A Rooted Reality [OSC story]

Chapter 4: Test

(Gore and body horror warning)

I woke up from hearing my door creak open. I tried to ignore it and nuzzled in the crease of two pillows.

"Mmmgh" I groaned and put my hands over my head.

I heard footsteps getting closer to me and then felt two hands grab me. They lifted me up like a cat and I blinked several times.

"Hey! I was sleeping.." I yawned.

"Wow! You are quite strange.." the man said.

It was someone I hadn't seen before. He was a tall white man with hazel hair and square glasses.

"Who are you-? And what are you doing with me..?" I mumbled still trying to wake up.

"The name is Dr. Flores! I was called in to examine you for the time being. Mr. Winn said you were strange looking but this is incredible!" He said and poked my cheek.

"..thanks... oh wait! What about Noelle? I thought she was watching over me?" I asked.

"Mr. Winn decided to have someone more with expertise in living creatures like myself!" He bragged.

I slumped down in his hands. Great.

"Well, so we don't waste anytime let's go ahead and get started! Follow me." Dr. Flores set me down on the ground and walked out the door. I followed him like a little duckling.

As we strolled down the halls I could feel the other workers eyes on me. I felt watched, it was uncomfortable and made me feel like I wasn't supposed to be here. Three days! Three days and I can go back to normal..

We walked through the courtyard and I looked in the sky at the clouds. The sunlight shined on me and it felt amazing, do I work like other plants do-?

I shook my head and caught up with Dr. Flores. He opened the door to the other building and allowed me to go ahead. I entered and he shut the door softly. We continued down the hall till we went in a room that I've never been in.

Dr. Flores then picked me up and held me in his arms like you would to a rabbit. I noticed the space was a bit dim, it was a medium sized room with randomly sized containers littered around the room. As I looked closer I saw inside the containers were various animals.

"What is this place?.." I mumbled.

"My lab." Was all he said in return.

He then put me down on a long table with a shining light at the top. I sat down and crossed my legs. I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. I didn't know what was happening. I was afraid of what he was going to do to me.

He pinned a paper to the wall with a labeled diagram of a cactus. Next to me lay a small tray with dissection tools.

"Am I being dissected!?" I yelped and got to my feet.

He didn't reply and started to put on goggles and gloves. I gotta get out of here! Just as I was about to run off he grabbed me and laid me down.

"Hey hey! This is wrong! Don't you see that?? Your insane!" I growled at him.

Dr. Flores grabbed a small piece of rope and started wrapping my hands and tying them down so I couldn't move.

"You know dissecting something kills them! Your gonna kill me!" I yelped.

"I'm not going to kill you. It's why they got me to do this, I don't kill animals in dissection; i just analyze the insides of one." He explained and nudged me down to the surface.

I couldn't process what was going on, was he doing this to me when I was still wide awake!? I didn't want this- who allowed this?

My eyes stared at the bright light in-front of me while I bit my lip hard.
I could only see gloved hands coming towards the middle of my body.

A small sharp tool cut into the pot part of my body. It opened to where a thin layer of dirt was. Dr. Flores grabbed tweezers and cut into the thin layer showing the inside of my body.

At this point I couldn't get myself to look, I closed my eyes and tried to ignore everything that was happening. I could hear my own heart beating, small camera flashes, and worst of all the pain made me lightheaded.

It felt like I wasn't even there; all I felt was small pokes every once in a while, but those pokes sent waves of pain over me. I could feel bits of blood drip down my body. I couldn't scream as it hurt even more.

Why was this happening? Why didn't I leave when I had the chance- I never expected this at all. I could hear the doctor mumble words but my brain couldn't process what he was saying. I was in a state of shock. I could see another figure walk in the room, but I couldn't make out who it was.

The light in front of my eyes turned off and Dr. Flores stopped what he was doing. He stitched my body up and grabbed pieces of my pot that was ripped from my body. The doctor stood there thinking then opened a small cabinet pulling out a small bottle of glue. He then glued the pieces in making my pot fixed as it was before except for small cracks. The doctor then started to speak but I just stared in shock not listening to his words.

"Hey! You listening?!" Dr. Flores annoyingly asked.

"I-.. s-sorry, I wasn't-" I stuttered as I noticed the other figure in the room was Mr. Winn.

"Ugh.. as I was saying, you have a normal cacti body and even can do photosynthesis but past the layers of vascular tissue, is the normal systems of the human body. It is quite strange; never seen a creature like it. I didn't even think something like this would be possible." The doctor explained while untying the thin ropes on my limbs.

I slowly nodded and stretched my legs out.

"Thank you Dr. Flores. You have been a great help, would you have any advice for what to do with it?" Mr. Winn asked while looking over at me.

He keep treating me like an object and not a person and it bugged the hell out of me. When I was human, he treated me as equal but now it's nothing like that.

"No advice! But I may need to do more analyzing of it. Oh! And you said it can change to a human? I would love to see if there was any changes to that body too in the future." Dr. Flores said anticipated.

"I don't think that's a very good idea! And I don't approve of it. Plus, don't I still need to go in that other world too-? We don't know much about that still.." I mumbled trying to change the subject.

"Yes.. you are still going there. You'll look there everyday- in fact your going after we are finished here. As for the other statement of yours, you can't not approve of it. You signed a contract to agree with all we do. We are in control of you, so think before you say your small opinions." Mr. Winn stated with a smirk and grabbed me with both hands.

The contract-? Oh! That 80 page document I signed.. I now wish I read what the content held inside. But wait.. that means I can't leave! No, No- I don't want to be here. I'll die if this goes on!

"Don't look so scared! Now, let's go to the transportation machine.. wow we really should come up with a name for that thing." He smiled and set me down as we got outside the door.

We headed for the room from yesterday. As I walked I felt a bit uncomfortable as my insides were nagged at. There was also small blood drips I could feel dripping in between my skin and the pot I wore.

I kept my mouth shut, even though i knew I wasn't ok. They wouldn't help me..