R | Writing | Short Stories | Sleeper | Chapter 2

"Your performance has been exquisite, Mr. Saravok. On the behalf of the scientists of Seraph Corps., I am excited to see what you are capable of. Your initial responses to the Serum were ill, to say the least, but once the initial obstacle was passed you progressed very nicely. In fact, you've surpassed the others in the one vital area: You are still alive. Congradulations, Mr. Saravok, you've provided the necessary step for the Seraph Corps., and we will continue to moniter you here with us as our most prized experiment. First thing tomorrow, you have an interview with Dr. Rosengard, who'll determine..."

'He just keeps going on and on. If I look like I actually give a damn about what he's saying, maybe he'll just take me to my cell and leave me alone. ...You don't have any kids do you, Mr. Lasse? A wife, perhaps? I know you don't, because if you did you wouldn't be working eighteen hours a day, seven days a week. Do they pay you overtime? They should. This place reeks of blood, I don't see how anyone would wanna work here. It makes me actually wish for home. I think you are the one who should be congradulated, Mr. Lasse; you've given me something to wish for. Congradulations on being the poor, lonely, old geezer you are, Mr. Lasse.'

They'd dressed him in a tight thermal suit that looked like really small longjohns, but he was still cold. Mr Lasse's office looked like it hadn't seen a human in weeks. There was dust on the desk and the cup of milk on the edge was rank as Hell. No pictures were on the walls and no papers on the desk, save for a thick leather folder Mr. Lasse had brought in with him. He was bored... He didn't feel like listening to Mr. Lasse anymore about this "miracle break-through of science." It didn't interest him at all... 'Aren't you done yet?'

"Are you done yet?"

Mr. Lasse's eyes widened, as if it was complete sacrilege to interrupt his controlled frenzy. "Excuse me?"

"Are you done yet? I'm tired of sitting here. It's cold, this place stinks of blood. Why don't you just take me to my cell and leave me be, I don't feel like listening to you talk."

"..." There was a momentary hesitation in which he didn't know if action or reaction would come. "Of course," reaction, "Right this way." Mr. Lasse stood and walked across his small office to the door, opening the door and walking out without looking back.

'Good boy...' Slowly, he rose and walked after Mr. Lasse to an elevator down the hall. He wondered what floor he was on, and to which floor they were going. How many floors did Seraph Corps. Science Insitution have, anyway?

The elevator stopped with a boring, mechanical *ding*, and Mr. Lasse took off down the hall again at a steady walk, as if he were proud that he knew the building like the back of his hand. There were lots of doors and windows here. The windows were large and took up an entire wall space. As he passed by, he turned his head to look at what was inside. Obviously, they were things to be observed. In the first room were a pair of twins. They were young, only children, maybe eight or nine years old. Various little block were in midair around them, and the twins' hands were pressed together, palms touching. He passed them by.

In the next room was a young woman on a cot. Her hair was stark-red, short as it was. She was sleeping, naked. A scientist was in the room with a clipboard, checking her vitals with various instruments. Again, he passed by.

There was lots of commotion in the next room. There was a man who looked to be his age fighting off several security officers. A scientist stood in the open doorway with a syringe in hand. This was the obvious reason the man was struggling. Perhaps he didn't like needles? Or was it something else, like what was inside the syringe. He had a strong hunch that it was Serum. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if it was. As he walked by, a scientist jogged by to a room ahead and threw open the door. What happened now?

It took him a few moments more, passing a room with a boy and a dog, and a man who seemed sleepy and scared, huddled in a corner. As he neared the room in question, he noticed that red was reflecting off the window from the inside and onto the floor affront it. Right away, he knew what had happened. It was common sense that things like this would happen, especially if the experimentees were unwilling, or born into this crude kind of captivity. Just a few paces before he got to the door, a shriek resounded and echoed off the walls. From back down the hall, he heard the twins start to scream, too. Red lights began to flash all around and an ear-shocking alarm sounded. Mr. Lasse stopped in his tracks a looked onto the room. Then, with a simple, "Stay," he shot off at a dead run. Now he was interested.

Inside the room, a girl with bloody arms had the scientist who'd gone into her room by the hair and shirt and was shoving him, head first, into the wall. Once she was satisfied with the amount of blood that came pouring from his nose, she relinquished to punching him in the face repeatedly. She was screaming at him the entire time, but he could barely make out any of it. He knew she was speaking English, but her rage seemed so passionate that her words weren't even correctly pronounced.

"Get me out of here, let me go, stop keeping me! I'm not a fucking dog! I'm not your God damned ginuea pig!" And finally, letting the man drop into his faint, she stood and cried out above the alarm, "Will someone get me out of here!!?? Get me out, get me out! FUCKING LET ME OUT!!"

He was shocked into silence, stillness. He stared at her, and after finishing her words, she spotted him and stared back. Her face was tear-streaked, matted with bloodlike her hair and white hospital gown. She wasn't beautiful, like a hero would immediatly think of the love interest in a movie. She wasn't normal, either, whatever normal was. But she had a look that caught his eye and he couldn't figure out what. He didn't have time to; she lowered her head and sat down right where she stood. She drew her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them, letting her short, messy locks hide her face.

Running footsteps came from up the hall and several security officers with riot shields came and cautiously entered the room. "Get up!"

The girl didn't answer. In fact, she didn't acknowledge their existence at all. When one of the officers got close enough, they hit her upside her head with such a wallop that she was sure he could hear her skull crack a little from the force. She fell onto her side with a dull thud. The officers gripped her by her upper arms and dragged her from the room and down the hall ahead of them. They turned the corner ahead, and then all was quiet. The twins at the beginning of the hall stopped screaming, and the dog from the previous room began to whine quetly. Nothing was left of the girl but the blood smattered in the room and the trail of it that led down the hall. He followed it with his eyes, as if merely looking would get him there.

A hand rested on his shoulder. Instincitvely, he gripped it with both hands, turned, and was greeted with a hand to his neck. Mr. Lasse looked steadily at him, but not in the eye. He supposed that year in "service to science" had lessened his reaction time. "If you're ready to go to your cell, then we can get going. I have others things to take care of." Mr. Lasse released him and continued up the hall, quickly.

'...Hmph.' As he passed by the corner, he looked in the direction they'd taken the girl. All there was was a door that read, "CAUTION: HAZARDOUS ANIMALS CONTAINED!" '"Hazardous animals", huh? No wonder she wants to get outta here. Pssht, I would, too.' Who was he kidding? He did wanna get out of here, and everything that girl had pleaded to no one was exactly what he was crying out on the inside.