Plant Boy

Chapter 4 - Remorse

It would have been a perfect. The artificial sun sat in the middle of the cloudless, light-blue sky. The sunlight barely eased my hunger as it warmed the simulation to a comfortable, yet unsatisfying, temperature. Even the breeze felt wrong against my skin as I just sat on the stump with my hands covering my face. I hid every drop of regret that leaked from my eyes.
     The doctor was the only thing clouding my mind. The only living being to ever tell me the truth was her. It may not have been the full truth, but it was the truth. I wasn't the only hybrid in the entire world, at this point maybe that's all I needed to know.
     A small smile appeared on my face through all the pain. Hope flared in my gut as I lifted my hands off of my face.
     "I'm not alone", I whispered to myself. "I'm not alone..."

     Every night I got lost in thought. Regret was the only thing I was capable of feeling as I had trouble falling asleep. I was tormented by the doctors' distress in my nightmares.
     In the day I imagined what the other hybrids could be like. I imagined many human-plant hybrids. Maybe one of them was a flower with arms or something. I even snapped a branch off my favorite tree to draw what another hybrid probably looked like.
     At first I had been reluctant to hurt my tree friend. I figured fake trees don't feel pain and tore a small branch that wasn't meant for climbing. I then strolled off to my stump to sit.
I let my thoughts trail as soon as the stick touched the dirt. I found myself talking to the doctor as I drew.
     "Eight was a girl", she said as she sat next to me on the stump. Her smile was warm like the artificial sun.
"What did she look like?" I asked softly.
"I remember seeing flowers on her shoulders and her grassy green hair", the doctor explained.
     "What else?" I asked as I drew an infant in the dirt. I payed extra attention to drawing the flowers and hair.
     "What else?" I asked again when I stopped moving the stick. My smile faded as turned my head to see her. All I saw was an empty space on the tree stump.
     My lips twitch as my hands and knees fell onto the grass. I pounded my fist into the artificial dirt.
     "GET ME OUT OF HERE!" I screamed. "PLEASE, CAN SOMEONE LET ME OUT!"
     Silence. Just silence.
     That until I heard my stomach growl. I stopped moving and stared at the ground.
    After a moment I slowly placed my feet back on the fake earth as I forced myself to stand. Before doing what I was about to do I stared at the back of my hands. I took deep breaths as they started to shake.
     "I will give you to the count of five!" I yelled.
     "FIVE!"
     I waited a moment then crossed my arms. I didn't get to four until I knew the green was completely covered.
     "FOUR!"
     Still, no response. I let a single tear slip as I heard my stomach growl.
     "THREE!"
     I clenched my eyes as I started to walk. Hunger crawled to every limb as I moved.
     "TWO!" I screamed with all my might.
     I stopped walking as my body started to get completely numb. I opened my eyes to a fuzzed world.
     "One", I managed weakly.
     "STOP!" Cried an echoed voice. It almost sounded like the doctor who took my vitals.
     I chuckled weakly as I uncrossed my arms. Energy slowly returned to each limb.
     "LET ME OUT!" I screamed once my strength returned.
     I heard distant footsteps after I said my words.
     "Come here", sounded a voice from behind me.
     I turned to see a tall man with a full head of gray hair and a labcoat. I stayed still.
     "Nine", the scientist called. "Come here!"
     "I didn't ask for you", I growled. "You lie."
     The scientist tilted his head.
     "Confused?" I asked.
     "I said get over here", he ordered, ignoring my question.
     "You don't remember?" I asked.
     "What?" The scientist sneered. "What are you talking about?"
      My right eyelid twitched as I processed the best thing to say.
     "Nine!" The scientist yelled through gritted teeth. "Answer me!" 
     "You can see me, can't you", I whispered.
     Finally, the doctors face twisted from confusion.
     "You watched me cry. You watched me suffer", I growled. Rage boiled in my soul.
     "NINE!" The scientist screamed. "ENOUGH!"
     I took in a deep breath as rage fueled tears slipped out.
     "When I suffered before all you did was watch! When I tried to kill myself you came running!" I screamed.
     The doctor opened his mouth to speak but stayed silent. His angered face softened into one of sorrow.
     My mouth twitched as more tears slipped out.
There was a complete standstill as my eyes locked with his. My breaths grew deeper yet shakier. Sobs erupted without my consent.
"Please", I whispered softly. "Why are you doing this to me?"
The scientist shook his head slowly as his attention broke from my stare.
"Nine", the scientist called. A long pause came after he spoke.
"What?" I sobbed.
"It's this way", the scientist stated as he gestured for me to follow. I quickly caught up to him as he walked.
"Is there a chance I can see the others?" I asked softly.
The scientist said nothing as we walked. I admired the space that I never really looked at as we strolled along. In this area there was only grass instead of some patches of dirt, trees and bushes.
     Eventually the professor stopped when I walked into something. I backed up a small bit.
     "What happened?" I asked.
     The doctor ignored me as he put his hand on the unseen barrier.
     "Access granted", sounded a female voice. My eyes widened as a completely black rectangle popped up.
     The scientist walked through the barrier as soon as it opened completely. I felt no sunlight on my hand as I reluctantly put it through the barrier.
     I took in a deep breath as I walked through.

