Short Story Excerpt: The Hero's Journey - Ch8-9

Overview: https://kaylinrosealexande.wixsite.com/kaylinalexanderbooks/post/short-story-the-hero-s-journey-the-others-pt-2

Previous: https://kaylinrosealexande.wixsite.com/kaylinalexanderbooks/post/short-story-excerpt-the-hero-s-journey-ch7

Content warning: implied consumption of alcohol, off-screen death mention, small amount of blood mentioned, brief mention of off-screen firearms

These chapters are... fun. But I'm proud of them!

Chapter Eight: The Ordeal

There was a knock on his door. “Come in,” Jason muttered, staring at the empty glass in his hand. Dr. Jackson opened the door. “What is it?”

“I’m just here to see how your injury is doing.”

“I got grazed; I’m fine,” Jason insisted.

Dr. Jackson sighed, starting to close the door, but stopped halfway through. “You know, there are counselors in the Rebellion. None on this base, but I can see if—“

“No, Doc,” Jason interrupted harshly. “I’m fine. You can leave me alone.”

“Jason, I know how much Lincoln meant to you. There’s no shame—“

“Didn’t you hear me?” Jason snapped, whirling his head toward the doctor. “I said, leave me alone!” He slammed his hand down on the table, forgetting the glass was in his hand. The cup cracked, jagged pieces of glass cutting at Jason’s hand. He pretended not to notice the pain or the blood.

Dr. Jackson grimaced. As he shut the door, he said rapidly, “Apply pressure, wash with soap and water, use the antibiotic ointment in the cabinet, ice,” and the door clicked shut.

Jason reluctantly stood up and walked over to the sink in his room, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his hand, wincing in the process. After he was certain the bleeding was stopped, he began to wash his hands. He looked up into the mirror, his reflection’s bright blue eyes locking with his own. He looked terrible; he had bruises, burns, and cuts on his face that still hadn’t healed from jumping out of the window. His dark hair was unkempt, having not been groomed in days.

Jason opened the mirror to reveal the cabinet behind it. He grabbed the ointment Dr. Jackson had described. As he began to apply it, he sat back on his bed, glancing at his bedside. Atop it sat a picture from about fourteen years ago. In it was Lincoln, his smile bright. He had less gray in his hair back then, fewer wrinkles. He had his arm wrapped around a teenage girl with jet black hair and bright blue eyes. On her lap sat a five-year-old boy who looked so much like her, the family resemblance was obvious.

Jason clicked the ointment bottle shut, tossing it to the side. He cupped his face in his good hand and began to cry.

Chapter Nine: The Reward

There was a knock at his door again about a half-hour later when Jason had finally decided to ice his hand. “Come in,” Jason said, and it creaked open. He expected Dr. Jackson to appear, checking to see if Jason had actually listened to his instructions, but instead, it was Sadie Miller who poked her head in.

“Sadie, come in.” She shut the door. “Careful, I broke some glass over by the table. I think I got it all, but you can never be too sure.”

Sadie looked down at her feet as she crossed the room, being careful not to step near where the glass may still be. As soon as she made it to the bed, she sat down next to Jason. “I’m…sorry, Jason Grayson.”

Jason sighed. “It’s not your fault.”

“I…gave Jason Grayson…the…code.”

Jason sighed. “I accept your apology, but it’s still not your fault. I’m the one who led that mission. I knew it was suicide.”

“Jason Grayson’s…father?” Sadie asked.

Jason let out a wry laugh. “Lincoln wasn’t my father.” Sadie jabbed him on the knee and pointed at the picture on his bedside. Jason sighed. “But…he was the only father I remember having.” Sadie pulled her legs up to her chest, staring at Jason intently like she was ready to hear a story. Jason took a deep breath. “Okay. My parents died only a few months after I was born. My sister had been born around the time of the first wave. My parents taught her how to hack and steal and survive, so she took it upon herself to raise me. She was only ten when they died, but she managed to succeed at keeping the two of us alive for three years before Lincoln found us hiding behind a dumpster. He took us in, gave us a roof over our head. Jessie was a lot like you. Despite being thirteen, Lincoln noticed her knack for computers and had her as a part of his team. But then, ten years ago, she took off in the middle of the night. We don’t know what she discovered, but she managed to sneak into the mothership, like you did. Only…she never….” Jason stopped himself.

Sadie was watching him with big eyes, her face knitted together in sympathy. She put her hand on his shoulder hesitantly. “I’m…sorry.”

Jason sighed. “Anyway, it was then when I quit looking over people’s shoulders on how to code. I joined the firing squad. There was only one guy who was keen on teaching a nine-year-old how to fire a weapon, and he used the excuse that I’d have to learn how to defend myself someday.”

He leaned back against the wall. “What I don’t understand is…when I was at the mothership, the Others only went after the hackers. They left me and my squad alone.”

“Inside,” Sadie said.

“Yeah, the hackers were inside the mothership when it happened.”

“No! Inside! Here!” Sadie protested.

Jason knotted his brows together, sitting up straight again. “Here? What’s in here?”

“Others!”

Bum-bum-bum!

Ahhhh my emotions!

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