Revelations (The Revelations Series Book 1) (5 page)

JENNA’S
heart raced as she tried to open her eyes. A terrifying realization washed over her as she struggled to move, but couldn’t. She willed her fingers to lift off the bed, but they remained motionless next to her.
Why can’t I move?
She tried to cry out, but her dry parched lips refused to part. She could hear someone in the room with her as their footsteps came closer to where she lay. She tried to scream as she felt her blanket being adjusted up to her shoulders. Her skin crawled as their cold, clammy hands lifted her wrist and checked her pulse. She tried with all her strength to pull her arm away.

She could hear a door open and close. “How’s our patient?” a man’s deep voice asked. A horrible scent assaulted her nostrils making her want to vomit as her eyelids were forced open, but blackness filled her vision.

“Good so far,” a woman responded.

I’m not fine! I can’t move my body!
Jenna tried to scream.

“Well,” the man said as he touched her face with his cold, rough hands. “They all fall into a deep coma once we give them the drug. It helps their body prepare itself faster for what’s to come.”

Drugs? Did they drug me?
Jenna’s pulse raced as the memory of the accident came flooding back.
Are these the people that ran us off the road?

The heart monitor began to emit a loud beeping sound as she remembered running away from the men and the sharp pain in her chest.

“You better give her a sedative,” the man said. “Hopefully it calms her down. I’d hate to have to take further measures like we had to with the others.”

Others? What others? Do they have more kids here?
Jenna felt a sharp prick pierce her skin, and then a cold liquid slowly seep into her arm. The machine’s beeping slowed as her agitation washed away.

“Remember to page me when she wakes. I’ll be in the building all night.”

“Should I keep her sedated until then?”

“Only if her pulse rises again. I want her drug free when we evaluate her.”

Jenna could hear the clicking of the door handle opening as they left the room and the door closing behind them. She struggled to free herself from the darkness. Her heart began to race as she fought against the darkness that was trying to overtake her body.

The sound of the door opening again and footsteps entering the room made her struggle with even more determination. The heart monitor started to beep again.

“Jenna, I know you can hear me,” someone whispered in her ear as he adjusted her pillow. “You need to relax or they’ll come back and give you something stronger. I can’t get you out of here if they do.”

Jenna stopped struggling as the calming voice spoke to her. For some reason the sound of his voice made her relax.

“My name is Alex. I’m a friend of your mom’s. I need you to do as I say so I can help you,” the soft voice urged her. “When you wake up I know you’re going to be hungry, but don’t eat or drink anything they give you. It’ll be laced with drugs. I know you’re scared but don’t fight it. Let the darkness take over. It’s the only way you’ll survive. I have to go before I get caught. I’ll be back when you wake up.”

Jenna no longer tried to escape the darkness, but let herself drift toward it. Somehow, she felt at ease knowing Alex would be there when she was finally able to wake up. She let her body relax, and made no attempt to fight anymore. Soon the darkness took over.

****

The darkness easily released Jenna this time. She slowly opened her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the brightness of the room.

“Where am I?” she murmured as she sat up and looked around. She winced as she moved her arm and tugged on the IV tube that was attached to her. She reached over with her free hand, held her breath and gently pulled it out.

This was definitely not a hospital room. The walls were painted light violet, with pictures of flowers and butterflies decorating them. Light pink curtains covered the only window. The room was decorated almost exactly as her room at home had been. Except at home, she had two windows. A sudden feeling of dread washed over her as she looked around the room. Why would anyone go through the trouble of recreating her room, and how did they know what her room looked like?

Jenna slowly got out of bed and made her way over to the window pushing aside the curtains. It was dark outside, but she could easily see the grounds because of the spotlights that bordered the property. Sick fear formed in the pit of her stomach when she saw that a high fence topped with a razor wire, surrounded the grounds. Security cameras perched on top of tall poles outlined the property, beyond that was a dense forest.

Hearing a sound outside her door, she yanked the curtains closed and backed away from the window. Jenna could hear the jingling of keys as someone paused outside her room and then the lock on her door clicking open.
Why had they locked her in? What kind of place was this, and how had she gotten here?

Jenna took a nervous step backwards as the door opened and a middle-aged woman with long blond hair, which was swept up into a tight bun at the base of her neck, entered the room. She was dressed in a pale blue nurse’s uniform and carried a metal tray with a syringe and vial on it. The lady stopped midstride and froze when she saw that Jenna was out of bed.

“Oh, you’re awake.” A half-hearted smile appeared on her face. The nurse backed up, never taking her eyes off Jenna until she got to the intercom on the wall by the door.

“Our guest is awake. Could you please send Dr. Carver?” she said into the intercom.

“What code?” a man’s raspy voice replied.

“Code white,” she said, almost in a whisper as she put the vial and syringe in her pocket and set the tray on the dresser by the door.

“Where am I?” Jenna asked as she watched the woman.

The nurse turned back around and locked her gaze on Jenna. “You’re in a private hospital. My name is Karla, I’m the nurse on the night shift.”

Jenna stood there staring at the woman, not sure what to say. Karla’s unyielding stare while fiddling with the vial and syringe in her pocket scared her. It wasn’t until a middle-aged man with sandy brown hair and a trim mustache entered the room that Karla relaxed.

“So, you’re finally awake.” The man extended his hand to Jenna. “Hi, I’m Dr. Carver. How are you feeling?”

Jenna paused, looked at his hand and then shook it. “Fine,” she mumbled. “But could someone tell me how I got here?” Jenna watched as Karla backed up and positioned herself in front of the door.

