Lab Rat

Shot

The phone rings. I jerk up from my seat and pick up the receiver before the first ring is finished, practically smashing the phone into my ear. I wince as my heart races, ear now throbbing against the silence coming from the other end.

"Hello?" My voice is hoarse and shaky.

After what seams like ages, I finally get an answer.

"Denton?"

My heart leaps into my throat and I'm on my feet. I know that voice, like honey, but small and croaky at the same time. She is not okay.

"Willow," I breath back, "Willow, what have they done to you, where are you?"

Silence again. I run my hand through my hair, heart pounding. I haven't heard from her in days, seen her in weeks. I knew they had taken her when she stopped returning my calls.

"Denton," I hear again.

"Yes, darling I'm here. Tell me where you are and I'll come get you." Her voice sounds weak and I pace across to the window to stare into the dark city.

"They know where you are."

I freeze. How could they have found me? No one ever finds me; I'm invisible to everyone except Willow. Willow...

"I'm sorry, Denton." she says, her voice shaking more and I hear a sobbing noise. "They hooked me up to something and they know where you are now. They can see you." She's sobbing now, softly, her hand probably covering her mouth.

"Tell me where you are Willow, I'll come get you." I say checking the streets below for any dark purple figures, but I find none. She doesn't answer me. I bite my lip. What are they doing to her? Why won't she answer me? God, it's killing me.

"The old high school Danton." I nearly drop the phone, her voice startling me. "In the art building I think, there's a lot of old crumbly pottery. Please hurry."

"I'm on my way baby, hold tight" I rush towards my closet, keeping the phone to my ear just in case she has more to say but the line goes dead. I throw on a dark grey hoodie and flip up the hood even though I know no one will see me, old habits die hard. I quickly pull on my shoes and check the window once more but see no purple men down among the night time travelers. Slowly I open the door, no one's in the hallway. I quickly make my way down the stairs of the apartment building and slip out the front door into the streets. Even in the dead of night, this city is awake and busy, the perfect place to blend in when avoiding an ambush.

The cool breeze cuts through my hoodie and I shiver, stuffing my fists farther into the jacket pockets. I make my way past a bus stop. Curiously, someone is sitting there, as if waiting for the bus even though it stopped picking up two hours ago. Even more, I feel as though he is looking at me, it's an odd feeling, nostalgic almost, usually people look through me. My heart skips a beat and I realize why this might be. I quickly look back at my feet and pick up the pace, trying to put the old man out of my head and focus on making my way to the old high school.

Westville High was like any normal high school. A decant sports program and awful everything else. The school had its fair share of drama queens and drop outs as well, nothing out of the ordinary. Except for the incidents that kept happening in the science department. A kid's senses are incredibly enhanced, another starts moving extra fast. All treatable conditions, except when one kid goes missing in the middle of his presentation and he takes a liking to his new found ability before they can locate him, and strap him into a hospital bed. The school took quite a few hits after that incident and was closed down that summer. It's a frequent hangout spot for miscreants now, but what less is to be expected?