《ElimiNation》 The Accident I am not your typical drug addict. Before the accident, I had never taken drugs of any kind. I had never even had a sip of alcohol. But here I am today; a full blown addict. My drug of choice? All of them. Oxy, hydros, Percocet, Xanax, Ativan, and occasionally heroin when I can¡¯t get my pill fix. Now I have to get clean but not for the reasons you may think. Seven months ago I was half way through my senior year of high school. I couldn¡¯t wait to get to college so I could finally have the life my parents could never afford. I don¡¯t remember a time in my life that we weren¡¯t on welfare. I was on my way to school when a mini-van ran a red light and t-boned me. I spent two months in the hospital, then sent home with a prescription for Percocet. Pretty soon they weren¡¯t enough. I tried heroin for the first time on my seventeenth birthday and it was fucking amazing. The second time I tried heroine my mom found me unconscious in my bedroom with the needle still in my arm. I was sent straight to rehab from the hospital. On the sixth day in rehab, I was called into a meeting with the director. ¡°Good afternoon, Daniel. My name is Quinn Faulkner,¡± He said as he stretched an unnaturally large grin over his face. ¡°Do you know why you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s because I¡¯m a drug addict,¡± I said in a monotone voice. This guy was already pissing me off.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°That is correct, Daniel. May I call you Daniel?¡± His lips curled around a row of large teeth but his obsidian eyes were lifeless. ¡°I wanted to go over the terms of your stay with us, Daniel. It is vital that you listen carefully at what I am about to tell you.¡± ¡°The sooner we get this shit over with the better.¡± I scowled. ¡°Very well. Because you are on welfare, we are required by law to enforced certain, shall we say, rules.¡± He sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers over his chest. His Cheshire grin was gone now. Replaced with something so sinister, it made every hair on my body stand on end. ¡°Okay. And?¡± ¡°You have thirty days starting today to get clean and stay clean. At the end of the thirty days, you will be drug tested. If you fail the drug test, we will eliminate your mother, father, and sister.¡± I stared at him blankly for what felt like ten minutes and then burst into an hysterical fit of laughter. When I realized he wasn¡¯t laughing with me, I swallowed back the bile that threatened to choke me. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious. What do you mean eliminate? You mean? You can¡¯t do that to people. This is fucking America!¡± I screamed. ¡°On the contrary, Daniel. We can and we will,¡± he pulled out a folder and said, ¡°Your parents have already agreed to the terms. Here are their signatures.¡± My heart pounded against my ribcage. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just fucking leave! You can¡¯t make me stay here!¡± ¡°Make no mistake, Daniel, this is real and this is happening. The war on drugs is going to be won in this great country, even if it means eliminating the problem. You are the problem, Daniel. You and freeloading, mooching families like yours.¡± The Release The last thing I remember was lunging across his desk before they pulled me off of him and threw me into solitary confinement. I haven''t seen my family since I''ve been here. Not even one fucking phone call. I have to keep reminding myself that all I have to do is stay sober. If I stay sober, they will be safe. Could this just be a bluff? Just a ploy to keep me clean? How can this be legal?! Right now I would give anything for a fix. I''d give anything just to be able to shut my fucking mind off. I hear footsteps approaching, keys rattling and the door opening. "Good afternoon, Daniel. I have some great news for you. We are releasing you today." The nurse has the same dead eyes as the doctor.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. "Great news," I say, trying to remain expressionless. I''m not letting them get a rise out of me again. Two hours later I''m sitting on the curb waiting for my sister, when a man approaches me dangling a cigarette from between his lips. "Got a light?" He says and sits next to me. I look at him and turn away without saying a word. Where the hell is Lizzy? "My name''s, Carter," he extends a hand to me and says, "Nice to meet you." Reluctantly, I take his hand and instantly regret it as he stabs me with a syringe. I try to get up on me feet but I can''t move. He''s speaking but I can barely make out the words as I sink into darkness. The Shadow Man When I regain consciousness, it takes me a full five minutes to realize where I am. "Mom! He''s awake!" Lizzy cries out. I try to sit up but I can''t move. I''m too weak. I glance around the room and see my mom standing in the doorway. Her red rimmed eyes lock onto mine. "Mom?" I croak. Barely even recognizing my own voice. "What have you done, Daniel?" I just stare at her. "What have you done?!" In the haze of this drug induced confusion, I am at a loss for words. Why does she look angry at me?! Why is she yelling at me?! After a beat I find my voice. "What have I done?! What the hell do you mean what have I done?!"If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "You knew the terms of the agreement! You knew that it would cost us our lives if you didn''t get clean so what did you do?! You go straight out of rehab and shoot up! She leaps towards me before I can react and begins to choke me with her bare hands. As I begin to lose consciousness, I look into the eyes of the woman that brought me into this world. The