Disclaimer: I partly own this story :)
Chapter One
The sun was setting.
The houses in the street were flecked golden with the remnants of the setting sun slipping over the horizon.
Annie looked out across her street, swinging her legs. She was sitting on the shelter above her front door, saying she was doing her homework. Her unopened books were lying beside her.
She was wearing a loose, red, sleeveless top and camouflage shorts, black flipflops hanging loosely on her feet.
She had brown hair, cut short at the back and sides, but with a bouncy fringe sliding across her forehead. Deep blue eyes gazed across the houses.
"Annie, are you done with your homework?"
Annie jumped in surprise and glanced down to see her mum staring up her at, hands on hips.
"Urm, nearly."
"What homework is it, anyway?"
Annie had to look at her books before replying. "Oh, well, it's um, geography?"
"Right, well dinner will be ready in ten minutes so get yourself down before then."
Annie nodded and her mum went back inside.
She rolled her eyes and leant back on her elbows. She was hungry. She heard her stomach growl. She was debating whether or not to actually start on her geography homework until she heard a howl from one of the houses across the street.
She snapped upright into a crouch, eyes trained on the houses ahead. What?
Gathering her books, she dropped to the ground. Annie put them by the door and crept forwards across the deserted street. Whatever had howled howled again.
Annie whisked her head back and forth, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from.
That house. There.
She jumped over the wall of house, landing in a forward roll and getting upright backed against the wall. Cautiously, she poked her head around the window frame and peered into the house. The room was empty, plain whitewashed walls and plain grey carpet.
Annie licked her lips. Hm.
A man with scarce grey hair and a pristine lab coat walked in. Annie ducked down. She'd seen that the window wasn't locked. If she could open it...
She snaked her finger onto the windowsill and pushed the window. It opened. Annie sighed with relief. It hadn't creaked.
"-again. What can go wrong now?"
"We need more subjects, sir. It's nearly perfected."
"No. We need more research."
"Not to offend, sir, but I think you're focusing too much on the research."
"What do you mean?"
"We need to pick the subjects, sir."
"Hm?"
"They need to be right. Healthy, rather than the homeless lot we're hauling in at the moment. It's no wonder only two of them survived unharmed."
Annie's breath caught in her throat. What?
"Maybe. We'll apply for advertising."
"Children, sir."
"Sorry?"
"If we get children, they'll resist the side effects more. Their bodies will adapt better."
There was a pause.
"Yes, Francis. Excellent. Go see to that. I need to have dinner."
Annie heard the door shut and relaxed.
She stood up, ready to go back to her house.
"Hey!"
Annie started and turned around. There was the man in the lab coat, face flushed red with anger, nostrils flaring.
Annie froze. Time stopped for a moment.
"Get here, now!" the man yelled.
Francis walked back in. "What's the problem..."
"Get it!"
"It?" Annie cried indignantly.
"Get... her!"
Annie put her hands on her hips. Then she noticed Francis leaving the room again. Coming for her.
She turned and ran. She didn't go to her house, that would be blatantly obvious. She took a lap of the block, losing Francis in the process, before returning. What had happened? What had she heard? And why did they need children...
"What was she doing?"
"I was slightly preoccupied!" Josie's mum cried.
"All right, all right!" the doctor replied, returning his attention to the unconscious Josie. "What's the situation?"
"She's unstable," answered the nurse in a panicked tone. "Heartbeat fading. Breathing fast but weak."
Tears splattered onto Josie's pillow. Josie's mum wiped her eyes.
"Is she going to die?" she croaked.
Nobody replied. Nobody wanted to.
A knock on the door startled everyone.
A man with thinning grey hair and a pristine lab coat walked in.
"Who are you?" Josie's mum snapped, squeezing her tissue in her fist.
"Sorry," the man said, "I just heard she was dying."
"Who are you?" Josie's mum repeated, standing up and grinding her teeth.
"Dr. Jones," the man replied.
"What do you want?"
"I have a proposition for you."
Josie's mum chewed her lips and crossed her arms. "Yes?"
"In my lab, I've been working on a new... cure."
"For?"
"Everything."
"Everything?"
"Well, not cancer, or I'd be swamped. But it can bring people back. From the very edges of death." Dr. Jones face went dreaming for a moment and a small smile crept onto his face before he snapped back to the present. "Anyway, if you're willing to let Josie take it, it might save her life. It might even cure her asthma that got her into this mess."
