Chapter 52 Try To Remember
The strong humidity hits us as we climb off the plane. We’ve arrived in the heart of Europe, Germany. Carlos is standing by my side holding my hand as we both walk to the car.
Bodyguards with firearms were everywhere, and jets were flying overhead. Carlos was right about the security; it’s tight here, but somehow I still am unable to feel safe. It’s like no matter how I try, I just don’t feel safe.
Carlos and I got into the car and the drive started, two cars of Carlos were driving behind us, two in front of us.
"Don’t you think this much security will draw attention to us?" I asked nervously. I feel like it will give the Menendez the quickest hint that we are all here.
"This is Germany, Nala, this is normal. Anyone around would think royalty is passing by. It’s not much of a big deal," He said.
I nodded. Carlos reached for my hand and held it firmly. He smiled weakly, reassuring me that all would be fine. I know it would be, but I’m just scared because it’s not gonna be an easy task.
"Where are we going on?" I asked.
"My house… our home," He said with a smile. I simply nodded.
The drive to the mansion was very silent and smooth. Carlos kept checking on me every now and then just to make sure that I was alright. I love that he really cares for me. It’s great to have someone like him around me, someone who really cares and just wants me to be alright. I wish I had seen this part of him the first time he and I met; maybe then things would have been much better.
Getting to the mansion, I was in awe at how massive and beautiful it was. It wasn’t like the house back in town; it was bigger and better.
"What do you think?" Carlos asked, noticing the look on my face.
"The finest house I’ve seen," I said.
"You should go inside. The maids will guide you to the room, and I’ll meet you right there," He said.
I walked in, and the maids quickly introduced themselves. They showed me the room, and as anyone would guess, it’s massive—maybe the biggest I’ve seen so far.
I quickly headed to the bathroom to cleanse myself. The warm water really did it for me, washing down my body from head to toe, taking off that restlessness off my chest. Once I was done, I put on a comfortable outfit which made me feel a lot warmer.
Then I heard a knock on the door. I called, "Come in," and then a maid walked in.
"Dinner is ready. Sir Carlos is waiting for you downstairs," She said.
"Okay," I nodded. I walked out of the room and into the dining room, where I found Carlos waiting for me.
"Dinner," He said, lifting his full plate of food. "It’s homemade."
I smiled and took my seat. We began eating, having a bite of mashed potatoes with steak. It tasted so good. I would eat this all day if I didn’t care about my weight.
Completely into the meal, the same muscular man who showed Carlos the map walked in. He strolled over to where Carlos was and whispered something in his ear.
Carlos stopped eating. His eyes fell on me, and I could easily notice the shift of tension between us.
"What’s wrong?" I asked, as panic set in. "Did something happen? Are they here? Did they find us?"!My heart started racing.
"No, it’s not that. We are safe here," He reminded me. He stood up and walked over to me. "We have to start the mission as soon as possible, and since you can’t really remember a thing, we have to use the memory machine on you."
"Oh," I said, taken aback.
"Yes, I’m going to be by your side. I promise you it’s not that bad," He assured.
I believed him and nodded. "Let’s do this then."
Carlos and I walked out of the room and headed to the basement, which was packed with even more guards. When we got to the room that looked like an asylum, I met a man dressed like a doctor and another who just stood there looking at me.
"Nala, this is Dr. Shane and his assistant, Rico," Carlos introduced. Then he said, "Fellows, this is my wife, Nala."
"Nice to meet you," Shane said.
I only smiled.
Carlos stepped forward. "You said this would not hurt, right?"
"Not at all. It will be quick and not painful," Shane assured. Then he said, "Shall we start?"
Carlos looked at me to make sure I was alright with starting now. I smiled, and then he said, "Yes."
Shane asked me to sit on the chair. I did, and he used the metal rope to tighten my hands to it. Carlos stood a few feet away, watching me and trying his best to give me a positive look.
Rico put on something that looked like a helmet on my head and said, "Don’t fight it, okay?"
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.
"The memories will come to you. Don’t resist them. Absorb them and understand."
I nodded.
Rico started tapping a few things on the machine, and suddenly my eyes shot wide open. I felt myself sinking into a deep sleep even though my eyes were open. It was peaceful at first, then thoughts began to rush in all at once. Before I knew it, I could see myself when I was younger. Then I saw Susan Menendez. It all seemed like a calm dream until everything came crashing down.
Images began to flicker through my mind, fast and chaotic. It was traumatic. I wanted to scream but couldn’t open my eyes or move my body. The scream was trapped inside me. I was calling for help, but no sound came out.
It felt like sleep paralysis, only worse. I wasn’t seeing what was around me — I was seeing flashes of memories, moving too fast to make sense of, too intense to hold onto.
My heart raced. I was fighting to break free. I could feel myself tearing apart; my breath came short and sharp. I was losing control. I was losing my mind.
"Get her out of this!" I heard Carlos shout.
Shane replied, "We can’t. It’s working. She needs to remember."
"Are you kidding me? She’s hurting, let her out!" Carlos yelled, but Shane didn’t stop.
After that, I could barely hear them. My world was nothing but flashes, pain, and noise inside my head. I struggled to breathe, and just as I thought it was over, everything went dark.
When I came to, Carlos was holding me. He must have told them to stop.
I didn’t realize when I fell against his shoulder, sobbing, shaking, trying to catch my breath.
"Do you remember anything?" Shane asked.
Carlos glared at him. "Are you insane? My wife is in pain, and that’s what you care about?" He growled.
He lifted me and carried me to the bedroom. He laid me on the bed, and for as long as I stayed conscious, he never let go of me.