White Room

"**White Room**" is the second episode of Season One of *The Demon's Light*.

## Synopsis

After being introduced to a corporation, the group discovers a dark secret. Chris meets someone with connections to his creator.

## Narrative

All followed Atticus as he walked on the concrete and stopped in front of the man. The man was tall, thin, and white-haired, with strong features. He examined Atticus, then scanned over the others with a quizzical expression.

"Good afternoon." The man cleared his throat. "Can I ask why you were brought here?"

"Uh, hello. I'm Atticus," Atticus said politely. "Yes, these four and I—" Atticus pointed to the others with him, "—we were driven here by an old man. We asked him for help and he drove us here."

The man nodded at Atticus' explanation. "Are you injured?"

"Who are you?" Atticus asked, apprehensively.

"Pardon me." The man adjusted his tie. "Atticus, right? I'm Gabriel Arsene. Pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand, Atticus shaking it uncertainly. Arsene gave a warm smile.

Savannah spoke up. "Like, the *Alchemilia* Gabriel Arsene?"

"Alchemilia?"

Arsene raised an eyebrow. "Alchemilia Corporation. The company — my company — that owns this building."

"I'm Savannah Whitesmith," Savannah said, shaking Arsene's hand. "Thanks for getting... my friends to safety. Come on, introduce yourselves."

"Token Jin. Quite the place you've got here."

"And I'm Melissa. Thanks."

"I appreciate what your men did as well. I am Chris Wellington," Chris said, lightly bowing his head. "Your building is extraordinary."

Arsene smiled. "Isn't it?" He looked over their wounds again. "You should all get some rest. I'll have you escorted somewhere you can be fixed up." Arsene snapped his fingers at a woman who was walking by ⁠— one wearing a white coat and holding a clipboard. "Take them to the medical wing. Do something about their... just do something."

As the woman directed the group to follow her, Arsene abruptly put his hand on Chris' shoulder. "Not you. You're coming with me."

Atticus limped forward, assisted by Melissa's arm as they followed the woman. Her hair was tied up and her face stern — clearly, she did not want to deal with the new visitors. Thoughts of Chris had crossed Savannah's mind, but she trusted Arsene would take care of him properly.

They arrived to and ascended a small set of stairs near the building's entrance. From the glass doors that made up the entrance, Savannah could barely make out some features inside the building. Though she had seen the building a thousand times from her home, she had never set foot inside.

The woman pushed on a rotating glass door and allowed herself to enter, everyone else following. At once, the sounds of wind and tires on pavement were quickly replaced by the clamor of the building's lobby.

"Whoa," commented Melissa. Everyone now stood before a massive and populated area with a high, white ceiling and a hard, gray floor. Tables were scattered around the room's first level with neatly organized papers, presumably notices and fliers. There were various large escalators, some appearing to curve and spiral were dotted around the lobby's edges. All followed behind the woman as they looked around in awe.

The woman finally led everyone to a set of two escalators, each going opposite directions. She motioned for everyone to get on, and soon everyone was enjoying the view of the lobby below as they rode the escalator upwards.

The outline of a medium-sized man was soon seen from the descending escalator next to them. Holding a clipboard, he briefly called out to the woman in front of everyone.

"Afternoon, Miss Blackrite," he spoke up.

"Afternoon, Mister Udin," the woman said, casting a neutral glance at the man's pleasantries.

The escalator came to an end and Blackrite turned left into a beige corridor. Dimly lit rooms with odd machinery inside lined the halls as a set of elevators came into view ahead. Once she finally arrived at the elevators, Blackrite pressed a button with an upward arrow. For the first time, she turned around to directly address the group she was leading.

"We'll take this elevator to the third floor, and from there we'll walk to the medical bay. Food and clothes are available if you need them. Doctor Arsene might allow you to stay after we tend to your injuries," she said plainly.

All nodded to her as a chime indicated the elevator had arrived.

Blackrite swung open a set of two dual swinging doors and into a medium-sized, clean, white room. The room contained five examination beds and was plastered with cabinets filled with medical supplies. "Take a seat. This is our primary medical chamber."

The woman grabbed a doctor passing by. "You, Simmons, grab a few blankets and clothes for our guests," she spat, letting go of the woman.

"What's your damage?" Blackrite barked, turning back to the group.

Token spoke up. "Atticus is limping, Melissa has some cuts, and I think I broke a rib."

"And you?" she asked, turning to Savannah.

"I'm fine, I guess. I just came to make sure they're alright," Savannah answered.

