𝙐𝙎 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝘼𝙉𝙔|| Eddie Munson

32. The cat

Memory*

"018. I need you to crush this Coke can for me. Can you do that?" Papa asked me.

I looked at him as Henry put my headset on and attached wires to my fingers.

"Yes, papa." I weakly said.

He nodded, "good. I will be in the other room."

That's when he left and went into the glass room across from me with security guards. After Henry finished, he knelt by me and smiled.

"Good luck. Focus. Breathe." He assured me and walked out.

I watched all of them stare at me as I looked at the Coke can and gulped. Focus. Breathe. I inhaled and exhaled before tilting my head downwards and crumbling the can till it was completely flat and shattered. I sighed and looked back to Papa as he seemed impressed.

"018, that was quicker than the last patient. 011. Now, time for the next task that 011 couldn't do." Papa said and sent in two guards.

I watched as they removed the can and set down a cat in a cage. A white fluffy one. It hissed and snarled at me a as felt my heart race. I looked back to Papa and then Henry as he nodded to me with his sweet smile. I looked back to the cat and tilted my head again, thinking of snapping its bones. It began to help and hiss, shaking in its cage as its leg snapped and it's arms began to snap. It went quiet as I snapped it's neck and sucked the eyes back into it's skull, killing it. It laid limp with blood slowly dripping out of its empty eye sockets. I looked back to Papa to see him shocked and puzzled. But when I looked back to Henry, he seemed proud and impressed.

"Remove the cat." Papa stated.

Two guards came in and removed the cage while Papa stepped into the room. He removed the wires and headset from me and held my face whilst he looked at me.

"You are magnificent...your powers are truly stronger than I thought they would be. I have one final task for you to do."

That's when they brought in 002 to which he seemed scared while he was shaking. I looked to Papa with wide eyes and furrowed brows.

"Papa..."

"I want you to pick him up and do whatever your brain decides on. Can you do that for me, 018?" He asked me.

I gulped and looked at 002. He bullied me and made me angry. He made me sad and treated me like I was nothing so I nodded to Papa. Papa left the room as the guards left while leaving 002 in the room. I stood up while he stepped back in fear.

"Please...don't do this." He begged of me.

I grabbed his throat and lifted him off the ground while he choked and gasped for air, struggling to break free. I watched his face turn red while he looked at me with tears streaming down his cheek. I yelled while I threw him against the wall which made it crack a bit. He gasped for air once I let go and glared at him. He struggled to stand but just as he did, I grabbed him by the ankles and dragged him around and laughed at him. That's when I threw him to the glass, making him go straight through it and hit the wall on the other side. Everyone in the room looked at me with fear but Henry looked at me with a grin.

"Security. Fetch 002 and remove him from 018's sight." Papa demanded.

As they obeyed and removed him from the room, Papa stepped closer to the broken window and looked at me.

"Why do you have so much hatred for 002?"

I breathed in and out quickly while I tried to think of a reason to tell Papa without saying he bullied me. But that was my only option.

"He...hurts me." I mumbled.

"He hurts you?" Papa asked.

I nodded, "he hurts me with the others. They all hurt me and 011..." I looked back to him, "it's because I'm different...isn't it, Papa?"

Henry stepped forward, "you're difference is remarkable, 018. You have a gift the others are afraid of—"

"Enough, Dr.Henry...she doesn't need to know that." Papa shut him up.

"They're afraid of me?" I asked.

Papa came into the room and brought me into a hug, "they don't know your limits, 018. That's what they are afraid of. Not you, but your limits."

He knelt down in front of me and ran a hand over my buzzed head, then he held my face.

"Papa, I frighten them."

"Your limits are unknown to them and everyone. You are limitless. That's what's special about you...you are limitless."

I looked back to Henry while he nodded to me. He then left me and Papa alone as I looked back to him.

"Papa...I'm sorry."

He lifted me up and walked us both out of the room. That's when I heard screaming and yelling down the hall to which Papa saw Henry standing outside our door.

"Take 018, Dr.Henry."

"Will do, sir."

Then Papa gave me to Henry as he held me in his arms whilst Papa followed the screams and cries down another hall.

"You were remarkable in there, 018. Your powers when you killed that cat...That was familiar to me."

He walked me to my bedroom and rested me on my bed while tucking me in.

"You've had a long day, young one...get some sleep now."

I hugged Henry as he hugged me back and patted my head before parting from me and walking out and closing my door. I turned the lights off in my room and drifted off to sleep.

End of memory*

I woke up on the couch and panted in a nervous sweat. I sighed and stood up, walking up to my room and going to my bathroom, stripping off my clothes and getting in the shower. I washed my face and my hair while I tried to wash away the memory. I just placed a hand over my stomach as I sat down on the floor of the tub and let the water hit me. I gulped and looked up to the ceiling, feeling tears fall down my blank face as I continued to think of my memory.

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