brutal

Chapter 30

Time seemed to stretch longer and hope seemed impossible ever since Zero and Four tried to escape.

Zero thought he was outsmarting the Professor when he and Four climbed through the vent after eliminating all the guards of the Red Room, but their lack of knowledge of the layout of their prison became their downfall.

What they thought was daylight was just another room, and what they thought was freedom was just another test.

"Deep breaths, Zero. Only a few more shots and you can go back."

Zero shook his head and strained against the leather straps trapping him to the chair. "No! It hurts!"

The lady in white nodded emphatically and put down the needle. "You need to finish your session, Zero, so that you can be strong. You wouldn't want the Professor punishing you for failing, wouldn't you?"

"I hate the Professor! I don't care! He can kill me if he wants!" he shouted.

"Calm down, Zero." He thrashed when her gloved hand touched his shoulder, but she kept a firm grip anyway and tried to steady him. "If you don't settle down, the Professor might hear you, and he might decide to carry out your punishment on someone else."

Zero suddenly stopped and shook his head. "What? What do you mean someone else?" The lady tilted her head, letting him figure it out for himself. And, like a switch, it dawned on him all of a sudden. "Four?"

She nodded. "Yes. He might hurt her if you keep resisting."

He felt a chill pass through him at the thought of it. Four was the girl he saw when he woke, the girl he watched eat, and the girl he fought next to, but she was far from the girl he could ever get close to. Despite this, however, Zero wouldn't ever want her to get hurt, especially because of him.

Ever since the Red Room and their failed attempt to escape, he felt a connection with her. She had spoken to him for the first time, and she finally looked at him like he existed. In his books, she was practically his closest friend there.

So, Zero bit down on his jaw and dug his fingernails into his skin as he let the lady in white inject the six remaining shots into his body. By the end of it, he felt lightheaded and weak. He vaguely remembered two pairs of hands carrying his body and throwing him back into his cell not too long after.

Every part of his body hurt. That was the price of the shots, he realized after his first few sessions. He once thought it to be something to be in awe of— the way he became sharper, faster, and stronger after each session, but he quickly dismissed such naivety when he saw how pathetic he became.

He didn't want to be dependent on the Professor and the momentary high he gave them. He could only imagine the pain Four went through. At least he was loquacious and had the outlet to speak his mind whenever he wanted to without restraint when he was in his cell.

But Four? She was silent and barely moved. She must've been trapped inside her own mind. Zero saw just how deadly she was in the Red Room when she took down the guards alongside him, which meant she was taking just as many shots as him, maybe even more.

No kid their age could be as brutal as they were now.

"Have you eaten yet, Four?" Zero asked groggily into the air. His limp body was slumped into the corner of his cell, right next to the bars of Four's. He couldn't see her from where he was laying, but he knew she was there. He didn't even need to open his eyes to know she was watching him.

After waiting a few seconds, he accepted her silence and persisted, "Have you slept yet? It's important to get some rest."

Silence. Zero wasn't interested in giving up; he wanted to make sure his efforts would not go to waste. "If you're cold, I could ask the lady in white to send you a blanket. Maybe she could ask the Professor. Just tell me, okay?"