Bleed

Bleed
Chapter 5
Unfriendly Reminders
I went ahead & walked into the gym, waiting for Matt to join me. I felt super uneasy about being trained, but he had a good point. I really did need to learn how to defend myself in certain situations. I was looking around the gym, just seeing what kinds of different equipment they had set up when I heard the door slam behind me. I didn't even need to turn around to know who was walking towards me.
"Come on. Let's get this over with." he snarled, walking towards me & stopping at a punching bag nearby.
"I'm ready. Let's do this." I sighed, preparing myself for what was to come.
"First off, I want to see what kind of strength you have. I want you to punch me."
"You're kidding, right? Seriously?" I asked him with a small laugh.
"Do I look like I'm fucking joking to you?" he growled with a serious, annoyed face.
"Okay, well where do you want me to hit you?" I said, nervously.
"Here. Let's go. Let's see what you got." he said pointing to his arm. I reared back & gave it my all which must not have been much because he laughed which actually scared me. It was the first time I had ever seen him smile or even laugh.
"Good god, I have a lot of work to do with you." He made me do push ups, sit ups, & he had me run around the track in the gym a few times. About two hours later, I collapsed on the floor because I was so exhausted.
"We are going to be doing this three times a week so you better be prepared. Give it a few months & you should be battle ready. If you ever need to be, that is." he said, coldly as he turned & walked out. I laid there for a few minutes, trying to regain my composure before standing up. When I finally stood up, I decided to get a hot shower. Dragging myself to the shower, I thought about how tired I was, but also how awesome this was going to be once I was done with the training Matt gave me. I took my hot shower & washed off all the sweat on my body, then decided to go to bed. You would think that once I was in my comfy bed, I'd pass right out, but no. I laid awake for what seemed like hours.
One year later...
Over the course of that year, Matt had trained me & I worked very hard to follow his lessons. I basically became a killing machine after that one year & I was in the best shape of my life. We also had all slowly, but surely gotten used to each other & became friends somewhat. Zacky & I were still pretty close. Matt was the only one that really wasn't quite there yet, but that was about to change.
Yawning, I crawled out of bed & walked into the main room where everyone was sitting in front of the fire.
"Z, what's up? Did you sleep good? You look kinda rough." Jimmy said, worriedly as he looked over at me.
"Yeah, I suppose. I don't know. I just couldn't stay asleep last night. I kept tossing & turning."
"Let me go make you some coffee." he grinned, heading towards the kitchen.
"You are a doll. Thank you so much. I would love that." I smiled, collapsing into the couch next to Zack.
"Hey, buddy." he grinned.
"'Sup?" I said, flatly, lazily waving my arm.
"Hey, Zoe. We need to talk. Follow me." Matt said to me, motioning for me to follow him.
"Uh, okay." I said, nervously.
"What the fuck?" Zack mouthed to me, looking shocked.
"Dude! Hurry up with that coffee!" Johnny shouted from the armchair.
"You're an ass, dude." Zack laughed as I followed Matt to the office. Closing the door behind him, I sat in the chair in front of the desk as he sat opposite me.
"It's been a little over a year that you've been here & I hate to say this, but you've actually grown on me a little bit. You've come very far in your training. I guess what I'm really trying to say is welcome to the family." he said with a small grin on his face.
"You really mean it?" I asked him, surprised.
"Yeah. You've done well here. You still have a long way to go, but you're not as annoying as you used to be. I still want to kill you, but hey, you're still Zack's responsibility, so that's his deal."
"Hey, I'll take it." I laughed. I stood up & stuck out my hand to shake his & surprisingly, he took it. I walked back out to where everyone was & they were drinking coffee, talking amongst themselves.
"I already brought you a cup, just the way you like it." Jimmy beamed, handing it to me.
"Thank you." I grinned, taking in that wonderful freshly roasted coffee smell before tasting it. The rest of the day was spent just all of us hanging out together until later that night. Johnny, Brian, & Matt decided to go out for supplies. Only Zacky, Jimmy and me were left there.
"Well, I am going to bed. I've had a long day & I am just spent." Jimmy yawned.
"Night, dude." Zack waved from the couch beside me. Shortly after he went to bed, I stood up and went outside & stood beneath the giant tree Zack had showed me before. The moon was full & bright & the night air was cool & calm. I leaned against the tree & thought about everything that brought me to this point. Honestly, I didn't really think I would've changed anything. I was actually satisfied with how things had turned out & how things were going. Then I heard light footsteps behind me.
"It's a beautiful night out here, isn't it?" I said, not turning around.
"It is, especially from where I'm standing." Zack's voice said, growing closer to me.
"You know, I've been thinking."
"About what?" he asked me, confused.
"Do you remember that first night you brought me out here to this tree?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"You & I both know you were so full of shit when you said you were just tired. What was really with you that night?" I asked him, turning around to face him.
"I don't remember. That was a long time ago, Zoe."
"Why can't you be real with me? I want the truth. I know that's a lie."
