The Game - 31. Chapter 31

When they had all burst through the door and Annie saw Adam, helpless, strapped down, hooked up to machines.... the only thing she wanted to do was to run to him... but Simon held her back. Why did no one else go.... why did no one go to him, save him?

Simon was still playing the stupid game, trying to persuade that asshole to release Adam. He was so stupid... as if they would just let him go.... not now, not after having gone this far..... They were not going to let him go and if no one did anything it would be too late. She didn’t know what they were planning to do to him but whatever it was it was not going to be good.

“Adam...”

“Do it.” Everyone heard the psychic command. Do what? Still no one moved and then it was too late. Adam screamed and his body convulsed, shaking uncontrollably. He was making choking noises like he couldn’t breathe and Annie couldn’t stand it any more. She broke away from Simon at the same time the others surged forwards and they were all at his side, standing around when his body arched, then jerked and shuddered and went still. Annie was looking into his eyes when the light went out.

“No.. Adam no...!!”

“Get out of the way.” One of the men, the one who had injected the drug into Adam that had made this happen, was trying to pull her back. She was not having it... she was stroking Adam’s hair, his face, touching his lips, begging him to speak to her, to breathe, to live.

“Young lady, please.... if value your friend’s life, let me save him.”

“No. You... you did this.... you... did... this.”

“Annie...” She looked up into a pair of calm grey eyes that were as shocked and wet as her own and the hand on her arm was trembling. “Come back... let the doctors do their work. Maybe.... maybe...”

“Shaun....”

“Yes. Come on. Just over here.” She let him put his arm around her... he was tall, like Adam, strong too and gentle. If she closed her eyes she could almost make herself believe.....

“Noooooo.... Adam please.... please no.”

There were two other women and they were both as shocked as she was.... one of them was crying, the other just looked disbelieving. Apart from Shaun there was another man, who just looked grim. She had the impression that, whatever happened he would be taking the cost out of someone’s hide.... at least that is what he was thinking and wanting right then.

The two doctors, at least the two men in white coats, and the man who had been lying on the floor but was now conscious again, were bending over Adam. They were clearly working very hard to get his heart started again and just as clearly having absolutely no success.

Time stretched to eons and then crashed back in waves of seconds, minutes... and then it was all over. The doctors stepped away, their eyes downcast. One of them, a young man with blonde hair, looked totally shocked, the professor looked stunned but contained and the other one was just grim.

Annie broke free of Shaun and ran forwards, not noticing or caring the others drawing close around her. Adam’s hand was cold, his arms bruised and bleeding, his eyes partially open, a sliver of green in a face that was paper white. There was no colour in it anywhere, even his lips were pale blue and it was that which frightened her more than anything... Adam was so colourful, always.

“Adam?” She stroked his face and it was even colder than his hand. “Please Adam... please.”

Someone put their arm around her and she looked up into grey eyes that were overflowing , lips that were trembling.

“You fool.... you stupid fool.” Simon’s voice shocked her.... it was filled with so much venom it took her aback. At first she thought that his comments were directed at her but when she glanced at him sharply he was staring at the other man, his face contorted with rage, his eye spitting fire. “You had to push it, you had to be greedy.... and now none of us gets the power.”

“Better that than let you snatch it from me now... when we have risked everything.... everything, on the end game.”

“And now there will be no end game.”

“Oh, I think there was.... it’s just played out and we all lost.”

“Fuck you! To hell with all of you! To hell with the game!!! How can you still be talking about it? How can you still be talking about winning and losing when... when Adam is..... You sacrificed him... both of you.... you sacrificed him so you could win the fucking game.... it was more important than his life and I’m glad you lost.... glad....”

“Annie.....”

“No! You never cared about him Simon.... never! He was a pawn, a way to win. You never cared about him as a person, never even knew him. I did. I knew him. He was my friend, my best friend. He is a wonderful person.... was... a wonderful person. He was someone who made things happen, who made people feel good about themselves.

“He was going to be famous, a superstar.... he had a voice like an angel and no one who heard it could ever forget. He was starting to get .... recognised.... people... the right people.... were getting interested. He had a future.... a great future.... he had... he had....”

Shaun tightened his hold and she turned her face in to him and sobbed. She could tell that he was crying too. Simon was silent now... he had nothing more to say.

“Come on Annie....”

“No! No, I’m not leaving him... not here, not like this. I won’t so don’t even bother trying. I can’t leave him alone.... I can’t.” She pulled away from Shaun and turned back to the table, through her tears it almost seemed as though Adam was glowing, shimmering with a glittering, unnatural light. Blinking she stroked his face and suddenly the tubes and wires attaching him to the machines were a sacrilege, a violation, a defilement and she had to free him, to tear them away.

Annie half expected someone to try and stop her, to pull her away but no one did. In fact when she glanced up, her eyes fierce, daring challenge, the other man was helping her. When he was free Annie climbed up onto the table and took him in her arms. He was heavy, completely lifeless and it made her feel sick but she felt that she had to do it. It was only right.

Everyone that mattered, everyone who had cared about Adam, drew close and the others just disappeared into the background and faded. Looking down into Adam’s face Annie shivered. He looked as if he was just asleep. If it hadn’t been that he was so bleached of colour she could almost believe that he was sleeping and that any moment his eyes would open and....

Her attention was caught by the slice of eye visible beneath his partially closed lids. There was something... something strange.... something really strange. Looking up she could see that every eye in the circle around her were fixed on Adam’s face and they were all looking shocked. She looked down again and here was no doubt about it... there was a light coming from his eyes, a sparkling, golden light, and it was getting brighter