Page 14 of Unnatural
Sam came slowly to his feet, his legs shaky.
The doctor glanced at his watch and then stood as well, giving Sam the ghost of a smile. “Go lose yourself in a video game, eh? Have some fun. There’s always a game to join.”
Yes, there always was. The other boys loved games. The girls did too, but mostly the boys. Sometimes Sam did. Sometimes they bored him. Sometimes they even disturbed him, but he’d never tell Dr. Heathrow that. He didn’t know why they disturbed him. They were only games on a screen. “I’d rather read, if that’s okay.” There were comic books and a few other titles on the tables in the lounge, but those weren’t the books Sam intended to read. “I’d like to be alone for a while. To prepare my mind.”
Dr. Heathrow smiled proudly. “Prepare your mind. Yes. Good. All strength begins in the mind.” He tapped his own skull. “But the body is what we use to fight. The body must be strong too. See you soon, Sam.”
Sam nodded once and headed toward the door.
He didn’t cry out loud. But inside, he roared.
Chapter Seven
The nurse pushing the wheelchair carrying a small, bony boy who was staring straight ahead stoically turned thecorner and went out of sight.
Autumn waited a moment and then moved from behind the tall hydrangea bush where she was standing, half-obscured. She hardly dared a glance as she rushed past the path where the nurse had turned, ducking into the doorway just beyond. She stood there for a moment, catching her breath as she listened. There was only the gust of the wind and the call of a distant bird.
She leaned out, turning her head in both directions before once again stepping onto the path that led to the newer section of Mercy Hospital, the one she’d been told was mostly used for research and development and the occasional surgery when the other operating rooms were all in use.
She reached the high fence that she’d only seen from afar, gripping the wires as she peered through. The building was much newer than the brick and stone structure used for the children’s home and mostly devoid of windows.Odd.Researchers and scientists weren’t known for theirconventionality necessarily, but surely, even they liked a ray of sunshine now and again. Or maybe they developed products whose ingredients fared better in very specific conditions. What did she know about any of that anyway?
There were KEEP OUT signs along the fence, but clearly, the warnings didn’t possess teeth as there was no barbed wire at the top. Her eyes moved to her hands on the links.And it’s not going to shock you if you touch it.She was glad she hadn’t considered that before she’d gripped it, or she might not have tried. Then again…why should there be barbed wire or any other physical deterrent? It wasn’t as if the kids at Mercy had the strength to scale a fence anyway, even if they wanted to.
Well…except her.
A spiral of pride wound through her, making her feel slightly delirious. What a dizzyingly delightful thought it was that she was now strong enough to scale a fence! The realization gave her courage, and she let go of the wire, stepping back and looking at the entirety of the chain-link fence, deciding on the best place to climb. Only the side of the older building was visible. There was no window view to this area.
A spear of indecision poked at her, but she broughthisface to mind, remembering the motivation that had led her to this fence in the first place. He was real. The hair she’d plucked from his head and placed beneath her tongue proved it.
And if he was real, he lived somewhere nearby.Where though?He obviously didn’t live on one of the floors above or below her. The only place she could think of wasthisplace. This windowless laboratory. And though she was afraid, the monster with the soul shining from his midnighteyes was too much of a lure.I have to know.
She gripped the fence, beginning her climb before she could talk herself out of it.Grip, pull, find a foothold. Grip, pull, find a foothold.Halfway up, she made the mistake of looking down. A small whimper escaped her throat.What are you actually doing, Autumn? Have you lost your mind?
That question gave her fortitude, because she was clear on the answer, and she turned back, continuing on.Grip, pull, find a foothold.
No. I havenotlost my mind.
I might have just found it.
Therealityshe thought she’d been living might actually be part dream.Or deception.But she couldn’t think too much about that just now. She needed at least a few answers first, and this was her chance to get some.
She threw her leg gingerly over the top of the fence and started her descent.Grip, release, find a foothold, only much, much faster this time.
When her feet hit the soft earth, she allowed herself a small shimmy of victory before turning, ducking, and moving behind the foliage that lined the chain-link obstruction between the old and new buildings.
She moved down the slight incline to the edge of what looked like a power station or generator or who knew, a tall fenced-in area containing enclosed boxes and heavy corded wires twisting from one row to the next. There were stickers on the gate and the boxes warning of electrocution. As she walked to the edge, she could see there was a path beyond. She hesitated.Should I follow it?
Yes.Autumn tiptoed slowly down the path toward the large windowless building. She squinted at it, and from this close distance, she could see several doors along the side, allwith what looked like keypads. The portion of Mercy where she lived didn’t have any such thing. Of course, they had some basic security, but not like this.
Maybe there’s just very expensive equipment here that requires a different level of protection.
When she was almost at the place where the path broke off in either direction, she heard voices and what sounded like wheels on pavement. With a sharp intake of breath, she pressed her body against a nearby tree, clenching her eyes shut as the voices approached. The squeak of the wheels grew louder, covering what she now thought was a…pained groan.
Autumn’s breath stalled, her heart rate increasing as she pressed her lips together, attempting to become as small as possible. There were two voices.Women. Serious tones.The squeak of the wheels pierced her ears, echoing inside. They passed by the place where she stood, their conversation continuing. She caught a few words of medical jargon but not enough to interpret or understand.
When they had moved a short distance away, Autumn peeled herself from the tree, moving around its side. The nurses’ backs were to her now, one pushing the gurney, the other walking beside her coworker. Autumn leaned out as far as she dared, her eyes widening as they turned along the path, the white sheet covering the person on the gurney shifting slightly to expose half of a human face, purple and swollen grotesquely, one eye staring directly at her.
Autumn clamped her hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming, her heart slamming in her chest. The flash of a tiny red light under the eaves of the building across from her caught her eye, causing her panic to ratchet higher.A camera? Was it a security camera? Oh God.
