Chapter One
Screaming, Candice pulls at the metal chains that clamp around her wrist. The pain cramping every muscle in her body.
"Inject more" Doctor Frett instructs.
"Doctor, her body will go into shock…" the nurse stammers lowering one syringe, carefully picking up another one.
"My little super-star will survive, don't you worry."
Her vision blurry, Candice screeches. Her screams are masked by the machines around her, some beep excessively, others extract hot air into the, already, damp air.
The nurse injects the needle into her already swollen vein. Candice's blood immediately begins to boil, the pain throbbing in her temples. Her heart beating too fast.
A few minutes pass, her screams become whimpers, and then her whispers become silence. In and out of consciousness, Candice sees Doctor Frett walk close. His cold hands tucking her blond hair behind her ear, wiping the sweat away with his coarse fingers.
"You did good my star. We need to keep an eye on you for the next week. Hopefully this experiment has been… successful."
Dangling her heavy head, Candice looks at her naked and frail body.
"Take her back to her cell, ensure she has enough water by her side. It's safe to say the next few days are going to be more than difficult for her."
Candice hears the door open at the end of the room.
"Sir, General Peters is here to see you." A soldier states. Candice's heart begins to rapidly beat at the sound of his name. She looks up, but her eyes can't focus on anything too far away. All she can see is the back of Doctor Fretts head; his pimple sized head.
"Very well, bring him in."
Candice hears the heavy steps, heel-toe-heel-toe. She can smell his strong after-shave lingering the air. The rage in her chest begins to heat.
"General Peters, pleasure to see you."
Candice watches the Doctor grasp the General's hand into a firm hand-shake. Candice always wondered if monsters could recognise monsters.
"I wish I could say the same Doctor Frett, but I'm afraid I'm on a urgent errand I wish I didn't have to partake in."
Candice sees his slicked-back black hair, the kind that looks too greasy. But she can still remember how it crunched beneath her skin when she ran her fingers through his hair. Her body begins to shake uncontrollably.
"You must move your test subjects ASAP. We have a threat underway and we cannot afford to lose our most valuable…" Candice can feel his emerald eyes stare at her naked body. Candice snaps her head up, looking directly at him, her teeth grinding. The General averts his eyes immediately, the action could almost be mistaken for shame.
The nurse that was lingering, begins to unhook Candice, two soldiers at her side ready to neutralise Candice if need be.
"Uh I don't feel comfortable discussing this around… it."
Candice drops her head lower, losing the eye contact. She feels the metal chains loosen, her body falling into the soldiers strong arms. Doctor Frett looks at Candice, his beaded eyes lightening up. The scar across his face seems to sink deeper in each day Candice sees him.
"Oh don't you worry about her." The doctor walks toward Candice whose limp body is in the arms of the soldier. "She's my own personal, little super-star."
Candice watches his smile reach to both his ears.
"Take her to the truck, I want her escorted out immediately and kept safe" Doctor Frett says, his voice now stern. "No one goes near her unless I allow it, you understand? Take her to safe house 3. If she has even a splinter when I go and check up on her…" Doctor Frett pauses, licking his dry lips "I'll kill you with my bare hands."
The drugs in her system paralysing her voice, Candice remains silent as she is taken out of the lab and packed into a truck.