Burning For You (#Wattys2015)

Chapter 4

Drawing from google.

I'm not being sneaky I swear...

<}Mitch{>

I awoke on that dreadful lab table once more, fear rising quickly.

Master stood off to the side, his back to me as he fiddled with something on a tray.

I blinked hard as I tried to force my eyes to adjust to the harsh lighting and groaned softly.

"Ah, my soldier is finally awake. I was wondering when you'd wake up," Master murmured, not even glancing back at me.

I felt this, urge suddenly, an urge to apologize for disappointing him, or staying asleep for too long.

Swallowing uneasily, I instead asked why I was back on the table.

Master gave a small chuckle before turning around, the unknown item left on the tray behind him.

"Well Mitchell, let's just say you are my first successful experiment! No one has ever passed the first portion of my test."

"T-Test? H-How did I pass?" I stuttered, fear slowly rising.

Master shook his head. "My experiment was the test. Not one of the others passed."

"S-Sir I'm confused."

"The syringe I used on you was filled with the same liquid that I injected into the other hybrids you saw in the dungeons. Each time the liquid came in contact with their blood, it'd change color. For you though, it changed just by being in the same room." Master explained.

"So, I somehow changed the color of the syringe just by being in the same room as it?"

Master nodded slowly, turning back around to what he was fiddling with earlier.

"So, why am I back here?"

"Do you always ask so many questions?" He sighed, exasperated, as he turned back to me.

In his hands was another syringe, this time filled with a red liquid.

He slowly approached me, readying the needle to no doubt be inserted into my skin.

"W-What is that?" I whimpered.

Master shook his head and pushed the needle into my skin. "Just relax. You won't be harmed."

Slowly, the red liquid oozed into my blood, filling me with a relaxed feeling.

"Good. Just relax. Stay calm. No ones going to hurt you farther."

Master's voice seemed to drown itself out as my vision clouded over.

I didn't care, either. I felt calm, serene even as the last of the liquid was injected.

My eyes slowly faded shut, enveloping me in a warm, comforting darkness.

Later, when I became conscious, I was tossed back into the cell, Jerome instantly moving over to me.

Growling, I pushed him away. "What?"

"No one disappears overnight and comes back unharmed here. Not with Master around," He growled, sniffing my hair.

I glared and slapped him away. "Knock it off."

"You smell like the labs. He did something to you."

"Jerome, back off," I snarled shoving him backwards.

"And your personality has changed. Mitch what happened?" Jerome pressed on.

"I said back off!" I roared, flames licking up my legs again.

He whimpered at my outburst and took a few steps back.

I sighed and curled up into a ball in my corner. "I'm sorry."

"Mitch, tell me what happened." He ordered softly, carefully approaching me again.

I shook my head slowly and burst into tears, curling up into him.

"I-I don't know! I-I don't know what the hell is going on anymore! There are too many secrets, too many puzzles, I can't function!" I sobbed into his fur.

The bacca wrapped his fury arms around me in a tight embrace, cooing softly into my ear.

"Why does everything have to be so confusing?" I whispered, tears still streaming.

My comforter shook his head. "I don't know Biggums, I don't know."

I sniffled and gently pulled away. "I-Im sorry, I'm being emotional."

He smiled and shook his head. "No you're not. You're just not used to the amount of stress."

I sighed shakily and nodded, running a hand through my hair.

"Y-You're right."

He smiled faintly at me before turning to go to his corner.

"H-Hey, Jerome?"

"Yes Biggums?" He asked, turning to face me once more.

"C-Can you sleep with me?" I asked sheepishly.

He smiled and nodded, crawling over to my side and pulling me into a comforting embrace. "How's this?"

I smiled and curled into his fur, closing my eyes. "Thank you."

The baca nodded and leaned back, falling asleep almost instantly.

I, however, couldn't sleep. Something was keeping me awake.

Master's nightly warning boomed through the once silent air suddenly, the dungeon door slamming shut after him.

It was then I felt the exhaustion hit me and I slowly drifted off to sleep in Jerome's arms.