CHAPTER 8 — Sedation
887 Words
“No.”
The word came out before Elara even realized she was speaking.
Her voice shook, but it was there.
Real.
Firm.
“No,” she repeated, louder this time, pushing herself back so fast the chair legs scraped harshly against the floor.
Dominic didn’t move.
Didn’t react.
He just watched her.
That was what made it worse.
“You’re not taking me anywhere,” she said, her breathing uneven now. “I don’t know who you are, I don’t I don’t care what you think you know”
“You should,” he interrupted quietly.
Her chest tightened.
“No,” she snapped, shaking her head harder now, like she could physically push him out of her reality. “No, this—this is not real. This is part of it. This is part of whatever they’re doing to me”
Her hands went to her head.
Pressure.
Too much pressure.
“They’re trying to confuse me,” she whispered rapidly. “That’s what this is. That’s what you are”
“I’m not them.”
The calm certainty in his voice cut through her spiral.
Elara laughed.
A short, broken sound.
“That’s supposed to make me feel better?” she asked, her eyes wide. “Because it doesn’t. It really doesn’t.”
Behind her, she heard movement.
Guards.
Of course.
Always guards.
“Sedate her,” the doctor said sharply.
Elara spun toward him instantly. “Don’t!”
Too late.
Hands grabbed her.
She twisted violently, panic exploding through her system.
“Let me go!” she shouted, her voice breaking as she struggled harder. “Get off me! Don’t touch me”
One of them tried to hold her arm still.
Wrong move.
She kicked.
Hard.
Someone cursed.
Good.
“Restrain her,” the doctor snapped, irritation creeping into his tone.
Elara’s heart was racing so fast it hurt.
“I’m not crazy!” she screamed. “Do you hear me?! I’m not”
A sharp sting.
Her body froze.
Her eyes dropped slowly to her arm.
The syringe.
No.
No, no, no
Her breath came out in short, panicked bursts.
“You can’t” she whispered, her voice cracking. “You can’t do this again”
Her legs gave out slightly.
The room tilted.
Everything felt… wrong.
Too slow.
Too heavy.
“Stop…” she murmured weakly, trying to pull away, but her body wasn’t listening anymore.
Her gaze snapped up.
Straight to him.
Dominic.
He was still standing there.
Watching.
Not stopping it.
Not helping.
Just… watching.
“Help me…” she whispered.
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Before she could think.
And the moment they did
His expression shifted.
Barely.
But enough.
Something dark flickered in his eyes.
Not concern.
Not urgency.
Something else.
Interest.
Elara’s stomach dropped.
Oh.
That was a mistake.
A terrible mistake.
Her vision blurred at the edges.
“No…” she breathed, shaking her head weakly. “No, I didn’t mean”
Her body slumped further.
The guards tightened their grip, keeping her upright as the drug worked its way through her system.
“You’re making this difficult,” the doctor said coldly.
Dominic finally moved.
Slow.
Measured.
Like none of this was urgent.
Like he had all the time in the world.
“I did say she was mine,” he replied.
The doctor straightened slightly. “You don’t have authority here.”
Dominic stopped in front of him.
Close.
Too close.
“You’re mistaken,” he said softly.
The air shifted.
Even through the haze, Elara felt it.
That change.
Like something invisible just… snapped.
“She is under our care,” the doctor continued, though his voice wasn’t as steady now. “Whatever you think this is”
“It’s not a discussion.”
The words were quiet.
Final.
The room went still.
Elara tried to focus.
Tried to stay awake.
But everything was slipping.
Voices sounded distant.
Like they were underwater.
She saw movement.
Fast.
Too fast.
A sharp sound
Then silence.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
The kind of silence that didn’t belong in a normal room.
Someone let go of her.
Another body hit the floor.
Her head lolled weakly to the side.
The doctor
He wasn’t moving.
Elara’s breath caught, panic flaring weakly through the fog.
No…
No, that
That wasn’t supposed to happen.
This wasn’t
This wasn’t real.
It couldn’t be.
Her gaze dragged back up.
Dominic stood over the fallen body, adjusting his sleeve like nothing had happened.
Like this was routine.
Like this was normal.
Her stomach twisted.
He turned to her.
And even through the blur
She saw it.
Calm.
Unbothered.
Certain.
“Take her,” he said.
Strong arms lifted her.
Her body didn’t fight this time.
It couldn’t.
Her head fell weakly against someone’s shoulder as her vision darkened further.
But her mind
Her mind was still screaming.
This is wrong.
This is wrong.
This is wrong
Her eyes fluttered, barely staying open.
And through the fading darkness
She saw him walking beside her.
Not behind.
Not watching from a distance.
Close.
Too close.
Like he had always been there.
Like he wasn’t going anywhere.
Her lips parted weakly.
A final, broken whisper slipping out
“…you’re worse.”
For the first time
Dominic smiled.
And then
Everything went black.
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