Five Hollow Stars

Specimen A & C

The hideout was located under a ridge along the grassy banks near the lake. It was like a cave, very deep and spacious except it wasn’t made of rock.  We had spent a week covering the walls with wood and bringing in sufficient provisions to last weeks without coming out in case something happened. From the track above you would never notice the hideout and I was sure no-one knew of the place except me and Danny (no wonder no-one had been able to find him). We had covered the wooden floor with thick sheets and we had bought in a spare table and some paper and pens. We used to come here when we were younger to chat and play hangman etc. Now we would only come here to cool down or just to remember old times. As I crawled in through the entrance I spotted Danny sitting in the far corner. He was a lot paler and his blonde hair had grown.

“So what’s up. “I asked him, trying to remove the tension.

He looked at me with something close to pity and said in a hollow voice, “I’ve found something out, and if I tell you what it is I assure you, your life and your perceptive of it will totally change. Nothing will ever be the same again.”

Typical Danny. That was just like him; quick and straight to the point.

“Danny what are you talking about? You do know your dads looking for you right?” he looked down and nodded. “Well, just so you know, I was this close” I held my thumb and forefinger 1cm apart, “to telling him about the note you gave me in the centre.”

He looked up sharply like I’d just slapped him.

“Don’t worry!’ I chuckled "I didn’t actually tell him. Only said I was about to."

I could tell he was really serious and when he started talking again.

“Do you remember those papers that you found in that old building?” I nodded. “Well I was searching up on those and asking around on the deep web.” 

I stared at him blankly.

He sighed. ‘You know, where the thugs and criminals do most of their business. Anyway I was questioning random people when I started getting warnings from strangers telling me I was messing with things I shouldn’t.”

I shook my head, “Sorry mate I've lost you. You said you were getting threats to stop messing with ‘things’. What things are these?” 

“I am about to tell you! Try and be patient. But I also got a lot of information from others who were willing to help, even though they were very reluctant too, but I managed to work out that the people that letter was meant for are some kind of unofficial lab scientists making illegal experiments on the body." He leaned forward on his elbows "And then suddenly this organization called CFZ started tailing me online and in real life. I started hearing that odd people were asking around for a kid and they were offering a reward for any information on his whereabouts. 

“Then this Thursday, after we had come from football practice, I was wondering around my parents’ bedroom looking for my mobile when I found my dad’s business card." He looked down "I don’t ever actually remember my dad telling me what he did for his work but on that day I found out. On his card was his picture, name and reference number. But that wasn’t what caught my eye.” He looked up and I could tell this was hard for him. “In the right hand corner was the CFZ logo.”

I gasped. “Then that means… Your dad… CFZ...”

“Wait, that’s not all. I needed to find out more information so I hacked on to his email and I found that same message that was on the papers you had found in that building on his secure log. The email had multiple receivers all over the world,” he shook his head. 

“So these CFZ people own the lab? And your dad works for them?”

“Yes, but that’s not the worst bit. The information on my dad’s computer was clear unlike the papers you found so I found something out,” he took a deep breath and blurted out. “On the email it gave a description of one of the specimens. Hair and eye colour, birth date, parents etc. It’s me Erik, I’m specimen C.”

I stared at him, eyes opened wide in shock. In all my wildest dreams I could never have imagined something like that. I was amazed. But I could tell that Danny wasn’t done yet and that he had something else horrible to tell. Something like, “And you were born to be my slave! Ha! Ha! Ha!”

“And there’s one more thing I have to tell you. I'm sorry Erik but this isn’t all about me.” He laughed once, a cold sound with no humor at all “Oh no. Because Erik, your specimen A.”

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