her words, but relief fills me. If he’s with Garrett and his pack, they’ll keep him safe. It brings me the smallest amount of comfort. I’m grateful he’s not here in this awful place. “Now, it’s work time,” she repeats her words from earlier. “Let’s go.” I climb out of bed, not even bothering to look in a mirror. Somehow, I kept my shoes on while I slept. So I’m a mess, but I’m dressed. I take note of our path. We end up in the same room I woke up in yesterday. “On the table; let’s go.” She disappears and another woman takes her place. She doesn’t say a word. I debate fighting her, but Alicia already told me how things are going to go if I do. I take a few steps forward and climb onto the bed. I try but fail not to flinch when she tightens the straps on my arms and legs. I have no idea what to expect, but her pulling what looks like a gas mask down over my face was not it. I breathe faster and wonder if I’m going to hyperventilate. I start to get lightheaded, and I’m not sure if that’s my own doing or whatever she’s giving me in the mask. But soon the world starts to fade away, and I fall into darkness.

Chapter 42

Kayla

When I wake up, I blink up at the ceiling. It takes a moment for me to remember. When I do, I feel like throwing up. Jackson. How did we get here? What happened? Before I can spiral any further, the door opens. I jerk my head to the side, prepared to see Alicia or the woman from earlier. I don’t see either. Instead, I see a girl that looks to be maybe around my age. I instantly take in her pale skin and short, dark hair as well the dark circles under her sunken-in eyes. The woman from before enters the room and walks over to me. She makes quick work of undoing the straps holding me down, and I sit up. I want to wait until the dizziness fades, but she grabs my arm and pulls me off the table. I stumble forward a few steps. It takes me a minute to get the room to stop spinning and get my bearings back. When I do, the girl is on the table. I want to ask her who she is, how long she’s been here; but I don’t get a chance. Another woman shows up. “Let’s go,” she barks out. I’m led down the hallway to the same room as before. She pushes me inside and closes the door behind me. I whirl around and try the door, but it’s locked. I pound on it one time in frustration before making my way over to the bed. I sit on the bed and try to get my stomach to stop rolling. Thoughts assail me, and it’s almost too much. I stand and pace the room. “There has to be a way out. I'm not going to just stay here and let them kill Jackson and me.” My stomach growls loudly. “But first, I need to find something to eat.” I open up the cabinets and am shocked to find dried foods like mac and cheese bowls and ramen. I grab a mac and cheese bowl and pop it in the microwave.

After eating two bowls, I feel a little more level-headed and ready to tackle my problems head-on. I start pacing the room again, but now that there’s food in my stomach, exhaustion plagues me. I look in the bathroom and see a shower and wonder what the odds are that it works. I turn it on and within, minutes, there’s hot water. I strip down and step into the hot water, letting it soothe all my achy muscles. When I finally get out, I’m shaking with fatigue. I grab a towel off the rack for my hair and another for my body and then walk back out to the room and start looking through the drawers. Shockingly, there are clothes. Nondescript black sweatpants and black t-shirts are in the first drawer and plain white underwear in the second. I throw the clothes on, cinching the pants around my waist to keep them up. I finger comb my hair and drop onto the bed. I’m almost asleep when I hear a sound at my door. I freeze, unsure what to do. Before I can decide, the door opens, and a girl rushes inside. She closes the door behind her and faces me. Recognition dawns; it’s the girl from earlier. “What are you doing here?” I ask in confusion.

“We don’t have long; I have no idea how long it will be before they send someone to get me.”

“How did you get in here?” I ask.

She shrugs. “I was on camera duty when you came in here, and I saw and memorized the code.”

"Did someone see you just now?” I ask.

"They have cameras everywhere; they see everything. Somebody will have seen me and is already on their way. I’m Jade.” She looks at me expectantly.

“Kayla.”

“Do you have a plan to get out?” she asks bluntly.

“I don’t even know where we’re at or how we got here.”

“You came with the guy and four females.”

My heart stutters. “What?”

“Four other females. All five of you were unconscious. I happened to be on camera duty when they brought you in. I had audio and everything because they wanted special surveillance on that room; so we were all on it. They gave the five of you something, and then they disappeared. Just you and the guy are left.”

My brain tries to make sense of what she’s telling me. “Where did they go?”

“I don’t know.”

“Was one of them a pregnant girl with long blond hair?” She nods. “And they’re not still here?” I ask.

“No, they left within twenty-four hours.”

I frown. “How long have I been here?”

“Several days.”

My mouth drops open. “Several days?”

“They kept you heavily sedated the first few days. Do you have a plan? You and the guy? I’m assuming you’re working together. He was bossy when he was in the room.”

My heart thunders in my chest. “No, I have no idea. I just woke up here.”

“We have to get free. If they run that machine on you too many times, you die.”

I stare at her. “What?”

Her eyes don’t leave mine. “It happened to the girl that was here before I got here. She got weaker and weaker every day, and then she died.” Her words are sharp, and I can hardly process her words.