The man snapped his finger the sound echoing in the now silent room.
The masked guard enters the room unbuckling the straps my arms dropped dead and useless at my sides. grabbing my arm they dragged me across the cold tile floor. They tossed me through the heavy metal door. The door snapped shut with a thud.
I tried to push myself up, but my arms felt like jelly giving out I crashed back down on the ground blood pooled beneath my chin as a bloody cough rips through my throat. I lay there feeling empty.
A soft rustling broke the silence in the room.
I forced my eyelids open straining against the bright lights. In the connor there sat a girl about my age her hair was red against the white walls of the room.
"Who...Who are you?" I gasped my voice little more than a broken wheeze I coughed blood again.
She didn't flinch at the blood. She stared into my eyes. She rested her chin against her knees "I'm Amy" her voice was calm "I am your dormmate"
"Wh...What do you mean dormmate" I manage to crawl towards the wall resting my back against it.
"You're new, aren't you?" She tilted her head still keeping that unnerving stare "We're at the orphanage"
Before I could ask her what kind of orphanage had steel doors and armed guards a sharp tring pierced the air. Amy stood up smoothing her scrubs
"It's lunchtime let's go" she said already walking out to the hall.
Still shivering I forced myself to stand up and stumbled after her. We walked into a cafeteria hundreds of teenager sat at a long table. It was dead silent. Their eyes were glassy, their faces were as if they had been sculpted into neutrality.
A nurse wearing a obviously fake smile hands me small paper cup containing a single pill. Beside her another worker was shoving a plate of food at my hands. I followed Amy through the herd of teenagers until we reach a table at the back. Four people were sitting there.
Unlike the rest of the room they felt normal almost human.
"Who are these guys?" I whispered my stomach turning i poke at the food with a spoon.
"They're my friends" Amy said a genuine smile finally cracked on her face she pointed to a giant "That's Ajax"
I felt like a child next to the Goliath he was holding a fork it was severely warped from his grip. He saw me looking at him and gave a chuckle his eyes were the colour of bronze.
"The blonde guy is Aiden" he snarled at me there was a scar on his left eye. He silently slid a piece of his bread on my tray "Don't stare newbie" He muttered under his breath.
"And that's Ruby" Amy finished
Ruby was sitting languidly. She was inspecting me like a puzzle. Her blood-red eyes bore into me.
"What's your name, Newcomer?" Ajax asked his voice was heavy "though you don't probably remember it after the initiation do ya?"
I froze My name I remember it ofcourse I do wait what was my name again wait where do I live what's my street name. Then a single memory came to Shepherd's Pie. My mom's «Shepherd's pie»
The memory brought warmth for a second before pain exploded in my skull I dropped my spoon. I clutch my head
Aiden clutched my shoulder "Don't try to remember" he hissed "it'll only bring pain"
"He's right" Ruby said softly her eyes staring me "Give in it's not worth remembering"
I let the memory slip away. Forcing my breath to slow down. The pain quickly vanished as soon as it came.
"So what should we call you?" Ajax asked
"David" the name felt weird like it was a borrowed shirt.
"David, it is" Ajax nodded
I looked at the pill in the cup "What this for?"
"Pain relief or so they say" Ajax scoffed. Leaning in he said conspiratorial "I think it's just to make us behave. Your choice to take it, we don't"
I put the pill in my pocket "I'll pass"
The tring of the bell ringed again the horde of teenagers marched back to the cells dropping the plates down a chute. We left the cafeteria entering the cell again.
Amy sat on the edge of the bottom bunk patted the mattress "Sit"
I sat next to her "What's going on?"
She leaned in her lips brushing against my ear
Whispering softly "Don't speak loudly," she breathed "The Room's bugged"
"How do you know?" I whispered back
"Because we tried to escape once" She pulled up her shirt showing a mean scar on her stomach "We got betrayed. Caught before we could even see the sky. That's how Aiden and I got our scars. The guards brought us to him"
"Who?"
"The Head Researcher Dr. Robert Miller. You'll understand how sadistic when you awaken your complex"
Before I could what a complex was I heard a familiar hiss in the air the gas came engulfing the room. I didn't try to fight against what was the point. The darkness took over.
As Ice water hit my face. I gasped choking on the liquid. I was in a brightly lit room with thick walls The air smelled like rotting meat.
I heard a guttural wet roar that shool the floorboard.
I whipped around my eyes fell on the nightmare of a hulking mass of flesh too many arms stitched on each side faces that were silently screaming
I scrambled to my feet running but the room wasn't endless no matter how desperately I wanted it to be I hit the back wall. I turned around one of the Monsters comes out grabbing my leg and smashing me into the wall
Bones cracked my eyes rolled. My vision went white them black.
The pain was gone I was floating in a vast empty void.
In the darkness I saw a spark ignited. It grew larger singing my skin it weaved and shifted into the form of a Butterfly.
"Welcome to your mind, David" the butterfly spoke its voice was soothing.
"What are you?!" I screamed "Am I dead" My voice a whisper
"You are merely asleep and I am the Serum"
The butterfly wings fluttered "I will give you power. Power beyond your wildest dreams beyond this fragile flesh. Let me in and you shall evolve"
My eyes snapped open The creature was pulling me back for another slam.
I twisted my body bringing my foot on one of the faces. The force of the kick destroyed the floor board making a dent on the top of the nightmares head.
My blood was boiling my body temperature rising. It felt like I had swallowed a furnace.
The sweat from my body instantly evaporates
into white steam. I looked at my hand it felt like something was moving inside my body as strands of hair fell on my hand they had turned Ashen white
The nightmare lunged forward to grab me again.
I didn't move as the massive hand closed around me it melted into goo
The creature shrieked each face was screaming.
I walked towards the nightmare the heat of my body melting the tiles beneath my feet. Flames erupted on my arms. A sadistic smile forms on my face a expression that I didn't know I could do.
I pressed my palm on its body.
I released it all A massive wave of fire at him the sound of the flames drowned out the monsters cry the abomination was vaporised not even ashes were left of it.
The fire died down the Adrenaline vanished my knees buckled i collapse on the burnt floor my vision tunneling into blackness
Through the blue the masked guard grabbed my arm dragging me across the floor through a long corridor I drifted in an out of consciousness. Leaving a trail of blood from my scalp
When my eyes opened gone were the sterile lights I was on a plush rug the room was opulent Mahogany desk and bookshelves leather chairs and various scientific awards
Behind the desk sat a man my blurry eyes managed to focus on the gleaming nameplate
«Dr. Robert Miller»