The doctors all gasped.
One said, "Do you mean the V-drug?"
Dr. Jones nodded once.
The doctors all gasped again.
"What is the V-drug?" Josie's mum bellowed.
Josie stirred. Her mum rushed to her side. "Josie?"
An ominous beep filled the room. It held. Josie's mum looked almost feverishly up to the screen. Josie's heartbeat... It snapped back again just before Josie's mum fainted.
Dr. Jones put his arms behind his back and swayed on his heels nervously. "So?"
Josie's mum closed her eyes, tears streaming down her already stained cheeks. "How much?"
"I'm sorry?"
"For the drug. How much?"
"Free."
"There's a catch. Always a catch."
Dr. Jones shook his head furiously. "Not this time."
Josie's mum turned to look at him, still grasping Josie's hand. "Do it. Now."
Then she ran from the room, tears almost overflowing.
Dr. Jones smiled awkwardly. "So can she be moved to my department? It would be preferable."
A nurse shook her head. "No chance. She's weak enough as it is."
"Right. I'll have to do it here. Can we have the room as empty as possible please?"
One junior nurse left.
"Right, fine. Francis!"
A man in a black tailed suit walked in. "Yes, sir?"
"Fetch the V-drug."
"Yes, sir."
A pause of five minutes followed Francis' leave. The doctors were all discussing the V-drug in a corner, with three nurses huddled around Josie's bedside.
When Francis returned, Dr. Jones was bent over Josie, and only about a third of the doctors remained, after a furious statement from Dr. Jones.
"Here, Francis."
Francis put the syringe into Dr. Jones' open hand.
"So, girl, enjoy."
And he plunged the syringe deep into Josie's arm.
Skye was sitting in the waiting room, fidgeting and muttering anxiously. Her shoulder-length auburn hair (dyed) was hanging in her face, a curtain to hide her worry. She had bright blue eyes, glazed over at that point, surrounded by tanned skin. She wasn't going to school that day. She planned to stay with Josie. So, she was wearing a blue tank top with skinny jeans, a purple belt and purple converse. She stared at her feet, breathing deeply.
A doctor came out of the room.
Skye stood up immediately. "Is she okay?"
The doctor shrugged. "She took a drug to cure her. We're not sure if it's working yet."
"What kind of drug?" Skye demanded, heartbeat quickening.
The doctor shrugged again. "I've only ever heard rumours. It's said to save lives. But not cancer. Everything but cancer, for some reason. she should be okay. If it doesn't work, though..." the doctor trailed off and started walking.
"Can I see her?"
The doctor turned and looked at Skye for a good minute before replying. "All right then."
Skye immediately rushed into the room. "Josie!"
A balding man in a white lab coat was by her, grinning crazily.
"Who are you?" Skye cried.
The man looked at her, smile instantly disappearing. "Who are you? What are you doing in here? Get out!"
Skye backed up a couple of paces, eyes on Josie. "What did you do to her?"
The man's jaw tightened. "Something that has nothing to do with you."
"If it has anything to do with Josie, it has something to do with me."
The man smiled coldly. "Not any more."
Skye gave him a disgusted look, before looking at the unconscious Josie and saying, "I'll be back."
She ran out the room. She was coming back. And then that man would spill the secret as to whatever it was he had done to Josie.
Madeleine chewed her lip nervously. She was worried for Josie.
She'd gone into hospital. It had been like how it happened so often, except worse... she hadn't even coughed once, just... stopped breathing.
Madeleine swallowed.
Josie...
"Argh!"
Next thing Madeleine knew she was spread-eagled on the ground, her books having flown over the pavement, her bag split, and a sharp, knife-like pain in her temple.
"Ow."
She opened her eyes and for a moment was terrified she'd gone blind. Then she thought that she was just staring at the pavement. Then she waved her hand in front of her face and screamed as she couldn't see it.
She blinked, blinked, blinked. Her vision slowly cleared. It was still blurry, but she could see.
Tentatively she lifted a shaking hand to her temple and pulled it away. Through her uncertain vision she could see that it was soaked in blood, dripping down her arm in floods.
Madeleine gasped for panicked breath.
Hospital, hospital, she had to get to hospital.
It was only round the corner...
On trembling legs, Madeleine rose to her feet and stumbled along the pavement, abandoning her books and ignoring the trail of blood she was leaving behind her.
Plz R&R hope you enjoyed so far