Orphic Reverie | ApplyFic

Prologue | The Room of Death

In the heart of the forest, hidden beneath nature's protective canopy, lies a place known only to a select few - a place so harrowing that a single word encapsulates its essence: Hell.

Within the halls of blinding white, the echoes of desperate screams reverberate, etching tales of agonizing torment into the very walls. These haunting cries paint a grim portrait of suffering inflicted by the merciless hands of existence.

However, an unsettling silence descended upon the chambers, where innocent children, betrayed by those meant to shield and nurture them, find themselves imprisoned in a cruel mockery of sanctuary.

How could those who profess righteousness conceive of such a facility, or conceive of a project as morally bankrupt as the one unfolding within the sterile confines of the Laboratories?

Dr. Ezra Hawthorne, a young woman tasked with the care of a child undeserving of such torment, stood before the metal door adorned with pulsating red lights.

The cries of the young girl had finally subsided, and as the lights shifted to a somber green, granting access, Ezra stepped forward.

Upon entering, she was met with a sight that chilled her to the core. There, bound to an electrical chair, was a girl no older than six. Blood streaked her arms, yet there was no visible wound - only the haunting presence of freshly healed scars marring her already pallid skin.

The weight of her head, pulled back by unseen forces, spoke volumes to Ezra; this poor child was devoid of consciousness, trapped in a state of unending torment.

However, what troubled this young doctor most was not the state of the child, for she appeared to be miraculously healed from whatever torment she had endured. Rather, it was the eerie environment surrounding the girl that captured Ezra's attention.

Beginning from her feet, a circle of death seemed to emanate, casting a sinister pall over the natural world beneath her. Ezra shuddered at the implications. What kind of monstrous force had they unleashed and harnessed within this innocent child?

However, under the watchful gaze of her supervisors - the very architects of these inhumane 'experiments' - Ezra knew she had to fulfill her duties without protest.

As Ezra wheeled the girl back to her confines, her mind was besieged by self-hatred and sorrowful reflections.

With a heavy heart, she approached the barely conscious body of the young girl, pushing a wheelchair before her. With meticulous care, Ezra began to untie the child, feeling the weight of her fragile body in her arms as she lifted her into the wheelchair.

Even as her heart clenched with empathy for the suffering souls - for the hundreds of little children confined by the chains of the facility - Ezra perceived herself, in every aspect, as complicit as those perpetuating these torturous methods and theories.

Despite bearing witness to the suffering inflicted upon the innocent, she remained passive, imprisoned by her own silence and obedience. She couldn't shake the damning realization that by complying with orders and failing to act, she became no better than those she condemned.

The echoing whispers of the children reverberated through the open doors lining the desolate halls, a haunting reminder of the suffering endured within these walls.

"Is that her?" A small voice echoed among the others.

"She looks dead... I don't want to be next," a worried cry reached the doctor's ears, emanating from one of the children.

"Don't say that! Who knows what'll happen if they hear you?" Another child's voice cautioned, filled with fear of the unknown horrors lurking within that sinister room.

Ezra's eyes squeezed shut, a futile attempt to block out the voices and the self-hatred that gnawed at her consciousness. She wished, fervently, that by closing her eyes, she could deny the existence of the horror unfolding before her. Yet, even in darkness, the screams and cries persisted, vivid images of agony painting a harrowing landscape in her mind.

No movie, no scary story, no theory could ever compare to the unfolding horrors within these monochrome walls. The scenes witnessed within this facility defied imagination; their depths of despair and suffering were beyond comprehension.

At last, she arrived at the room housing the most crucial subjects of the experiments. It was here that the children who endured the most excruciating suffering and faced the cruelest fates were confined.

They were promised relief from their pain by those who imprisoned them, yet with every word spoken and every action taken, it seemed only to inflict more torment upon them.

As Ezra gently settled the injured girl onto her bed, the other nine children watched from their little corners of the room, their faces etched with despair, worry and fear. It wasn't until Ezra's words washed over them like a small wave of comfort that their tension eased ever so slightly.

"She's going to be alright, she just needs some rest," Ezra spoke in a hushed, calming tone, hoping to bring a modicum of comfort to the distressed children.

However, she couldn't deceive them, which led her to speak the entire truth. "It seems she awakened it just before the experiment became fatal..."

While such words might seem harrowing to an outsider, to the young ones who had been conditioned to the rules of the Laboratory, it was the best outcome they could hope for.

As the doctor's words brought a glimmer of hope, three of the children dashed to the bedside of the unconscious girl. Meanwhile, the remaining six, their worries and fears concealed within, watched with bated breath.

Any sign of her well-being held equal importance for them as it did for the youngsters clustered around her bed.

"It's okay, you're with us now," one child whispered, a tear tracing a path down their sorrowful cheek before falling onto the pale skin of the little girl's arm.

The sight of the downtrodden children, who had only each other to rely and lean on, shedding tears over the fear they felt that they had lost one of their own, quietly acknowledging the strong girl's victory even as she succumbed to the grim fate that the facility had imposed upon her.

It shattered Ezra's heart. Yet, she refused to allow herself to succumb to pity, resigning herself instead to bear the pain; after all, she was an accomplice in the destruction of their lives.

Weaving threads of sorrow through her saddened heart, Ezra stepped out of the room with leaden feet - each step was a silent plea to stay and rescue the suffering souls.

Stopping once she passed the threshold, she turned back, casting one final glance at the scene before her. The children's anguished cries that silently echoed hauntingly above the little girl's bed, their noiseless dejection a testament to the horrors inflicted by the experiments - they ripped at the walls built around Ezra's heart.

Upon hearing the child's attempt to offer comfort to the unconscious girl, even though they couldn't be certain she could hear them, Ezra's heart finally shattered.

So, with a heavy heart, she closed the door behind her, leaving the children to their vigil.

"You're safe now, Thirteen."

The words echoed in the room of death. The Room #04.

Word Count : 1196

B's Note :
- a little prologue because i cant wait to start writing !!