ZERO

BEFORE

ℍ𝕒𝕨𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕤, 𝕀𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕒, 𝟙𝟡𝟞𝟟

✩✩✩

   A woman struggled as she walked down the road, her eyes closed in pain as she took long, deep breaths. Her face flushed red and her hair stuck to her face with sweat. Her hair was dirty and dark, and her past tan complexion was now sickly pale.

   She cried, leaning against a building. She was sure she was about to die. The past months of agony were all adding up to this very moment.

   "Please." She begged, gasping for air, unsure who she was even talking to. She moved her jacket, her pregnant stomach now bulging out of her thin shirt.

   Even with her desperate pleas, the world showed no mercy for Elizabeth Winter. But, when has it ever? She was homeless, impregnated by a man who fled before he could even know. For months, Elizabeth lived had relied on the small amount of money she received for taking part of medical tests being run through Hawkin's Lab, but she had stopped when she realized she was pregnant.

   She looked up at the sky, the clouds hiding the sun. Once more, the woman pleaded, this time with whoever was listening above her. And when she looked back down, it seemed like she was finally heard.

   A white van stood behind a man, his arm reaching out to her. She recognized him from the tests, and almost fell to her knees in relief. She had a trust in the man, even though she had absolutely no reason to.

   That was her mistake.

   All her life, Elizabeth never believed in fate. It seemed as if the only thing that was certain in her life was for it to go wrong. But looking up at this person, with a concerned look on his face, she felt that maybe things were finally going to work for her, or at least her baby.

   "Please help me!" She wept at him, almost losing her balance as contractions started again.

   "I can get you to a hospital, I'm a doctor." He explained, but his voice was fading. She complied, completely and utterly oblivious to what was to come next.

✩✩✩

   For the first time in years, Elizabeth had a peaceful expression on her face. It had been just mere hours since she birthed a healthy baby girl, and she genuinely felt that this was the turning point in her life.

   Elizabeth had been robbed of so much, but the second she saw her daughter, she swore it was the happiest she had been in a long time. She had a new reason to keep going, to fight and make a life her daughter deserved.

   From behind a one way window, the man watched her. He had been waiting so long for this exact moment. His life started today. "Do it now." He said, giving a nod to the nurse next to him.

   "Yes, Dr. Brenner." The nurse hit a button, and he smiled fondly at the IV bag. He watched it ever so slowly make its way down the tube, into Elizabeth's vein. It was a long, agonizing silence as the drug began to enter her bloodstream.

   Elizabeth had absolutely no idea that the drowsiness she was feeling wasn't due to going into labor. She held her baby close to her chest, kissing her small forehead lightly as she closed her eyes for the last time.

   Moments later, her heart monitor sounded one continuous beep, queuing the start of what the lab at truly been waiting for.

   Truthfully, Dr. Brenner had been hunting. He had found Elizabeth a little over a year before. Since she was homeless, she was the perfect target to be his own experiment, since no one would notice if she went missing. He stalked and followed her, eventually persuading her to join his tests for money. When he found out she had been pregnant, it was almost like it was meant to be.