Dr. Penny looks up at me with emotions I could only make out to be either disgust, fear, confusion, or hatred. Maybe a mix of them all. She grips onto a syringe with some mystery liquid, playing with the needle in her palm. Then twirling the sharp tip in her delicate fingers. I glare at her watching each seemingly graceful movement carefully. If I wasn't trapped, I could kill her without skipping a beat.

"Doc. Time's up." A younger-looking guard cracks open the door, causing us both to jump.

"Understood. My apologies Sargent." Dr. Penny recomposes herself before waving at one of the mirror panels on the wall. It immediately opens a doorway and three guards walkout, one still standing by the hidden door with his gun already pointed towards me.

One of the guards was greatly armed. His entire face was covered with what looked like an old fashioned motorcycle helmet except much thicker and scarier looking.

A growl escapes my lips.

"Move and you're dead clear?" He snaps at me or at least I assume it is a he. I can't see any of their features, they are all buried in a mass of firepower and armor.

"Crystal," I whisper in my best I-will-get-you-later voice, gritting my teeth.

He grabs a syringe next to the one Dr. Penny seemed so fond of and stabbed it directly into my neck without any warning.

The world was swimming to the beat of my thumping heart. The room was burning hot suddenly and I could help but pant. The soreness of my neck traveled to my arms and then all the way down to my legs. My whole body aching. The blistering heat turns to freezing cold. Soon the bright white lights turned to blue, then green, then red, and then finally to black.

----------

I didn't know how long it had been, all I knew was that my whole body is limp and I couldn't move. My arms are like cement dragging on the floor with no way of getting up.

"You're awake." A rugged voice echoed into my ears.

I just groaned in reply.

"It's been like five hours. People are usually up way before then. Are you weak or just lazy?" The voice was agitating. That's the only way I can describe it. Whoever this is, when I'm awake I'm going to rip them to shreds.

I could feel the adrenaline pumping, fueled entirely by anger. I am not weak.

As the anger fills me, I feel myself rising up, pushing myself up with my arms with all the strength I could muster. When I felt the cold cement on my knees I finally opened my eyes. That's when I saw- god he was hot.

"Three hours, fifteen minutes, and fifty-two seconds. That's a new record." A guy around my age states plainly, throwing and catching a small rock over and over. He had silky black hair, bright blue eyes, and a pink scar over his eyebrow leading to his scalp. It was the guy from the transport. The prick if I remembered correctly.

"Why the hell are you counting that," I grunted, still trying to ignore my swirling vision.

"Well there's not much else to do," he flicked the stone at the pristine white walls. It bounced off the material and struck the ground next to him. He picked it up again and continued repeating the process. The rock clicking against the wall and the tumbling to the ground.

How bad I wanted to grab that rock and shove it down his damn throat. He noticed my hostile glare and lifted a single brow at me, it was a taunt. Daring me to do something.

I would have almost done something (most likely regrettable) if the speakers hadn't let out a loud buzzing noise. I flinched and to my pleasure, the guy did too.

"Attention all prisoners, we would like to formally welcome you to your new temporary holding place." A voice over the loudspeaker went to say, I narrowed my eyes when he said temporary. Because he sure didn't seem to mean it. "As a warning, we would like to inform everyone that any attempt to escape, harm guards, or unjustifiable actions will be met with force and punishment. There will be three times a day when the prisoners are allowed to leave their cells. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Lunch is extended and will have extra time for the prisoners to get some fresh air. Enjoy your stay and follow the rules. All will be well."

The speakers let out another ear-bleeding beeping noise before quieting.

"All will be well my ass," I hissed up at the speakers. I could have sworn that the guy's lip twitched upward for a second, but it was so quick I thought I could have imagined it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Published: April 18, 2020, 2:00 PM

Words: 810