012
— the asylums devil doctor —
BATS AND OWL CALLS ECHOED THROUGH THE DARK WOODS, AND THE ELECTRICAL HUM OF THE ASYLUM LIGHTS FILLED THE REMAINING SILENCE. Hazel ditched the car a few streets before the asylum and she, Rachel and Gar walked together through the woods, keeping close together. They stepped as they got closer, peeking out from behind a large tree. The asylum was a large building, with cars moving in and out, and a dozen men with guns patrolling the perimeter.
"I think we'll have to try the south entrance away from the guards," Gar advised, peeking over Hazel's shoulder. "I don't think it's a safe bet, but-"
Hazel looked back at Gar. "But what? None of this was a safe bet." Hazel sighed. "We should have waited for Dick."
"I mean, we came this far, right?" Gar shrugged. "Be stupid to back out now."
Rachel nodded, the nervousness setting in. "So... which way?" Rachel asked, keeping her voice steady.
"Uh..." Gar sighed, looking around the trees. "After you." Rachel nodded and stepped out, but Hazel stopped her.
"I'm going first," Hazel whispered. Hazel looked over her shoulder before walking onwards, acutely aware of how much noise the leaves under her feet were making.
"So, do you think she's my mom?" Rachel asked, looking forward. Two men walked from the woods, grabbing Gar and tasing him until his knees buckled. Rachel was grabbed as well, getting tased in her side. Hazel turned as she heard their bodies hit the ground. One man rushed at Hazel, but she made the roots lift from the ground and wind around his ankles. The second jumped over the man, tackling Hazel to the ground. Hazel grabbed his hands before he could taser her, but he reacted quickly and punched Hazel's temple, disorienting her.
Her hands slipped from the man's wrist and the man tased her chest, knocking her unconscious.
Dick parked the minivan by the fence, closer than Hazel had parked the car she stole. "What are the chances our three geniuses haven't gotten caught yet?" Kory asked as they stepped from the car.
"Next security sweep is in ten minutes," Dick reminded, pulling out a flashlight. "Let's go." Dick and Kory weaved their way through the tunnels, Dick looking down at his phone for directions. The tunnels seemed to run forever, gas and water lines running along the walls, water droplets hitting the floor and echoing. "Left when we get to the end of the tunnel."
They rounded the corner, the small lights glowing a sickly green against the metal walls. A doctor pushed out an unconscious Gar, who was strapped to a wheelchair. "Gar!" Dick shouted.
"Don't worry," The lead doctor called. "He's just taking a little nap." Guards followed behind her and more guards filled the halls.
"Dick," Kory called as she noticed the growing numbers.
"We've got the other girls, too," The doctor relayed. A man clicked his gun and aimed it at Gar's skull. "I don't want to kill him, but if you make a move, I will give the order."
Kory moved in front of Dick and held her arm out, but Dick stopped her, "Kory, wait. Gas lines. You'll burn us all up."
❁
AS CONSCIOUSNESS SLOWLY RETURNED, A SHROUD OF DARKNESS BEGAN TO LIFT FROM HAZEL'S MIND. The world seemed distant and muffled, like a dream in the early morning or a nightmare late at night. Gradually, a throbbing ache took centre stage, originating from the side of Hazel's head and radiating outward.
Blinking through blurred vision, she attempted to make sense of her surroundings. Shapes and colours swam into focus, yet the details remained elusive as if her mind was cautious about what it would reveal. The taste of blood lingered in her mouth, and with each shallow breath, the smell of earth and dust permeated the senses. With a deep, uncertain inhale, Hazel summoned the strength to piece together the fragmented memories, while the world slowly regained its definition and clarity.
"Hazel..." A doctor cooed. His voice was soft, just above a whisper but the sudden sound sent thudding pains through her skull. Hazel pressed her hands to the ground, and she pushed herself on her knees with a strained groan. "There she is."
Hazel turned her head, trying to find the source of the voice but the lights made her screw her eyes shut. "Take your time sweet thing," The doctor spoke, and Hazel fell backwards into the glass wall.
Hazel stretched her neck, she tried to rub the muscles in her neck, but her fingers were stopped by a thick metal casing. "What's happening?" her voice came out soft, her lips chapped and her breath shallow. Hazel screwed her eyes shut, using her power to push back the pain and thumping in her skull. She opened her eyes, the soft glow still present.
"Feel better?"
Hazel blinked and looked up at the doctor. He was tall, taller than Dick, his hair dark and curled, and his smile was dark, sinister and it made Hazel uneasy. "I apologise for the way the guards treated you," He apologised. "But I'm sure you can understand why."
"Who are you?" Hazel questioned, watching the man cautiously. Hazel looked around, noticing the glass walls she was confined in. "Where am I?"
The man crouched, flicking his white coat backwards. "Well dear, I am your doctor. And this is the Asylum, I mean you drove here." He smiled and it made Hazel's stomach churn. "And I'd be rude if I didn't warn you to longer use your powers. This..." The doctor motioned to Hazel's neck. "May cause some discomfort."