The doctor’s expression stilled and grew serious as he took her by the elbow and guided her back to her bed. “You’re at the Densen Institute. It’s a private hospital on the outskirts of town. You were in a car accident and the ambulance brought you here.”

Jenna hesitated. “Where’s my mom?” she asked cautiously.

Dr. Carver took a deep breath in and exhaled. “You know you should really be in bed. You need to rest.”

“I don’t want to rest. I want to know where my mom is!” Anger swept across Jenna’s face as she glared at the doctor refusing to back down.

“Listen, Jenna,” Dr. Carver said, his eyes clinging to hers as if to analyze her every reaction. “You were in a very bad accident. You’ve been unconscious for over a week. You were thrown from the car and that’s how you survived. You’re mom wasn’t so lucky. She died in the crash.”

“NO!”
Jenna screamed, her shock yielding quickly to fury. “She’s not dead. You’re lying.” Jenna began to shake as the fearful images of the car accident came flooding back. She shoved past the doctor and tried to run out the door. She knew they were lying to her about the crash. She hadn’t been thrown from the car. She clearly remembered getting out and running away when she was shot in the back.

“I’m sorry, I can’t let you leave,” Karla declared blocking her way.

“I want to see my mom!” Jenna screamed. The pictures on the wall began to shake and the vase on the table shattered sending shards of glass and flowers flying across the room. Jenna drew back as the pictures crashed to the floor.

Karla quickly pulled the syringe out of her pocket, but Dr. Carver signaled for her to wait.

Dr. Carver cautiously placed his hand on Jenna’s forearm. “Would you like something to help you calm down?” he asked her.

Whispers of a memory came back to Jenna as she suddenly remembered what the stranger had told her about being drugged. She slapped the doctor’s hand off her arm, threw herself on the bed and started to cry.

“No. Please… just leave me alone,” she begged through her sobs.

Dr. Carver and Karla backed away. “If that’s what you want. I’ll send someone in to clean up the glass.” They turned and left the room locking the door behind them.

Jenna cried for what felt like hours. Her mom couldn’t really be dead. She didn’t know what she would do without her. She rolled over and wiped her puffy eyes on the comforter then sat up and climbed out of bed. She made her way to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face hoping it would make her feel better. As she turned on the faucet, she heard the door to her room open and turned to see a rugged young man with jet black hair that curled over his ears and the collar of his shirt enter her room. His ruggedly handsome face seemed somehow vaguely familiar to her but she couldn’t place him.

“Good, you’re awake. We have a lot to discuss in a short period of time,” he said with a quiet emphasis.

Jenna stared at the young man who was sweeping up the glass while he spoke to her.

“Who are you?” she asked as he bent over to pick up the dustpan.

The young man paused for a moment. “My name is Alex and I’m here to help you escape,” he replied never once looking at her.

Confused, Jenna glanced around the room. “Escape? Why would I want to escape? Isn’t this a hospital?”

Alex looked briefly over his shoulder at her. “These people aren’t who they say they are, Jenna. It’s not a hospital,” he insisted, annoyance crossing his face. “They told you that to keep you under control.”

He picked a picture up off the floor and rehung it on the wall. “It’s really a laboratory where they bring kids like us, kids who are… different. They test us to see what we can do. I’ve heard them talking about you. They say you’ll have more powerful abilities than any of us. I won’t let them hurt you, but we only have a short period of time to get you out of here before they start the testing. If you work with me, I’ll have you out of here tomorrow. Then I’ll tell you everything.”

Strange and confusing thoughts began to race through her mind. “I don’t understand. I don’t have any special abilities.”

Alex looked at Jenna capturing her eyes with his own. “Listen, I know you just turned seventeen and your mom hasn’t told you about your family history yet, but it’s important you trust me.”

Jenna cast her eyes downward, sick fear growing in the pit of her stomach. “Is my mom… really dead?” she asked cautiously.

Alex glanced sideways at her in surprise. “Is that what they told you?” he asked. “No Jenna, she’s not. They told you that so you would think there was nothing for you outside of this place. I know this must be hard for you to understand right now, and you’re not sure who to trust. Hopefully this will help.”

He bent down and pretended to tie his shoe as he pulled a small tape recorder with earplugs out of his pocket and slide it to her. “Listen to this. It’ll help. I have to go now; I’ve been in here too long. Hide the cassette player when you’re done so they don’t find it. I’ll be back as soon as I get everything set for your escape.”

Alex’s eyes darted around the room. “And, Jenna, I must warn you; there are hidden cameras in this room except for the bathroom. So be careful what you do. I hid some energy bars under the sink earlier. Eat those and nothing else. Whatever food they bring you will be laced with drugs to keep you under control.”

Jenna watched as he quickly left the room before she headed into the bathroom, shut the door, put in the earplugs and pressed play. Her heart skipped a beat as she heard her mom’s voice.

Jenna, it’s important you listen to Alex and do what he says. I sent him to help you escape. The people that have you are dangerous and you can’t trust them. I promise to tell you everything when I see you. I’ll be waiting for you on the outside. I love you and I’ll see you soon.

Jenna turned the recorder off and leaned against the bathroom door. What was happening to her? Was this all a horrible dream that she would wake from and laugh at later? She opened the recorder and took out the tape. She then opened the cupboard under the sink and hid the cassette player behind the pipes. She made sure to conceal them with a couple rolls of toilet paper. Clenching the tape in her hand, she made her way back to her bed. Exhausted from all she had learned in such a short period of time, she crawled under her blankets and closed her eyes to try to forget everything. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep.