The tension in the room was suffocating. Lena's mind swirled in confusion, fear, and anger. The cruel reality of the situation was dawning on her. There was no escaping this nightmare, and worse, there was no one she could trust. Theo, her twin brother - the person she had shared everything with - was now a stranger. A cold, calculating stranger who had known far more about this terror than she ever could have imagined.
Lena's gaze flicked nervously between the leader of the terrorists and Theo, who had taken a step back, observing everything with unnerving calmness. He wasn't even sweating. His eyes held something sinister now, a depth of knowledge she had never seen before.
"Do it, Lena," the leader ordered, his voice harsh.
Her heart hammered in her chest as she looked at Rachel and the other student, Aaron, who were both shaking uncontrollably. Rachel's eyes were wide, her lips trembling as she mouthed one word: Help.
Lena swallowed hard. She had taken an oath to save lives, but this... this was not medicine. This was a perversion of everything she had learned, everything she believed in.
But what choice did she have? If she didn't comply, if she hesitated for even a second, someone would die. And the leader's threat had been clear: they would die.
Lena's hands trembled as she reached out to take the instruments from the terrorist's bag. The cold metal felt heavy in her palms, like a burden she wasn't prepared to carry.
"Keep them alive. Just enough. If you make them die, you'll regret it," the leader warned, his eyes narrowing with cold determination. "We'll make sure of it."
Lena's hands were shaking as she moved to Rachel, whose breath was shallow, body limp, as though the weight of the fear had already begun to crush her. Aaron, beside her, was still conscious, but his eyes were glassy, almost empty. It was like their spirits had already left their bodies.
Lena's throat tightened, her mind screaming for a way out. This wasn't right. None of this was. But there was no escape. The terrorists had her, and worse - they had Theo.
She turned to him, her voice barely above a whisper. "Theo, what is this? Why are you doing this?"
For the first time since they had entered the room, Theo looked at her directly. His expression was unreadable, his face a mask of calm. He took a slow step toward her, and for a moment, Lena felt a flicker of hope that he might - just might - have been forced into this, that there was still a way out.
But that hope was quickly dashed as he spoke, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Because I need this, Lena. This is my path. And whether you want to admit it or not, deep down, you've always known something was... off about me."
Lena's heart stuttered. She had known something was wrong, but she had never imagined it would lead to this.
"What the hell does that mean, Theo? You've been a part of this all along? Are you working with them?"
He stepped closer, his eyes dark, almost unreadable. "Not working with them. I'm leading them."
The words hit Lena like a punch to the stomach. Her breath left her, the room spinning around her.
"No..." she whispered, her voice breaking. "You... you're the one behind this?"
Theo's lips curved into a small, cold smile, one that was all too familiar. It was the same smile he had worn when they were younger, when they had played pranks on their parents, when they had snuck out to parties. But now, it was twisted. Dark. Unrecognizable.
"I needed you to see the truth, Lena. I needed you to see the real me."
Lena staggered backward, her legs weak beneath her. "All this time... all those years, I thought you were my brother, my partner, my twin." Her voice cracked. "I never imagined this... I never imagined you were capable of something like this."
Theo's expression softened for a moment, as if a part of him felt something akin to regret. But it was fleeting, and before Lena could process it, the leader of the terrorists spoke up again, interrupting their exchange.
"Enough talk," the leader barked. "We don't have time for your family drama. Get back to work, Lena. Or I'll make sure your brother suffers the consequences."
Lena's heart dropped. She looked at Theo, fear and disbelief written all over her face.
"Please, Theo," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Help us. Help me."
Theo's eyes narrowed as he glanced between her and the terrorists. A strange, bitter laugh escaped his lips, and then he took a step back, raising his hands in mock surrender.
"You want me to help you? But I already am, Lena. I'm giving you the chance to show me what you're really made of. To see if you have the guts to do what needs to be done."
The room fell into a tense silence. Lena's heart raced. Theo had already made his choice. He had sided with them. And now, she was alone.
The leader nodded at Lena, signaling for her to continue.
With trembling hands, Lena picked up the needle. She could feel the weight of the decision pressing on her chest. As she bent over Rachel, her breath shallow and labored, Lena whispered a silent apology to her.
She had no idea what she was doing. She didn't know if she was helping or making things worse. But she had no choice. The cold metal of the needle sank into Rachel's skin, and Lena tried to push aside the nausea that rose in her throat.
Theo watched her from the shadows, his eyes unreadable. A flicker of satisfaction, of approval, seemed to dance in his gaze. But was it really approval? Or something far darker?