Shadows of Dawn

Prologue

2,920 days.

That's how long I've been in this crappy excuse of a mental hospital. With all the tests and experiments they run on us, I don't even know if we're human anymore. Well, we were never human, we're werewolves.

I lay in my bunk, in the room where they keep all of their test subjects. They call us The Projects. I remember the day I stepped through those doors and almost immediately I was marked with a tattoo on my left wrist 'Project 2578'. They never call us by our names, just the project number. I don't even know the other kid's names, not that I talk much, but I know from the looks of them, I'm one of the oldest at 15. We all look the same though shaved heads, grey shirts that itch, and black sweatpants bottoms that are exceptionally soft. I don't remember who my parents are, not that I would want to because they're the people that put me in this place. I've been trying to devise a plan for the last 3 years and today is the day it will be put into motion.

21:30

Everyone is asleep in their bunks snoring and dreaming of a life outside of here. I slowly get up out of my bed, careful not to make a sound, and walk over to my dresser cubby on the wall with my project number on it. 'don't overthink. stay calm' I say to myself as I let out a quiet breath I've been holding. I put on my boots and a jacket over the grey shirt. I don't think to take anything else as it would just be extra weight to carry... if I even make it out of this corridor.

I speed walk over to the main door of the room and slowly open it making sure to avoid stepping on the extra creaky parts of the floor. I open the door just enough to slide through and then immediately shut it back. I lean my back up against the door and try to control my breathing.

I finally push off the door and start making my way down the corridor that leads to the control room. The control room has all the buttons and switches that control all the doors in this place.

I'm almost at the end of the corridor when I hear large and heavy footsteps coming from where I once was. I know I'm running out of time. I've been keeping track of the guard schedule for years and there was never a guard in this corridor at this time.

As I look at my watch I read the time '21:45'. I quickly rounded the corner just as the guard came into view. He must be a new guard because he wasn't as big as the other ones and he looked as if he were shaking. I decide he's not a threat and keep going down the corridor I'm on until I reach the door that reads 'CONTROL ROOM' on the door in big black letters.

I open the door and walk in quietly shutting the door behind me. My hands are shaking and my breathing is ridged. On the control panel are hundreds of different switches and buttons that do different things— I look for the one that says 'main gate' and hesitantly push it. Suddenly a loud siren goes off and I'm sent into a panic. I frantically start pushing buttons to try and stop the sound but I know that it's too late.

I look up from the panel and there stands the head scientist, Dr.Smith. He has dark, straight hair that reaches his shoulders and he had that type of smile that made your skin crawl. He's the main one that does test on the kids here and the leading cause of all our problems.

"Come out Project 2578. There's nowhere to go." He yells as he runs his hand through his hair out of frustration.

I walk out of the control room and start walking towards him and his guards, standing a few feet away. A guard I didn't see, comes up behind me and knocks my knees in so that I'm on my knees.

"Now what were you doing in the control room?" He says in a teasing tone as he comes closer to me.

I say nothing and then there's a harsh sting on my cheek— he slapped me. All of a sudden I feel this energy inside of me build up and my vision goes blurry. I place my hands in front of me and see that my hands suddenly start producing this blue wispy magic. 'So this is what those experiments did to me I think.

"It worked the experiments worked!" Smith shrieks, "take her back to the lab to run some more tests, would you," he orders the guard.

As the guard goes down to get me up from my kneeling position I elbow him in the stomach and get up on my feet. There were about 3 guards with Smith but I could handle them.

One of them comes towards me on my left throwing a punch, I duck under his arm and hit him in the jaw— successfully breaking it. I throw two more punches at him, knocking him out.

One of the other guards starts running toward me and I use my magic to levitate him in the air, and then throw him against the wall. 'Two down, one to go' I think to myself as I try to catch my breath. Large, muscular arms wrap around me, lock-in me in the guard's hold.

"Not so tough now are ya," the guard says in a gruff voice. I thrash around in his arms trying to get free but to no avail. 

I do the only thing I can do, I bite him. He immediately let me go after me and I saw an opportunity to get him and I started punching him in the stomach and the face. There's blood on my knuckles but I don't care because he's in the way of my freedom.

He eventually knocks out. Smith is at the end of the corridor looking at his unconscious men in horror. I start to stalk towards him and he tries backing up until his back hits a wall. I use my magic to levitate him off the ground, focusing it on his neck.

"Please let me down, I'll let you go, just please let me go," he begs.

I find this amusing and let out a manic laugh. "That's funny Smith. You know, I could do that.....but I would much rather watch you die right here, right now" I say with a sweet smile.

I start focusing all my magic onto his neck, putting pressure onto it until he's just a limp body hanging in the air. I drop him and finally breathe for once since I got out of the room with the bunks. As I'm catching my breath I hear a sound, almost like crying down a corridor.

Curiosity gets the best of me and  I jog down the corridor— but it's a dead end. To my left is a door marked 'NURSERY' and it seems to be the source of the cries because as I open the door I'm face to face with 15-20 baby cribs. But only one has a baby in it. I go to it and read the number on the crib

'Project  3291
sex: male. age: 1yr'

I look at the baby and see many scars on his arms and face. He has blue/grey eyes, puffy from crying and a little bit of curly hair on top of his head, he looked so innocent.

"What did they do to you," I whisper to myself.

I make a decision then and there to take the baby with me on my escape. As I pick the baby he slowly stops crying and lays his head on my shoulder as I walk out of the nursery and back down the corridor.

As I'm walking the baby grabs my finger in his small little hand and I know that I will protect this child with my life. I get to the main gate and walk right out and don't look back, ever.