plastic hanging from the ceiling.
“Help!” she screamed out.
“We’re helping,” Dr. Phenix said from beside her. She hadn’t even known he’d been in the room. “Helping us, but helping, nonetheless.” The syringe he’d stabbed into her IV line pushed fluids into her arm. The liquid ran up her vein, burning the whole way.
“Stop. What are… you… doing?” She could barely get out the words before she slipped back into unconsciousness.
Jerking awake, she opened her eyes and looked at her surroundings. The cold lab table had been replaced by a hospital bed. She recognized it as one of the locked rooms she’d seen earlier. She struggled against the restraints, and tried to get up. Her body felt completely immovable. Straps were running across her chest, arms, and legs.
“Fuck.” Twisting and tugging, she tried to loosen the restraints to no avail.
It is no use. We’re stuck here, for now, a purring voice said.
She looked around the room. No one was there. “Who said that? What’s going on?” She waited for a reply, but none came.
Checking out her condition, she noted monitor leads were attached to her chest; the wires ran out the pocket of her hospital gown. A blood pressure cuff wrapped around her left arm. Electrodes were on her temples, the wires stretched out behind her.
Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and voices drew closer and became louder. Deciding it would be best to act like she was still asleep, Mara closed her eyes and calmed her breathing. Maybe if they didn’t realize she was awake, she could find out more about what was going on.
The door opened, and two men walked into the room. She almost flinched when one ran his fingers through her long black hair.
“Man, she’s a beauty. Where did you find this one? She’s so much... more than the wolves you picked up before.” He continued to touch her hair. She didn’t recognize the voice. It wasn’t one she’d heard earlier.
“Actually, she’s not a wolf. I’m not exactly sure what she is. Her DNA is… different.” Dr. Phenix walked to the cabinets behind the hospital bed. “She’s one of the doctors on staff. Unfortunately, she found out a little more than she should have, so I decided to use her rather than kill her.”
He walked back to her bedside, and the blanket covering her arm moved, cooler air touching her skin. He continued, “She’s now officially part of the study. I must say, probably our best subject yet.” A coldness touched her, and the smell of rubbing alcohol reached her nose. He was preparing to give her a shot!
Her eyes popped open. “Stop! What the fuck are you doing? I haven’t given you permission to do any of this.” She tried to jerk away from him, but the straps made it impossible.
Dr. Phenix laughed. “Well, my dear. When you started snooping where you shouldn’t have, it gave me permission, in a way, to do whatever I please with you.”
She squirmed, trying to get out of his hold. She flinched when the needle pricked her arm, and warm fluid flowed into her vein.
“Now, we wait. When she’s out, I’ll proceed with the other injections.” Dr. Phenix put the syringe in a bio-hazard container on the wall. She drifted off and felt one of the restraints on her arm being released.
“Wake up! Wake up!” a hand shook her shoulder. “Come on, it’s been too long.” Mara heard a woman’s voice urging her awake.
Groggily she shook her head, her hair falling into her eyes. “What? What are you saying?” she asked quietly. “What do you mean it’s been too long?”
When she opened her eyes, she appeared to be in a cell. No... more like a cage. She must have been moved from the highest basement level to the lowest floor of the hospital, basement level two. The woman who shook her was next to her in a cell just like her own.
Looking around, she saw more metal enclosures in the huge room. A few of the cages had people sitting with their heads down. The ones across from her were occupied by wolves, big ones. They were pacing in their cages, growling, with glowing golden eyes. Their large, sharp, white teeth showed when they snarled.
“Let me out,” she yelled. “I don’t belong here.” She tried to shake the bars to get someone’s attention. Panic set in. Terrible thoughts flooded her mind all at once. First, the injections and now locked in a cell. What did Dr. Asshole do to me? What will