"You know what? Just sit there and stay quiet,"

Simmons returned with blankets and clothes in hand and distributed them to each of the teenagers.

"You're finally back, Simmons. Get some bandages and gauze and wrap their cuts. I'll be in my office writing a report. You four just wait here and don't die," Blackrite ordered. She shoved the doors open and made her way down the hallway from which they came. Simmons walked over to a cabinet in silence and dug through some medical materials.

"She was a real piece of work," Token commented under his breath.

"How do you just let her boss you around like that?" Melissa asked.

"You just get used to it after a while, I guess," Simmons responded lifelessly. "Just cuts and bruises, right?"

"Mostly," Melissa said, sighing.

"That's what I figured," she said. She stepped away from the cabinet, closing it carefully to make sure she didn't drop the various supplies occupying her arms.

She got down on her knees and started wrapping Atticus' leg. "You got a job?"

"I, uh... yes. Yeah," Atticus said, unsure.

"Aw. I've been needing an assistant around here. Anyway, keep the wrap tight or it won't work."

"Thanks," Atticus said graciously.

"No need to thank me, it's my job," she replied, stepping in front of Melissa. "Hold out your arm."

"What do you do here at Alchemilia Corporation?" Melissa asked, doing as the woman asked.

"Lots of things: engineering, research — I think Doctor Arsene wants us to go into politics next.

"There," she finished, moving over to Token. "All wrapped up. Take your shirt off." Token agreed to the request and removed his hoodie. Simmons began to examine the boy's torso as he sat there calmly. "It looks mostly fine. Keep some ice on it, I'll check back in a few hours.

"All done. Everyone set?" Simmons asked as Token put his hoodie back on.

"Looks like it," Atticus answered. "Are we finished?"

"Yeah. Come on," Simmons said as she pulled her gloves off. She walked to the door near the back of the room, opposite to the door in which they entered. "Let's get you all some food."

"Sounds great," Savannah agreed.

Simmons pushed open the door as the group got up and exited the room, following the woman. She led them down a short hallway to a large, open cafeteria with many tables and a long food line. Forty or fifty people inhabited the large room. Simmons dug her hand around her pocket and pulled out four tokens. She handed out one to each of the teenagers.

"These are lunch tokens. You can receive one meal per token," Simmons told them. "I need to get back to work now. Ask for me if there are any issues." Simmons walked back down the hallway to her room.

Melissa turned back to her, waving. "Thank you for the help!"

Following Arsene, Chris was led into a large office. Looking around the room, he noticed a large desk in the center surrounded by chestnut colored walls. Between bookshelves was a glass tank containing a small reptile. Arsene stepped further into the room and walked behind the desk, seating himself in a cushioned chair. A portrait of an older man hung above him, white-haired with a thick beard.

"Take a seat, won't you?" Arsene extended his hand and pointed at one of two chairs placed directly in front of the desk. Chris silently moved into the chair and looked towards the man, a series of questions already forming in his mind.

Chris decided to start his questions with a simple one: "Why did you bring me here?"

Placing his hands in front of him, Arsene nodded slowly. "There's no need to play games. You're an android. Wellington Robotics."

Chris paused for a moment. "Yes. Why do you ask? Do you know where my father is?"

"Andrew Wellington? You're a long way from home. He died around the time the war started."

Chris leaned forward, shocked. "What? How is that possible? I saw him just a few days ago when he left me at the barn."

"Barn? Looks like your 'father' didn't see much in you."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"What would I have to gain?" Arsene got up from his desk and walked towards the window. He peered out the blinds, before looking back at the android. "You're the one who stands to benefit."

"Benefit? How so?"

"Doctor Wellington was a founding member of this company when my ancestors started it. In a way, it's your legacy as much as mine."

Gabriel paced across the room. "The one thing that vexed my family line the most was Andrew's magnum opus. An unreleased line of androids with comparable intelligence to a human—" he smiled wryly at Chris, "—and I'm talking about *real* intelligence. *Emotions*."

"So I'm one of these androids? Whatever happened to the others?"

"Your father and his work died in a fire that engulfed his entire lab — some people say that he started it himself after finding himself frustrated. Everything was destroyed — I guess you were the exception. And now, fate, destiny, gravity — whatever you'd call it — it brought you and I together."

"I do not understand. Why would he preserve me?"

Gabriel slowly moved away from the window and towards Chris. He bent over, placing his hands on his desk and looking down. "Pride? A final message? No one really knows his motivations."

