The Recall Trials
Chapter 85: The Boy Who Cried Blood

Chapter 85: The Boy Who Cried Blood

No one spoke.

I stepped forward.

"I hurt people I care about. I scared the ones who tried to help me. I turned my back on the only ones who could’ve saved me from myself."

I looked at Zaara.

"I’m sorry for what happened. I don’t expect forgiveness."

I looked at Carter.

"I’m sorry I disappeared when you needed someone in your corner."

Then I looked down at unconscious Jojo.

"And Jojo..."

I choked up.

"She saved me. When no one else believed I could be saved, she did. She reached in and pulled me back when I was too far gone to care. And now..."

My voice faltered.

"She might not make it because of me."

Silence.

I looked up.

"I remember everything now. And the truth? It hurts. It’s killing me."

I exhaled.

"But I’m not asking for redemption. I’m not asking for a reset."

I clenched my fists.

"I’m not who I was," I said quietly. "And I don’t know if I ever will be again. But I want to be someone better. Someone Jojo wouldn’t be ashamed to call a friend."

I turned back to face them.

Theo’s jaw was tight. Dinesh just crossed his arms. A few others looked away.

Zaara’s eyes were fixed on the ground.

And Nomi... leaned against the wall.

I stepped closer to the center of the room.

"I’m not asking you to trust me. Hell, I wouldn’t trust me either. But if we’re going to make it out of this place alive... if we’re going to survive them..." I glanced toward the ceiling, the invisible cameras, the hidden microphones. "Then we’re going to need each other. Whether we like it or not."

Silence.

Then a voice.

"You meant it," Carter said from the back. "Every word."

I looked at him.

He nodded once. Limping as he moved to my side. "When I thought you were gone...when those masked bastards dragged you away, I thought they killed you. But I think what they did was worse. They stripped you. Rewired you. And still... even after all that, you found your way back."

He placed a hand on my shoulder.

"That’s not weakness, Vincent. That’s strength."

I didn’t realize how badly I needed someone to believe that.

My throat tightened.

Then Jojo stirred.

I turned fast.

Zaara rushed to her side, brushing hair from her forehead as Jojo blinked up at the light.

Her lips moved slowly.

"...Was that your apology speech?" she teased.

I almost smiled.

Jojo winced, coughing again...blood staining her sleeve.

But she was grinning.

"Bout time..." she whispered.

I knelt beside her, gently holding her hand. "You scared the hell out of me."

She squeezed my fingers..

Zaara wiped under her eyes quickly like she wasn’t crying.

Carter crouched on Jojo’s other side. "We’ll figure out a way to slow the poison. Something. Anything."

Jojo’s gaze flicked to him. "No deal for the antidote... you know that."

Zaara’s voice broke. "There has to be something—"

"There’s not," Jojo whispered.

But then her hand tightened around mine.

"It’s fine, Vincent... we’re just glad you’re back," someone said.

Then another hand reached out. Then another.

One by one, the contestants began walking over....tired faces, shaky smiles as they extended their hands to me.

I stood slowly, unsure how to react. Some of them smiled. Others gave curt nods. A few even clapped my shoulder like we were old friends again.

But not everyone.

I caught the flash of movement just as Theo shoved past the crowd.

Dinesh followed right after...shoving his way out without even glancing at me.

I exhaled, watching them disappear through the corridor.

And strangely... I got it.

I understood Dinesh. He had every right to hate me. To doubt me. After what I did to hurt someone he loved.

But Theo?

I took a breath and stepped forward, about to follow them, maybe to explain... maybe to just take the punch I deserved...

When it started.

That piercing ringing in my skull.

My body jerked.

I clutched my head, stumbling back like I’d been shot. The sound wasn’t just loud....it was crawling through my brain.

And then the voice came.

"How dare you tell them you’ve gotten back your memories? That you’re no longer one of us? After everything we’ve done to shape you... mold you?"

I clenched my teeth as the pitch rose.

My knees buckled.

I gripped my head with both hands, nails digging into my scalp.

The pain was everywhere now. Not just in my mind....but crawling, tearing under my skin.

"You were warned. You were built for this. And now you want to pretend you’re free?"

I couldn’t hear anyone else anymore. Just that voice. Just the ringing.

I screamed.

People began rushing toward me....blurred figures, faces swimming in concern, but I couldn’t see them. I could only hear that voice.

I dropped to my knees.

My chest heaved.

I felt my throat open with a sound I didn’t recognize....a raw scream torn straight from something broken.

And then....

Dripping.

Down my cheeks.

My fingers reached up on instinct....and when I pulled them back, they were smeared with red.

Blood.

Leaking from my eyes.

Like tears made of fire.

The room exploded in screams.

"Help him!"

"Oh my god, he’s bleeding from his eyes—"

"Someone do something!"

My mouth moved before I could stop it. A whisper, a plea...

"Help me..."

That’s when Carter dropped beside me.

His arms held me up as my body began to seize.

I was having a seizure.

I barely registered it.

I felt something cold at the base of my neck....something thin and sharp piercing under the skin.

A hiss.

Then....

Silence.

The ringing vanished.

Like it had never been there.

I collapsed against Carter, gasping for breath. My entire body felt relieved.

I was dizzy.

His hand was on my back.

"I got it," Carter whispered. "There was something in your neck. A chip."

He opened his palm.

A tiny, blinking chip.

Silver.

His fingers were stained red. "You’re free now."

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