Day 13

Three days have passed since we've escaped SADE Labs and the wretched events that occurred.

Two days have passed since we had our story collaborated, which took about 24 hours to verify, when the government finally came into contact.

One day have passed since we went to the hospital for a thorough check-up.

After our story was verified, we were all tested twice. I'd heard that everyone tested negative, which didn't make sense considering Charlie, Maria and Elijah's deaths. It was all hearsay, however, and we couldn't confirm it since everyone had went their separate ways.

Unsurprisingly, we had to sign an NDA to keep our mouths shut about the entire situation, a necessary precaution to "prevent mass panic." In other words, we'd get into deep shit if we were to talk about the situation with anyone. Instead of the original $10,000, we were given, or more accurately bribed, with $20,000 each in check and an Uber ride.

Only three people were waiting at the hospital to say goodbye. Anna hugged me before she left, though she didn't say a word. We wished Jared's girlfriend good luck and said goodbye before he quickly left in his Uber. Brandon and I exchanged numbers, promising to keep in touch. I doubt it'd be often, though. I wouldn't want a reminder of everything that has happened in the past two weeks no matter how close we'd become, and I know he wouldn't either.

I stare out the window as my apartment comes into view. It looks just the same with the red brick building and the foldable chairs set out beside the doorsteps that the neighbors always sit on. I plaster a smile at them as I step out of the Uber.

"Kiana, how you been?" Mr. Richardson asks. He's laid back on his chair with a cigarette in one hand and a Pepsi in the other. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah, I've been... busy."

Everyone else occupying the chairs acknowledges me. After a few quick exchanges, I quickly run up the stairs two at a time.

I ring the bell of 5B. I've left everything; my keys, my empty wallet, my Stuver bracelet that I bought with my first paycheck. I wanted nothing from there that reminded me of the place, anything that could send me drawing my blinds in the morning and looking behind my back at every turn. In retrospect, I could've saved the bracelet and sold it for a month worth of groceries, but the thought hadn't crossed my mind. I've left the article that I printed in a futile attempt to expose the government. I didn't think much once I saw Elijah's dead body on the floor.

Maybe it's a good thing that I've left those papers. I'm not only taking care of myself, I'm taking care of Mason and doing anything to jeopardize that is irresponsible. Besides, I don't know if I actually have it in me to become a whistleblower. Those were for the bravest of people, and I'm anything but.

The door opens and Mason wraps his arms around me. I stumble back from the sudden impact. "Nice to see you too," I laugh. Despite being 7 years younger, he's only a few inches shorter than me, his hair is in its usual cornrow braids and his smile intact. His skin is darker than mine just like our mother, something she had always been prideful of.

He lets go. "I never thought I'd say this, but I really miss you. I'm not used to not being screamed at at every wake and turn."

I close the door behind me and slide all the locks in place. "I don't scream at you that often."

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? So," he says, rubbing his hands together. "Tell me everything."

I avoid his gaze and walk into my bedroom. "There's not much to talk about. It was pretty boring actually."

He follows in after me, leaning against the dresser as I rummage through the clothes in there. "Oh, come on. Really? You've gotta give me more than that."

"Their granola bars were pretty good," I commented.

"Bro, seriously? Why-"

"Drop it, okay?" I say sharply, giving him a tight smile.

His smile falters before falling quickly. "Okay, sheesh. I got it. No prying."

"I'm taking a shower," I announce after finding a fresh set of clothes.

The shower is hot to the skin and I welcome the heat. I stand there under the pelting water, feeling more at peace than I've ever felt in a long time. It's as if all the grime and smell and memories of the place are washing off with the water draining in the hole. At least that's what I'm hoping it's doing.

I finally step out after an hour when my body prunes up and then spend almost another hour untangling all the knots in my hair. Apparently my hair didn't give me any leeway for being too scared shitless to take care of it. Too tired to shave, I dress myself instead.

"I made rice," Mason says when I walk into the living room. He's watching TV on the small sofa with the remote in hand.

"Boring," I complain, but I'm not mad at all. I've missed real, un-microwaved food.

It doesn't take long for me to finish a bowl and a half. We watch the screen in silence, him momentarily sneaking looks at me.

"What?" I finally say when the program finishes.