Hazel lunged forward and punched the glass, her eyes lighting up as she tried to force a vine to punch the glass, sparks of electricity raced through Hazel's bones. Her muscles tensed and she fell back against the floor. The shocks subsided and the doctor chuckled. Hazel scrambled backwards, her stomach twitching as she stared at the doctor.
"I did warn you," he said with a shrug. Hazel's fingers fumbled to grab the collar, the metal rivets pressing into her skin. Her nails scratched at her skin, trying to pull the metal apart. "Now, now, don't be rash. It's not coming off that easily."
"You sadistic fuck!" Hazel screeched, kicking the glass.
The doctor turned and grabbed Hazel's jacket, pulling out the book from the inside pocket. The doctor flipped through the pages, stopping a few pages in. He read from the book, the words sounding like a mix of Spanish, Xhosa and French but none of the words sounded real. The doctor closed the book and tossed it on top of her jacket was lazily thrown over a bench.
The doctor turned to Hazel and slid his hands into his coat pockets. "Do you know what I said?" Hazel stayed silent. The doctor nodded to a man who stood by the door to the glass case, and he clicked a button on the remote he held. Shocks raced through Hazel again and she screamed, falling onto her elbows. The man clicked the button again and the shocks stopped.
He handed it off to the doctor and he crouched in front of the glass case again. He showed the remote off before sighing. "I'm going to ask you again. Do you know what I said?" Hazel took a breath and shook her head softly. "Venom veins and lively heart." Hazel furrowed her eyebrows and sat against the wall, pulling her knees closer to her chest.
"Hazel, I want to see what you can do," he said, his smile dropping as he stared at Hazel. "I want to see your... venom. I don't care how much pain it causes you."
❁
PAIN FLOODED HAZEL'S BONES, HER MUSCLES TENSED AND HER SKIN WAS BURNING. Hazel pressed her head against the glass wall, blood leaking from her nose, staining her clothes. Hazel coughed up blood, dying her lips a dark red and the sticky blood mixed with the dirt and muck on the floor. Wilting vines, thorns and flowers surround Hazel and the glass case. The thicker vines and roots had broken free of the glass case, but it did little to free her.
Her body was exhausted and heavy, and it was a fight to keep her eyes open and focus on the doctor in front of her. The man in padded guarding pulled the door open and grabbed Hazel by her hair. He pulled her from the case and threw her onto the floor. She hit the floor, groaning as small rocks pressed into her palms.
The doctor pulled out a stool and the guard manhandled Hazel into the seat. Hazel slumped forward and the doctor grabbed her hair, pulling her back up. Another man took a stool and sat across from Hazel. The doctor leaned down, speaking low into Hazel's ear. "Do you see this man, Hazel? He is very bad. You see, just down the hall is your friend Garfield Logan." Hazel looked up, the hair on the back of her neck standing. "They've been torturing him for hours. Screaming. Screaming for him to stop."
"What are you doing?" Hazel questioned, her voice weak and cracking.
"I want you to get mad. I want you to get angry. I want you to kill him." Hazel shook her head softly. "If you kill him. I'll make them set your friends free."
Hazel looked at the man in front of her. She could see blood on his knuckles and blood spatters on his neck. "I know you have it in you Hazel," The doctor whispered.
Hazel forced her power to the surface, the collar switching on and sending unyielding jolts of pain coursing through her body like a ceaseless storm. Gritting her teeth, she summoned a thorn from her knuckles, her focus unwavering on her trembling hands, trying to ignore the pain in the rest of her body.
The doctor smiled. "That's it, you can do it."
Hazel's breath hissed through clenched teeth as she executed a lightning-quick pivot, driving the sharp thorn into the doctor's side with ferocious determination. With a swift and merciless pull, she tore the thorn out, causing the doctor to scream in agonized protest. Blood rushed from his side, spilling over Hazel's hand.
The nearby guard, rising to intervene, found himself outmatched as Hazel spun even faster, thrusting the thorn into his leg with unwavering resolve.
Hazel's legs quivered with exertion as she pushed herself forward, a desperate determination driving her towards the imposing metal door on the far side of the room. Each step was a battle, her muscles screaming in protest as she finally reached the door, collapsing against it with a guttural, agonized groan. She pulled at the heavy metal latch, but as she managed to inch the door open the doctor raced to Hazel, slamming the door closed.
He grabbed Hazel and pulled her away from the door, Hazel kicking and straining to get out of her arms. "Very smart of you Miss Lillis," The doctor said, his voice low but laced with pain. He slammed Hazel to the floor, climbing on top of her to pin her down. He knelt on her arms and took a syringe the guard handed him. He drove it into Hazel's skin, in the bend just above her elbow. "But not smart enough."
The world whirled around Hazel in a dizzying frenzy, tilting and spinning as her vision spiralled into a chaotic blur. Through a haze of disorientation, she strained to discern the ominous silhouette of the doctor looming above her, her vision narrowing to a feeble pinprick. With an overwhelming sense of impending darkness, her head lolled backward, her eyelids sliding shut as she succumbed to the abyss.
Hazel woke to the sound of blaring alarms, making the pounding pain return to her skull. Hazel pushed herself up, gripping the padding of the walls to stand. She stepped back, taking in the new room she was thrown in, instead of glass casing it was a padded cell with a single metal door as its entrance and exit. "Hello Hazel dear," The doctor cooed, his voice booming from the other side of the door. "I looked a little into your family. No father, that must have been rough."
"Shut up," Hazel called, her voice weak.
"And what happened to your mother," he paused for a moment. "I truly am so sorry."
"What?" Hazel shuddered, pushing herself off the wall.
"Your mother, Marina, she passed," The doctor relayed.
A shiver ran down Hazel's spine and she shook her head. "No, no," Hazel mumbled. "Dick said she was in the hospital, that she was going to be okay."
The doctor clicked his tongue. "I hate to inform you, but Detective Grayson is quite the impressive liar," The doctor hummed. "And that your friends are making quite the ruckus, hence the sirens. I do apologise for that."
"Let me out," Hazel ordered, her voice dark.
"I'm afraid I cannot do that, the serum that we injected you with is quite unpredictable," The doctor relayed. "You have to stay for further testing. For your safety and ours."
Hazel walked to the door, looking at the doctor through the glass window. "Unlock the door and let me out. Or I will grow thrones from your eyes," Hazel threatened.
A sigh left the doctor and he nodded. One of the guards at his side clicked the remote and the electrical force flowed through her. Hazel's pain grunt resonated with sheer agony as she doubled over, her knees buckling under the weight of her torment. Desperately, she clawed at the door to keep herself from collapsing, her fingers scraping against the unforgiving surface. With a heavy breath, she clenched her teeth, the anguish etched across her face, and summoned every ounce of strength to forcefully straighten herself, her muscles protesting with an excruciating crescendo of pain.
Hazel looked at the doctor through the small window, her eyes glowing bright and blood pouring from her nose and over her lips. The doctor stepped back watching Hazel. Hazel stepped back and raised her hands, a green glow racing down her arms and into her palms. The electrical shocks increased but Hazel focused harder, the concrete cracking and vines broke through the ground, weaving around the door. The vines wrapped around the hinges, breaking through to the other side of the door.
The doctor looked up and met Hazel's eyes. "Move!" As the doctor shouted Hazel ripped the door off its hinges and slammed it into the wall on the other side, crushing one of the guards. The impact was cataclysmic, crushing one of the guards beneath its unrelenting weight, the sickening crunch of bones echoing through the chaos.
Hazel's knees buckled and she caught herself on the door frame, blood spilling from her nose, spilling onto the floor. Hazel stepped into the hall, taking the controller from the man's bleeding hand and clicked the second button, the collar realising with a click. Hazel grabbed the collar and tossed it onto the ground. The second guard scrambled to his feet and faced Hazel, holding out a taser resembling a cattle prong.
He swung at Hazel, but she ducked under it. She grew a dozen thorns on her palm and as she dodged another swing, she spun around the man and grabbed the man's face, injecting venoms into his blood. Violently convulsing, he coughed and gasped, thick, black blood gushing from his lips like a sinister torrent. The corrosive venom seared his flesh, devouring the side of his face in a nightmarish, grotesque spectacle of decay. With a gut-wrenching, ear-piercing shriek of agony, he toppled to the floor a mere second later, a horrifying, bone-rattling thud that reverberated through the room.
Hazel barely had a moment to breathe before a gunshot ran through the halls and a bullet pierced her side. Hazel fell backwards before scrambling behind a concrete pillar, her hand pressing to her side, trying to stop the blood. "Hazel!" The doctor shouted. "Get back out here!" Hazel held her breath, counting the steps the doctor took, watching the floor for any sign of his shoes. "You ungrateful bitch! Get out here!"
The shine of his loafers reflected the light and Hazel stabbed a thorn into his foot. He shouted and Hazel wrestled the gun from his grasp, tossing it down the hall. Hazel kicked his knee and he fell back as his knee popped out of place. Hazel grabbed the fabric of his shirt and threw him against the wall. He whimpered and whined, his hands fumbling as he resisted to urge to grab his knee.
Hazel stepped in front of him, staring him down. She crouched in front of him, tilting her head to one side. "Take your time sweet thing," Hazel mocked. The doctor seethed through his teeth. Hazel flashed her eyes and the doctor's breath hitched, and he croaked. His hands scrambled to claw at his eyes, vines and thorns sprouting from his eye sockets. The thorns spread through the man's face, sprouting from his skin and mouth. He croaked and coughed a heap of blood that splattered onto Hazel's shirt. With a final wheezing breath, he fell to one side, hitting the ground.
Hazel fell back against the floor, her breath coming out in shallow but heavy pants. "Oh my god," Hazel cried, her fingers weaving into her hair. "I- Oh fuck me."
— gods —