The Wilds: The Wilds Book One Read Online Free PDF Page B

fought against it. I could only give them so much of myself before I’d have nothing. The hurt stopped and I slumped against the straps that held me in place, my breathing louder than it had been.
    “Dal, you know holding back just prolongs this. Why do you want to make it harder on yourself?” Her fingers went to the dial, creeping it up until I knew it had to be near the danger zone.
    “You’re right.” I knew she was getting close to hitting the button again. Time to lie. She was more impatient today than normal.
    “So why don’t you tell me what you saw? You need to tell me about the delusions you have so that I can help you.” Her voice was soft and pleading, as if that was all she ever wanted to do.
    I blurted out the lie I’d come up with earlier, about him killing his coworker. It was a joke, since I didn’t even believe he worked for the government. By time I was done, she seemed pleased with herself.
    She leaned forward, her hand coming to rest on my knee like a concerned guardian. “You know these are delusions, right? They don’t mean anything.”
    “Yes,” I said, placating her.
    “So let’s talk about what you see when you look at me. Do you have any visions of me? Do you see anything differently?” She leaned back again in the chair, hand on the dial.
    She knew I did, or highly suspected. This was all a game with her and the winner was predetermined. Sometimes I wondered what would happen if I told her the truth, but that survival instinct that I relied on so heavily always stopped me.
    “I see nothing.”
    The smile came and the knob turned. “You’re sure? Nothing at all?”
    I shook my head.
    “Now, Dal, I know you’re lying. You could stop this if you’d just be honest with me. You need to tell me so I can help you. I don’t want to hurt you. But you’re only giving me one option.”
    Even if I got out of here tomorrow and lived a thousand years, the hate I had in my heart for her would never dim. Sometimes in these moments, it swelled so large I feared the hate might one day take over everything I was. “I see nothing.”
    Her hand went to the control and the pain shot through me.
     
     
     
    I must have been wavering in and out of awareness for a while, but when I finally came to, it was only me and one guard in the room. She was gone and so was the other one.
    He stepped in front of me and our eyes met. As far as mental scars, he wasn’t the worst I’d ever experienced, a bad beat-down before leaving the person to die. At least I could feel the remorse with this guard.
    He put a finger to his lips. “Don’t say anything and close your eyes. I’m supposed to call her when you come around.”
    “Let me go,” I said, sensing the opportunity that came from this man’s inner conflict. “Just loosen a strap and leave the room. That’s all I need.”
    He hesitated just long enough for a tiny flare of hope to flicker within me before he shook his head and snuffed it out. “Can’t do that. I let you go and I’ll be the one sitting in that chair tomorrow,” he said, getting angry at the request.
    “You just need to loosen it. That’s all,” I said, weighing the chance of pressing him to further anger against the potential of getting to him to help. “No one has to know you did anything.”
    “She’s up?” the other guard said as he appeared in the door, and I knew the possibility of enlisting any aid had gone from struggling to drowning. The guard who’d just arrived had some ugly shit in his head and not a drop of remorse to be found.
    “Yes. Was just going to go get her,” the guard said, referring to Ms. Edith.
    “She’s going to need a few minutes. She’s on a call.” The recent arrival walked farther into the room and took the seat Ms. Edith had left open. He reached down and picked up the control box that sat by the foot of the chair.
    “Mark, we aren’t allowed to touch that,” the nice-ish guard said.
    “Chill out, Bruce. Who’s going to know?”