earth

chapter 64

My eyes flew open as a hand hoisted me up, a grip tight around my neck. Two fingers pressed against my skin.

"It's alive- hurry to warm it up!" The doctor's yell pierced the room.
But I couldn't breathe, couldn't stop coughing. Something was lodged in my throat, and I thrashed around, desperate to dislodge it. My mouth filled with blood, the metallic tang of it filling my senses.

And then, there it was- the source of all my agony. My larynx, frostbitten and detached from my body, lay before me.

In a frenzy, I plunged my hands into the pool of blood beneath me, hoping to warm my fingers. It helped, but only briefly. The doctors dragged me off the floor by my hair and plunged me into a bucket of steaming hot water. The warmth enveloped me, sending shivers down my spine that lasted for hours.

As I lay there, I could feel the blood within me retreat like a frightened creature, hiding in the darkest corners of my body. It was alive- just like Ava. But it wanted nothing to do with the cold, just like she did.

***

I was violently hurled into the frigid room, the sudden impact jolted every inch of my body. The biting cold clung to me like a second skin, sending shivers down my spine, leaving my teeth chattering uncontrollably. I wrapped my arms around my shivering body, desperately trying to cling onto any shred of warmth I had left. As I looked down at my ragged, amputated arm, the deep gouges and bite marks painted a gruesome picture that resembled something out of a horror movie. Blood dripped down my arm like a crimson river, and I couldn't feel my fingers anymore. I hesitantly pressed the open wounds to my nose, welcoming the coppery smell of iron that warmed my nostrils. It seemed as though it was the only warmth my body could muster.

I knew I looked like a madman, but I didn't care. All I knew was that I was desperate for warmth, desperate to stay alive for Ava. I muttered a whisper, standing up among the strangers around me, "One of you, come here. I need heat." The others recoiled, giving me wary stares as if I was someone to be feared.

“You'll die faster if you don't try to warm yourself, we are only trying to help you,” a voice replied, but it only made me grit my teeth harder. I wouldn't let them decide my fate. I had someone waiting for me.
With a sudden burst of energy, I grabbed the nearest person by the arm, yanking them towards me, and lifting their shirt. I tucked myself under their shirt, the stench of unwashed clothes and sweat making me gag. But my survival instinct overpowered my disgust. The warmth radiating off their skin was like a heavenly embrace, and I held on tight. I wouldn't let go until my body was warm enough to keep me alive for Ava.

The room was bustling with activity as people hurriedly came in and out, the space steadily shrinking with every passing hour. The stench of sweat and bodily fluids hung heavy in the air, and it was clear that this was no ordinary place. Sudden bumps and bruises marked many of the people who passed through here, as though they had been through a rough and merciless ordeal.
Some of the victims had genitals that seemed inhumanly large, protruding from their bodies like a grotesque parody of anatomy. They stumbled out of the chamber either laughing or crying, their sanity clearly strained to its limits.
As for the girl I had been clinging to, she was among the chosen ones, and she vanished without a trace. The doctor returned, his eyes scanning us with a distasteful gaze - it was clear that he did not even think of us as human.
"Come with me," he ordered, and I knew that there was no room for refusal. I followed him, my heart hammering, desperate for a glimpse of the other captives. But I saw something else instead. There was Jason, lying on a table, with one eye gouged out, and the other one trembling with fear. His most sensitive parts were exposed, and there was even a label marked 'pig' attached to his jar. The doctor reached out for Jason, ready to take him apart like a butcher. I felt a scream rising in my throat but I couldn't let it out.

"JASON!" I scream at the top of my lungs. His finger twitches, just the index finger, as if he's trying to communicate something to me. My heart drops, and my legs turn to jelly. It's like my world has stopped spinning.

"I'm sorry!" I manage to utter, hoping it will make everything right again. His finger twitches again, and a faint smile creeps across his cheek. Relief washes over me, but I still feel like I'm walking on eggshells.

Suddenly, another scream pierces the air, and my name echoes through the walls like a haunting melody. It's Ava! But where?! Her voice echoes from every corner of the room, but it's like I'm in a house of mirrors. I feel disoriented, unable to pinpoint her location. The fear in her voice sends shivers down my spine. I can't see her, but I can feel her terror, and it's suffocating.

My heart plummeted as a rough hand gripped my hair, yanking me away from Jason's pained screams. Disoriented, I stumbled into a stark, sterile room where I was shoved onto a cold, metal table. Trembling, I watched as doctors bustled about, their faces obscured by surgical masks. Suddenly, my attention snapped to a syringe as it filled with something murky and vile.

"Doctor Paige, the time is 12:34 am," a disembodied voice crackled over a recorder. "I'm here with Project 9402. Sex is male. Project 9403 seems steady but flickers in and out of consciousness." The man wielding the syringe drew near, his left hand holding it steady as his right hand clutched the recorder. "I'll inject him with Kidney Cancer."

My eyes widened in horror. Panic surged through me as I attempted to move my hands, but it was too late. The needle pierced my skin, invading my veins with sickening ease. Suddenly, my head became dizzy, rolling around as if disconnected from my body. There was a pounding inside my skull that refused to cease, and the man with the syringe seemed oblivious as he muttered into his recorder.

Through my hazy state, I became aware of my surroundings. The room was open for anyone to see, and my eyes widened in terror at what I beheld. A boy stood over me, his features inhuman. His face looked half-human, half-monkey, and his behavior was primal and wild. My heart stopped at the sight as I realized the barbaric depths these scientists were willing to plumb.

"I will not die there- I'll kill everyone here! I'll kill them all!" My words echoed through the sterile room, a promise of retribution to anyone who dared to stand in my way. My eyes locked onto another doctor as he entered the room, the same one I had seen when I first woken up. He thought he could handle me, but he couldn't have been more wrong. As his finger trailed down my cheek to my lips, I didn't waste a single moment. With a fierce determination, I sank my teeth into his tender flesh, the crunch of bone ringing in my ears. He screamed and yanked his hand away, but it was too late. Blood and flesh filled my mouth, a grotesque feast that would sustain me in the coming hours. I quickly swallowed, savoring the taste of my victory. The other doctors in the room paled, sensing my power and rage. They would not be spared. No one would.

"Fucker!" He screams, clutching his bleeding finger tightly. "Doctor Paige!" his voice echoes through the halls, drawing the attention of anyone within earshot. Doctor Paige appears in a hurry, straightening his posture upon seeing the desperation in Gabe's eyes.

"Yes, Doctor Gabe?" Paige's response is clipped and efficient, sensing the urgency in the situation.

"Take. It. To. The. Gas," Gabe snarls, his gaze drilling into mine. My heart races in my chest as Paige quickly undoes my restraints and drags me to my feet. The world spins around me like a carnival ride, surreal and disorienting. Each blink feels like an eternity, my mind struggling to keep up with the shifting surroundings.

As Paige pulls me along, I stumble behind him like a puppet. The next thing I know, I'm being thrown into a room filled with a sickly green gas that stings my eyes and throat. Muffled moans and anguished growls can be heard from somewhere in the distance, but the swirling fog makes it impossible to see anything clearly.