Voiceless

Chapter Thirteen

I was temporarily confused as to how this handsome man knew my name. Squinting my eyes at him, I tried to put his face to a name but no-one came to mind. The man sat opposite me, suddenly unable to look me in the eyes. I sat there impatiently for him to open his mouth. For an explanation to smooth the confusion. When he finally  glanced at me I raised my eyebrows at him. 

"Hold on" he said before getting up and pulling out a folder from under his wooden bed. Everything looked so medieval, from his dark wooden wardrobe and a plastic lamp on his bedside table. I was so used to everything being hi-tech. I mean, he didn't even have glow in the dark floorboards for goodness sake! How was he meant to see in the dark?

He dropped the folder onto my lap and nudged me to open it. I stared at it weirdly before slowly opening the book. Immediately Macy's eyes stared straight at me, her piercing black eyes nearly burning a hole through me, and not just hers but everyone's faces from the hospital. All the women who have been selected for this dreaded Merudoxin project. Including Chichi's. My hand slowly caressed her picture and suddenly it was so difficult for me to swallow.

"Why do you have our pictures here? What do you do with them?" I asked him quietly, suddenly afraid to even raise my voice. The faint ticking of a clock could be heard in the background. 

"Let me start by introducing myself," he said and got comfortable in his seat opposite me, "My name is Arturo and I'm from Algeria. Your government has been allowing me to stay here in the UK if I followed their orders. They promised me UK citizenship if I participated in the Merudoxin project. I was happy at first that they chose me but... now I am not so sure. I didn't fully understand the purpose of this project." Arturo explained. He grabbed my hands and held onto them letting me feel his trembles. 

"But you understand now?" I asked him. He nodded slowly. 

"The government have been lying to you. They are researching the best method for painless births like you all believe... but it's the way they're maintaining the research that's shocking. I recently learned that Dr Jeffrey does not hold a medical license-"

"What?!" I shouted. Arturo covered my mouth tightly and hushed me. His hazel eyes frantically searching the door, listening to check if someone will knock anytime soon. 

"You need to please stay quiet Hazel or else it won't be good for us and your baby". I nodded my head and tightly shut my lips. 

"Dr Jeffrey does not hold a medical license anymore. I don't know why but he is currently not allowed to maintain any research let alone participate in such a huge project."

"But how are the government allowing this?"

"This is the part I am confused about too. They think the research is being conducted by someone called Dr Paulo. Something has happened to this doctor and Dr Jeffrey has taken his place, without the government's knowledge."

"Everything is so messed up! We all need to get out of here!" My eyes formed tears. I realized that we were still grasping hands and I removed mine away from him. I wiped my tears away in the dark remembering for the second time that we were in a basement room which sparked a question in me.

"What are you doing here? Why do they need you?"

Arturo hesitated before bringing the folder containing all our photos. "She brought me here" he said before pointing at a photo. I looked down to see his fingertip resting on my square picture. I frowned.

"How is that possible? I don't even know you - we aren't linked in any possible way" I whispered to him, cautious of my voice. Arturo closed his eyes. 

"I wish it wasn't true Hazel but we are connected" he said before leaning closer and resting his own hand on my stomach. "We have created something special."