The overhead lights flickered on, illuminating the scene in a garish fluorescence. I slowly blinked, fearful of what I might find. Scientists stood over me in surgical masks, wielding scary metal instruments no doubt meant for experiments on their favorite test subject: me, a six-year-old girl created in these laboratories from a shifter egg cell and a vampire sperm cell.
Lucky me.
"Crap, it's awake," the main devilman muttered. "Someone give it some more anesthesia," he ordered his lackeys. "We don't want it causing a fuss and screwing something up."
An underling approached me with the gas mask, while Devildude stood by with one of the largest needles I'd ever seen- and that was saying something.
No. I couldn't take it anymore. I wouldn't. My rage flared, as well as my fear.
Suddenly, all I saw was red, I heard the screams of the scientists, I caught flashes of images bathed in crimson: equipment strewn all over the floor, chunks of flesh, other 'experiments' fleeing, and oceans of salty red blood.
When I came to my senses, fury and terror diminished, I smelled smoke. I shook my head to clear my vision and found that the labs were on fire. I coughed out black smoke and tried to call for my same-aged 'sisters' (a.k.a. fellow test subjects with whom I'd been through Hell and back) Shetani and Shinda, but it came out more of a yip. I yelled, but it was a dog's howl.
Looking down at myself, I saw furry paws covered in soot. Guess I turned into my wolf form about ten years earlier than they'd anticipated. I congratulated myself simply for that.
Now back to the task at hand. I raced down corridors and through rooms until I finally found them. They were still locked in their cages. You heard me: cages. I did a kind of hop in front of them and yipped worriedly.
"Mabaya?" Shinda asked.
"Is that you?" Shetani questioned. I gave the best nod I could and mustered a bark. "Do you know how to get us out?" I shook my head and whined.
They shared a glance and simultaneously, calmly said, "Like we practiced." As I stared on, awed and befuddled, Shinda took the form of a kitten, while Shetani became a squirrel. Both slipped through the bars with ease and made a mad dash for an exit, any exit. I trailed just a hair's breadth behind.
Once we were a safe distance away, we watched as the building burned and crumbled.
'Turn back in three,' came Shetani's voice in my head. I jumped and stared at my fluffy friends in startled confusion.
'We can hear each other's thoughts in this form,' Shinda explained, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
'How do we change back to humans?' I wondered.
'Relax and just picture it,' Shetani stated. 'It's always worked for the two of us.'
Shinda was the first to shift back, then Shetani, and finally me.
Boy, did I have some questions for them.