“It is a requirement for all members who live here at The Facility,” Cloe says. “We are not The Elected, nor a part of them, we just support them, especially now that The Force is part of them. They allow us to do the process to all members who are going to live here or who have something to trade for our services.”
“Oh,” I say. “What if you don’t intend on living here?”
“Everyone that enters either lives here, has traded us something for our services, or takes part in The Purifying if they are a lost soul.” Cloe responds. “Besides, you’re important. You will find out soon enough.”
Rita gives Cloe a sideways stare at her mention of The Purifying and being a lost soul. I don’t say another word. I am not sure I want to know what The Purifying is, or what they think would happen if you left “The Facility” without permission or making a big trade.
I lay still, letting my blood reenter my body. Little by little, I feel stronger than I have felt in years.
I must lay quiet for enough time that Rita and Cloe see fit to turn off the screen. I don’t know if this is an indication they are done talking to me, or the next step is coming.
A hand reaches into the panel on the side of the box, pulling my arm out and removing the needle. This time, a glass panel is put in place, making the light shine in, but the glass panel has holes in it. Little pin pricks are everywhere in the panel. As I examine the holes, I can see a green fog fill the box. It comes slow at first, and then suddenly, it seems the whole box is being filled.
I don’t feel like I have time to panic. I try to scream, I try to lift my arms to push on the box, but there is nothing I can do. No bodily function at all.
Slowly, a sick feeling sweeps over me as I begin to drift off to sleep, leaving all reality behind me and me at the mercy of The Facility.
Chapter Fourteen
I wake up in a white room that feels to be below freezing. I try to move but with no use. I can’t see anything but the skylight overhead and a white cloth to either side of me.
As I try to move my arms and legs, I am panicking that I can’t get them to move in any direction. I try to roll one way or another, but there is something stopping me.
“Stop fighting it,” a voice calls out from nowhere.
“Who’s there?”
“Rebekkah”
“What is this?” I ask.
“The last step of The Cleansing.”
“What is the last step?” I ask yet another question.
“You are wrapped in a white gauze that has been soaked in Metho Agent and a healing matter called Peroxide Solvent Number Four.”
“It heals the skin,” I declare.
“You are correct.” I can hear the smile in Rebekkah’s voice. “The wrapping process is painful, that is why we put the souls to sleep before we take them from the box.”
“Why do you call us souls?”
“You see,” she begins, “humans have souls, and so we use that term for all members who enter The Facility as a polite way of reminding them that they matter.”
“That’s a load of garbage,” I declare.
“Why is that?” Rebekkah asks, but this time she allows a tone of anger to come out. For a moment, she reminds me of Samantha.
“Because no one can make all people feel like they matter all the time. Calling me a soul doesn’t make me feel like you care one bit for me, it makes me feel labeled. It makes me feel like you are trying to make me belong.” For good measure and now that I know she is already perturbed, I add in, “and what is The Purifying?”
Rebekkah walks closer, hovering over my field of vision. She looks at me like my old professor did. Professor Philips didn’t like me asking too many questions either, and when I did, she would stand me up in front of the lecture group and make me answer questions about where we lived and the war. I was made to answer questions about The Force before I had been taken by them. I wonder if my need to ask questions comes from the fact I was made to answer so many for most of my life.
She doesn’t seem to want to answer my question, which makes my curiosity peak.
“What is The Purifying?” I ask through gritted teeth.
“It is the event that happens when a soul is deemed unworthy,” she answers quietly.
“And what does that event consist of?”
“Let’s just say you don’t want to find out!”
She says the words as she walks out of the room. Rebekkah Jonni doesn’t come back, instead the nurses return. They silently begin to unwrap me. As the layers of gauze come off, I can see that my skin has been renewed. Like my family, I look a bit paler than I did before, but with all that I have been through, I am sure that’s why.
“Please, get up,” Cloe says dryly.
I stand up, making it easy to move with each step I take.
“This way, miss,” Rita says in the same tone.
I suspect that Rebekkah informed them about my questions and told them I was not to be trusted or talked to other than in a professional way.
They both lead me to a doorway where I am placed standing up on an X on the floor. Both nurses walk to the other side of the hall. Rita flips a switch on the other side and the floor begins to move. The floor is moving me on its own in the direction of
