The next day I contemplate the idea of running away. Bruises and cuts cover my body and I hate to speak. My eyes are watery and red and my hair is greasy. I walk around the building, hoping to be allowed to be let outside soon. Stares crawl up my body, making me want to tense and retreat into a dark corner, instead of people's gazes touching me and molesting me. My cheek bone twitches involuntarily as I look for a way to exit. I drag my hand across a firm, stone wall and sigh. I am trapped inside a cage. I am supposed to be bettering the lives of humanity, but instead I am being trapped in a building, only to be tortured and beat more.
"Pierce." A new voice says. I look to the voice. It belongs to a tall, slender man with pale skin and red veins. His hair is green and thin. He wears a navy suit with a white undershirt. His shoes are dark and seem to be leather. His brown eyes skim my body, moving into eye contact. "Yes..who are..?"
"My name nor identity is your concern. I am here to escort you to your new duty."
"Oh, oka-.." He grabs my wrist, making my eyes dart to the ground, and drags me into a new room. The sign outside the door is scratched up, but when I'm inside, I feel as if two hundred pounds are pushing my body out. Cages. Cages. More cages. Inside are cages filled with skinny people, some missing limbs, some too big for their cages, some seeming to be confused or insane. All eyes are on me. The man who escorted me remains staring at something in the distance and says, "These are the prisoners. Your duty is to have them follow our strict rules and guidelines, be as rough as you want. They mean nothing. Feed them once every two days but give them water once a day. Don't give them too much medicine or special treatment, our rations are limited. Do not let them talk, and if they do, whip them. If they cry, slap them until they stop. If they try to break free, whip them. If they insult you, stab them whenever you find fit. You will work here eleven hours a day every day until you are promoted."
I found it funny. I was the one in the room who felt like the real prisoner. The room was silent, and my back was against the wall. The prisoner was filled with interesting looking souls. One of them sat in his cage shaking, shivering and occasionally laughing. A woman to his left sat crying silently, and she looked like she weighed no more then fourty pounds. A man above her was missing and eye, and his lip was bleeding. To the mans left was a skinny, young girl, sitting all the way back in her cage, whispering to herself. I could never hear what she said, and it seemed to be in another language. The look of her depressed me. She wore a pink, tattered dress, and had short black hair. Her face was covered in bruises, and she held a brown teddy bear. A boy, likely her brother, was in the cage to her right. He talked to himself, in multiple different languages and personalities, and his right ear was cut off. His hair was longer than hers, and his body was filled with cuts. A vein popped out of the left side of his forehead.
The day was long and lonely. No prisoner spoke a word to me. I didn't speak a word to them. My eyes just darted around the steel cages and their contents for eleven long hours. After my shift was done, the same man escorted me out. "You're doing well." I smiled and returned to my cage. A chef wearing all black with glow-in-the-dark green eyes gave me food and a wool blanket. I feel asleep that night with no issue.
The next morning, I was let out again. "I have a special call for you." The man said. I tilted my head. "Are you interested in science?" He asked. I shrugged. "The bettering of humanity?" I smirked.
"I guess so.." I kept my eyes on the path in front of me.
"DNA merging is today's call." He stated, "We have two fine prisoners with very nice..elimination abilities and they would be a suit to better our industry, and better our humanity."
"Then why don't we just make them on our side?" I question.
The man chuckled. "Well, you know all the right questions don't you? If we kept them on our side, they would be a danger. So if we merge their DNA with yours, we can see what will happen, and in turn, make our army stronger. If this works, and gives you their abilities, we can clone their DNA and strengthen the entire Industry!"
"So I'm a test subject..?"
"Well, yes.."
"What am I going to get out of this?" I demanded. The idea of a test subject scared me-- if anything went wrong, who knew what would happen! My life was on the line..but would I do it for the Industry?
"You'll be promoted."
"To what, a test subject?" I snarled. The man whipped around and grabbed the collar of my uniform. His eyes were cold and merciless, and his smile showed absolute insanity. His breaking point was near, and I was treading on thin ice with it. Dancing with the devil was something I was never particularly good at, either. "See here, Angelica. The Industry thinks you're very..special, huh?" He gave a laugh. "It is not my business what you will be promoted to, nor do I care, frankly. Know this, though. If you ever deny a call, the punishment will be fierce. I learned the hard way, hm?" His last sentence was filled with insane sympathy, but a hint of threatening.
