4. 295
Chapter four
The loud sound of a baton smacking the metal bars has me jolting upright from my dream. It’s not a sound that I am unfamiliar with, yet it is one I always dread and one that makes my heart leap into my throat. I didn’t think I would hear it again so soon. Dr Vic usually gives me a week or two before I am taken down to the fighting ring below. I glance over to see one of the guards glaring at me. His brow is sweating as he hits the metal bars once more with a loud thud. “295! Dr. Vic requests you, so get your ass out of bed.”
I rub the sleep from my eyes and blink a few times, trying to wake up because I am confident I misheard him. I am a creature of habit anymore, and this isn’t right. After experiments, I rest and then fight. I should have almost a month before going back to Dr. Vic’s labs unless I get hurt fighting. The recovery cells are in his laboratory. He enjoys watching through the thick glass like we are his personal lab rats. Dr. Vic is insane, but he always gives me more time to recover. “I just got back from there.”
I nervously bite my bottom lip as I glance at the wall where 203 is listening to this conversation. Regret slams into my chest, as I wish I would have talked longer to him. It’s foolish to think we had more time because I was wrong. I didn’t get to say goodbye. Now that I have shifted, what’s left for me? Any usefulness I have is now gone. I close my eyes and mentally say goodbye because, at this moment, this feels like the end.
The guard’s eyes narrow on me and the giant muscle head tilts toward me. His crooked, yellowing teeth gnash in my direction, and I swear I can smell his breath from here. “Are you giving me lip, 295?”
My eyes lock onto his dark brown eyes as I breathe, shaking my head. Knowing I have no choice, I stand and walk over to the door, placing my hands through the transport panel. Dread builds every second as he slips the chain between my wrists. The last time I felt dread this heavy was on my 13th birthday. Yet, I mocked myself and doubted my instincts. I won’t make that mistake twice. My mind is elsewhere when he grips the chain between his hands, yanking me forward. My face crashes into the metal bars. I wince in pain as his breath assaults me as he speaks through gritted teeth. “You’re lucky the doctor needs you.”
I wince as he pulls me harder into the metal bars. I smile a little as I open my eyes to look up at him. “Yeah. Lucky me.” If I am going to die, I am going to die sarcastically and pissing people off.
He opens my cell, and as I walk, he jabs his baton into my back to walk faster. My feet hate the groves of the metal grating walkway. He walks me to the elevator and jabs the button with the baton. I would love to jam that baton so far up his ass. That thought makes me smile. He is lucky I am chained. When the door opens, he shoves me forward, causing me to briefly stumble before righting myself for the ride down. Before he can push the button, my fingers press the L button.
His baton comes forward on my wrist, hard enough to hurt but not enough to break anything. “Cute little love tap there.” My head tilts to look at him with a smirk. He can’t do much to me right now. Dr. Vic owns his ass, along with all the other guards. There is a pecking order, and he isn’t even close to the top.
However, that didn’t stop him from shoving me back into the wall. He hits me with the baton, and the door opens when he raises it again. “William!” Dr. Vic’s voice rises from the elevator entrance. “She is too valuable to my research for that! I will see you punished.” He turns and signals to one of his goons, snapping his fingers twice. Vic motions to William. “Report him to the general.”
The goon takes my place in the elevator. I turn before the doors close and give him a small wave of my fingers. “Take care, William.”
Dr. Vic’s eyes narrow on me as he takes my chains in his hand. Two goons move behind me to watch me closely. The table is now vertical, waiting for my arms and legs to be placed into additional cuffs. Goon one and two help put on the metal cuffs. I don’t see Egor, but he is probably lurking nearby.
“Why am I back? What are we doing today, Doc?” If today is the day I die, then I will poke the doctor more than usual. Usually, his fascination with me outweighs any annoyance he feels for me. I have a bit of a longer leash, but it didn’t mean he made my life easy. If anything, he loves pushing me to my limits.
“Your body finally accepted the shifter DNA. We want to see if we can replicate the same result with the vampire.” He takes the back of his hand, running it down my cheek. His almost white eyes watch me closely. His mask covers his mouth and nose, with a surgeon’s cap over his head. “They are pushing up the deadline. So, unfortunately, I cannot give you more time to recover.”
He pierces my skin with a needle and draws my blood out into a bag. “Here, I thought you were in charge, doc.” I know he isn’t in charge, but the man has to have some pull here. His cold eyes narrow on me. “You know better than that. If I were…,” He looks up to where a camera sits watching. “…I wouldn’t risk our best test subject for a deadline!”
“Then, why are you?” My heart rate speeds up at that. This seems like something that is beyond me talking him out of it. I have to try.
