Prologue
Thirteen Years Ago - Shenandoah Research Facility #3 - Sub-level 9
Dr. Frederick Owens
“Grab his fucking legs!”
“I’mtrying, he’s too?—”
Subject 3X4V2’s foot connected with my jaw, the pain sending a burst of rage through me.
“Stopmoving!” I shouted, forcefully shoving his legs down onto the table as he growled and snarled and bucked in Strauss’s hold. “Jones! Get the goddamn straps!”
Jones, a pathetic excuse for a scientist, grabbed the leather straps on either side of the table and buckled them over the subject’s legs.
“Tighter,” I ordered.
He glanced at the subject, as if looking to see if he was hurting him, and the rage in my chest burned hotter. I shoved Jones out of the way and yanked hard on the strap until the subject made a wounded sound and wasn’t able to move his legs anymore.
“Like that,” I spat at Jones. “That fucking tight. Get the fuck out of here, go clean the urinals. I don’t wanna even look at your fucking face.”
“Y-yes, sir,” he stuttered, turning and racing from the room. That probably felt more like a reward than a punishment to him.
“He got me fucking good this time.”
I glanced over at Strauss, who was washing his forearm in the sink. The water turned a dark pink as he washed the blood away. When I looked back at the subject, his eyes were locked on me and blazing with a fury that promised to sear itself into my skin if I got too close. His chest heaved as he lay there strapped to the operating table, those freaky eyes unblinking as he glared at me.
He didn’t say a word, though. I didn’t know if he could even talk. All he did was growl and snarl and scream like a goddamn animal.
We’d gotten him from another lab when he was seven, and he was a lot more docile back then. Seemed four years in an underground lab had taken its toll. He didn’t care that he was helping find a cure. He didn’t care that his sacrifice was for the greater good. Even if I explained it to him, I doubted he’d understand.
He was just a dumb animal, only good for his blood.
“He’s getting too fucking wild. And look at him, he’s tiny! How the fuck is he so strong? I can’t keep doing this. It’s not worth it. It’s time to get rid of him.” Strauss hissed as he dumped alcohol on the bite. “He took a chunk clear out of me. Why the fuck did you take the muzzle off? Put it on and leave it on.”
I leaned against the counter behind me and crossed my ankles. “He had to eat. That shit won’t fit through the muzzle.”
Strauss sighed as he yanked open the cabinet above him, rifling through medical supplies until he pulled out a bandage. “Those guys from the prison are here again,” he said. “We couldgive him to them, along with some rations. They only take carriers anyway. I bet Dr. Drake won’t even notice.”
Oh, he would fucking notice, but I didn’t give a shit. I wanted this little fucker gone as much as Strauss did. “Alright. What do they got?”
“Some fruit. Some ammunition. Tons of moonshine.”
I rubbed my chin, considering the trade. “Not bad. Okay, let’s get him ready.”
“You muzzle him, I’m not going near that filthy mouth again. I might be immune, but not to those nasty fucking germs he’s probably carrying in there. I mean, shit, he probably has rabies.” Strauss stomped over to the far wall and opened a cabinet, reaching in and pulling out a small bottle of liquor. He pulled the stopper out with his teeth, then chugged a quarter of the bottle.
Goddammit. This motherfucker had hidden a bottle of shine in here? That sneaky piece of shit.
“Ah, fuck. The shit they make is so good. I’d trade fifty of these fuckers for even one bottle.”
Yeah, so would I.
I pushed off the counter and bent down to grab the muzzle where I’d dropped it earlier, then strode over to the vicious little animal that was still glaring at me.
I wanted to get him out of here before those two brothers left. They were notoriously unpredictable, but they always had good shit, which was why they were allowed inside the lab. Nine times out of ten, they didn’t cause any trouble and the trades went smoothly.
“Be good or I’ll knock you out.” Subject 3X4V2 kept his eyes on mine, and the only indication he was getting upset was his small chest moving faster.
