Chapter three part one

Chapter 3
“It’s all right mom, I want to do this. If dad came help me figure out why this is happening to me then I want to do it. He says he’s getting close to finding a way to stop them completely. Just a few more sessions mom, that’s all it’ll take.” Gates hugged her mother close and laid a reassuring hand on the back of her head.
“I just don’t know how much more of this I can take Gates. Every night you’re in my bed weak and afraid and I can’t do anything to help you. It’s gotten to frequent, each of them taking a larger toll on you. I don’t think your father is making any progress, you’re only getting worse.” Her mother pulled back from her and stared desperately into her eyes.
Gates stared into her mother’s identical cerulean depths as she laid her hands on each side of her face. She leaned in and pressed her forehead against her mothers. Her eyes burned with unshed tears.
“I know you’re worried about me mom, I am too, but things have to get worse before they can get better. Dad really wants to help me, and I think we’re close to making some real progress. I have to let him mom, he’s the only one who can.” She whispered and pushed her mother’s crimson strands behind her ears, holding her eyes with a reassuring gaze.
“I’m not sure your father’s motives are entirely genuine. I’ve heard him talk about you, like you’re some experiment. His intentions aren’t as good as you think they are.” Her voice shook as new tears threatened to escape her eyes.
Gates ignored her mother’s warning and instead placed a kiss on her cheek, “I’m his daughter, he may be getting carried away with this, but I know he only has the best intentions,” Gates kept her voice soft as she met her mother’s eyes once again, “Besides, I don’t have a choice.” She finished, giving her mother’s cheek a last caress before turning to leave.

Gates sat now, the last words to her mother echoing through her mind. She wished she’d listened to her mother’s desperate words. Her mother begged her to stay, to never go back, but she ignored her pleas. Regret took her over as she sat in the dark, hugging her knees to her chest. She’d been in this room for so long that she forgot what the outside world felt like. Anger built inside her and her breathing became heavy and ragged. She squeezed her legs closer to her body as a deep growl gathered in her throat, soon becoming a painful scream. It echoed through the cramped room and down the hallway. She screamed until her throat became raw and throbbing, until it shrank into a whimper that only echoed around her room. Gates leaned her head against the hard concrete wall behind her as she continued to cry. Her tears were only of anger as they stung their way down her cheeks. She was breaking, she couldn’t take it anymore. Only ever seeing the inside of this room until they drug her out for more sessions, her mind was starting to turn on her. Imagining things that weren’t there, telling herself that she was insane. She felt as if she were deteriorating from the inside out. Every night she was helpless to stop the darkness from taking her. It terrorized her, each one becoming more frightening than the last. She was afraid one night it would take her and she would never escape. They kept her in this tiny dark room on purpose, to beckon it to her.
Gates’s hatred grew as she breathed raggedly against her bare knees. Lex, it was Lex who brought her here so that she’d never escape. Gates eyebrows furrowed down intensely as she thought about the woman she thought was her friend. This hatred giving her a motivation she hadn’t felt in years. Her ears perked up as she heard footsteps at the end of the hallway. A slow menacing smile began to curve her lips. Tonight she would escape. Her eyes met the tiny barred window in the door as a man’s head came to block the only light that came into her room. The lock clicked sharply in her ears as the door opened with a steel creak. The large dark figure stepped into her room, her eyes meeting what she knew was a needle in his hand.
“All right Gates, it’s time for another session. You gonna come quietly?” his husky voice echoed silently against the cold concrete walls.
Gates stood slowly from her bed, following suit. She kept her eyes on the needle as the light began to cast across her face, revealing her menacing gaze. Her feet clapped quietly against the icy floor as she took deliberate steps towards him. She stopped just before him and looked up to meet his unremorseful eyes.
“Wrists.” He demanded pulling cuffs from his back pocket.
