Page 62 of Our Little Dove

“Let me get this straight; You think that you can give us a meaningless display of empathy when you sit here, reopening old wounds we’ve spent years trying to heal? Baby, I don’t fucking think so,” I growl against her soft cheek before locking my eyes on hers again. “You have been torturing us just like they did!”

I am shocked by my words as they slip out. An admission of what they did. She finally got her all her fucking questions answered.

She lifts her hand to touch my arm, and I swat it away. “Don’t!”

Her eyes sparkle and I don’t miss the sudden sadness dancing in the hazel storm. I refuse to fall for her fucking tricks.

“You know…” I start as I grip my hand around her throat and squeeze. Hard.

“If I kill you, we are free to go. You made a grave mistake by removing the chains, Dove.”

Her eyes are wide as she struggles in my hold. “If you kill me, you’ll never get out,” she says breathlessly. “Why is that?” I ask. She gives me a weak, sad smile and plunges the needle into her thigh, emptying the contents of the syringe.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I yell, panic seeping into my veins. “I installed a new lock while you were sleeping off the gas. The doors are locked with a code that only I know.”

“What the fuck did you inject yourself with?” I ask, shaking her by her shoulders to keep her awake. “The antidote is in this room. Find it, and I’ll let you leave.”

“Fuck, Alex! What happens when we can’t find it?” Kieran bellows beside me. She remains silent and fear coils through me.

Kieran starts frantically looking around for the antidote while I stand frozen in shock before releasing her from my grip. “Where is it? What does it look like?” I scream at her as she slumps against the wall and looks at me with tears in her eyes.

“Alex, what does the antidote look like?” I yell from the other end of the basement as I ruffle through the old cabinet in the corner.

She doesn’t say a word and Fintan slaps her cheek in quick succession, trying to keep her awake as long as possible. We’re wasting time.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

“Y-you’ll find it. I…” she mutters, her voice strained and tired as she loses consciousness. I can see the pain she hides behind the small smile on her face, and it fucking kills me. We are not so different. I see that now.

Shit, I can’t do this. What if she dies? I refuse to die down here.

During my frantic search for anything that I assume looks like an antidote to God knows what she injected herself with, I realize that I care about her.

Despite all that she’s done. Despite what we’ve done to her. I fucking care.

Fintan finally leaves her side and helps me tear this place apart. “Wait! Stop. We need to think,” I say to Fintan as he searches, his frantic, panicked movements matching my own.“We don’t have time, Kieran. Look at her! We don’t know what was in that fucking syringe; she could die if we waste too much time!”

Fuck, I can’t. I can’t watch her die.

My chest constricts painfully and there’s a knot in my stomach.

I’m going to be sick. Don’t do this to us, little Dove.

“Alex, please wake up! Please tell me how to save you,” I plead, rushing over and kneeling in front of her as I take her face in my hands.

Just as I’m about to lose my fucking mind, I hear her phone vibrate. I find it tucked in one of her stockings and waste no time pulling it out. It’s a voice message from herself. She must have recorded it while we were passed out earlier and somehow set a timer to send it to her own phone.

What the fuck is going on?

“Fintan!” I yell, gesturing for him to come closer as I step toward him with the recording ready to play. “What’s this?” Fintan questions, looking as confused and terrified as I feel.

I press ‘play’ and her voice echoes through the device.“It’s a phrase. You will find it when you face your feelings, Kai,”her voice sounding like a sad whisper. Hearing my nickname slip from her lips, shatters my heart in an instant.

“Is there something I’m missing? Why is she only mentioning you? What feelings?” Fintan asks and right now, he is everything but calm.

“I-I don’t know. Fuck!” I growl. “Kieran?” He asks, his voice clipped and rushed. I stare at her seemingly lifeless form as I bend down and tuck her hair behind her ear.

“You’ll find it when you face your feelings,”I whisper as I stand next to him, watching her chest rise and fall slowly. “What?” he asks, and I turn to face him, although strugglingto tear my eyes from Alex’s face. “She said it’s a phrase. The antidote is a phrase,” I stammer.

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