Chapter 9

Death. Lair. Bake. Jared. Everly. Trapped. All the words classed in my head. My vision was blurry. I had no sight or hearing for the moment.

"Jared…" I tried to say it, but I wasn't sure if I did.

"Relax." The voice was familiar. I felt a slight pinch and a cool sensation filled me.

"What happened?" I mumbled to the voice.

"We're helping you Everly, that bite did some real damage."

Bite? What bite? Jared! The creature bit him! Was he hurt, dying even?

"Jared?"

"He's in recovery, His wound was less significant."

"What happened?" I asked again, by now I had enough sense to know the voice was Bake's.

"You were bitten by X126," he said putting his hand to my forehead, "he slipped some of his venom into you. The venom has some very unique properties." Bake held a syringe, he flicked the tube, making the clear liquid jump, and stuck it into my arm. "It likes to stick. Right now the venom is working to cling to the blood cells inside of you, which would change your DNA."

I felt a surge of panic. What if I became like that thing? I couldn't.

"Can you help me?"

Bake chuckled. "Of course. But, Everly, we all agreed it would be in our best interest to see the effects of the venom."

They were going to let me become like him? How could they!

"No, let me go." I had regained most of my senses. I tried to get up but I instantly dizzy and sat back down on the gurney.

"No, no, Everly, sit back down. The change will make you feel strange for a while the you'll be okay, just relax."

I grabbed Bake's sleeve as pushed my shoulders back. "I don't want this. Let me go, or die." I threatened.

Bake only chuckled, "What can you really do Everly?" He taunted, "You're are significantly weaker, and who know what changes are attacking your body?"

"Why do you keep doing this to me?" I asked in a depressed whisper.

"Because you're are different, we need you Everly, you are the key."

"I'm going to kill you." I promised.

Bake glared down at me, as if debating how serious I was, "I'd like to see you try."

I let go of his sleeve but continued to glare at him. I knew there was nothing I could do, I felt so weak and tired, his experiments would be the death of me.

The cooling sensation of the injection flowed through me. Every molecule was filled with an intensified icy coolness. I breathed in deeply, I was sure my eyes were dilating. My eyelids felt heavier. I coughed, it sounded phlegmy and sick. I coughed again and convulsed. I covered my mouth with my hand, when I pulled it away, my hand was sticky with blood. That alone was strange and terrifying, but what made it worse was the fact that the blood was black.

"What is this?" I asked in a small voice.

Bake looked curiously at the gooey, half congealed blood in my hand and shook his head, "I'm not positive, but it may be your blood mixing with the venom."

I shuddered, "Stop this now." I commanded, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Not a chance, we have work to do."

Bake turned to leave but I grabbed his arm again, as weak as I was, I made my grip firm, "If I turn into a monster like him, I'm coming after you first. And I don't break my promises."

Bake looked a little unnerved, but didn't respond to my threat, other than jerking away and stalking off.

I lay my head back and sighed. More bloody coughs caused me to spit up the repulsive blackened blood.

I wanted nothing more than to be rid of this place and back in my home with Jared. I missed him so much. Bake was probably hoping I'd crack easier with out him.

Well, he was wrong, I would get my revenge. I'd break out of this ward, find Jared again, and we'd escape, forever this time.

My side began to hurt. Bake decided not to strap me in, I guess he was planning on my 'unrealistic' demands and threats. I twisted and turned on the small gurney, trying to hide from the pain.

My stomach also began to feel queasy. I made a choking sound and turned to the side facing the wall. I heard footsteps coming closer. I turned to see Bake and several other doctors coming to check on me. Without warning, my mouth opened and I spewed up a mass of bloody vomit on them.

Most of the doctors dodged it but some were hit, and screamed in disgust. The liquid was crimson with black spots, making them even more sickened.

I began convulsing uncontrollably, thrashing and kicking. I screamed, every nerve was on fire, and the intensified senses only added to the pain. The doctors pounced forward and began strapping me in and trying to calm me.

But I wasn't in control, I could almost feel the venom wrapping around my veins and clotting to my blood cells. The parasitic venom pulsed through me as adrenaline flowed.

I gasped and coughed as Bake tried to control me. My shirt was now drenched in the thick black goo. My limbs thrashed and moved in wild spasms, twisting and bending in unnatural ways. My scream sounded wrong, it echoed and sounded like two ghostly voiced, not my normal high pitched scream.

As sudden as it started, my thrashing ceased, and I lay back on the pillow. My breathing was louder in my own ears, and everything seemed slower.

More black goo dripped from my mouth. My eyes looked vacantly around the room, the people were blurred.

Slower.

Everyone seemed far away, their voiced were distant and shallow, like they weren't in the room with me.

Slower.

My breathing stopped all together and I felt like choking for air. I began gasping, trying desperately to get air back into my lungs. It wasn't until after I got a gulp of oxygen in me that I realized, I didn't need it.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on my breathing. I felt my fangs poking out of my gums. Usually, it only happened when I was approaching a kill, ready to drink.

"Everly?" At my name, my eyes snapped open and I scanned the room. Everything was crystal clear now, my vision seemed sharper than usual, and my superior eyes had improved vision to began with.

"I'm okay now, release me." I said quietly, my voice was barely above a whisper, but it was soft and sweet.

A nurse next to me looked at Bake. He hesitated for a moment before nodding. The doctors began undoing the straps and helped me sit up.