Gates kept her eyes on his as she rose her wrists slowly. A large hand covered her forearm as the other locked one cuff over her wrist. She let him secure it, giving a false sense of security. She released a deep breath through her nose as he moved to lock the other one. Before he could she sent a knee into his groin, making him fall to the floor cupping himself. She sent a fist into his jaw and then another, succeeding in knocking him back against the wall. Her breathing sped up as she searched the floor for the needle. Her eyes skimmed wildly before she found it lying beside his leg. As she kneeled down to grab it his hand grabbed the back of her head, pulling her hair. He pulled her head back and wrapped his other hand around her neck, squeezing with an unforgiving force. Gates choked, struggling to breath as she grabbed his wrist and desperately tried to pull his hand away from her neck. Her panic rose as he didn’t give in. Her eyes searched for a weak spot, but she couldn’t reach any of them. He squeezed harder, threating blackness started to cloud her vision. She could feel herself losing consciousness, but she refused to give in. Her eyes found his elbow. She sent her hand into the inside of his elbow making his arm give in. Gates hit him harder in the jaw this time, making her knuckles ache, but she ignored the pain. Again, her fist met his jaw until he fell back against the wall and groaned. She retrieved the needle and stabbed it into his thigh, injecting him with the tranquilizer. His bruised eyes fluttered closed as he finally fell limp against the concrete.
Gates quickly searched his pockets for the cuff key and his key card. She found them instantly and unlocked the cuff from her wrist, letting it fall to the floor with a metallic clang. Before she left the room she took his cell phone from his pocket and smashed it against the wall. She threw the rest of the pieces over him and ran from the room and down the hallway. Her bare feel clapped loudly against the marble as she ran, clinging the card tightly in her palm. Her breath came in quick bursts as she stopped in front of the double doors and slide the card. A loud buzz echoed off the walls as the locks clicked, allowing her through. Knowing exactly where she was going, Gates ran down the corridor and turned the corner that would lead her right to the elevators.
“Shit.” She said breathlessly as the two orderlies that were standing in front of the elevator spotted her.
She retreated around the corner she’d just came from and pressed her back against the wall. Her eyes met the door beside her as she heard their footsteps nearing her. She grabbed the handle and opened the door, slamming it shut loudly without entering it.
“Gates has escaped her room, she’s entering one of the labs as we speak.” One of the orderlies shouted into his radio as he neared the corner.
Gates pressed herself harder into the wall, hoping the shadow would keep them from seeing her right away. It succeeded as they ran immediately around the corner, stopping just in front of her. She hooked her foot around ones ankle, making him fall face first onto the marble floor. Before the other had the chance to grab her, she sent a swift fist into his stomach, making him double over with a groan. Her knee met his nose, cracking it and sending him to the floor. She felt his warm blood run down her leg as she turned, glancing behind her quickly to make sure no one was coming up one her. Relieved no one was there she turned back to the man on the floor. He was preparing to tranquilize her as he rose a needle to her leg, his thumb on the injector. Quickly, she pinned his wrist on the floor with her foot making him let go of the needle. She kneeled down, straddling his chest with her knees pinning his arms to the floor. Gates grabbed the needle, her hand clapping against the cold marble loudly as he struggled to free himself.
“You’re not going to fucking stop me.” She growled before plunging the needle into his neck, her thumb pressing the injector until the needle was empty.
He instantly fell limp under her, his groan filling her ears. Gates tossed the needle aside, the glass shattering against the wall as she stood. She looked around for a moment, hearing distant hasty footsteps. Her body snapped back into action as she ran towards the elevator once again. She was about to press the button that would take her down before she thought better of it. Her eyes found the staircase door and she pushed through, making it slam against the wall behind it. She sprinted down the stairs as fast as she could, putting as much distance between herself and them as possible. Soon she was on the second floor about to make her way down before she heard the door slam open high above her head. Leaning over the railing, she looked up and saw a heard of blue scrubs making their way down. Instead of climbing down to the first floor, she slipped through the second floor door quietly, hoping they would continue on down. Gates stepped out into the hallway and shut the door carefully with a quiet click. She turned her head quickly, looking down one end of the hallway, then the other finding it empty. A small amount of relief settled inside her, but she knew she had to make a swift exit and the stairs were off limits, as was the elevator. Catching her breath, she paced down the hallway until she found a lab door. She used the card key and it buzzed open immediately.
