Warning: If you are squeamish with nail stuff read until they drag Violet to the other room
The escape attempt.
Dash's recovery was slow but steady. Violet stayed by his side, refusing to let him out of her sight. He was pale and weak, but his humor started to resurface, even if it was subdued.
"How are you feeling?" Vi asked.
"I am ready, Vi" Dash answered, his voice low but steady. Though the haunted look in his eyes told Violet he wasn't as unaffected as he pretended to be.
"Ok, let's do this," she replied, scanning his face.
Violet had spent weeks observing everything, the guards shifts, the door codes, even the location of the cameras on the hallways.
"The guard comes in with our food in five minutes. We use the taser that he has on his belt to knock him off. Once the door's open, we head down the main hall," she whispered as they crouched near the door. "The room with the collar keys is three lefts and one right. I've memorised the code of that room."
"And if we're caught?" Dash asked, his expression serious but determined.
"We won't be," she replied, more to reassure herself than him.
Dash placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll cover you, Vi. I promise."
She nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Okay. Let's do this."
When the guard entered with their food tray. They lunged forward as soon as the guard stepped through the door, using the element of surprise to knock the tray out of his hands. In the scuffle, Dash managed to grab the taser from the guard's belt, quickly pressing it against his side.
The guard crumpled to the ground with a groan, unconscious. They exited the cell and Vi used the cell code to lock the guard inside.
"We did it!" Dash grinned.
"Not yet, we need to get the collars off"
They slipped into the dimly lit hallway, every shadow feeling like a threat. Violet led the way, her pulse racing as they reached the first junction. She paused, pressing herself against the wall to peer around the corner.
"Clear," she whispered.
They moved quickly, Dash keeping watch as Violet approached the door to the room where the collar keys were stored.
"Eight, three, five, nine, two," she muttered to herself, punching in the numbers. The light blinked green, and the door slid open.
Inside the room, shelves lined the walls, filled with gadgets and tools. In the center stood a small metal safe with a digital keypad. Violet froze, her stomach sinking as she realized the code to the safe wasn't the same as the code for the door.
"No," she breathed.
"What's wrong?" Dash hissed.
"The code… it's different." She whispered, frantically trying random combinations.
Dash stood guard at the door, glancing back nervously. "Vi, we don't have time—"
"Just give me a second!" she hissed, her hands trembling as she punched in another failed code.
The sound of footsteps in the hallway made both of them freeze. Before they could react, the door burst open, and guards flooded the room, weapons drawn.
"Get on the ground!" one of them barked.
Violet and Dash hesitated for a split second before obeying, their hands behind their heads as they were forced to their knees.
They were dragged back to the lab, surrounded by grim-faced scientists. Violet and Dash were shoved to their knees in front of the lead scientist, a cold-eyed man who adjusted his glasses as he stared down at them.
"So," he said, his voice calm but menacing, "you thought you could outsmart us."
"This was my idea," Violet said quickly, her voice firm despite the fear clawing at her chest. "I planned it. Dash just followed me"
"That's not true!" Dash snapped, glaring at her. "I knew exactly what I was doing."
"Dash—" Violet started, but he cut her off.
"Like I'd do something just because you told me to" he said, his voice rising. "We both agreed to this, Vi. Stop trying to take all the blame!"
"Oh, don't worry," the scientist replied. "You'll both have consequences. Three days without food should remind you of your place."
Violet's heart sank. She had hoped to shield Dash from the worst, but the scientist's cold gaze told her there would be no mercy.
Dash clenched his fists, but Violet's stomach dropped further when the scientist gestured to the guards.
"And since you were the mastermind, A002," he added, "you'll receive additional punishment. Take her to Room 17."
"No!" Dash shouted, lunging forward, only to be restrained by the guards. "Leave her alone!"
Violet swallowed hard, forcing herself to stay calm. "It's okay, Dash," she said quietly. "I'll be okay."
The scientist motioned to the guards, who dragged Violet away despite Dash's screams echoing behind her. She clenched her fists, steeling herself for whatever was to come.
The room was small and sterile. Violet's wrists and ankles were strapped tightly to a cold metal table, the restraints cutting into her skin as she struggled weakly. Her breaths were short and shallow, her chest rising and falling rapidly as fear settled deep in her stomach.
The head scientist entered, his expression cold and unreadable as he adjusted his gloves. He stood over her, studying her like a specimen under a microscope.
"You've proven to be quite resourceful," he said, his voice calm, almost conversational. "But disobedience must be met with correction. You must understand this."
Violet's lips trembled, but she refused to let him see her cry.
He selected a thin, wickedly sharp pair of pliers, holding them up to the light as though admiring their precision.
Her heart pounded as he moved to her side, gripping her left hand in a vice-like grip. She thrashed against the restraints, panic clawing at her throat.
"Stop!" she cried. "Please! Don't—"
The first sharp tug silenced her. A searing bolt of pain shot through her hand as he wrenched the nail from her index finger. She screamed, her voice echoing off the metal walls. Blood pooled instantly, dripping down her palm and staining the table beneath her.
"Don't faint," the scientist said, his tone almost mocking. "We're just getting started."
"No, no, no—" she begged, her voice breaking as the pliers clamped down again.
One by one, the nails on her hands were torn free, each removal a fresh wave of agony that left her gasping for air. She could feel the warm blood pooling beneath her fingers, but the pain made it impossible to think beyond the moment.
When he moved to her feet, she screamed louder, her voice raw and hoarse. Each pull sent shockwaves of torment through her body, leaving her sobbing uncontrollably.
When the last nail was removed, Violet lay limp on the table, her chest heaving as tears streamed down her face. But the scientist wasn't finished.
"This is only the beginning," he said, his tone devoid of emotion. He gestured to an assistant, who wheeled over a small machine with a series of electrodes attached.
The scientist leaned over her, his gaze unwavering. "By the time we're done, you'll wish you had never defied us."
As he leaned over her again, his shadow falling across her face, Violet's vision blurred with tears. She tried to steel herself for what was coming next, but deep down, she knew this torment was far from over.
The last thing she saw before the pain surged again was the cold, unfeeling glint in his eyes.