I knew everyone hated me; my cowardice, my protection of the killer and the harm done to Tasha. But I couldn’t speak. I really couldn’t. Some truths were more terrifying than death.
I pulled out a hidden porcelain shard I’d taken from a bowl in the detention center. When his grip on my hair loosened, I moved quickly and cut my own neck.
Warm blood poured down my neck. It was over; no more torture, no more risking that terrible truth being exposed. “Tasha, I’m sorry… this is the only way left to protect your dignity.”
“Stop him!” Vincent shouted and a strong force knocked me to the ground.
The bailiffs pinned me down. Vincent crouched, watching the blood from my neck. “Erickson, do you want to die? It’s not that easy!”
He grabbed my collar, his voice harsh. “You’ll stay alive, even barely, until I find the murderer and Tasha wakes up!”
The doctor rushed over with gauze and tools to quickly bandage my wound. Vincent stood aside and ordered sharply, “Give him a heart stimulant and a clotting shot. Do whatever it takes. Keep him alive!”
“Captain Newton, that dose is too high; it could seriously harm his nerves,” the doctor said, hesitating.
“Damage?” Vincent sneered. “Trash like him doesn’t matter. As long as he stays alive until we find the truth, even if he ends up brain‑dead, I don’t care!”
The doctor didn’t argue, took a syringe, drew the drug and injected it into my vein. The drug flowed through my veins, quickly reaching my whole body.
My heart raced, my muscles stiffened and I struggled to breathe. The bailiffs helped me back into the chair.
The gauze on my neck soaked up blood again, but the drug kept me alive; I couldn’t even faint.
“Keep extracting!” Vincent ordered the technicians coldly.
The technician nodded and restarted the machine. The metal connector felt like a sharp thorn in my head, buzzing as the machine ran.
I could feel a cold force invading my mind, pulling at my memories and trying to take the buried pieces. I fought with all my strength. I couldn’t let it win.
“Warning! The subject is resisting memory retrieval!”
“Warning! Brain waves are abnormal and erratic!”
“Warning! Brain pressure is rising above safe levels!”
The machine kept warning loudly and the screen images warped. Precious memories cracked again and again.