Soul Experiment (In Editing/On Hold)

Chapter I

I don’t see why everything is going wrong today. I consider the fact that this could be karma, that I did something so horrible that I deserved this. Whatever it is, I can’t place it. I wrack my brain so many times I’m beginning to get a headache, though I’m still unable to come up with an answer to my question.

 First time school drama, failure to pick up my sister and now... stuffed into the back of a van, hands behind my back and my death surely in the near future. I suppose today is just a bad day.

 Tessa Washington.

 That’s me. I’ll forever wonder what happened to me, why it happened to me.

 What will my family do? They’ll wonder right? My friends? Will they all search to find me, or will I never be found, locked away with these men for the rest of my short life?

 I can smell the blood in here. It’s crusted on the floor and on a crowbar by the front seats; a painful reminder of what these people can do, what they will do. The metallic smell just won’t go away; even breathing through my mouth doesn’t help seeing as the gag just gives me a taste of more blood.

Even putting the blood aside, the whole van has an aura of death surrounding it. No matter what I look at, I'm terrified. If I look at the men then I feel a fear eating at my stomach. If I look at the floor I feel the same twisting fear from all the blood. Not even closing my eyes helps, it just gives me time to think of all the 'what if''s of the situation.

 There are two people sitting up front, two men. I’m terrified, for I’ve heard all the stories of kidnappings, how people have spent years locked away, used and abused. If I manage to get out of these bonds, maybe I should just end it... end myself. 

No, what am thinking? I can't give up so soon, though I admit I'd hate to be scarred for life even if I do escape this place. Though some people have survived for years on end being kidnapped before they finally escape. They do alright now... right? Though the horrors of the last half hour has already been seared into my mind, pounding against my skull. Though I know I can't give up, I can't leave my friends and family. Not Mom or Dad, Jace, or anyone else. 

 One of the men, the driver, is wearing a lab coat, white like a doctor, scientist, or dentist. His hair is sandy and tousled, like he didn’t even bother to use a comb in the morning. The other is wearing all black, the one that grabbed me. His hair is pitch black, possibly dyed.

 I thought walking home was better than waiting for another bus. It wouldn’t come for a long while, and people wouldn’t stop panicking. Why was I so moronic to walk off alone? If I knew this was going to happen to me then I wouldn’t have minded at all, in fact I would have stayed and handed out candy to them all if need be.

 But now it’s too late… now I’m trapped.

 “How do you know she’ll survive?” The one in black asks, breaking through my thoughts. His voice is rough and gravely as if he'd been eating nails for breakfast.

 “We modified it since last time.” The other one answers, his eyes still focused on the road. His voice is softer. So soft I find it hard to believe that he could do something like this, something so sinister. His hands are deathly pale on the wheel, like he’s frightened or something. I don’t see why, seeing as they’re the kidnappers and I’m the kidnapped.

 Or maybe if I can just get my hands undone I can distract them and crash us. Then I can make a mad dash for help.

 Slowly, I force myself to use my tongue to loosen the gag. I feel as if I’m going to throw up, the metallic smell not only filling my scent, but now my taste. Then I go to work on the silver duct tape, loosening it with my teeth, careful to make no noise.

 I’ve almost got it after a while. I can grab the wheel or take the crowbar and beat them like they beat all the other poor kids in this van.

 Finally I’m at the last part. Just one last tug and I’ll be free…

 It’s too late though. The car stops as the doors are flung open and the man in black narrows his eyes before grabbing me roughly. He smells of Axe. Axe mixed with… a sour smell that isn’t beer or cigarettes or even bad breath. No, it’s like a type of chemical… It makes no sense.

 “She was trying to get away.” The man in the lab coat notes, rubbing his chin covered in thin stubble like I was a science experiment he was studying.

 The man in black says nothing, just drags me up the driveway, through a door, into a huge Victorian style home. How two men can even afford a house such as this is beyond me, how they make their living kidnapping innocent children.

 He’s heading towards a door at the end of the hall.

 When the man in the lab coat opens it, I see dark steps leading down. Down.

 No. Oh no, that’s the basement, I can’t go down there, I can’t be trapped the rest of my short life by these lunatics.

 I struggle harder, kicking and punching with every ounce of strength I have. The man in the white lab coat makes a move to help, but the other man just grunts, roughly shoving me down the stairs anyways.

The stairs and the upper floor is quite dark. Though at the bottom there's a blinding white light, making it almost impossible to see the first ten seconds. When I finally get my eyes to adjust, I see a living nightmare laid of before me.

 Surgery tables scattered around the huge room, horribly sharp surgical objects, and more people in white lab coats. The room is white, blinding and spotless.

They’re going to torture me. They’re going to cut me open and experiment on me.

 They’re all insane.

 There’s another room behind this one, almost a hallway of glass containers, like giant fish tanks. Though they’re all empty. Spotless and empty. It makes no sense, there are so many containers, they must have just gotten started. They must be going to capture more innocent people.

 I’m shoved into another connecting room, at least a quarter of the size of the first room. This room is grimy and dark, so unlike the others. It has that smell of blood again, the dark stains smeared on the walls. I almost upchuck all of my lunch again, but manage to hold it in.

 There are body bags. Not a lot, but they’re still body bags, and I cringe at the thought of what condition the bodies inside were in.

 So much for just getting started.

 All the people in lab coats step out and close the door. They're peering inside as if in anticipation. Why though? What are they waiting for? Are they so sick that they're just waiting for him to torture me?

 It’s only the man in black and I.

 I’m surely sweating, just waiting for him to do something. Anything. I can guess that none of the things are good, but I just hope it’s quick; that whatever he’s going to do is over with soon.

 I was right about that.

 He reached into his belt and pulled out a black gun.

 The barrel aimed straight at my face.

 This is it. This is what I asked for, this is the end. My body was so tense I’m surprised I didn’t snap a tendon or something from the stress. Even from how far away I was I felt as if I could peer right down the barrel and spot the bullet... waiting... anticipating the act of breaking my skin.

 Slowly closing my eyes, I accepted my fate, ready to die. It's a gun, right? At least it'll be quick... right?

 “Just do it.” I manage to choke out through the lump in my throat. “Pull the trigger.”

 And that’s when it finally happens.

 That’s when he blows my brains out.