Ominous Stranger

Two

I sudden surge of electricity forces my eyes to open and the urging scream that was bellowing in my throat was muffled behind a foreign object. Trying to bring my hand up to remove the thing that kept me from screaming out all of my frustration, I noticed that even through all the strength I could muster, I couldn't move. There was this sense of urgency that wept over me as I tugged my retrained appendages, but as the more I tugged to free myself, the tighter the restraints got.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," If it weren't for the metal headband limiting my motion, I would have found the source of the voice. My eyes continue to do cartwheels focusing on the area in which I could see. Within moments a shadow crosses over my vison, "Wouldn't want to cause more trouble, now would we?"

A women, a beautiful women at that, stares down at me with her silvery grey eyes. Her beach blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders, stopping just below her collarbone. Her porcelain skin couldn't help but reflect the above light, making me have to revert my eyes. I try to speak, but nothing comes out. Within moments she is removing the guard from my mouth. Trying to find my voice I say, "Why am I here?"

"I was told that you were causing quite the scene back at Cellblock B."

"You're Doctor Stein?" I ask, my voice far more shaky than I would have liked.

She smiles. "In the flesh and you're Alyxandra Price. Now that we're acquainted, we have to discuss this oddly predictable situation."

"Predictable?"

Her smile immediately vanishes and she raises an eyebrow. "Oh yes. You see, Alyxandra, I have been watching you from the very beginning. You always had this drive – this fire that burned inside of you. It was only a matter of time before you finally combusted, which brings us to why you are here. Your act of carelessness could have caused a major problem here."

My heart began to race and I could feel the smallest amount of sweat build up my hairline. My insides began to twist, but I'm not going to show weakness, even if she can see through my mask of bravery. Her stare intensifies, soaking in all of the nerves that was radiating off of me. "Acts like these don't go unpunished. You could have infected the Lieutenant."

"Just like you did with me and many others."

She lets out a quiet laugh. "That was for research, this was pure stupidity." She crosses her arms around her chest and takes a deep breath. "Besides, you need to sacrifice a few to save the many."

"It was murder!" my voice cracked and echoed off the titled walls. I started throwing myself up from the table, but each restraint kept me from moving. My legs and arms flailed around, hoping to loosen the grips of the metal bars, but to no prevail, I was stuck. I let out an aggravated cry as I returned to recklessly thrashing my entire body. My lungs were weakening and my throat was raw from my bloodcurdling screams. Someone has to hear me – please hear me.

"Lower your voice," Dr. Stein demanded, but I continued to scream. With the flick of her wrist and the wave of her hand, the mouth piece was back to guarding my cries. Yet, I still screamed, even if no one could hear it. "That's better."

An exaggerated sigh breaks the silence. "Now," I hear the snap of fingers and echoing taps of footsteps pacing inside the room. Numerous shadows slowly cascade over my vision, but all I could focus on was the piercing grey eyes that stared down at me. She barely bat an eyelash as she said, "Let us get started."

My words were muffled, but my demands were clear. I wasn't going to give up without a fight and I sure as hell wasn't going to be tortured for being human. Pushing my tongue up against the metal and using my jaw to move the object to the side, I forced my jaw to move in angles I didn't know possible to remove the guard.

I see a hand flash across my face. "Ah, ah, ah," Dr. Steins blonde hair comes back into view as well as her intimidating stare. Her index finger is moving in a side to side motion while she shakes her head. "Perhaps my message was unclear, but lucky for you, I'm feeling generous."

As she removed the mouth piece, all I wanted to do was bite off her fingers and spit them back at her. Claw at her flesh and attack her like the animal I was being treated as, but all I do it bite my tongue; however, not long enough to swallow the words that escaped my throat. "You can poke and probe me with needles. You can lock me behind a glass case and slowly take my life to find a cure. But it doesn't matter how much research you have, you will never, ever, find a vaccine for your ignorance and stupidity. " 

It was as if the gears inside Dr. Stein's head suddenly stop, coming to a halt while they tried to process what just came out of my mouth. The emotion, or the lack there of, sent shivers down my spine. Her eyes were like daggers, stabbing me ever so slowly over and over again. With each hitched breath she took, it was another nail in my coffin. I couldn't help but swallow my pride as I watched her stare my life away. 

"Slowly take your life away. Those were your words, correct?" arching her perfectly angled brow with a devilish grin on her face, she turns her back to me. I can see shadows, all morphing into a giant blur, making it difficult to fully understand how many people are actually in the room. "Escort Cavia Porcellus 156 to the testing center. I want her put into the glass enclosure, restrained and conscious. She is to be striped of her clothes and left in waist deep of ice. Once the ice melts and she starts to feel warmth, I want her doused in water and have another round of ice fill the tank."

"You're insane."

It didn't take her long to turn around. Her hands were placed on her hips and she continued to wear a smile that even the devil couldn't suppress. "Aren't we all?"

I could feel my muscles tensing and insides doing summersaults. Tears were beginning to well up, but not from being terrified – because I was – but from pure anger. My heart was continuing to pound against my ribs. Thump, thump, thump. "Y-you can't do this!"

"I believe I already have," she turns to face one of the doctors in the room and grabs the clipboard from his hand. It take her a few seconds to flip through all the papers before finally making eye contact with me. "I want to make this a little more interesting. Decrease the air pressure within the enclosure, low enough to making breathing difficult, but high enough to keep her conscious and aware. Do I make myself clear?" 

In unison, everyone nodded their heads in agreement. How could people do this with no remorse? I can feel the restraints around my ankles loosen, then my ankles, and lastly the band around my forehead. Slightly raising my head, I noticed four men all dressed in white outlining the far wall. The fifth was standing directly behind Dr. Stein with his arms firmly wrapped round his chest. There are several beats before there are any movements, not a single one barely even blinked. I wanted to move, but decided against it. Instead, I sit there and I wait.  Wait to live, wait to die; I'm still trying to figure that out.