woman that rocked me to sleep, kissed my knees when I would fall, the woman that read me bedtime stories is going to end my life. Right here, right now, I am going to die at her hand. I don''t know how long I''ve been out or where I am. It''s hard to focus. I can hear the beep, beep, beep, of what I believe to be a hospital monitor. I try to move but my arms and legs are restrained. As my eyes begin to adjust to the darkness, I notice that I am in what appears to be a hospital room and yet, something seems "off" about it. I try to swallow but my throat feels like it''s on fire. "Hello?" To my right I hear the distinct tap, tap, tap, of a dripping faucet. The smell of antiseptic fills my nostrils. Panic is starting to take over and I can''t breathe. "Help me!" I scream into the dark room but I am met with silence. "Help!!" I try to shift my body to loosen the restraints to no avail. The silhouette of a man appears at the foot of the bed. Restrained "Relax Daniel," says the shadow man. "You''re not going anywhere. No need to exhaust yourself." His voice was chillingly calm. "Where the fuck am I?" He remained silent. He stood so still that I was beginning to wonder if I was imagining him. "Are you deaf or just fucking stupid?!" The monitor I''m hooked up to sounds off. The shrilling sound pierces my eardrums. "I know you have questions, Daniel." He says as he walks to the monitor and silences it. "Please just tell me where I am. Why am I being restrained?" He takes a bag of clear fluid and replaces the empty one, restarting the machine. "Do you remember what happened to you yesterday?" I feign a cough. I need time to think before I answer him. "I need water." He remains as still as a statue and sighs faintly. He is hesitant about revealing himself. A nurse walks into the room with a styrofoam cup and straw. She is beautiful. Maybe the most beautiful woman I''ve ever seen. Her blonde hair is in a loose ponytail. She looks down at me with her big blue eyes and smiles. Her smile is so warm and her lips are petal pink.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. "Sip this slowly," Her voice is as beautiful as her smile. Despite the circumstances, I become aroused. She brushes the sweat dampened hair off of my forehead. "Thank you," I say as I hold her gaze. "What is your name?" She opens her mouth to speak but the shadow man cuts her off. "Go." He nods to the door. He stares at me for a beat then says, "I don''t want to put a gag in your mouth, but if you speak to anyone besides me, I won''t have a choice. "Lick my sweaty nut sack." I wanted to get a rise out of him but he continued to stare at me blankly. I am legitimately terrified but I''ll be damned if I give this guy the satisfaction of knowing it. "Do you or do you not remember what happened to you yesterday?" He is growing impatient with me. "Tell me why I''m strapped to this fucking bed and I''ll tell you." "I don''t think you''re in a position to make demands, Daniel and my patience with you is wearing thin. We can do this the hard way if you prefer." He turns his back to me. I couldn''t tell what he was doing but I hear metal clanking on the table in front of him. When he turns back to me and he''s wearing a surgeons mask. "Have you ever seen one of these, Daniel?" He slowly walks toward me with the instrument, holding it inches above my eyes. I hear my pulse pounding in my ears. "It''s a beautiful instrument, isn''t it? It''s called a trephine," He held the instrument almost reverently. "Normally, they don''t have teeth like this one but it''s been modified." Even though his face was covered I could tell he was smiling. He lowered his mask covered face to my ear. "A trephine has a number of uses but I particularly like to use them on the eyes," He was breathing so hard I could feel it through his mask. "You see, it''s the exact size of your cornea." He held it directly over my left eye. Exodus "I don''t remember that much, okay?!" I growled through gritted teeth. He straightens again and stared unblinking into my eyes. "Tell me the last thing you remember." I close my eyes and try to steady my breathing. "I remember waiting for my sister to pick me up. Someone stabbed me with a needle." "What else?" "Nothing else. That''s it! That''s all I remember!" I turn my face away from him as tears begin to sting my eyes. "Didn''t you find it odd that you were being discharged from rehab so soon?"If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "No. Yes. I don''t know! I snap my head around to meet his gaze. Look, I''m not a druggy! I don''t know how these things work! Before the accident-" "You were clean. We know." "Why am I here?! If you know everything then tell me what the hell is going on!" A second man appeared at the foot of my bed where the shadow man had been. By the expression on his face, I don''t think the shadow man had noticed him until he spoke. "We want to help you," the second man said matter-of-factly. I am rendered utterly speechless. I stare at him, wide eyed and mouth agape. "How did I not realize that?! Oh, I know! It''s because I''m tied to a goddam bed!!" I shout. "And let''s not forget the fact that your friend here just threatened to gouge my eyes out with that metal thing!" He was at my bedside in three strides. He quickly released the straps that bound me. "There. You''re free to go," He said as he threw my clothes at me. "When you walk out of here, you will be dead within the hour." He turned on the shadow man, grabbing him by the throat and slammed him hard against the wall. "You''ll be buried right next to him if you ever, threaten him again. Now get the fuck out!" The shadow man gasped for air as he staggered out of the room. "Who are you?" My throat was dust. I barely recognized my own voice. "My name is Exodus." Fight or Flight Unlike the shadow man, Exodus didn¡¯t try to hide. He stood right in front of me, arms folded over his broad chest. ¡°Let me explain something to you, Daniel. I¡¯m not going to force you to do anything. You can walk right out that door and I won¡¯t stop you. If you want to die today, then by all means, go,¡± he shrugs. ¡°You can take your chances out there or you can listen to what I have to say and save your miserable life. The choice is yours.