"Do you know what happened to me, Dr. Bake?" My voice still retained the innocence as I spoke.

He looked confused and shook his head. I smiled mischievously. "Neither do I, but I like it."

I jumped forward ad landed on the female nurse how'd asked for permission to set me free. "Wrong choice." I spat and bit deeply into her neck. Instead of sucking down her blood, I breathed into the wound before letting go. I stood over her, watching her as she convulsed. The effects were quicker on humans, apparently.

Bake shouted to someone, guards most likely. I ignored him, I only focused on the nurse jumping around on the floor in front of me. Her sharp screams rang out loudly, even over Bake's shouting and the chaos of guards entering the room.

I smiled devilishly, enjoying her transformation. Just as I had, she suddenly stopped moving and lay still. She looked broken, her arms and legs were sprawled out in different directions, and her neck was turned at an odd angle. Her eyes opened and she looked up at me, a strange smile on her face.

Her eyes were a piercing black, as dark as mine. She stood up and went to my side. By now, the room was quiet, all eyes on us. I nodded to her and she screamed. Her scream was demonic. Bake and several others covered their ears from the horrid sound.

She lunged forward and landed on another doctor, he shrieked as he got a look at her close up. I laughed and did the same, heading for Bake. He seemed to realize my intentions and began running.

The moron ran right into a trap. He headed straight for a door, a door he had on lockdown, because he was worried about an outbreak of whatever parasitic venom was inside me.

He pulled on the handle, it didn't budge. He pounded his fist against the door and yelled for help, no one answered, after all, he had wanted it that way.

I growled and took a step closer behind him. He spun around and glared at me, but behind his glare I could see his fear. I laughed again, loving every minute of it.

"What's the matter, Bake, scared that your trapped alone with me?" I taunted, "They'll be more like me in a second, only they'll loose humanity, I still have some of my original hatred for you in me."

Bake reached to his belt and pulled out a gun and aimed at me. I scoffed, "What damage can you do with that?"

He raised and eyebrow, "To you? Probably nothing, but to Jared…" My eyes widened and I hissed at him.

"He's not hear, Bake, you have nothing to take away from me." I said calling his bluff.

Just then, to my dismay, they green light flashed at the door and the buzzer sounded. Bake smiled. "I think I'd have enough time to slip through this door before you can catch me, Everly, then you'd be locked in here, and I'd be free to kill Jared."

I hissed louder, my anger burned within me. He shook his head, "Look at you, a monster, resorting to murder."

"And who made me this way, Bake?" I clenched my fists.

"It's up to you," He said ignoring my comment, "Come after me and I kill Jared. If you even somehow manage to kill me, Jared's life will end with the touch of a button."

"You said the same thing about me to him." I remembered.

"And it's still true, you both are held back by your love for each other, and it works great in my favor."

I stepped forward and shoved Bake against the door, he held up the button but didn't press it, not yet at least.

"What the fuck do you want from us?" I hissed to him.

There was a low beeping. I looked up, Bake's finger was pressed to the button. "Say goodbye to Jared, Everly."

I screamed and released Bake. He took the opportunity to run away, back into the madness.

I held the button in my hand and began pressing it repeatedly, hoping to cancel the order Bake had just sent.

The door buzzer sounded and I heard the heavy locked slam into place.

"No!" I stood up and tugged at the handle, even with my extra strength, the door didn't budge. No matter how hard I pulled, nothing happened.

I had to get to Jared, I had to help him.

Tears streamed down my face as I realized that trying to open the door was a lost cause. I still tried to open the door halfheartedly, but still, it remained shut tight.

My sobs shook my body. Jared was going to die because of me. How could I ever have dismissed Bake's threats, he was notorious for having terrible punishments.

Something sharp slammed into my back, causing me to freeze then slump to the floor. My hand still reached for the doorknob but I couldn't reach.

Another sharp object hit me and I again froze. Whatever it was, it caused me to become paralyzed. I gasped but fell to the floor. I lay on my back, looking up at the ceiling.

I heard someone approach me, I couldn't look at him, but I didn't have to to know it was Bake. He stood over me, a content smile on his face.

"You lose, Everly." He was holing a sort of gun in his hand, I assumed the bullets were tranquilizers.

My eyes closed. Bake was right. I lost, no matter what I tried, Bake was always one step ahead of me. He had taken everything away from me; my home, my friends, the love of my life, my Jared.

A few tears slipped down my cheeks. I wished desperately to be with Jared. At least then, I could die with him, that was better than being trapped in the hell with only Bake and his experiments.

"It's all over now, Everly." It was. I had no fight in m left, it's all over. What do I have left to fight for? Jared is gone, in a few days, I'd probably be gone to. I'm giving up.

Jared, I'm so sorry, "I silently thought to him. I let Bake ad his goons pick me up and bring me to whatever sick experiment they now had planned.

Nothing mattered anymore. I just hoped they would kill me soon and get it over with. There was nothing left for me and I just wanted it to all be over.

I was a murderer and monster. Bake had made me something cruel and vicious. I still had some of my true self to hang on to, but I knew it wouldn't belong before I slipped away without Jared to keep me stationed to earth. I had killed and fought to save myself in this prison, but nothing worked. I had made the ultimate sacrifice, one I never even meant to do; I had killed Jared.