     "Don't move", ordered a voice. My breaths were sharp as my eyes adjusted to the new light. My surroundings had been a mere gray blur.
     "It's hard to preform tests when you always cry", the voice explained. I shook my head slowly as I blinked.
     I noticed a white figure about five feet away as my vision started to clear.
     "You want to know why we kept you here?" The voice asked. I nodded slowly. I noticed gray floors and walls my vision sharpened. That white figure was the scientist from earlier, and the voice belonged to him.
     "You're an experiment!" He screamed. "You would have been far happier if Joanna never filled your head with ideas."
     The scientist walked over and handed me a device. The red electronic was equip with a handle and trigger.
     "Makes sense. Im Partial Human Experiment Nine", I said faking my rage. I looked down to the device. "What's this?"
     "Press the trigger and find out", the scientist sighed. "I wouldn't want to explain why I have a dead mutant on my floor, now would I?"
     I pressed my index finger on the trigger while the rest of my hand held onto the handle. The object emitted light once I pressed it.
    "Apparently starving my hybrids is animal abuse", the scientist stated. "Put the ray of light on your hand so I wont be sued."
     I nodded slowly as I let the light onto my hand. Slight energy fueled my body.
     "The lights on the ceiling don't work like this. Why?" I asked.
     "Reasons I don't care about", the doctor snapped. "Come with me. I think it's about time you met my other pets."
     My eyes widened. Maybe this highly arrogant excuse for a human wasn't so bad after all.
     The scientist gestured for me to follow him down a long, poorly lit hall. It's walls and ceiling were gray like stone.
     "What are they like?" I asked him as we walked.
     "Fourteen is too nice and Nineteen's a douche", he answered. "You will find out soon enough."
     We soon walked out into another room. At the far wall it had a black door like the gateway to my simulation.
     "Alright!" He yelled as we stopped at the door. "Have fun!"
     I was about to ask for a further description, but I shut my mouth. I gave a big grin as I ran through the black door.

     My eyes sharpened into focus almost instantly. The world that I was in was similar to mine, but had fuzzy creatures everywhere. I nearly stepped on a white rabbit as I ran in.
     Besides the creatures, everything was the same as it was in my simulation. Even the lighting was the same as mine. I turned off the device the scientist gave me by letting go of the trigger.
     "Hello?" I called. "This is PH-09!"
     Suspense filled my gut as I decided to stroll on. Even the stump was the same as it was in my simulation. Every little ring and crack had no difference.
     I jumped as a figure sped past me. Adrenaline filled my gut after the shock.
     "Hello?" I asked again.
     "Hey!" Called a young female voice.
     "Where are you?" I asked.
     I felt a finger lightly tap on my shoulder from behind. I whipped around as my eyes widened.