Experiment 504

Chapter 1

Five years. That's how long Asher had been stuck in this god forsaken place. He hadn't even heard his real name in all the time he'd been here, always being referred to as 'Experiment 504' like he was a damned object. He sat in the corner of his cell, his legs hugged to his chest and his fox tail wrapped around them. He heard his cell door open, his fox ears perking up at the sound as he glanced up, expecting for it just to be one of the scientists here to run more experiments. He hadn't been entirely wrong, it was a scientist, but not one that he had seen in the facility.

'Must be someone new' he thought to himself, looking back down at the ground as he pulled his knees tighter to his chest. The scientist closed the cell door behind him, walking closer to Asher and crouching down to his level.

"Hello there" he says with a small smile, his slight German accent lacing his words as he looks at Asher. "My names Axel, they say to call you experiment 504, but I would like to know your real name."

Asher looked up at him, surprised. None of the scientists had ever told him their names or asked for his name. He hesitated for a second before replying in a quiet voice, "Asher" He mumbled, looking back down at the ground, trying to make excuses for why this scientist was being nice to him. 'He's probably just trying to get me to trust him so that he can get more out of me in tests' He thinks to himself, a small frown tugging at the corner of his mouth at the thought.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Asher" Axel says, his smile widening slightly as he sat down cross legged in front of Asher. He tilted his head slightly, looking at Asher's fox ears and tail. "Those are very pretty," he says, mainly to himself. Asher didn't react or respond to his comment, he's heard it multiple times, but they never meant it. By 'pretty' they always meant 'freakish' or 'weird', but they said pretty or fascinating to gain his trust.

"I'm sure they are" Asher mumbled, glancing up at Axel and looking into his hazel eyes with his own almost orange ones. As he looked at Axel, something felt off, for some reason Axel didn't seem...entirely human. He quickly shook away the thought, of course he was human, they wouldn't hire someone at this facility as a scientist if they weren't human. Axel looked at him, his smile still plastered on his face.

"You really are a fascinating individual" Axel says, almost absentmindedly. "So, as for why I'm here, I'm the new scientist they assigned to you for running tests and things" He says, his smile faltering a bit at the mention of 'running tests', something that did not go unnoticed by Asher. "But, I'll make sure they're as painless as possible" Axel says sincerely, looking Asher in his eyes.

Asher felt something off about Axel, the way his smile faltered when he mentioned 'running tests', like he wished he didn't have to do that. Most of the scientists wouldn't even bat an eye at the term, but Axel seemed like he didn't want to hurt Asher. Asher nodded his head, not really saying anything in response as he met Axel's gaze, his face mainly expressionless. Axel sighed, standing back up and brushing off his pants.

"Well, I best be going, I'll most likely see you tomorrow" he says, his soft smile returning to his face before he turned away and walked out of the cell, shutting and locking the door behind him. Asher watched him leave, feeling a slight sense of disappointment as he left. He felt comforted in Axel's presence for some reason. Asher sighed, resting his head on his knees as he was still hugging his legs to his chest as he sat in the corner of his cell, almost dreading tomorrow and the inevitable tests that would occur. But he thought that maybe, just maybe, things would be different with this scientist.

A/N: So, this is my first time ever writing a book/story and I would very much appreciate any tips that anyone may have, whether it's regarding grammar, character development, or just how I write the story in general. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my first chapter, and I will try to update every Thursday or Friday!