FREAKS || Jerome Valeska¹

42 || Behold the Prophet

A loud beeping sound pierced through my consciousness as I awoke. With a tired sigh, I struggled to peer my eyes open, blinking rapidly and squinting against the glaring light that met them. The sight that greeted me made my body freeze; I was in some kind of factory, a tall figure in a black latex suit, surrounded by countess pipes and machines. Another body was motionless on a metal table - Jerome.

It all came back.

Dwight Pollard had stolen his corpse to resuscitate him, and I told him I wasn't going to let him... and Evelyn and Andrew drugged me?

I tried to move but quickly realized my hand and legs were bound to a chair, and a gag had been secured to my mouth with a cloth. I couldn't escape or scream. How long had I been asleep? Panic settled in, and I struggled against the restraints, but it was useless. All I could do was watch in horrifying silence. Dwight Pollard moved around the room like a mad scientist, humming to himself, attaching jump starter cables to small rods connected to cuffs on Jerome's body. There were thin copper wires sprawled across my lover's body.

It unsettled me. If he was using jump starter cables, that meant that several dangerous currents were about to go through my boyfriend's dead body.

This was bad. Terrible.

The unstable man faced me, grinning, "My queen, you are awake!" He greeted me excitedly, but my response was a roll of eyes, followed by a furious glare. He frowned, "I'm sorry you're angry with me, but I - this was necessary, seeing as you refuse to let me finish my mission." He approached Jerome.

My body tensed, my breath quickening again. Please, don't.

"I'm actually glad you regained consciousness. You'll get to experience the prophet's awakening, too." He declared with a smile, making adjustments to his DIY machinery. The body temperature spiked, signaling it was reaching core body heat. "I promise when you see him again, you'll forget about all of this - It'll be worth it."

"Really?" My alter ego's voice growled. "Because I think Jerome will kick his ass after he sees us like this."

Dwight grinned after the monitor beeped and hummed that stupid song again. I attempted to loosen the ropes around my wrists, but they were too tight. I whimpered, feeling frustrated. It didn't matter if I bruised or injured my wrists; I just wanted out of here.

The sound of footsteps startled me, making my movements stop. Another man dressed in a nurse's outfit jogged into the space; he was a bit bulky, had slicked-back black hair, and a pale complexion. His eyes widened, almost starstruck, as he spotted me between two rows of shelves. "Miss Nygma? Oh, my goodness. Such an honor." He stuttered, making me roll my eyes. "My name is Gus."

"This is starting to get annoying."

Gus gulped thickly upon noticing my unamused reaction, then turned to his 'boss'. "We're almost done loading the vans. How are you doing?"

My eyebrows moved closer - Perplexed. What is going on?

"Ding... dong," Dwight muttered, flipping some switches on the machine. The sound of electricity currents being accumulated sizzled — like a track runner waiting for a gunshot. "We are — " Just then, another beeping was heard. The large red number made fear rush in. It was at core body temperature, 98.6° F/37° C. Jerome was ready. Dwight chuckled. "There."

Gus hurried away, maybe to let the others know.

Dwight caressed Jerome's hair, unfazed by my contempt. "I hope you had a nice sleep 'cause we got a busy, busy day ahead." He whispered before turning to the electrical equipment and twisting some switches. My eyes pooled with defeat and helplessness; I was not able to prevent this from happening.