"I am being as real with you as I possibly can get. I don't know what you want me to say."
"Whatever you say, Zack." I sighed, walking around him & going inside to my bedroom. I laid awake in bed & thought about all the things that could possibly be going through his head to make him so weird around me. Weeks passed & everything was normal, but for me, that was about to change.
It was a day like any other. I was just hanging out with the guys & we were talking & laughing, having a good time. As it started to get dark, a supply run needed to be made. Johnny, Brian, & Matt went, leaving Jimmy & Zacky with me again. Once they left, I walked out to sit beneath the tree & try to relax in the cool midnight air. Jimmy was already in bed & Zack seemed as if he would soon be heading there. I started hearing footsteps behind me & without turning around, I said, "thought you were going to bed." No reply was heard, so I turned around & there was no one there. Looking around, I didn't see anyone.
"I'm probably just hearing things." I thought to myself. Turning back around, I looked up at the moon & sighed, taking in the midnight beauty.
"You know, you really shouldn't be out here all by yourself." I heard a voice say. I turned around & there was a man standing there.
"Who are you?" I said, backing up slowly.
"You don't remember? Tsk, tsk, tsk. I guess I'll have to remind you." he sneered.
"You stay the fuck away from me. Take one more step & I will kill you."
"Oh, dear. I'm absolutely shivering. I dare you to try. Please, humor me."
"Don't take another step. I'm warning you." I growled. All of a sudden, I felt a sharp pain in my neck & I blacked out shortly after.
The next morning...
"Hey, Jimmy, have you seen Zoe?" Zacky asked him, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he stood in the doorway of the lab.
"No, I thought she was still asleep." he said, not looking up from pouring liquids into his vials.
"She's not in there, dude."
"Better go look for her then." Jimmy said, looking up at him.
"You're not worried?"
"She knows not to leave. She seems to have grown accustomed to being here."
"I'm gonna go look for her." Zack said, turning around & walking down the hall. He looked in my bedroom & noticed my bed was empty. He walked to the gym, the kitchen, the rec room, the living room. I was nowhere to be found.
"This is not good." Zack said, sitting on the couch hanging his head in his hands.
Meanwhile with me...
I woke up on a cold, concrete floor with my neck throbbing with pain. The room was dimly lit & seemed rather small, almost like a solitary confinement room. I looked around for any sort of way out or maybe an object I could use to break through the door. The room was empty & cold. I sat in the corner for what seemed like an eternity until the door slowly swung open. There stood the man I had met the previous night.
"Well, hello sunshine." he said, flatly.
"Where am I? What have you done to me?" I growled.
"Oh, your neck? That was just a tranquilizer that one of my friends shot you with. Don't worry. The effects will wear off momentarily as will the pain. Trust me, you'll be fine. Besides, you're far too valuable to kill for now." he sneered.
"You can't do this to me. I didn't do anything. Leave me out of this."
"No, no, that's not how this works. You see, eventually, they'll come looking for you...maybe. If not, well, then I guess you'll be stuck here. We'll decide then if we should kill you or maybe you'll decide to join our side."
"That is never going to happen."
"Up to you, dear. The clock is ticking, so you better hope they come soon." he said, walking out & shutting the door behind him.
"Great. Now, what am I supposed to do?" I thought as tears streamed down my face.
Meanwhile, back at The Fallen's headquarters...
"Matt, we need to talk." Zack said, nervously standing in the doorway of the office as Matt was sitting in his chair looking over some papers.
"Come on in." he motioned.
"She's gone."
"Gone as in...?" he asked, confused.
"She's not here. She could be dead, she could be alive, but she's not here."
"Good. Not our problem anymore." he grinned, leaning back in his chair.
"Damn it, man. Come on. You know you actually started getting used to her being around. I heard your conversation with her. I know you still aren't fully adapted to her yet, but you can't tell me that at least part of you doesn't want to go find her."
"Zack, she's gone. We can't risk going out there & going on some wild goose chase. For all we know, The Bleeders have taken her & we don't know where their hideout is."
"We need to at least try & not give up without a fight." Zack yelled, standing up.
"I told you she was YOUR responsibility. Not mine. Not Johnny's. Not Brian's. Not Jimmy's. YOURS." Matt shouted, standing up & getting in his face.
"I guess I'll be making this journey alone, then. Thanks for having my back, dude." Zack growled, storming out of the office.
"Vengeance, you get your ass back here right now. Don't you think for one second you are going after her. Vengeance! Damn it!" Matt yelled after Zack.
"Hey, I'll go with you. She's one of us now. I can't let you go alone anyway." Jimmy grinned, walking out of the lab.
"I'm down, too. Let's do this." Brian said, walking up behind Jimmy.
"Might as well count me in, too." Johnny waved behind Zack.
"You guys really mean it?" Zack said, shocked.
"Yeah. She's one of us now, man. You'd do the same for us & we'd do the same for you. It's called being a family." Brian said, folding his arms across his chest.
"Well, come on then. Let's pack up & move out." Zack beamed, proudly.

Notes