On the Run

11 - Vindicta

There were doors leading into separate rooms, with tags on each door that had a name on the front. The walls were scarce, only one bulletin board on the left wall along with a few scattered pieces of paper that had been lazily strung up.

The door at the end of the corridor opened and two people, one male and one female, came out of it, their heeled shoes tapping loudly against the hard-cold ground. The woman was tall and slim with an aging face, her skin full of wrinkles. Her hair was greying, wrapped up in a bun with only a few loose strands dangling by her ancient face. The man was younger, his own face was soft and radiated youthfulness. He was shorter than the woman beside him, but he was broad, his muscles almost bulging out in the lab coat that both were wearing.

"We're close to taking complete control of the subjects," the woman said, her voice was strong and loud, "and it won't be long before they'll be ready to be released."

As they walked, the man stole a few glances into the rooms they walked by, but he couldn't see anything decent; a lot of the doors had protected panels over the glass, blocking out his view entirely. And what he did manage to see was only brief glimpses of metal trays and a variety of scientific and medical instruments.

"Tell me, what does vindicta mean?" She asked, not returning his glance, her head was locked straight forward as they marched down the corridor.

"Revenge," he answered.

"That's why," she replied. "Now I don't know the full storia, but the rumours say that she endured many years of psychological, emotional and physical abuse. It went on for years before she managed to escape. And the mostri that put her through that were never found."

The younger male dropped his mouth slightly, completely shocked. He didn't know how to process any of what he had just been told, but it sent chills down his spine. Just thinking about it made his skin crawl. He can't imagine how it must've been for her.

They came to a stop, pausing outside of one of the rooms. The woman slid a card across the security system before punching in a four-numbered code. The system beeped and flashed green and the door slid open with a creepy screech. They stepped into the room, both being hit by a wall of intense heat and the stench of sweat.

The room was large and clean, with only a few supplies and devices laying on the floor alongside an upturned tray. The woman walked forward a few steps before tapping her fingers on an almost invisible glass divider that separated the other half of the room.

"And how are you this morning, Piotro?" She asked, a devilish smile spreading across her cracked lips.

A man with auburn hair walked forward, the small bit of light shining down on him. He looked at the scientists menacingly, his eyes had a glint of rage burning within them. He let out an angry cry before slamming his fists into the glass, but it didn't even cause a scratch. The scientists just stood and watched him, observing his behaviour, writing everything single thing down.

*

Daniela's car came to a screeching halt on the dirt road, stopping outside of the abandoned city of Craco. It looked as though the city, which was elevated at some points, went on for a few miles before ending abruptly. The buildings looked ruined and ancient, as though there had been no one living there at all. It was completely silent, nothing but the echoing squawks of a few birds that were nesting in one of the few trees scattered around the outside of the ghost town.

Mia exited the car and walked a few steps closer, her eyes glazing over Craco, taking in all its glory. It was beautiful in a haunting way, the thought of people living here at one time spooked her slightly. She felt as though the city was sacred, that the land was to be left alone and remain untouched and unexplored.