"I still have one more question for you," Chris said. "Why have you brought me here?"

Gabriel lifted his head, his face turned to a wicked grin. "Let's be friends, Chris."

Token tossed his tray binward as he wiped his mouth. "That was awful."

Atticus scratched the back of his head. "The food wasn't *that* bad, I guess. First meal I've had in... well."

"They aren't a restaurant, you know. Of course it isn't that great," Savannah commented.

"Well, what do we do now? We're full and they finished treating us. Do we just say thanks and leave? Any paperwork we need to sign or something?" Token asked the rest of the group.

"Chris hasn't returned yet, and I don't think we should leave without him," Melissa replied.

"I guess I could get used to this place," added Token, stretching. "Doesn't mean we should just wait around in the cafeteria. Let's go for a walk, take a look around."

Savannah was the first to respond. "Kinda sounds like trespassing, Token. We're only guests here, we should probably stick to where they left us," she said.

Melissa placed her hands on her chin, thinking. "I mean, it can't be that bad, right?"

"*Trespassing?*" Token grinned and gave a chuckle. "Don't be stupid. We're already in the building and they invited us in, so we can't be trespassing."

Atticus refrained from commenting, shooting a concerned glance at Token.

"We're not going to waltz into a research room or whatever. Just look around, alright?"

"I mean, it wouldn't hurt to go for a walk. The people here seem pretty friendly — well, except for, yeah–" Atticus added.

"I guess," Melissa said, hesitantly siding with Token.

Atticus once again thought about Token's words. "Alright, I guess it'd be fine. We might be able to find Miss Blackrite or Simmons, maybe."

Token quietly clapped his hands together in approval. "Finally, let's go then. There are signs everywhere, we can't get *lost*." Token began to walk away from the bins everyone was next to and towards a pair of doors. He motioned for everyone to follow.

*Hope this is alright...* Atticus thought to himself as everyone walked towards Token to exit the Alchemilia cafeteria.

Arsene grinned at Chris, a wild gaze reflecting from his eyes. Chris shot quick glances around the room.

"You see, Chris, you and me — we're different. You don't belong in a world that doesn't understand you. Those people would have you cleaning their carpets like the rest of their androids."

"But what about my friends...?"

"*Friends?* How long could you have known them?" Arsene questioned. "Friends come and go. This is your future we're talking about — no, this is *the* future.

"I want to show you something," Gabriel said, beckoning an uneasy Chris over. He pulled the blinds of his window open, revealing the fields behind the buildings. Armed figures stood at attention below, their covered faces and machine-like movements leaving their nature unclear. "Do you know what these men represent in your future?"

"They're soldiers?"

"Control. Freedom to do as you will. You and me could live like we were meant to. A perfect man and a perfect machine standing on top of the greatest corporation man has ever seen."

Chris pondered the proposition for a few moments. "You said it yourself, I'm not like other androids. My *friends* are like me. I want to learn what it's like to be one of them."

"What?" Arsene asked. "If you didn't want to work with me, you should have just said so. Because then I would have told you that you have no choice."

Token placed his hands on a large glass wall that appeared after everyone had turned a corridor. He pushed his face into the window, examining what could be seen on the other side.

"This place looks cool," he said. "Look at those test tubes, all of the papers, the monitors — I think some of the liquids in the beakers are glowing!"

Atticus looked forward into the dim corridor as the walled-off room provided new illumination. "You should stop before someone walks in and sees us."

Token sighed and pushed himself away from the wall. "This again, Atticus?"

"I don't want anything to happen to us. We're lucky most people didn't bat an eye when we took the escalator down here," Atticus responded. After everyone begrudgingly agreed to go with Token, they took an new exit out of the cafeteria. Once they picked up a set of maps, they had chosen to make their way to a lower lounge. They now stood in the hallways of the facility's basement.

Melissa eyed the small paper in her hand. "According to this, we should be there soon if we keep walking forward."

"Token is right. You're worrying a bit too much. Relax, Atticus," Savannah added.

"Okay. I mean, it's... nevermind," Atticus spoke once more, still undecided about whether or not it was wise to follow Token. Soon, the group was once again walking down the quiet hallways of the Alchemilia building.

"I think we need to go to that door up ahead—" Savannah's words and everyone's movement were stopped as a large figure scurried across the hallway intersection in front of them. The person continued onward past the group without a word, either ignoring them or not caring about their presence.

"Um," Savannah said, scratching her neck as the sound of the man's footsteps drifted off.

