Resentment

Part 11

A few days had passed since I had first entered the cell. I wasn't sure of the exact number because nothing ever changed. The lights remained relentlessly bright, guards endlessly patrolled and there always seemed to be people working, regardless of the time.

The woman with the greying hair had entered the cell once a day to inject us with blood. I still hadn't been questioned which I thought was a little odd. