Jacksy

ऽ༏✗

Noah was slow to wake. His bones felt heavy, and his head was cloudy. He could hear voices, though they were muffled and distorted. He opened his eyes, but he couldn't see, for his vision was severely blurred. He closed his eyes and took several breaths. He had been taken. Was Skully okay? Skully hadn't woken when Noah shouted for him. That wasn't natural. Noah knew Skully had been drugged. Trish must be against them. Noah hadn't warned Skully about Trish.

Noah opened his eyes again and blinked several times until his vision cleared. He was in a square stone room, with a fluorescent light shining down on him. He was lying on the ground, his hands secured behind his back. A metal door locked him inside, with a small panel of glass overlooking a white hallway. Noah fought against his panicking heart. He knew this was coming. He also knew the tracking chip was still in his mouth, though he could not feel it. He twisted his arms behind his back.

Suddenly, a vibrant shock ran through his arms and up his neck, and he cried out. The cuffs on his wrists had shocked him. He took a couple of breaths. He rolled onto his stomach and slid his knees beneath him, sitting back on his heels. He wanted to look at what sort of device held his hands back, but he did not have the courage to try. He didn't want to get shocked again. He noticed he was wearing a white shirt and white pants, and he shivered. It was like he was a patient in some sort of hospital, though he wasn't sick. He glanced around the room once more, then froze, his heart jumping. Someone ran past his door, though he could not see who it was through the small window. Something slid under his door. A moment later, two others ran past the window. Noah slid on his knees to the door and spotted a small slip of paper on the ground. Someone had slipped him a note. He turned around and fumbled for the paper. When he felt it between his fingers, a shock ran through his wrists, but he did not drop the paper. He carefully felt the folds of the paper and unfolded it behind his back, then let it fall to the floor. Eagerly, he turned around and examined what was written.

𝙏ℎ𝑖𝑟𝘵𝑦 ⳽𝘵𝑒𝑝⳽, ⲅıց𝘩𝘵. ԝℎ𝜊 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝜊𝑢?

㇌

Noah re-read the note half a dozen times, then sat back. Someone else was being held with him. He thought back to what Skully had said. A girl went missing twelve years ago, then a boy eight years ago, then Ashton four years ago. Any one of them could've given Noah this note. Thirty steps, right... Maybe that's where they were being held. Why had they signed it with a three? Noah's eyes widened. This note had to be from Ashton. He could feel it, just like Skully could feel that Ashton was still alive. Ashton was the third person to go missing under the mayor's rule. This note was from Ashton. But how would Noah respond?

Noah leaned close and examined the paper. It looked like regular paper, but he could tell by the handwriting that it was not. The writing was printed onto the paper.

Noah's wrists got shocked, and he leaned back. Then, he stared at the paper and said, "Erase."

The writing disappeared. Amazed, with his heart beating, Noah said, "Write: Noah, Skully's friend. Who are you?"

Magically, the letters appeared:

Π⭘Ƌ𐌷 𐒖𝖪ㄩԼԼΥ'𐒖 𝚏Ꮁİ巳Πᑯ Ш𐌷⭘
ƋᎱ巳 Υ⭘ㄩ

The writing was not as customized as Ashton's, but it would do. Noah closed the paper in his fist and tentatively leaned against the wall, grateful that the cuffs did not shock him. Ashton was alive, which surely meant that Noah would remain alive, too. Skully would be coming for him, as long as the tracker was working.

A man suddenly appeared in the window of the door, and Noah jumped. The man stared at Noah, his nose nearly pressed against the glass. Then, the door clicked open and in came a man with a white lab coat and white gloves, holding a syringe. He smiled. "Hello, Noah. My name is Doctor Larkins. I'm very honored to be meeting you. We haven't had one like you in eight years." He took a deep breath and glanced at the syringe in his hand. "Well, it is time to move you." He bent down and stabbed the needle into Noah's arm. Noah jumped, and his cuffs sent a shock through his spine.

The doctor grabbed Noah's arms and hauled him up, though Noah was suddenly beginning to feel very weak. He took a couple of steps, but then his knees gave way. The doctor caught him and dragged him out of the room into a very bright hall. The lights were so bright that they nearly blinded Noah. He could no longer control his movements and was limp in the doctor's grasp.

The paper. The paper was still in Noah's hands. Had they gone left, or right? He couldn't remember. His thoughts were becoming harder to discern. Surely they had gone far enough. Noah opened his hands, and the paper fell to the floor. Then, he focused on his breathing. He wanted to fall asleep. He was scared of what was to come, though his heart did not pound. Why wasn't he falling asleep? He couldn't walk. He couldn't move. He was vulnerable. He wanted his hoodie back.

They entered a room in a different hall, and Noah was placed in a chair. He did not feel the cuffs zap him, though he suspected they did. He closed his eyes. He just needed to fall asleep.

"I will be right back with Doctor Perry," said Larkins, and Noah opened his eyes. The doctor left the room, and Noah realized his hands had been removed from the cuffs and were now secured to the chair in which he sat. There was a small table in front of him, filled with all sorts of tools. Additionally, there was a metallic robotic arm in the corner.

Noah let his head fall. It was too much work for him to gather his surroundings, so he stared at the floor. He wasn't sure why he was awake. He didn't feel tired, but he didn't feel good at all. He had never become sick in his life, but he felt sick now. Is this what Ashton had gone through?

A woman entered the room. She had bright red hair and red lips, which were pulled tight. She glanced at him, then sat down in a chair beside the small table.

"We must get started, Perry," advised Doctor Larkins, who was standing near the door.

Doctor Perry glared at the man. "I know," she hissed. Her voice was cruel. She glared again at Noah. "You're very special, Noah. The mayor is coming to see you in a few days. You'll behave, won't you?"

"Unlike Patient Three," muttered Larkins with disgust.

Perry didn't wait for a response. "We need you awake for this bit, Noah. It's simple testing required before we run you through a program." She picked up a very thin needle. "Let's begin."