Hidden deep in the California valley is the Aves Department for the infamous C.R.O.S.S. Laboratories. Offered an internship this esteemed genetic research lab, biology graduate Aurora Hall felt like she was living the dream. However, she soon begins to question the commonality of all the locked doors and vague answers from the shady staff. When she finds an abandoned ID badge with access to the highly restricted Section 3, she can't help but take a look. What she finds makes her question why she was picked as an intern, and she is faced with a choice that threatens to uproot everything she knows about science, humanity, and even love. ▪️▪️▪️ I flattened my palm on the cold glass and held my breath. My heart raced as I watched him tentatively lifting his hand to reach mine. Then I saw it. A flash of white in corner of my vision. Turning my focus away from the man, I focused on the white shape behind him. Craning my neck, I tried to inspect it further but my confusion only grew when I recognized it to be a patch of white feathers. Wait...feathers? He must have noticed my gaze because his lips quirked up into a proud smile and suddenly the patch of white grew into an entire wing. No, not just one, two wings...and they were attached to his back. -Rankings- #1 in Creature 3/03/2021 ❤️ #1 in Beast 1/27/2023 ❤️ #1 in Subject 8/27/2022 ❤️ #1 in Dystopia 3/25/2020 ❤️ #1 in Laboratory 4/27/2021 ❤️ #1 in Science-Fantasy 4/21/2023 ❤️ #2 Young Adult 4/18/2023 #2 Strong-Female-Character 12/20/2021 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED [NEW COVER 4/3/2021] [COMPLETED 4/9/2022] *WATTPAD EXCLUSIVE STORY*

Kidnap, torture, kill, repeat. That's how this serial killer rolls. So, what does it take for one boy to escape his horrifying captivity? It takes guts! Best friends, Kevin and Josh, are trying to juggle college classes while finding a way to launch a chemistry startup, but their lives turn into a living hell when Kevin's bad luck drives him to the doorstep of a serial killer. While Josh desperately searches for Kevin, the psycho killer is enjoying torturing his young victim in every possible way. However, there is one thing that the killer doesn't know; he picked the wrong victim to mess with. ⚠️TRIGGER WARNINGS⚠️ Disturbing contents! Strong language. Mental health issues. Media and descriptions of kidnapping, sexual harassment, blood, gore, torture, abuse, needles, violence, and death. 🏆ACHIEVEMENTS🏆 🌟 Won the FICTION AWARDS 2019 for BEST HORROR BOOK ON WATTPAD 🌟 3RD PLACE WINNER of the WATTYS 2020 BOOTCAMP MENTORSHIP PROGRAM 🌟BEST OF MYSTERY/THRILLER on WATTPAD OFFICIAL MYSTERY PROFILE 🌟FEATURED ON WATTPAD'S FRIGHT, MYSTERY, PSYCHOLOGICAL NOVEL, & BADASSREADS OFFICIAL PROFILES 🌟#1 in HORROR on May 15, 2018 🌟#16 in MYSTERY/THRILLER on Feb 28, 2018 ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ STARTED: Jan 17, 2018 CHAPTERS WC: Around 2500 words COMPLETED: Jan 5, 2019 Revised chapters are marked with ✎ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Cover by @VictoriaSlater457 If you are reading this story on any platform other than Wattpad (that's W a t t p a d) you are very likely to be at risk of a malware attack. If you wish to read this story in its original safe form, please go to: https://www.wattpad.com/user/Ellen_Reese Thank you!