Girl in the Fire (Ch. 3)
Read chapter 1 and 2 first.
Sarah wasn’t sure if she could live with herself after all the things that she’s done. She turned to look at Jason and grasped his hand.
"Something wrong?"
"I...I need you to promise me something."
"Anything."
"If I were to ever hurt you in any way...I want you to..." She turned away from him, distorted thoughts entering her mind.
"You want me to what?"
"I want you to-"
Her eyes opened slowly to see that someone was looking at her. The woman was crouching, her hands on her knees. She had a worried look on her face. "Do you need any help?" She held out her hand but Sarah slapped it away, getting up herself. A surprised look appeared on her face but settled down quickly. "What’s wrong?"
"I need to be alone right now," she said, walking away. She left the woman standing there, who was still confused. She grabbed the side of her head and sighed. "I blanked out again," she muttered.
"Alive!?" Stephen barked into the phone. "What do you mean she’s still alive? I thought you terminated that project twenty-five years ago!"
"Well, one of the scientists said she would ‘take care of the problem’ but instead she escaped with her," the voice on the other end said.
"Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?"
"I just found out about it, sir."
"Dammit," he growled, "Who knows how much damage she could’ve caused already? We need to find and capture her-we’ll need to use a test subject for her retrieval though-it’d be much too hard to snatch her ourselves without killing her in the process. Bring in additional snipers just in case; this can’t go too well..."
Sarah suddenly received a sharp headache, dropping to both knees. "Something is here…" she whispered, "and it’s awake."
The jet landed and Stephen disembarked along with eight security guards, three snipers, and test subject 12, just as he had requested.
Test subject 12 twirled around in her dress. "This looks so pretty!" she exclaimed, giving him a delightful smile. "Does this make me look pretty?"
"You look beautiful Julia," Stephen said, without a change in his expression. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I need you to promise me two things; one is that I need you to bring her back-try not to kill her." She winked at him.
"Will do!"
"Second-please don’t get hurt-I’m worried about you." She nodded furiously.
"But I need you to promise me one thing too."
"Hm?"
"Can I keep the dress?"
Sarah sat with her back against the tree at Wilgrove Park, her hands folded together. Julia waited patiently outside the park until a voice crackled in her ear.
"The snipers are in position; you’re safe to go." She nodded, walking over to the tree that Sarah was placed behind.
When she finally got there, she held out her hand. "Hi! You must be Sarah." The girl didn’t even look at her, staring into the distance.
She lowered her hand. "I guess you knew I was coming. Are you ready to go with us? He says misses you. Besides, the park’s been evacuated; no one will be here to see you die if such an event were to happen."
"Go home," she said quietly, standing up. She gave a look of frustration in return. Sarah walked away from the tree as she followed after her.
"Hey; come back!" She continued walking, ignoring her plea. Sarah was still walking when she found arms wrapped around her waist. She looked to see that Julia was hugging her from behind.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"I can’t leave without you! I made a promise!" Sarah smirked, shoving her off as hard as she could. Julia fell to the ground, blood dripping from her brow.
"I…I promised him I wouldn’t get hurt…I won’t break both of his promises!" She stood back up, clenching her hands into fists.
Sarah turned around to find the full force of her fist crashing into her stomach. She slid across the grass, leaving a trail of shredded leaves and petals. Sarah smiled, a trickle of blood forming on her lip. She wiped it off, standing up slowly. "You’re a playful one, aren’t you?" she said, noticing that Julia was no longer in the mood to talk it out.
Jason held the framed picture in his hands; Brandon had his arm linked around him, the old elm tree in background. A teardrop splashed onto the dusty glass as he placed it back on the shelf. He looked back up at the coat hangar to notice that his jacket was still gone. "I guess I’ll let him keep it," he mumbled quietly to himself, "He deserves it." He looked over at the crackling fire and then up at the clock. "I think I’ll go out for a walk."
"Why won’t you just go home?" Sarah shouted at her, still watching her movements. She said nothing in return. "I have nothing to do with you; leave me alone!"
"If you won’t come home with me, I’ll make you!" Julia grabbed the sides of the elm tree, pulling as hard as she could. Roots were torn out of the ground and dirt spurted up as she ripped the entire tree out of the earth.
