Dawn Hollow

XXIX

It was cold. Cold, hard, smooth, and clammy. That's what he noticed first; how everything felt new or recently cleaned. Next, the air vents above circulating the weather sprinkled dust all over.

It was musty. Musty, old, rusted, and bloody. That's what he noticed next; the smell of it all was horrible-like the place had been closed up and locked away for a more extended period than it should've been. But what could that mean? Who would leave a place like that? Why did nothing make sense? Why was everything heavy? Why did his neck hurt so bad?

It was bright. Bright, white, blinding, and metallic. That's what he noticed when he finally opened his eyes. He could hardly see a thing before his brown eyes focused. With a mind clouded by sleep, he couldn't seem to read the signs in front of him. But he could see his reflection with the refraction of the bright glass against the glass wall keeping him there. He tilted his head side to side though there wasn't much to notice. A thin mattress in the corner with not even a pillow or blanket complimenting it. The other corner had nothing but a folded stack of clothes in it.

Curiously, he pulled himself over to it, not trusting his legs to carry there quite yet, seeing as he couldn't feel them. As he snailed closer, the outfit came more into view, as did the design on it. It was a gray sweatsuit with nothing but pasted on numbers on the upper left chest that read three digits, 101.

"Wha...What is this?" He slurred, picking up the fabric with one of his hands, rubbing the cloth between his unnaturally dirty fingers.

"Good morning, Peter John," a mature feminine voice called to him. Immediately he whipped around. A tall oak-skinned woman stood powerfully on the opposite side of the glass, her manicured hands holding a clipboard.

"W-Who are you? Wh-Where am I? Where's Kane?!" Each question got more panicked.

"Relax, Peter John; there is no need to worry. You are safe, and so is patent Thirty-one."

"Don't call him that!" PJ barked, "He is no less of a person than you or I; not a sick science project!" The woman did not flinch, keeping her stance tall. He stared at her with a crooked finger in her direction, her image making it all click. "You're Ella Clark. You're Erica's sister! T-That's means I-I'm-"

"That means you are in the high security of The Animal Virus Project. And yes, if you must know, Erica and Elijah are my siblings. But it is beyond my paygrade to spill everything I am to you, especially when you are in the cage and I am not!"

"How could you do this to people?! How could you get involved with that psychopathic doctor?!"

"Now now, that's certainly no way to talk to the man that saved your life," His voice emerged, appearing in front of the glass. Something in PJ forced his body to function, effortlessly rising to his feet and shuffling over to the edge of his cage.

"Where. Is. Kane?" PJ growled.

"Why so upset, Mr. Marshall? I saved your life, remember? From that thing that has been following you around?!"

"You don't know what you're talking about! He's my friend! He's my best friend and what you're doing to him is cruel! And don't call him a 'thing!' You know his name! At my house, you knew his name! I know you also know how much he hated this place, and you! You know he ran away from you!"

"You've gone delusional. That snake has brainwashed your mind; he's made you see him as a better person! He's a monster, PJ! A monster and nothing more!"

"Then what do you call yourself, huh? You've killed! You've killed so many. The room still smells of their blood! If you want to call him a monster, you need to remember where the monster really stems from!"