He pulls up the blood bag and lets it empty into a glass beaker—Dr Vic motions to someone. My eyes dart to see Egor limp over, holding a small vial and handing it to him. “We are doubling the vampire venom today.” He mixes the blood and venom, preparing it for syringes.
I try to shake my head, but hands grab the sides of my face, pulling the headrest straps firmly in place against my face. I scream out, panic gripping my chest. “Tell them no! It’s going to kill me!” I am so weak from the wolf venom that I could barely function today. I didn’t think I was going to wake up this morning.
Strong hands grip my jaw before placing a leather strap between my teeth. Dr. Vic sighed as I heard him flick the sides of the syringe to get the bubbles out. “This isn’t for either of us to decide. We are so close to a breakthrough.” His needle hovered over my arm. “You were going to be my masterpiece.” His hand strokes my cheek. “Look at me getting sentimental.”
I grit down as a scream rips out of my throat when the venom enters my bloodstream. Despite wanting to slow my heart rate, panic causes it to beat faster as it is in the driver’s seat. It burns as it spreads up my arm. I can feel exactly the route the venom is taking in my veins. Before I can get used to that feeling, he jabs me with another needle into my other arm. It looks like spiderwebs are growing under my skin as it spreads. My eyes widen as I see the veins in my arm turn black as it burns its way through my system.
My body convulses and fights, pulling against the restraints yet getting nowhere. The room blurs as my head tilts to an angle that feels unnatural. My eyes seem stuck as my body seizes. Something leaks from my mouth, and I can’t stop or think about it. A burning inside me intensifies, and it feels like I am burning alive. Something is wrong; this doesn’t feel normal. It feels worse. Dr. Vic’s fingers palpate around my chest before jamming one more needle into my heart. The lights are so bright. I can only make out three shadows standing over my body. “I would love to know who sired her. She is simply fascinating.” His voice sounds like it’s muffled. “Damnit, she is coding! Give me more adrenaline!” Those words are the last thing I hear before my world goes dark. I am floating in a sea of darkness.
I feel weightless as I ripple through the dark water. My body needs no air. There is only an icy darkness around me as I swim to nothing. No more panic, only a sense of calm. A light flickers ahead. Its presence beckons me to it like a lifeline. I pull through the darkness. A small part of me feels like I should panic, yet I don’t quite understand how to do that anymore. I use my arms and legs to push forward to break through the surface. As soon as I am at its edge, it feels like a hand grabs me, pulling me through.
My body slowly descends from the inky water. I feel myself floating gently down, like a feather upon the wind, as I ripple like a current through the air. When I look up, the stars flicker, seeming to welcome me. A smile forms on my face as my legs meet the cold white sand. Next, my finger grips into the tiny granules on the surface. I lay down and run my finger through, making a wave design. Then, I hear the crash of waves meeting on the beach.
The inky black water curls into a wave and crashes as it meets the white sand. The sight before me is breathtaking as I watch. 203 is going to get his wish for sand after all. That thought has me nodding because this seems like the perfect place to wait for his arrival. I should probably be sad because I know I am dead, yet I can’t seem to make myself be anything but happy. It’s beautiful and a great place to wait for him to find me.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” a masculine voice says behind me. I refuse to look to see who it is. Part of me feels like I have waited my whole life to see this place. I am not in a hurry to go anywhere else. If I don’t look, maybe I won’t have to leave. Perhaps he is the one who takes you to your afterlife. I don’t want to leave until 203 meets me. Then I will go willingly. I might feel brave enough to walk hand in hand. Together, we can face whatever comes next. I feel certain that our souls would recognize each other.
The air seems to thicken as if he is waiting for a reply. I have never been great with my words, and I don’t want to say the wrong things in case this is the person who decides my fate. “I could sit and watch it forever,” I tell the voice, hoping they don’t make me leave.
Feeling like I don’t have a choice, I look over my shoulder. There doesn’t seem to be anyone here. Maybe they gave up and went away. I shift my gaze around, and there seems to be nobody else around. Yet, his voice sounds again. “Unfortunately, that isn’t an option for you.” I frown as I look for them once again. There is nothing there but more darkness.
“Are you here to take me away?” I look in both directions again, but nothing is there—only the dark void of an endless dark sea. I probably should be scared, but I’m already dead. What more can this voice do to me? Maybe I, too, will fade away until I am nothing more than a voice here. At least I wouldn’t be alone forever. “Who are you?”
“Who I am doesn’t matter. Your death woke me. As much as I wish I could, I cannot take you with me.” A rumble of laughter sounds, seeming to come from all around me. How can a sound wrap around you? Somehow, he makes it happen. I feel my hair pull off the back of my neck, and it feels like a whisper against my skin. Arms wrap around my middle, pulling me backward. It feels like I am leaning against a powerful chest. I should probably be scared, but all I feel is calm. My eyes close, and I give in to the feeling for a few minutes. Because how long has it been since I felt someone embrace me? I haven’t felt safe in years, and that’s how I feel right now. Safe.