¡± I sat on the edge of the bed, defeated. I was tired and weak. I can¡¯t remember the last time I had eaten anything. ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± I manage to say over the knot in my throat. ¡°Smart choice,¡± he says as he pulls a chair in front of me. ¡°I speak, you listen. If you have questions, and I know you will, ask them after I¡¯ve finished. Are we clear?¡± I nod my head in agreement. ¡°You were never going to leave rehab. The guy that got you with the syringe works for the United States government. He shot you with what should have been a lethal dose of heroin.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. My head shot up and I stared at him. I begin to speak but he holds one hand up. I clenched my teeth, trying to concentrate on steady breathing. ¡°It was meant to look like an accidental overdose. We¡¯ve been tracking you for weeks. One of my men was able to subdue your would-be killer and take you home. What we didn¡¯t count on was what happened when you got home. We failed you and for that, I am truly sorry. That has never happened before in cases similar to yours but still, there¡¯s no excuse.¡± I nod once. My eyes are brimming with tears but I refuse to let them fall. ¡°Daniel, there¡¯s something else I need¡ª¡° The most guttural scream I¡¯ve ever heard pierced through my skull. Torn between leaving me to run or handle whatever fresh hell was going on next door, Exodus pointed at me and said ¡°We aren¡¯t finished here,¡± then bolted out of the room. I tore off the hospital gown, and dressed quickly. Chills ran across the surface of my skin as I eased open the door. From what I could tell, the horrific cries were coming from the hallway to my left. My heart sank as I quickly realized those cries were that of a female. I captured a deep breath and ran for it. Every step towards freedom felt heavy on my heart. Although faint now, I could still hear the piercing cries of the girl I¡¯d left behind and it made me feel like a total asshole. I stopped to catch my breath and looked for a door, a window, some way out. Feeling faint I stumbled forward and saw it. An exit sign. I was only steps away from it. I stood upright and as I walked towards my freedom, I heard her scream again. ¡°Fuck. Fuck!¡± I punched the door and turned around, making my way back to her and possibly my own demise. Z I made my way back to the room and grabbed two scalpels off the metal tray. I turned left towards her cries when the shadow man grabbed me from behind. The smell of sour sweat permeated my nostrils as he put me in a choke hold. I swung the knives blindly until I connected with skin. He flailed backwards, the scalpel sticking out of his left thigh. I raised the other above my head and plunged it into his chest. Blood trickled out of his mouth as he tried to speak. He fell to his knees, then onto his right side. I lowered my face to his ear and said, ¡°See you in hell.¡± I made my way down the dark corridor until I found her room. I rushed to her and began to undo the restraints. ¡°What are you doing?¡± She said through her sobs. ¡°Who are you? Where is the man with the mask? Please don¡¯t let him touch me again!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m here to help you.¡± I said, making quick work of the restraints. ¡°That¡¯s what masked guy said when he..when he..¡± Tears slid down her swollen, red face. ¡°He¡¯s dead,¡± I said as I swallowed the lump in my throat. ¡°He can¡¯t hurt you again.¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. She flinched as I reached out to touch her. I drew my hand back and exhaled loudly. ¡°Look, they brought me here too but I found an exit. We may not have much time. Where¡¯s your clothes?¡± I asked as I scanned the room for them. She lifted her hand and pointed to the small closet to the left of the room. I pulled her clothes out of the closet and threw them to her. Her bra fell at my feet. The things that could have been fried on my face at that moment. Couple of eggs, a pound of bacon, perhaps. I picked it up and carried it to her. ¡°Here. Sorry,¡± I stammered and shoved my hands in my pocket. She grabbed it from me and clutched it to her chest. ¡°Can I have some privacy, please?¡± She scowled. ¡°Please hurry,¡± I said as I turned my back to her. It took all the restraint I had not to turn around. She was disheveled, her blue eyes red rimmed, her full, pouty lips chapped. Yet these things didn¡¯t take away from her beauty. ¡°Okay,¡± She whispered. ¡°So what¡¯s your plan?¡± I turned around and swallowed audibly. ¡°I don¡¯t exactly have a plan. I literally just found an exit.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t trust you,¡± she sniffed. ¡°But nothing could be worse than this shit hole,¡± she said as she tucked her hair behind her ears. ¡°So lead the way, um, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°My name is Daniel.¡± She nodded her head then wiped her face with a shaky hand. ¡°I¡¯m Zora. Friends call me Z.¡± ¡°Stay behind me, Zora.¡± I said as I crossed the room. ¡°If we make it out of here, you can call me Z.¡±