Page 1 of Owned By the Bratva

Chapter 1 - Cindy

I slowly pushed the safety goggles onto my head, wiping at the sweat on my brows. The lab was cool, but I wasn’t. My nerves were shot as I had just completed my first project, and the results, according to me, were phenomenal. I wanted to share them immediately.

Glancing around, I realized the lab was empty. Even Kiera’s office light was off. I was so immersed in reading the results before me that I hadn’t noticed everyone leaving. Looking at the large clock on the wall before me, I saw it was almost midnight.

My task included examining the body fluid specimen. I had to determine if there were any malignancies or microorganisms present. The first three days of the week, I spent every waking hour I could examining blood samples. These contained trace elements of a new strand of virus. Yesterday, I was given these fluid specimens to compare.

They contained the same trace elements I discovered in the blood. Yet, they were all from different hospitals. This was my eureka moment, and there was no one to share it with. I found the common denominator between the samples, which was scary and exciting at the same time. Yet, if my findings were correct, a new virus was loose in the city.

It was the end of my first week here at Cognit Science. The week had been long, but my desire to please Kiera, the head scientist, was stronger than the aches in my body. Standing, I stretched my hands up and twisted my middle, trying to reduce the stiffness I felt. Pain shot up through my back, and I let out a moan as I leaned down, touching my toes.

Friday evenings used to be about relaxation and spending time with friends just barely a month ago. However, after graduating top of my class in chemical science, I was accepted as an intern here. It still felt like a dream come true. Turning in a circle, I admired the lab. It was my ideal job, and I couldn’t be more excited to be here. Especially now that I had successfully completed my first assignment.

Placing my goggles on the table and checking that all samples were secure, I headed out of the lab and into the long hallway to find the breakroom. I desperately needed some coffee and anything sweet to nibble on while I finished the separation of chemicals assigned to me.

If I could isolate the strain and its origin, Kiera would surely see the potential I had. I was determined to conclude my work before heading home. Once I was done, I would leave the results on Kiara’s desk.

Exiting the lab, I headed down the passage to the stairs to the bathroom. The hallway was dark, and I felt a cool breeze come from somewhere. It sent a shiver down my spine. Entering the bathroom, I passed some of the night cleaners on their way out.

I greeted them with a gentle nod, and they were out of sight in a jiffy. The bathroom reeked of cleaning materials, making my nose itch. After relieving myself, I rinsed my hands and patted my face with cold water.

“Yes, you are now fully awake again,” I said, giggling to the woman staring back at me in the mirror. Pointing a finger at my reflection, I grinned as I continued. “You got this.” I smoothed my light brown hair on the sides where they were making curves from the goggles before leaving the bathroom. I turned down the hallway, walking away from the lab, searching for something to snack on and coffee.

I hadn’t been to the breakroom more than three times this week but felt sure I would find it on my own. Kiera had taken me this way on the first day, and I knew it was about four floors down. The twenty-story building was quite impressive and had three breakrooms as far as I could remember. Each floor held numerous labs working on a selection of projects.

After about half an hour of strolling through the long, dark passages, I was no longer sure where I was. It seemed I had gotten myself engulfed by the building. My mind topping on the repercussions of the virus and not focused on where I was heading.

“Crap, crap, crap,” I uttered to the darkness surrounding me as I turned down another long corridor.

There was no stairway or elevator in sight. Thinking about it, I had not seen one in a bit, either. The hallway seemed darker than the others and clammy as I moved forward. In the distance appeared to be a gentle glow. It had to be a light. It could even be the elevator, I thought, speeding up. Glancing back, I felt a tremble running down my spine. This part of the building felt mysterious, and the rooms on either side of the passage were sealed off.

It was strange as I couldn’t recall ever seeing this section of the building. Glancing through two of the round glass windows that sat center in the steel doors, I couldn’t see anything inside. They didn’t even appear to have windows; they were in total blackness.

Suddenly feeling a bit out of place, fear started creeping in. My mind brought up images of evil science projects. Shaking my head, I vowed never to watch a science horror movie again. These images were all due to those movies, I was sure of it.

“I am safe; I am at work, and we don’t do evil experiments here,” I tried convincing myself as I moved further down the passage.

I stopped dead in my tracks as I heard what sounded like a scream coming from somewhere ahead of me. Swallowing hard, I rubbed the back of my neck with a shaking hand and listened.

“It’s all in your mind,” I whispered to myself, glancing up and down the passage. Should I continue forward or go back? I considered my options while trying to calm my nerves.

Looking behind me the passage appeared darker than before. Before me, it was also dark, but the flickering of light in the distance brought some form of hope. Swallowing the lump that appeared out of nowhere, I bent my knees and leaned slightly forward. Not only were my hands shaking, but my legs felt numb as I breathed in slow and deep.

My chest burned as if the air I inhaled was filled with toxins, but I knew it was my mind playing tricks. This company didn’t experiment on toxins. They were a prominent and well-known company working closely with the medical field. They manufactured cures here, not poisons. All of these thoughts and feelings were due to hunger and sleep deprivation.

This is what happens when you over-exert yourself, dear. Standing up straight and grinning at myself, I could just hear my nanna saying something like that. Shaking out my limbs, I pushed the fear out of my mind.

Deciding to move towards the light, I plodded slowly and quietly as I heard voices coming from that direction. I wouldn’t say that I was a scared person; in fact, I was always up for watching horror movies, taking tours through graveyards at midnight, and such things. I loved challenges and dares. But something felt off as I got closer. The air seemed to thin and grow colder as I neared the flickering.

It was another room and a dead-end by the looks of it. The passage stopped right before the half-closed door. Inside, I noticed a figure moving. Standing beside the door, I leaned closer, touching the glass window to see better. It felt like the blood instantly drained from my face once my eyes adjusted to the dimness.

Inside was a man tied to a chair and a figure hovering over it, wearing what appeared to be a large pair of sheers.

Gasping as I stood back against the wall with my hands over my mouth, I could only hope the shadow inside didn’t see me. I dared not look again but was sure something terrible was happening in that room.

This isn’t right! I thought, taking a deep breath.

Placing my hands on the wall beside me, the iciness startled me slightly as it collided with my warm, sweaty palms. I knew I had to get out of there quickly but quietly. Moving step by step against the wall, I headed back into the darkness of the long hallway.

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