Gates stepped inside, pushing the door to close. She held the handle down so the latch wouldn’t click as she finally sealed herself inside the lab. She leaned her forehead against the cold steel as she breathed heavily, desperately trying to catch her breath. She stood for a moment until her breathing became even and her nerves settled. She turned slowly and started making her way quietly through the lab. She tried not to look at the people that lay sleeping with wires connected to their brains, but it was hard. Her peripherals caught each of them, forcing the image of herself lying just as they were into her mind. Gates shook her head to dispel it and searched for a way out. Her eyes spotted the door at the end of the lab through the darkness. Her steps became swift as she made her way hurriedly towards it, knowing it was an office. A sigh of relief made its way passed her lips as she discovered that it wasn’t locked. Opening the door carefully, she stepped inside the office and closed the door behind her. Her eyes immediately found the window that was behind the desk and she closed in on it quickly. Gates pulled at the window with considerable strength but it refused to budge.
“Goddammit.” She breathed, realizing she’d have to break it.
She turned and picked up the office chair, preparing to smash the window. She took a deep breath, hoping the noise wouldn’t attract anyone to her. Holding her breath, she sent the chair into the window, causing it to crack under the force. Her head snapped back towards the door looking for a sign that someone had heard her. There was no one so she slammed the window again, hoping it would break. It only cracked more. Gates gave a loud grunt and put all her strength into breaking the window. This time it shattered, the pieces raining down over her feet and out the window. She looked over her shoulder once again, hearing voices inside the lab. Her anxiety grew as she leaned out the window. The height was overwhelming and it caused her breathing to speed up. Sweat coated her body as she heard them getting closer, the warm air from outside plastering the white gown to her torso. She had no choice now, she had to jump. Gates skimmed her eyes over the parking lot and down the building, looking for a place to land that wouldn’t immobilize her completely. Her eyes found the awning that draped the front door and she didn’t hesitate. She jumped out just as the orderlies made their way into the office. She closed her eyes, her limbs flailing as she fell, hoping the awning would support the force.
Gates’s body met the awning along with the tiny shards of glass that had fell from the window. The shards poked into her body painfully as she bounced over the edge. She barely caught herself on the metal railing before rolling off onto the ground, the shards rained down over her and breaking into more pieces against the asphalt below her. She looked down, discovering that the ground was just a foot under her and let go of the bar. Her feet met the concrete harshly as the shards of glass poked into her soles. Gates stepped back and put a hand over her eyes to block the light. The Godfrey sign burned her eyes and illuminated the parking lot behind her, casting her long shadow across it.
“Gates!” a voice shouted, drawing her attention to the glass double doors.
Halsey ran out and stopped just outside the door. Gates stared at her, her face contorting from exhaustion into anger. It burned deep inside of her as she stared into Halsey’s deep emeralds. She wanted to walk up to her and strangle her until the life drained from her body, but she refrained. She didn’t have time for that now. She glared at Halsey for a moment, hate weighing heavily in her cerulean irises, daring her to take another step towards her. Her gown flowed around her legs in a warm breezed that pulled at her sweaty crimson strands, her eyes never leaving Halsey’s. She hoped she could see the hate in them, the intent to kill. As badly as she wanted to carry out that impulse, she didn’t. Instead she turned and sprinted down the driveway, as far away from there as she could get.
“They’ll find you, do you hear me? There’s no use in running!” Halsey’s screams echoed through the growing darkness and into her ears as she ran from the lights of Godfrey.