He looks away nervously. "Can I ask for advice?"

"Sure."

"So... I like this girl..."

I forget about the TV momentarily and turn to face him with newfound interest. "Tell me everything."

Mason is shy and quiet, and for someone like him that wants to make the first move, it's a big deal. An hour later, I've detailed everything he needs to tell her and do, to the point that he has memorized his lines.

"Thanks," he sighs in relief after repeating his script.

"Or you could just be yourself and let the conversation flow naturally," I suggest after some thought.

He rolls his eyes at me. "Oh good, 'cuz that's better than the time we've just wasted."

"Look at you! I've only been gone a short minute, and you've already changed. I was beginning to question your sexuality, you know."

"I'm starting to reconsider whether I really missed you or not," Mason grumbles. He stands up and announces that he wants to sleep since he has a test tomorrow.

I head back into my bedroom and sit back on the headboard of the bed, scrolling past the channels on the TV hung against the wall. There's nothing interesting on, but I settle for an old war movie in hopes that it'll make me sleep faster.

My eyes begin to feel heavy just as a terribly loud pounding comes from the door. I freeze, forgetting to breathe momentarily.

The pounding continues behind the door and I pray that Mason doesn't open it. My hands begin to shake and I try to think of what to do next, but the loud noise vibrating in my ears prevents me from doing so.

My heart races, my chest rising and falling uncontrollably. Then the sound stops.

"Mason!" I called shakily. "Mason?"

No sound.

"Mason?" I slowly untangle myself from the sheets and walk past the bedroom door.

The narrow hallway is dark and silent. Nothing.

I walk further down to Mason's room directly across the apartment door. "Mason?"

He isn't in his room as he should be. I begin to panic.

I run to the living room and check the kitchen. No one. "Mason!" I run back into his room just as his door slams close behind me.

I whirl around, the thick and dark silence following after crawling up my back.

Then the loud pounding begins and I scream.

* * *

My eyes burst open, the whimpers from my mouth sounding foreign to my ears. I look around when my eyes adjust.

I'm in my room. There's no TV like it was in my dream, just a bare wall. My shirt clings to my skin from sweat and I swallow past the bile in my throat.

I pad out into the hallway and recheck the locks on the door. I knock softly on Mason's door.

No answer.

"Mason," I whisper, turning the knob and peeking my head in.

He's asleep in only his boxers, the sheets tossed haphazardly. Despite the fall weather, the room is hot. I close the door behind me and lay next to him, curling up under the thick blanket.

It doesn't take long before my mind wanders and my nose fills with the memory of the rotten corpse. I squeeze my eyes shut and switch breathing through my mouth.

My heavy breathing and his soft snores blend together as the hours pass by. My eyes are wide and open until the sun finally pokes through the soft curtains, casting a faint glow across the room.

I hear Mason shifting in his bed behind me and then yawning. "Shit!" I hear him hisses. "You scared me."

He calls my name, but I close my eyes and pretend to sleep.

After a couple of hours, I drag myself out of bed. I check my phone, the first time in two weeks. It is September 28, 10:23 am. Mason has already left for school, but I choose not to go. We were supposed to be in the facility for four weeks rather than the two weeks we had spent there, so missing a couple more weeks from school would go unnoticed. I doubt the government would bother explaining to any of our colleges why we had to come back early.

A ping from my phone alerts me that Brandon has texted me, asking if I arrived safely. I let him know that I did and ask if he's having nightmares like mine. Five minutes later, he calls me.

"I had a nightmare too," he says by way of greeting. "Twice in a row. I'm sure my roommate thinks I'm crazy now."

I sigh. "I just want this shit to end. I don't even feel comfortable talking about this on the phone." The government were most likely listening in, making sure we don't run our mouths.

"You're in school right now?" He asks.

"No, I couldn't."

"I'm coming over. Give me your address."

It takes two hours for Brandon to arrive since I live on the edge of Southern California. I take the time to clean the house and wash the dishes. I use the $20,000 check to pay for the last two months' rent and the next, and put the rest in my debit card.

A weight lifts off my shoulders when I mail the check, knowing that I don't need to worry about rent for another month. Maybe I'll use the rest of the money to take Mason out somewhere.