"We should probably go back now," Atticus whispered. Due to the figure's odd appearance — wearing a dark trench coat while carrying a suitcase as he bolted down the hallway — Atticus felt even more hesitant about going further.

"Well, perhaps," Melissa said, in a whisper.

"Hm." Token thought about the appearance and nature of the man to himself for a moment, curious about how he could be affiliated with Alchemilia. Then, after a moment, Token shot off into the corridor and walked after the man.

"Token, *no!*" Melissa called out at the boy's sudden departure.

Atticus took a breath slowly, assessing the situation. "Well, uh..."

"I mean," Savannah added nervously. "We probably shouldn't lose him — let's at least see what he is doing."

"Yeah," Atticus commented. They made a right and went in the same direction as the man. As they looked down the hall, they could see Token, who was now stopped.

"To-Token?" Melissa prepared to call out to the walking boy, but her voice was changed to one of confusion when she saw him in the middle of the corridor. "What — you stopped? What happened? Did you see that guy, or...?" she quizzically asked as she walked up to him with the others.

"The hell?" he groaned. "The guy seemed to have just disappeared."

"Well then," Savannah called out to him, "let's just get out of here. I'm starting to think Atticus was right."

Everyone stared at each other for a moment, not sure what to say next. Token himself began to think quietly for a moment, eyeing the corridor around him as he thought about the man. After eyeing around the featureless beige walls, he eventually turned his attention to a silver-handled red door some feet away — the only one in the hallway. Token walked towards it.

"Is that an exit?" Atticus asked, curious about Token's intentions.

Ignoring the question, Token walked further and placed his hand on the handle of the door, slowly opening it.

Token's eyes were met with darkness as he gently opened the door. He quietly walked into the dimly lit room that revealed itself.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Melissa asked quietly.

Token did not respond to Melissa as he eyed around the room. The area around him was densely packed with what seemed to be junk; papers lay scattered on the floor, and there was a conglomeration of aged microscopes and dusted computer parts. As Token prepared to see himself out of what he thought was a supply closet, he noticed a unique set of green hues emanating from one of the room's corners. "Hm?"

Approaching the source of light, Token was met with something promising. On one of the room's wooden tables sat a white pristine laptop. Uniquely, it had three monitors.

"Expensive." Without another word, Token placed the laptop to his side after figuring out how to fold away the device. He then turned his attention on leaving the room.

"Token, what are you—"

"Shh, keep your voice down." Token briefly turned his attention to the others after Atticus' words.

"What's that you're holding?" Savannah asked, pointing to the object by Token's side.

"Don't mind it," he answered, looking around the room again.

"*Don't mind it?*" Atticus spoke up, annoyed, before noticing the rectangular piece of metal and plastic held at Token's side. "Is that a laptop? Did you take it from here?"

"Quiet." Token placed a finger over his lips. "Follow me."

"*What? No*, this is crazy—" Token already began walking towards an open doorway on the right as Atticus was in the middle of his statement. Once again, the boy had taken off and left everyone else behind.

Atticus already had suspicions of the consequences of loitering the facility, but now he was made even more frustrated by Token's thievery of the company's equipment.

"Okay, I hate to say it, but we're following him again. Don't want to get separated. Come on." Savannah charged ahead and went in the same direction as Token. Melissa quickly followed after Savannah. Reactively and, once again, begrudgingly, Atticus followed everyone else in disapproval of Token's actions.

"I'm begging you," Savannah pleaded with Token as they continued down a dark stairwell, "just put the laptop back and let's get out of here. We don't know where we are and now you're stealing things. You said we were just going to look around."

"If you're gonna complain, just head backward," he responded to her, confident in his bold choice.

"Token," Melissa added, "we — we don't want anything bad to happen, that's why we *aren't* going to do that."

"Well, if he keeps this up..."

"Don't say that, Atticus. The four of us need to stick together." As Atticus brushed off the comment from Melissa, a set of two large doors came into view while the staircase finally came to a close. Token eagerly walked forward, with everyone staying behind him.

"Oh, come on, what's this now?" Savannah said, sighing.

Atticus eyed the doors in front of him. "We're going to go in the opposite direction, right back to the cafeteria or something. Enough of this."

"Don't be such a downer." Token swung open the steel doors in front of him. "Let's see where this—" Token's speech trailed off as his eyes were hit with the images on the other side of the door. His jaw hung agape in shock. Those behind him peered into the room as well.

What was on the other side of the door was an open room lit with purple ultraviolet lights. Though the the room's features were hard to make out, the group could see enough to stand in fear.

