I watch in horror as Zero lays on the ground, writhing in agony.
In the background there's shouting shouting, and I rush for the metal door, pushing past Sylvia who is escorted away from the room by guards. I burst into the room, immediately running over and crashing onto my knees besides Zero.
"Zero! It's okay! You're fine!" I know I'm supposed to be calming him, but I can't stop shouting.
Guards file in along with my dad and Mrs. Clark. A doctor and two nurses rush forward, using equipment to check his heart and see how he's being affected by the electricity. I try to look over the Doctor's shoulder at the notes he's scribbling, but his handwriting is so bad I can't make out anything useful.
Suddenly, they stop working and take a step back, just watching him shudder on the floor in pain.
"What are you doing? Help him!" I urge, but they just look at me.
"Honey, he should be fine in a minute. He will be feeling pain for a few hours, but then he'll be as good as new." A nurse says, smiling warmly at me.
I'm slightly shocked the bolts didn't kill him, but I'm also grateful. If he died, I don't think I could bear working here any more, knowing this lab captured a person only for that person to be killed by the one of the workers they hired.
Speaking of hiring, I glance at Mrs. Clark, who's watching Zero with interest. did she even do a background check before hiring these people? Not that I have anything against Shy and Jack, but Sylvia is one hundred percent a psychopath. Did Mrs. Clark not know this?
"Well we still have to help him. We can't just leave him on the floor." I push.
Mrs. Clark steps forward, putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Actually, I think that's a wonderful idea, Ashley. You can take care of him."
My mouth falls open, but I shut it, knowing it's useless. It seems like I'm the only one who cares for his well being.
"When was the last time he was fed?" I ask.
"He hasn't eaten anything since we got him," Mrs. Clark informs me, seeming curious into how this will play out.
"It's been almost a week! Okay, whatever, I need some bread, a glass of water, the farm animal book, and the coloring notepad, as soon as possible!" Part of me enjoys shouting orders like that, and I take glee in watching people scurry around to do my orders. "You," I say, pointing to a guard. "Help me get him onto the bed."
Together, we lift him up, but he's so heavy, I have to call a third person. Once he's on the bed, I pull the thin covers over him, putting his head on the pillow. The whole time he's groaning in pain, his eyes squeezed shut.
I tell the guards to leave once all of the things I asked for are delivered to the room, and wash my hands in his sink.
I hear a loud groan and turn to see Zero waking up, his eyelids fluttering before he looks around wildly. I'm guessing that's due to the electricity coursing through him......He'll be blind for a few minutes, maybe even an hour.
I hear him growling, probably thinking he's still in danger.
"Zero! It's me! It's Ashie," I say, going to the cot and putting my hand on his shoulder. He tenses at first, but relaxes when he hears my voice.
"Ashie," He moans, taking my hand and squeezing it.
I jolt in pain, he's squeezing so tight, but I keep quiet for his benefit. Slowly, I try to detach my hand, replacing it with the blanket.
I take a few seconds to shake the feeling back in my hand, before moving towards the tray of food.
"Ashie," He groans in pain again, letting out a cry similar to a whimper as his hand searches around where I was only to find nothing. I rush back over, glass of water in my hand.
"Drink," I order, putting the glass to his lips. He sniffs and then takes a small sip. Once he deems it safe, he gulps it greedily, his throat probably as dry as a desert.
I go to the sink and refill the glass, before letting him drink it again. I'm about to pull away, but his hand is then on my arm, dragging me down onto the bed with him.
I inhale sharply, scared that his deadly touch is on right now, but when his forehead meets my neck and I don't die, I relax.
He nuzzles my neck, his arms going around me and pulling me closer to him. I let him snuggle against me, shocked when I find his skin is slightly cold. It is pretty chilly in this room, and the blankets are really feeble.
He sighs against my neck, and slowly, very cautiously, I bring one of my hands up, patting his head hesitantly. Poor guy. It seems like he just can't catch a break.
After a few minutes pass, I start to sit up and see Zero's eyes are trained on me. Good, he must have gotten his sight back, which is considerably quickly for how many bolts of electricity were shot into him. I get up, forcefully pulling away from his embrace as he lets out a little grunt in pain.
"You need to eat," I say, even though he can't understand me. I pick up the bread, which is now cool instead of warm. I sit down carefully on the bed, balancing the tray on my lap.
I'm happy to see someone also bowl of cut up fruit on the tray. Maybe someone else really does car for his health. I tear off a piece of bread, holding it up to his mouth but he glares at it suspiciously, doing nothing more than sniffing it.
How do I show him it's not drugged or poisonous? That's obvious. I eat it myself.
I put the piece in my mouth and Zero's eyes widen, filling with panic, but when nothing happens to me in the next few moments, he seems to calm down.
I tear off another piece of bread and hold it out to him, and cautiously, oh so cautiously, he takes it, chewing it for a few seconds before swallowing.
He seems to like it, his eyes lighting up a little before he tries to push himself into a sitting position, but ends up groaning in agony and going limp.
I maneuver with the tray on my lap, helping him sit up and lean against the wall the cot is pushed up against.
I put another piece of bread up to his mouth, this one larger, and he lifts his hand, trying to take the piece from me, but his hand is super shaky so I shove it down and hold the piece to his mouth again
He huffs, but eats the bread, and I huff playfully right back at him.
Over and over, I feed Zero pieces of bread. He seems to like it good enough.
Next, the fruit goes. He takes a liking to the grapes and watermelon. He likes the strawberries the most, so I save them for last as a treat. He hates the bananas and blueberries, and doesn't really care about the orange slices, even though he eats them. When it's down to the strawberries, I start to feed him one, but he grabs my wrist, taking the strawberry away from me, strength returning to his hands.