Halsey stood there unmoving and watched as Gates’s white gown disappeared into the darkness. Her throat began to ache as tears threated to escape her eyes. Deep inside she hoped Gates would get as far away from this place as she could, but she knew that would never happen. Her escape would be short lived. Lawrence would have her hauled back in here before she knew it. He’d have her strapped to that chair so that she could never escape again. She would never make it out of the city. Halsey closed her eyes against her tears, knowing that it was her fault Gates had been locked in here for so many years. She tried to justify her betrayal by telling herself she didn’t have a choice, but it didn’t stop the guilt from weighing heavily on her heart. Her eyes opened slowly, staring into the direction Gates had run. She jumped with a gasp as the doors slammed open behind her. Lawrence ran out and stood in front of her, peering into the darkness. He ran a hand angrily over his hair as he turned back towards her. His eyes struck her with ferocity.
“Why didn’t you run after her?” he asked, his voice demanding as he moved to stand just before her.
“She was already gone by the time I made it out here.” Halsey lied, keeping her eyes searching after Gates.
“Goddammit!” he screamed as he turned from her, pacing across the empty parking lot, “I know where she’s going.” He breathed while fishing his car keys from inside is suit.
“You think she’ll run to the police?” Halsey asked and whipped the tears from her eyes while he wasn’t looking.
“No, if she tries to spout off this story they’ll put her away for sure. She wouldn’t risk that knowing we could just come pick her up from whatever asylum or jail cell they threw her in. No, she’ll be going home,” he said, clenching his car key in his palm and walking up to stand just before her, “she won’t be there long which is why we need to get moving. We can beat her there and catch her when she least expects it.” He finished and pulled his cell phone from his pocket.
“Don’t you think she’ll-,” Halsey was interrupted by a finger in her face as he put the phone up to his ear.
“Have the orderlies search the grounds in case she’s hiding out somewhere. Be sure they’re cleared out before the morning. We have to keep this thing under wraps.” He spoke quickly before hanging up.
Halsey jumped as he reach out and grasped her arm firmly, “You’re coming with me.” He said and practically dragged her to his car.


Halsey sat in the passenger’s seat and bit her nails apprehensively. She hoped Gates would be smart enough to refrain from entering the house tonight. She had no idea if she’d even made it here, or if she’d be coming here at all. She glanced over to Lawrence, his face holding a frighteningly familiar glare as he scanned his eyes over the mansion-like house. One hand gripped the steering wheel as the other clutched at his thigh. They sat just outside the driveway on the other side of the tall hedges. She saw him, staring at the window she knew to be her bedroom, waiting on the light to come on.
“How do we know she’ll even come back here?” Halsey asked, mildly frustrated.
“She’s not just going to run around the city in nothing but a gown. She’ll be coming here for clothes. Possibly money, but I doubt she remembers the combination to my safe.” He came back, his voice thick with irritation.
Halsey gave up trying to rationalize to him. He was angry and frustrated. She knew he wouldn’t listen to a word she said. The house was just outside the city, probably a few miles, with corn fields surrounding it. Gates could be hiding anywhere. She refrained from speaking her mind to him, she wanted Gates to get away. Halsey turned her eyes away from the house and sat back in her seat, her thoughts on her family. If Lawrence thought she was keeping anything from him he wouldn’t hesitate to threaten their lives, again. Halsey felt words trying to force their way from her lips but she refused to speak. Surely he would think of that on his own. Just as that thought crossed her mind, she saw his hand reach for his cell phone from the corner of her eye.
“Get me some men to my house to search the fields.” He demanded then hung up without taking his eyes from the window.


Gates stood just at the edge of the field between a row of corn stalks. Her eyes stayed focused on the car she knew was her fathers. She wouldn’t move as long as he sat there. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew he’d have people out here to sweep the fields. It should be easy enough to avoid them. Her gown was dirty and torn and her feet sank into the mud of the field but she refused to move. She’d stay here as long as it took. Her head turned quickly over her shoulder as she heard vehicles coming down the gravel road. She counted three of them, each of them could have no more than two or three people in them. Quietly she made her way through the stalks until she was standing at the back of the house. The sight of the cellar doors beckoned her but she waited. Flashlights caught her eyes as she saw them rounding the house and moving into either side of the field. Two on each side and two more coming down the middle behind the house where she was standing. Her heart began to race as she backed in to the field quietly. The two lights came closer towards her before splitting to each side of her. Gates waited until she heard them trek deeper into the field before she made her way to the edge again. Hey eyes skimmed over the large property, searching for more lights. She found none, giving her the chance to make her way to the cellar door without being seen.
