The life of Nusi

Chapter 17: Bialowieza Forest

Deep in the Bialowieza forest is an underground complex hidden from the rest of the world. Locals tell tales about the forest and how doors will open, and monsters will grab you and drag you away. It is also said that if you go into the forest after dark, you will never return. Most just think these stories were made up to keep children from wandering off into the woods alone. There are some who say that the stories are valid, and they have spent a lifetime trying to prove that the old tales are true. Whenever someone turns up missing in the village the town folk bless themselves and kiss their crosses. If they only knew what really lay out there, they all would run and hide far from this place. Deep inside the complex, a middle age, overweight, balding man sits behind a giant cherry wood desk. As he leans back in his brown leather chair, he balls up paper and tries to shoot it into his trash can. One goes in... The man throws his arms up into the air and said quietly, two points, and makes the sound of a crowd cheering. Dr. Skee, please come to the practice room, the voice on the intercom says. He looks up at the speaker on the wall and says, "Now what? He takes one more shot and misses. Shit! He says. He gets up and walks across his office, opens the door and shuts it behind him. The sign on his door reads Dr. Skee, Director of Genetic Splicing in gold lettering. He walks down the long well-lit hallway until he reaches the elevators. A man in a blue uniform stand by the doors. Hello Dr. Skee, the man says with a smile. Where are you off to this time? He says again. Practice room. Dr Skee says in a huff. You think they could take care of a few things on their own, BUT NNNOOOO!!!! He said then laughed. The man in the uniform laughed to as they both stepped into the elevator. How's the wife doing? Albert, Dr. Skee asked. She's good, she just hates it when I worked out in the forest. He said with a smile. That's why I put in for this job, he said again. I really do miss working out there though. But you know what they say, happy wife, happy life. Both men laughed as the rode the car. I know what you mean, said Dr. Skee, "I used to work in the field until the wife thought it was getting to dangerous, so I transferred to this desk job, and look at me, fat, bald and old. But your wife is happy, Albert said laughing. Just then the doors opened and

Dr. Skee and Albert stepped out. I'll be right here waiting for you, he said to Dr. Skee. Thanks Albert, I hope I'm not too long, Dr. Skee said back as he walked down the long hall. When he got to the end of the hall, he turned right, and another Guard was standing there. The guard scanned his eye and said Hey, Dr. Skee. Hey, Phil Dr. Skee replied. Off to the practice room? Phil asked. Yup Dr. Skee said back as he continued to walk. At the end of the hall were two metal doors. Dr. Skee pressed his eye to the scan port and the doors opened. Dr. Skee walked into the huge room. The room was filled with workstations. At each station was a student and an instructor. The students all looked to be between thirteen and fifteen years old. As Dr. Skee stood and watched, he overheard an instructor telling a student to break the fingers. Against the wall in front of the workstation was a woman, naked, chained up to a wooden wheel. With her arms at three and nine, and her feet at five and seven the woman's head hung low like she had been there for hours. The student strained as she looked at the woman, but she could only manage to bend the woman's fingers back almost until they broke but couldn't get them to break. The woman screamed out in pain. Again! The instructor yelled at the student. The woman's eyes widened as she began to plead, NO! PLEASE! NO! Then she screamed again as the student tried to break the fingers with no luck. Dr. Skee walked over. Having trouble breaking fingers Katy? He said. Yes, Katy said looking up at him. Very much so, as tears were running down her face. I just can't seem to do it Dr. Skee. It's ok Katy he said I will teach you how to fix not destroy. I'll take it from here, he told the instructor. And we will talk later about this he said again with a stern look. Now Katy, the humans in the outside world know how to destroy, then they try to fix. I will show you that if you can fix, you can unfix. Do you understand? he said to her. I think so she said. He walked over to the woman hanging on the wall and picked her head up by her hair. Look at this Katy, It's an animal. He said. Not like us. He said again. But we will help it, that is what we do. He said to Katy. Dr. Skee grabbed the woman's fingers, one by one and broke them as her head dropped down to her chest. Now Katy, fix the fingers. Katy looked at the woman twisted fingers for a second. Dr. Skee said, image in your mind what the fingers should look like, and make it happen. Katy stared at the fingers and one by one she fixed them as the woman screamed in pain. GOOD JOB! Dr. Skee said to Katy. Now unfix them. The woman screamed again as Katy broke all her fingers again. That a girl Dr, Skee said to Katy as he patted her head. Now just keep breaking and unbreaking the fingers, and soon you will be an old pro at it. Dr. Skee watched Katy and gave her pointers each time she broke and unbroke the fingers as the woman continued to scream. God this one is loud Dr. Skee said to Katy. Let me show you a trick he said. Dr. Skee stared at the woman, put his hands on his head and made a straining sound. Katy looked at him and then the woman. Nothing happened, Katy said. Maybe I need to get closer, Dr. Skee said. He walked right up to the woman and did the straining thing again. Nothing happened again and Katy looked confused. Oh wait Dr. Skee said to Katy. I almost forgot the most important part. Bring me that poker please. Katy took the metal poker to Dr. Skee and handed it to him. As the woman continued to scream and plead, Dr. Skee looked at the end of the poker with his eyes, and the end turned white hot. Now watch Katy, he said. With that he squeezed the woman's mouth open and forced the poker in her throat, burning her vocals cord so she could scream anymore. And that's how you do it my girl. He said to Katy. Can I try? She said. Sure thing, Dr, Skee said to her as he fixed the woman's vocal cords. Ok Katy, you have a go at it. He said. And with that Katy burned and unburned the woman's throat over and over. See you later Katy he said as he walked away with a smile on his face. At the end of the room was a tall thin woman standing there waiting for him. Sorry he said to her, I got tied up with Katy. She's a nice kid, don't you think? Yes, the woman said with a smile. The woman opened a folder and showed it to Dr. Skee. He read it and looked back at her. Is this true? Yes, she said. Are you sure? Yes, she said again. But we couldn't pinpoint where it came from. She said. It would have to be from someone with extensive training to control that much energy. She added. It would take fifty of our best to replicate that kind of power. Dr. Skee said. Maybe the outsiders have developed some new technology. Maybe, she said, but it has all the signs of one of us. And there's no way to track it she said. Just keep watching, and if it happens again let me know. Ok she said, and Dr. Skee made his way back to his office. As he sat back in his chair, and started to ball up paper again, he got a sick feeling deep inside. What if there is someone out there with that kind of power? Could the outsiders have discovered how to harness the power? He thought. If so all of us will be in great danger. We must hide from them now, and they don't have the gift. I can't image what they could and would do if they got access to it. he thought. God help us if it turns out to be true. He thought as he tossed a ball towards the trash can. The paper went in, and he shouted, SCORE! As he let in all drift to the back of his mind.