The Cursed Village

The Fourth Girl (1)

'Hey, what's your name?' The young girl tapped at the glass. Behind it was the body of a woman, constrained by many chains. The woman had her eyes open, but she didn't answer. The girl pouted. It was very mean of the woman. Very mean and very rude.

More than fifteen years later the woman still hadn't answered. Linda had gotten used to it by now; the woman didn't answer to anyone. The only sign that the woman was alive was that she blinked. That had been all she had done since the day she'd been brought here. Linda had been too young to remember it, but her dad had told her stories. One day a strange man had approached him with a proposition; as long as they could keep the woman restrained and sealed they would be allowed to do tests on her.

The ultimate goal was, according to dad, to find a cure for the woman's immortality. Everyone else agreed that to do that they would first have to discover why the woman was immortal, and what other things she could do. The nameless benefactor was fine with all of that, as long as the woman would remain restrained.

A few years later he brought another woman in. This woman was allowed to remain unrestrained, but the scientists had decided it best to lock her in a room regardless. Linda moved the plate she'd been carrying to one arm and opened the door.

'Good morning, Serena,' she said. The woman in the room didn't acknowledge her presence. Of course not, Linda frowned, this woman hadn't answered or moved on her own since she was brought here. According to the man who'd brought her here she was a victim of the chained up woman.

'Come on, get up, I need to inspect your clothes,' Linda said, as she put the plate down on a small table. From the corner of her eyes she saw the woman move as commanded.

'Okay now, take a few steps forwards.' Again the woman obeyed. Linda looked at Serena's clothes. They were all fine still. Of course they were, they wouldn't get damaged much from almost no movement. The garment Serena wore was one also used in hospitals. Pure blue, covered the intimate regions, but arms and legs remained visible. They'd been replaced two years ago, after they'd finally started to show holes. This one was still fine, Linda noted. Then she picked up a needle and a few canisters.

'Sit back down on your chair,' she said. As soon as Serena sat down Linda sat down next to her.

'I'm going to take some blood from you now, is that fine with you?'

Of course the woman didn't answer, Linda sighed inwardly, the woman hadn't spoken for years. Everyone just assumed that she was fine with it. She stretched out the woman's arm in front of her.

A few minutes later she left the room again with some small canisters filled with blood. They were going to test it for... who knows what. Linda had lost track of the things they had and hadn't tested the blood of both women for. Every single time nothing strange came out. They both seemed human, apart from the immortality.

Linda dropped off the canisters of blood and moved on. Shane, a man about five years older than her, came at the time she left, also with some canisters of blood. He'd taken the blood from the other woman, the one who had remained nameless.

'Your dad wants to see you,' Shane said, 'in his office.'

Linda wondered why her dad wanted to see her. Or, to be precise, why her boss wanted to see her. Right now they were simply boss and employee, that was the deal they'd made when she started working in the lab.

Professor Halka's office was one of the top floor offices. One wall consisted only of massive windows, with a beautiful view of the ocean, and, in the distance, Senna. On the other three walls were three paintings, one of the forest, one of an old temple, and one of the professor's family. There were always a few books on the white metal desk, and some chairs were hidden behind the door in case of guests. Behind his desk, on a large rotating chair, sat Professor Halka. In front of him, on this side of the desk, sat another man. Before this man had turned around Linda already recognised him. Rob, the man who'd brought both women here. According to her father he had been a priest at a temple, until it was destroyed. Her father wasn't clear about what had happened after the temple was broken down, but it had resulted in this laboratory being built in the ocean, at a safe distance from the town.

'I heard you wanted to see me?' Linda asked. Her father nodded, and signalled for her to take a chair. She took one of the chairs that was behind the door for such a reason and pulled it along, its wheels barely making any noise as they rolled on the bright grey carpet.

As she reached the desk Rob got up and shook her hand. After that, they both sat down again.

While Rob was a decent guy, Linda thought, there were a few things that were off about him. First of all, the fact that he was supposed to be her father's age but looked like her age. That was unsettling, though nobody seemed to comment on it. Then there was the way he'd brought in both women, again without anyone commenting on it. Linda couldn't shake the feeling that this man knew more than he let on.

'Could you please repeat what you were saying, Rob?' her father said. Linda looked at the priest.

'It's about the witch I brought here a long time ago,' Rob said, 'If my predictions are correct she'll wake up soon.'

'Wake up?' Linda asked.

'She may seem awake now, but for the last twenty years she's been in a comatose state. When she awakens she'll be a threat to everyone here, and everyone in the city, perhaps the entire world.'

'We have no intention of setting her free, though,' Professor Halka said.

'I suggest you lock up the room she's sealed in. That way we can be sure...'

'No.' Professor Halka said. Linda looked at her father a little confused.

'We can't be scared forever. We'll continue researching her powers for the good of humanity.' The Professor seemed determined.

'Then at the very least do not get close to her once she awakens. She has powers beyond imagination...' Rob tried to argue, but from his voice Linda could tell he'd already given up. Not that it surprised her; her father was notoriously stubborn. And on top of that, Rob's request would lead to shutting down all research regarding the witch, and even the entire island.

Rob got out of his chair and went towards the door.

'Wait!' Linda said, 'Do you know the witch's name?'

'I don't,' Rob said and he closed the door behind him.