Sarah gasped, staring with disbelief. "You’re…you’re stronger than me?" She backed away, the shadow of the towering tree consuming everything around her.
"Something wrong?"
"I...I need you to promise me something."
"Anything."
"If I were to ever hurt you in any way...I want you to..." She turned away from him, distorted thoughts entering her mind.
"You want me to what?"
"I want you to-"
Her eyes opened slowly to see that someone was looking at her. The woman was crouching, her hands on her knees. She had a worried look on her face. "Do you need any help?" She held out her hand but Sarah slapped it away, getting up herself. A surprised look appeared on her face but settled down quickly. "What’s wrong?"
"I need to be alone right now," she said, walking away. She left the woman standing there, who was still confused. She grabbed the side of her head and sighed. "I blanked out again," she muttered.
"Alive!?" Stephen barked into the phone. "What do you mean she’s still alive? I thought you terminated that project twenty-five years ago!"
"Well, one of the scientists said she would ‘take care of the problem’ but instead she escaped with her," the voice on the other end said.
"Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?"
"I just found out about it, sir."
"Dammit," he growled, "Who knows how much damage she could’ve caused already? We need to find and capture her-we’ll need to use a test subject for her retrieval though-it’d be much too hard to snatch her ourselves without killing her in the process. Bring in additional snipers just in case; this can’t go too well..."
Sarah suddenly received a sharp headache, dropping to both knees. "Something is here…" she whispered, "and it’s awake."
The jet landed and Stephen disembarked along with eight security guards, three snipers, and test subject 12, just as he had requested.
Test subject 12 twirled around in her dress. "This looks so pretty!" she exclaimed, giving him a delightful smile. "Does this make me look pretty?"
"You look beautiful Julia," Stephen said, without a change in his expression. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I need you to promise me two things; one is that I need you to bring her back-try not to kill her." She winked at him.
"Will do!"
"Second-please don’t get hurt-I’m worried about you." She nodded furiously.
"But I need you to promise me one thing too."
"Hm?"
"Can I keep the dress?"
Sarah sat with her back against the tree at Wilgrove Park, her hands folded together. Julia waited patiently outside the park until a voice crackled in her ear.
"The snipers are in position; you’re safe to go." She nodded, walking over to the tree that Sarah was placed behind.
When she finally got there, she held out her hand. "Hi! You must be Sarah." The girl didn’t even look at her, staring into the distance.
She lowered her hand. "I guess you knew I was coming. Are you ready to go with us? He says misses you. Besides, the park’s been evacuated; no one will be here to see you die if such an event were to happen."
"Go home," she said quietly, standing up. She gave a look of frustration in return. Sarah walked away from the tree as she followed after her.
"Hey; come back!" She continued walking, ignoring her plea. Sarah was still walking when she found arms wrapped around her waist. She looked to see that Julia was hugging her from behind.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"I can’t leave without you! I made a promise!" Sarah smirked, shoving her off as hard as she could. Julia fell to the ground, blood dripping from her brow.
"I…I promised him I wouldn’t get hurt…I won’t break both of his promises!" She stood back up, clenching her hands into fists.
Sarah turned around to find the full force of her fist crashing into her stomach. She slid across the grass, leaving a trail of shredded leaves and petals. Sarah smiled, a trickle of blood forming on her lip. She wiped it off, standing up slowly. "You’re a playful one, aren’t you?" she said, noticing that Julia was no longer in the mood to talk it out.
Jason held the framed picture in his hands; Brandon had his arm linked around him, the old elm tree in background. A teardrop splashed onto the dusty glass as he placed it back on the shelf. He looked back up at the coat hangar to notice that his jacket was still gone. "I guess I’ll let him keep it," he mumbled quietly to himself, "He deserves it." He looked over at the crackling fire and then up at the clock. "I think I’ll go out for a walk."
"Why won’t you just go home?" Sarah shouted at her, still watching her movements. She said nothing in return. "I have nothing to do with you; leave me alone!"
"If you won’t come home with me, I’ll make you!" Julia grabbed the sides of the elm tree, pulling as hard as she could. Roots were torn out of the ground and dirt spurted up as she ripped the entire tree out of the earth.
Sarah gasped, staring with disbelief. "You’re…you’re stronger than me?" She backed away, the shadow of the towering tree consuming everything around her.
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