Jacksy

Ε༏𝚐ի𝚝

Noah could feel tiny pinpricks of pain each time Doctor Perry stabbed a needle into his arm, but he felt nothing more. He could not move, though he remained awake for what seemed like days. The fluorescent lights above never ceased to shine, and Noah's thoughts became jumbled in a bowl of mush. He could no longer think about Skully or Ashton. His mind was muddled. Out of the corners of his eyes he could see a very long needle leaving his arm, though he had forgotten it was there. All he knew was that he sat in a chair.

When Doctor Perry finally stood, Noah's vision was blurry. Her figure walked over to the door. "I'll go and collect Doctor Larkins to take you back to your room." She spoke in a monotonous voice.

Noah closed his eyes. He just wanted to sleep. He wanted to give in to the temptation, but his body would not let him fall asleep.

A clash would've made Noah jump if he weren't in such a daze. He opened his eyes and saw a very blurry person standing before him. Noah blinked, and he realized it was a man in white scrubs, with strikingly black hair and very pale skin. The man was rummaging around on the table full of needles, but when he couldn't find what he was looking for, he turned to Noah. Noah knew this man was important, but his mind was not working properly.

The man couldn't speak, for he was gasping, as if he couldn't breathe. But as if he was used to his, he pulled from his pocket a piece of paper. It still had Noah's message on it, and that was when he realized that he was looking at Ashton.

Ashton pointed to the paper, then to Noah. All Noah could do was manage a nod.

Ashton suddenly fell to the ground, his breaths strained. The paper fell to the floor, and Noah saw a flicker of movement in the hall. He had to hide the paper, but he couldn't move his arms or legs.

Two doctors entered the room, one of whom was Doctor Larkins. The other man wore small glasses and had softer eyes, but Noah suspected he was just as evil. Larkins cursed under his breath.

The other doctor stepped toward Ashton, and Noah noticed a mask was in his hands. It was a black gas mask, and shivers ran through Noah's body.

"Hold on, Fellman," said Doctor Larkins, his eyes narrowed.

The man holding the mask, Doctor Fellman, glanced from Larkins to Ashton, whose breaths were no more than wheezes. "He will die!"

"Give him a moment. He escaped. This is what he wants, no?" said Larkins.

The only sound that filled the room was Ashton's dying breaths. Noah hated the doctors for what they were doing. He didn't fully understand what was going on, but he could feel hatred bubbling within him.

Doctor Perry entered the room, and she gazed at the doctors and Noah before her eyes landed on Ashton. "Fellman, what're you doing? Put his mask on!"

Doctor Fellman gently lifted Ashton's head and secured the mask over his face. Noah noticed the doctor discreetly slip the paper Ashton had dropped into his sleeve. He then wrapped his arms beneath Ashton's shoulders and began dragging him out of the room.

"Take him to the glass room. When he wakes, we'll run a trail on him," said Doctor Perry. She then shook her head and glared at Doctor Larkins.

Larkins raised his eyebrows. "He's been running more often, Perry. Someone has to finally teach him a lesson."

"Yes, except the mayor is coming soon!" she hissed. "If you killed Patient Three, we'd all be in trouble!" She glanced at Noah. "Take him to his room. We'll begin his program later."

"Which program?" asked Larkins as he released Noah's wrists from the chair, only to be bound by cuffs. Larkins lifted Noah, and Noah became so dizzy that he thought he'd pass out, but sleep did not come. He could no longer focus on where they were headed. He didn't know whether they had turned left or right in the hall.

"The Servitude Program," said Doctor Perry.

"You can't be serious?" said Larkins. "That was just an idea a week ago. What about Metabolic, or Dreamwalker?"

"He likes mine more," said Perry. They reached Noah's room, and Noah collapsed inside, the cuffs shocking his wrists. The door closed, and Noah could no longer hear their conversation. He lie against the cold stone floor and closed his eyes. He listened to his breaths and prayed for sleep to come, but it did not. Slowly, his thoughts returned to him. He had seen Ashton. He looked like he did in Skully's holograms, though maybe a little older. Noah wondered what was wrong with Ashton. What was a program? Which one did Ashton have? What was the Servitude Program? Noah shivered just thinking about it. These were not simple genetic modifications. They were being experimented on.

The mayor was coming. Noah would get to see him. A face would be put to all of the evil being done in the city. But that wouldn't stop him. Skully needed to find Noah soon, or else Noah was afraid he'd never be able to leave. It didn't seem like Ashton could leave if he wanted to, though he did run away a lot.

Who was Doctor Fellman? The man seemed just as evil as the other doctors, though Noah suspected something different about him. The man didn't seem surprised to see the piece of paper lying beside Ashton, and he didn't show it off to the other doctors. Noah wondered how many doctors there were.

Perry called Ashton "Patient Three." That must mean that the two other kids are there, too. Hopefully they were alive. Noah wondered where they were. Maybe Ashton knew.

Noah's ribs began to ache. He slowly forced his knees beneath him and sat up. Immediately, he broke out in a sweat. His face felt hot, and there was a lump in his throat. He doubled over, bile pouring from his throat. He had never thrown up before, and he very much disliked it. He gasped and fell back, his cuffs shocking his wrists. Finally, he felt tired. He closed his eyes.

The door to his room opened, and in came Doctor Larkins. He wrinkled his nose. "I can do nothing about your dosage, Noah," he said in disgust. He grabbed Noah and dragged him out of the room. Noah didn't have the strength to stand if he wanted to. He was sweating and shivering. They passed by another room, and Noah suspected it was Ashton's, though he couldn't see through the window. There was no one else in the hallway. It was very quiet, though Noah could feel others nearby. They entered the same room Noah had just been in, and dread overcame him. His cuffs were taken off, only for his wrists to be secured to the chair. Doctor Larkins sighed.

Doctor Perry entered the room, a hat over her red hair. She glanced at Larkins and took a seat. She pulled the robotic arm over and positioned it so it was near Noah's head. Then, she slipped on some gloves. "Why isn't he sedated?"

"He vomited," replied Larkins simply.

Perry gave a look of distaste to Noah. "You have as weak of a system as Patient Two." She grabbed a syringe and filled it with a clear liquid. "Still, I'm afraid you must be asleep for this." She stabbed the needle into his arm.

Noah closed his eyes. He was relieved that sleep came, and he welcomed it.