Gates ran, her feet meeting the wet ground as water splashed around her legs. She turned her head over her shoulder to make sure the flashlights weren’t following her. Relieved they weren’t, she slowed to a quiet pace so that they wouldn’t hear her running across the muddy ground. Finally, she reached the cellar doors and slipped inside as quietly as possible. She managed to shut the doors with a quiet thud then make her way down the stairs. She searched quickly for a place to hide, knowing they would eventually search the house. The icy stone made her feet ache intensely as she walked silently through the cellar. Her eyes met a grate in the floor that was just large enough for her to fit inside. She kneeled down and laced her fingers through the small square holes, hoping it would be loose enough for her to pry open. She pulled until her head felt dizzy, the grate giving way little by little. Taking a deep breath she pulled again until it popped out of place. Gates heard the cellar door open and turned her head, glancing over her shoulder. Light cast down the stairs as she heard the men talking. Quickly, without knowing how deep the hole was, she jumped into it. Thankful she could still reach the grate, she grabbed it and held it above her head so that it wouldn’t scrape against the stone floor. She bit down on her lip as anxiety filled her, she struggled to pull the grate back into place. She bared her weight down on it and it finally popped perfectly back into place, scrapping the stone as it did. She hoped the men didn’t hear it over their talking.
“We’ll check down here, you four keep sweeping the field.” She heard the muffled voice of an orderly demand.
Gates hunkered down in the hole and folded herself so that her knees pressed hard against her chest. She struggled to breath but kept herself from gasping as she heard their footsteps on the stairs. A dull pain settled in her chest as she took small quick breaths. She looked up through the grate, seeing the light beams cross over her, casting shadows over her face. Quietly she pulled the back of her gown up over her back and laid it over her head so that they wouldn’t see her if they happened to shine the light through the grate. Her naked back scrapped harshly against the stone as she folded her arms tightly against her chest, their footsteps meeting her ears loudly. She heard them moving things across the stone floor, opening the washer and dryer, searching everywhere for her, but they never looked through the grate.
“She’s not down here. Let’s search the rest of the house.” One orderly said to the other.
Gates heard their footsteps fade away as they walked up their stairs into the house. She wanted to move but she didn’t from fear of getting caught. She stayed there, folded in the hole for what seemed like an eternity. She had no way of knowing when they’d stop searching for her. She figured it was at least safe enough to stand up. Lifting her head from under the gown, she braced her hands against the wall. She stood slowly, her knees pressing into the stone as her back scrapped it. She bit her lip to keep herself from gasping. She looked up and peered through the grate once again. There was no telling how long she’d be down here.

Alright titty, for the umpteenth time I wanna stress how fucking cool this is. The action is vivid, but appropriately fast paced. It was all very clear in my head. Plus, it just made Gates look like a total badass. My absolute favorite part was definitely the eternity (like two paragraph moment) Gates spent glaring at Halsey. I have to say, I got more out of that moment about their relationship than I ever thought possible with just a look, and you know me, lol I'm all about eyes! I thought it would be awkward switching back and forth even in third person from one character to the next, but you make it a smooth transition. The story flows from one point to the next no matter who is the focus. I got to say, even though its third person, I was feeling Gates' emotions. The description was immaculate. I can't tell you had a hard time writing this at all, and that's how you know you're good, when you make it look easy. Anyahways, this chapter is moving along very nicely. It felt like a quick read, but its actually pretty long thus far. I enjoyed it very much. You're amazing. Keep writing every free chance you get.

Love,
Your #1 ❤

P.S. Gates + Ben = end of all things