My phantom must feel slightly the same because we sit like this for a few minutes as I watch the waves. When he speaks again, it feels like he is now whispering against my ear. “How unfortunate for you that you are going to go back. I find myself too curious to see what happens. Like the doctor, you seem to fascinate even the likes of me.” It feels like lips are pressing down on my neck. His phantom breath reminds me of a lover, which feels crazy since I have yet to find a lover to call my own. He causes me to gasp as his lips run up my neck before kissing the top of my head.
A shudder runs over my body as my eyes wander, looking for the body to go with the phantom before me. I want to know who they are. I need to see and understand what is happening. No words seem to want to leave, so I allow myself to go limp. Something stands me up and spins me around. Once more, he chuckles as he wraps his arms back around my body. I can hear and feel the vibration of his laughter against my chest. “Oh, how I wish I could keep you. Be on the lookout for instructions. We will be watching.” I want to question everything, but I find myself more confused, even more so when pressure builds in my chest.
The hands tighten against me as it continues to build, and it feels like an invisible hand is inside my chest, squeezing my heart within its grasp. My mouth opens, gaping as I try to collect air in my lungs. Then, the sand changes texture, turning into quicksand, as the sand slowly swallows me whole. By the time I can suck in a breath of air, the pressure on my heart releases.
My eyes look down at my chest, yet nothing is there. It feels as if the surrounding ground is no longer there. My body weight drags me downwards, falling through blackness until I crash land inside of my body. A coldness seems to crawl inside of me. It causes me to take a sharp intake of air, making the leather strap in my mouth fly. The sound echoes around me, making me flinch from the noise. Every breath seems to vibrate throughout the room. The air seems thicker than normal, and my lungs try to pull as much air inside as I can, which causes gasps and coughs to leave my body.
My heartbeat is out of control, but my body no longer burns, though I am still strapped down onto the table. Nobody seemed to be around, but I couldn’t see anything but the bright light above me. My gasps for air must have caught the attention of someone, their footfalls sounding heavy. “Sarge!” I hear someone yell, “We were wrong. This one is alive! Get medical here!”
What the hell was happening? A man is wearing a helmet, goggles, and tactical gear moving above me. His head hits the overhead light, causing it to tilt out of my eyes. “Who are you?” I bark gruffly, thinking either they might be worse or that small bit of hope that maybe it’s someone shutting this place down. Can I let that hope build up?
“It’s okay. We are with the Fae Protection Services–FPS and will get you out of here.” My body shakes with the words, or maybe it’s the vampire venom that remains in my veins. The needle from the venom still stands out of my chest. Dr Vic usually hits me with a shot of adrenaline right about now. The shakes have begun, which happens when the venom is being absorbed. My veins appear gray rather than black. A sob breaks through my lips. My body shakes more violently as I let myself cry, something I haven’t done in a long time. “Sarge! I need some help here! Where is that medic?”
Did I need medical attention? Maybe. Without the shot, I will be even more miserable. When he touches my arm to let me free, I hiss and cry out in pain. Until I heal, every touch feels like it will bruise. “Careful,” I say through gritted teeth. His hands jerk away, and perfect fingertip-shaped black bruises appear on the surface of my arms. “Vampire venom. It’s still working through my system. I’m going to need you to stab me with that needle there on the table.” He takes a staggering step backward, hitting the light once more.
“Stab you where?” His voice heightens, almost causing his deep voice to go through a puberty change. That, along with his brown eyes looking enormous through his goggles, causes me to laugh. A deep belly laugh, and I can’t stop. The poor man looks so out of his element. Somehow, I don’t think they cover this in basic training.
“Sorry. Your eyes in the goggles.” I wheeze with laughter and try to take a breath and not freak the man out further. I close my eyes and try to calm my breath. Either way, I’m not helping prove my mental state. “You won’t hurt me.” The laugh subsides, and I nod to the man. “I’m ready. I pull out the other needle, and you hit the same spot in my heart. It’s adrenaline. It will help the venom settle. I will heal slowly.”
His hand shakes. I look at him, needing him to do this for me. “It’s okay; just do it.” My gaze feels like it’s challenging him, pushing him to do something he doesn’t want.
Sweat drips from his nose. He does what I suggest and stabs before pushing the adrenaline in. The relief is almost instant. “Thank you. Now, quickly undo the straps, and I think I can walk out of here.”
He nods before opening the right side, then the left. When I sit up, I shove the overhead lamp out of the way. My limbs felt so heavy, but it wasn’t new. A new person approaches the room; the one who found me halts him from touching me. “Don’t touch her or touch as little as possible.”
When I stand up, I collapse into a heap, and my world goes black once more.