When Brandon arrives, he wears a tired smile, a t-shirt, and ripped jeans. I allow him inside, The hallway is narrow enough to make space for just the two of us. I give him the two minute tour before we settle ourselves on the two sofas in the living room.

"What's going on?" I ask him.

"I don't feel safe," he says with an exasperated sigh. "Does that make  any sense? I went down to the store today and everyone that brushed past me made me jump."

I nod. "I don't blame you. I couldn't stop looking behind me when I went out today. I feel like someone's gonna stab me in the back any minute."

Brandon's brows crease, his lips downturned. "That just makes me angry. They left us with all this... baggage and threw money at us as if that's going to make shit better! It's fucked up."

I put a hand up. "Don't even think about it."

He shakes his head. "I love how you actually think I'm capable of exposing this whole thing. I can't, no matter how much I want to."

"Let's hope that someone isn't afraid to," I admit, though I know it wouldn't happen. No one would dare come out about this. The government will make sure of it anyway.

"I think all of us are afraid right now. I haven't used my check. It's like... if I do, they win."

I raise an eyebrow. "They won when you signed that NDA. It's a little too late for that. I've used most of it already."

He stares incredulously at me for a moment before bursting into laughter. "It's only been a day!"

"I needed it," I protest with a laugh.

"Where's your brother?"

"School," I explain. "Do we even need to go anytime soon? We've been waived off for four weeks. I doubt the government will tell the school that we're here early, especially since they can't provide a legal reason." Part of the reason why I volunteered, and probably what prompted the other college students as well, was because the government had promised that it wouldn't affect our school grades for the four weeks we were supposed to spend at SADE Labs. We only spent two weeks there, one in constant terror and murders. There's two weeks left until we have to officially go back to school and I plan on taking full advantage of it.

He scoffs. "They're liars. Of course they can."

I lean my head back against the sofa. "Should've used the money for therapy."

He snorts, though we both know it isn't really a joke. What had happened at SADE Labs was too horrifying to think about, too shocking to comprehend, yet we're left to pick up the damaged pieces. If we can. My mind goes back to Anna, knowing that she'd be the most affected of the six of us. She became too attached and had too much faith that everything would work out at the end.

Nothing did.

We speak until Mason arrives home from school several hours later. He sits on the floor since Brandon is occupying his seat. Although we don't say it, we're glad to have a distraction, someone to prevent us from talking further about our ordeal and sending our minds in a downward spiral.

I make Mason talk about his crush, though he's embarrassed in front of Brandon. "Wait, you actually had the courage to speak to her? Look at you!"

Mason laughs, pulling his knees to his chest. "I mean we're just talking for now, but I think she likes me. I guess we'll see how it goes."

"You're pretty brave," Brandon comments. "I was sixteen when I finally asked my childhood crush out."

Mason moves forward, intrigued. "What did she say?"

"'Hell no.'" He imitates in a high-pitched voice.

We laugh at his misery and tease one another until the sun has dipped low on the earth and the night sky is pitch-black.

"I better go," Brandon says with a sigh. He says a quick goodbye to Mason and I walk him out the door.

"That was fun," I admit. "I thought we'd just be depressed all day. That isn't good for anyone."

Brandon nods. "True. I'll see you soon?"

I nod. "Yeah, you will. Stop by anytime, even tomorrow. I'm desperate for companionship."

He laughs. "Tomorrow, then."

* * *

"How come you're sleeping in my room now?" Mason asks as I pull the blanket over me. The window is opened, allowing cool air to blow through. I get back up to turn on the light, feeling jumpy from the shadows.

"I can't sleep."

"You need the light to sleep too? What are you, twelve?"

I roll my eyes. "You were just twelve the other day. Goodnight." I slide under the covers as he lets out a dramatic sigh. I shut my eyes and try to sleep.

Several hours later, my eyes are still wide-awake. The light does nothing to calm my racing pulse or my stomach dropping every five minutes. I get up to turn it off, hoping that the darkness could at least make me sleep.

My head begins to throb steadily once again, a warning that I need some sleep. But it only prevents me from feeling tired. I turn over restlessly, watching my brother's chest slowly rising and falling.

Without thinking, I straddle his waist.

Just as he begins to stir, my hands enclose around his neck and I begin to squeeze.