Chapter 16 Triggered
TRIGGERED
Blaring alarms sounded. I panicked; my breath caught in my throat. I couldn’t lose them; they were my—humans, more than friends to me. The alarms didn’t stop as I struggled to get up.
“Magdalena! Magdalena! MAGDALENA!” The screams tore from me as I fought to free myself from the crowd.
Fire alarms screeched from everywhere. I could smell the smoke rising as I was shoved out the door.
There were screams from girls, slaves, as trainers tried to catch the ones that mattered.
I had to get to her; she couldn’t die. No!
My body jerked in protest as my fist slammed against the trainer’s head.
“Fuck—”
I didn’t care; I just had to get to them! Oh god where’s Scarlett? My heart pounded as another set of arms tried to hold me back. I couldn’t breathe. The fire engulfed the west side of the building, and my heart sank. “No. No. No. Please, no.”
My eyes caught sight of her black locks in the greyed, charred window, and I couldn’t stop the fear. She’s trapped in the building, and she’s going to die. Someone needs do something! Desperate howls left my throat as I fought to make my way to them.
“MAGDALENA! SCARLETT!”
Something sharp hit my leg as my trainer pinned me down.
I screamed, my hand jerked free, grabbing the blade from his pocket, and slammed it in the soft flesh.
There was a grunt before they released me.
But l couldn’t move; something held me down.
Like they’d tied me to a bed again. But that wasn’t right.
Magdalena was just out of reach in the building’s growing flames.
I could get to her if I were strong enough.
I could be strong for her. Scarlett was built to survive, but Magdalena was different; she didn’t belong here.
“Ahhhhhh,” I screamed, fighting tooth and nail to be released.
I’d take everyone down if it meant I could save the girl that gave me hope again.
Something covered my ears, and the sirens stopped blaring, the smoke stopped choking me, and the flames stopped rising.
I was sobbing, shaking and shivering. Blood coated my hands as a doctor’s kind smile looked down at me.
The smile disarmed me, but never wavered.
I traced the blood from my hands to his suit. A look of shock crossed my features.
He bled from his bicep, the scalpel holding most of the wound’s pressure. His forearms were scratched and bitten, but I blinked and realized the thing on my ears was his hands.
His lips moved, but I couldn’t hear. Slowly pulling my eyes towards his face, I saw the words “It’s okay.”
I stared at him. My heart fluttered as the nightmare slowly disappeared. Magdalena wasn’t trapped; she told me goodbye. Did she? My mind stumbled with the realities. But the doctor’s firm hold on my ears continued.
My eyes looked around the room towards the nurses and their shocked faces. The police officer had a needle in his thigh. The nurses were uneasy and all stood back away from the bed. Away from me.
I looked at the man who had stopped the episode.
He smiled down at me and then looked towards the others.
A mumble of words left his mouth, and the other bodies moved towards the door.
I didn’t panic around him, like he was the only male doctor that gave a fuck.
It was nice, comforting even. He reminded me of an emergency room doctor I’d seen so long ago, but different.
My mind didn’t want to know the difference; it found solace in the hold he had on me.
I cried while he held me. Unashamed and unrestrained, the tears flowed.
I hadn’t even been at the center, but the pain crashed into my chest like a tidal wave.
The doctor didn’t care about that. He just stood there, the blade still embedded in his arm.
I couldn’t fathom how someone could show such restraint.
He didn’t flinch though, his hands still cupped my ears as he banished the alarm.
My arms were newly restrained by the handcuffs of the police officer, and when I went to pull my hand up, it stopped short of my eardrums. I wanted the handcuffs gone.
It took to long to get rid of them the first time.
The doctor shook his head mouthing the words “wait” I didn’t understand why he wanted me to wait but in one motion he dropped his left hand, smashing my head to his chest, the alarm blared for half a second before I heard the deep thump of his heart, his other hand solidified the pressure and I could hear every inhale and exhale with the rhythmic beat.
I watched as his left hand fumbled in his pocket for a pair of earbuds along with his phone.
He set the phone down on my lap. It lit up.
Five thirty in the morning. I didn’t realize I’d been asleep.
I watched as he pulled the earbuds out of the case.
They paired automatically and sat next to the phone.
He punched in the code for his phone, 3825.
The doctor paused, gesturing toward me to use his phone.
It was an unspoken trust that made my heart swell. I blinked, clearing away tears.
My hands quickly swiped through his apps to find a music one, as my brain finally caught up with his thought, and when I didn’t automatically know what to choose, he tapped the screen, clicking into a playlist for me.
I felt the earbuds vibrate on my lap, not sure what to expect, and the man picked one up. I half expected him to move my head away from his chest, but it remained.
In a matter of seconds his right hand left and the earbud slipped in, blaring a loud thudding bass of a rock music.
The lyrics didn’t come, and I glanced down to see it was an instrumental piece.
It was like he knew my mind couldn’t process words, lyrics or feelings.
The music played alongside the beat of his heart, and I felt a heavy sense of relief.
It was everything expressive and not at the same time.
I closed my eyes as I let my mind sink into the rhythm.
It happened in a blur of movements, and the other earbud was in. His warmth was gone. I felt so detached I hadn’t realized how much the gesture had calmed and soothed me. Tears leaked from my eyes as the man held my chin up. He looked into my eyes; a sad smile crossed his face.
“You’re okay,” he mouthed. I looked down at his phone, still unlocked and in the music app, and quickly swiped out and into the notes app.
“Thank you… I” the cursor blinked repeatedly.
It waited for my next command, but I had none.
I couldn’t think of what else to say. I couldn’t apologize for stabbing him, I didn’t apologize for biting or scratching him, I just stared transfixed at the blinks of the cursor.
It just didn’t feel like it would matter if I said anything else.
He watched me in my struggle, my hand poised to type more but frozen in its tracks. A new song track came on with a less heavy but still equally powerful sound. I turned towards the man again, “Why?”
I couldn’t hear my own voice, but I knew he’d heard me. His eyebrows drew together in thought before he leaned over me and began typing…“Why not?”
Laughter bubbled up from my throat as I smiled at him. He shared a cheeky grin. There wasn’t any pressure to be anything else, just us at the moment.
He started typing again, and I glanced back down. “The fire alarm tests will be over by nine, keep the music on until then. Text my hospital phone it’s the only saved number. Passcode is 3825.”
He paused for a moment, contemplating his words before he finished typing, “I won’t bother to tell you not to go through my phone or use the it for your business purposes, it’s a burner and you’re way too smart anyways.
I’ll look the other way and no one will know.
Magdalena and Scarlett are lucky to have had a friend like you. ”
He squeezed my shoulder and then walked briskly toward the door. I stared after him, wondering who the hell he was and why I felt like he had just saved my life.