For a moment before they were noticed, everyone observed as people in white lab coats operated on what appeared to be humans. Surgery was the first thought that came to mind when the group witnessed the happenings within the room, but this word was hardly accurate.

In the center of the room, there was an arrangement of raised metal surfaces, each having a restrained human being wired up to intricate machinery. Most of the humans appeared to be unconscious as monitors displayed a series of different numbers. Others, however, were more grim. Everyone could notice small sparks as some subjects experienced electrocution. Some gave violent hisses as discolored fluid was pumped into their veins through IV tubes. Some subjects were surrounded by glass, lined in rows in the back of an open truck. A garage door made up the back wall of the room.

All eyes were now on the group of teenagers, with three uniformed men aiming their pistols at them. Most scientists looked to them with apathetic confusion as they continued their work. A man with a workstation near the room's entry, however, looked to them in amusement. As vocal cries of pain continued throughout the room, this man had a brief word with a woman next to him. She nodded and called out a person by a large control panel. In an instant, the ultraviolet lights of the room were shut off and replaced with the light from white ceiling lights. The change in lighting allowed everyone to see the faces of the unfortunate test subjects more clearly.

"Well," the man quickly spoke out to them, "look what we have here." As their eyes adjusted to the light, everyone could see as Mister Udin, the man they met for a moment earlier, spoke to them. He used his bloodied surgical gloves to place a long syringe on a nearby table.

"This is the bio-engineering lab, and it should only be accessible to someone with, ah, some sort of security clearance." Behind him, a man in a surgical mask administered long metal pins into the stretched skin of a gagged, sweating patient. Panicked grunts emanated from the mouth, lodged open by a plastic sphere. "I presume you walked in behind the gentleman in the coat?" Arms crossed under a swinging lamp, the masked figure wearing the trenchcoat they had seen earlier growled. Udin continued, "Unfortunately, this means I simply must place you under arrest. Indulge me, Officer Sanchez?"

Once he finished, a short man in a white uniform stepped from behind him and glared at the group, a smile on his face as if he was enjoying the situation. He had black hair and a clean-shaven face.

"Looks like Rooke brought lackeys this time," he smirked, stepping towards the group. "Cute."

"Oh, shit," Token yelled as he turned around and bolted out the door. The other three quickly followed, opting to not flee via the staircase they came from but a corridor near it. The sound of footsteps could be heard behind them as shouts raged through the air.

"What is going on?!" Savannah yelled. "What were they doing in that room??"

"These are not good people," Token responded as they continued to race down the corridor and finally made it to the entrance of it, descending into yet another corridor. "We need to get above ground and escape this place. Don't let them arrest you."

Atticus stumbled through the corridor, on nothing but his own feet. On instinct, he held back a bit to provide a shield for his comrades. Though the black-haired man continued following, he felt as though there was another presence observing them from a distance.

The group poured out of one of the building's entrances, bumping against each other in their hurry. Once they had left the facility's underground area, they managed to find their way back to the main Alchemilia building. As they continued onward, they heard the ensuing chase behind them slowly fade away. Not only that, barely any Alchemilia operatives impeded their progress beyond those behind them. They found the situation odd but they ignored it and raced through the building until they found an exit. Once again, they were in the middle of the building's parking lot.

Melissa clenched her stomach as she panted heavily. "Are... are we in the clear?"

"Don't know, but we need to get the fuck out of here," Token replied, attempting to catch his breath.

"How..." Atticus said, "do you... plan to do that?" As he finished, he let out a cough from exhaustion.

Token's eyes dotted around the open parking lot. "I don't know yet, though the vehicles around here give me an idea."

"Don't even give us that nonsense," Savannah spat out, having grown frustrated. "Look what you've gotten us into!"

"What the fuck?" Token let out upon hearing her insult. Ignoring it further, he turned his attention back to the parking lot. Vans were pulling in and out of it, employees loading bundles off them and heading into various entrances.

Heading towards a large black one, the group followed behind the boy as he continued to march up to one. Upon stopping at the van and glancing into the windows, he smiled. "Here it is, our ticket to freedom. The van is still running and the driver isn't here currently. Get in."

"Dude, stop," Atticus said, backing away from the van. "You already stole that laptop and now you want us to all steal this van? Are you out of your mind?"

"He's right," Savannah chimed in. "I just want to go home now."