He holds the fruit to my mouth, and I shake my head, motioning for him to eat it. He has a really puzzled look on his face, and for some reason the expression looks fake. I walk through the motion of picking up an imaginary strawberry and putting it in my mouth. The minute my mouth opens, he shoves the strawberry in. I choke for a second, surprised, but then I chew, giving him a flat glare while I do it.
"Not cool." I say once my mouth is clear, but he doesn't seem to care based on his smirk. So his expression was an act to get me to open my mouth. Clever.
He grabs another strawberry, holding it up to my mouth with wide, excited eyes like this is some kind of fun game. I shake my head, keeping my lips fully pressed together. He frowns, pushing it closer to my mouth. I shake my head again, to which he growls. Maybe angering him isn't such a good idea.
I take the strawberry from his hands, pressing it to his mouth, instead. He eats them, not fighting off his craving anymore. I set the tray aside, getting up to leave and inform Mrs. Clark he's doing fine and won't need my assistance anymore, but hands loop around my waist, pulling me down next to him on the bed. He clutches me like a teddy bear, sighing in content as he starts to drift off.
I exhale, looking at his very tired face and thinking I'll allow it, just this once. Who knows how much sleep he's gotten since being captured?
Once I'm sure he's asleep, I try to squirm gently out of his grasp, but he won't let go. I try more forcefully, but it's like trying to move a brick wall. Finally, I try waking him up, shaking him and even flicking his arm, but all I get is a cute little snore. I sigh.
I have to leave, it's my turn to cook dinner tonight, but before I know it the warmth of his huge arms around me is lulling me to sleep.
Sorry dad, the spaghetti will be a little delayed tonight, I think as my eyes fall shut.
I wake up to the sound of footsteps. Slowly, I open my eyes to find I'm still in the room with Zero, his arms still around me and his head buried in my neck as he snores softly. Looking up, I'm met with Mrs. Clark's cool gaze. I feel the blood rush to my cheeks, and I try to wiggle out of Zero's arms.
"It's fine, no need to get up. He's much calmer anyway when you're around." She says, and I nod once, settling back down into a comfortable position.
"Where's Sylvia?" I ask, still angry about what she did. He didn't deserve that....I don't think anybody would deserve that.
"On a ship going back to the mainland. She was fired."
"Aren't you worried she'll tell people about this place?"
"No," she says, and that one word is filled with so much certainty, I'm scared to ask what makes her so certain.
"What time is it?" I ask.
"Five in the morning. You fell asleep early." I blink, pondering how long I slept while attempting to get the numbing sense of sleep out of my body.
"He likes you." She says blankly, studying Zero and his arms protectively around me, making me squirm uncomfortably. "He's always saying your name, or your nickname, always demanding to see you. He hasn't eaten for anyone else, and when you're not here, he sulks and refuses to acknowledge anyone. I've gotten more information about him when you're with him compared to the data I collect from tests we perform."
"Um, thanks?" I say, not sure how to reply. She leans in closely, her green eyes cutting into mine. I've never really been afraid of Mrs. Clark. She always looks decent and intelligent, maybe even nice at times, but right now my skin in crawling.
"How do you do it?" She suddenly asks, tearing me from my thoughts.
"Do what?"
"This," She says, gesturing to Zero and I. "Are you seducing him?"
My mouth falls open at her words, but I shut it quickly and shake my head.
"No, never! I don't know how I do it, or what this is, but I haven't done anything close to seducing. You've watched all our encounters, so you should know." I rant, feeling kind of hurt that she would think I stoop to that level.
She nods her head, seeming satisfied with my answer. She says a quick goodbye, before leaving, and I sigh, finding my muscles were tense the entire time as I now relax them. I turn my head to see Zero's grey eyes wide open, looking at me with concern.
"Good, you're up," I say squirming. "Let go."
He listens to my command, or at least can tell what I want, reluctantly pulling his arms away from me.
I get up and stretch, groaning as my points creak and crack, lie during this long nap I've aged sixty years. Suddenly, the heavy metal door opens and I turn, expecting to see Mrs. Clark again, but instead, it's a new guy.
He has black hair and kind brown eyes. He's tall, with a solid build for his age, and wears sweatpants and a white t-shirt.
"Um, hello." I say, not sure what else to do.
He smiles, laugh lin around his eyes.
"Hello, you must be Ashley. Everybody at Braun lab has been talking about you. I'm Dr. Jackson, but you may call me Coach and I'm head of the physical research development."
"Are you the one who had the track built for Zero?" I ask, glancing back at Zero to see him standing by the bed, tense and glaring at Coach.
"Yep. It's where I'll study him for an hour every day to test his physical capabilities. He starts today, so could you please help me out by escorting him there with me?"
"This early in the morning? And why don't you ask a guard?" I ask, confused as to why he thinks a frail girl like me could stop someone like Zero.
"Actually, the plan is to study him for an hour right after he wakes up. So if he wakes up at ten in the night, we will work out then. Also, you're the only one he'll go with without putting up a fight. Don't worry, we have guards lining every hall in case he tries to escape."
I nod, still unsure about this, and almost feeling bad fro the Coach. His sleep schedule must be wack if he has to wake up every time Zero wakes up, whenever that might be.
I walk over to Zero and hold my hand out. He stares at it for a second, before hesitantly placing his hand in mine.
I smile soothingly, leading him to the door.
It's the first time Zero will step foot out of this cell-like room since he was captured. I'm tense, wondering if he'll make a break for it, but he seems pretty docile at the moment.
The door opens, and we take our first steps out.
Vote, comment, have some ice cream, do a split, kiss a famous person, I don't care. Just celebrate this chapter! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed reading as Ashley got closer to Zero. Lots of Love,
Dangeroustoken