Opening the door next to him, which appeared to be the passenger's side, Token paused and looked at them. "I'm not the only one wanted by these people anymore, we're all in danger now. Remember what we saw in that room? This is our only chance of not getting arrested or worse — ending up *there*."

"Token is right," Melissa spoke up, looking around the parking lot. "We need to get out of here."

"Yes, correct." Getting into the seat of the van, Token pointed at Melissa. "You, drive. Everyone else, get in."

"*Me*? But I don't know how."

"Neither do I, but it can't be that hard. Hurry, we don't have much time before the driver of this thing returns."

"Where would we even go?" Melissa asked.

"We're close to Silivia — I know that place like the back of my hand. We'll be safe there."

Now on the road, Melissa kept her hands gripped on the steering wheel tightly, her fear displayed on her face. Token, in the passenger seat, was busy examining the laptop, trying to get past the login screen. Atticus and Savannah sat next to each other in the backseats, both keeping an eye on the open road behind them, the silhouette of Alchemilia Corporation still visible.

"I hope Chris will be okay," Savannah said, wrapping her hands together.

"He's an android, there's not much they can do to him," Token said, flipping the laptop over and reading the bottom of it.

"Token, I feel like we deserve some answers," Atticus said, his first words since the ride began. "How do you seemingly know so much about these people?"

Placing the laptop down, Token sat still for a few moments before speaking again. "Well, let's start from there. My name isn't Token, it's actually Marshall Rooke. Token is, uh — it's an alias."

"What?" Stunned, Atticus leaned back against his seat. "Why the hell were you using an alias? Are you some sort of criminal?"

"Depends on what you consider as a criminal. I do not consider myself such, no."

With the conversation dying, Atticus closed his eyes and tried to rest. After twenty minutes of silence, he began to hear a rumble behind them and looked towards the back window.

As the rumble grew louder, a motorcycle soon appeared behind the van. Two people were seated in it, with one in a sidecar.

"Uh, guys," Atticus began.

Speeding up, the driver of the motorcycle was revealed to be the man in the trench coat that they had seen earlier. His passenger was the man who had tried to arrest them — Officer Sanchez.

"Those guys from Alchemilia are chasing us."

Token — now revealed as "Marshall Rooke" — glanced at the rearview mirror, seeing the two speeding behind them. Instantly, the mirror was struck with a bullet, shattering the glass.

"I fucking hate this place," Marshall grumbled, before barking orders. "You two in the back, duck down. Melissa, speed up. We need to lose them!"

"Uh—" Scared, Melissa pressed her foot down against the pedal, immediately accelerating the van. Those in the motorcycle behind them noticed the sudden shift in speed and upped their acceleration as well.

The back window then completely broke from another shot, sending glass flying everywhere. Panicked, Melissa screamed and took her hands off of the wheel. Frantically trying to keep them on the road, Marshall jumped forward and grabbed the steering wheel, returning them to the right path. "Just keep driving!"

"Please, just, I — I'll try, let go!" Melissa quickly placed her hands above the steering wheel to show that she was ready. Marshall nervously obliged to the girl's request and returned to his seat as bullets continued to pour down on the van.

"Damn it, tell me, what did I do, what did I do..." Savannah cried.

"We just — we just need to get further—" Marshall screamed as the window next to him completely shattered. Not only did the broken window pierce the skin of Melissa and himself, but the boy could also feel a sharp pain from a bullet grazing his skin. The group's lack of control allowed the two men enough distance to catch up to them. Sanchez, from the sidecar, fired a shot through the window once he was parallel with the vehicle's right side.

"*No.*" Marshall gripped his shoulder in pain as Melissa looked on in horror. The girl reactively accelerated the van even faster.

The van now moved wildly as Melissa attempted to control the fast speed. "We need to *slow down*!" Savannah screamed.

"We can't!" Melissa responded in a panic. "We need to get out of here!"

"No, no!" The bullets from Sanchez continued as a highway intersection that ended the main road came into view. The intersection only diverged the road into two left and right sections, forcing Melissa to decide on which direction to take.

"I'll, I'll—" Feeling the weight of the pressure on her, Melissa readied herself to make a right on the intersection. The motorcycle's driver carefully observed the van's movements to determine where it would go next.

As the massive wall of thick trees that made up the dead-end came closer, Melissa followed through with her plan and attempted to move the steering wheel to the right. Melissa thought she was successful when the car made a sharp right turn and avoided the dead-end, until she noticed the eighteen-wheel truck they had arrived in barrelling down the street. The headlights illuminated the car interior for a moment — then everything was black.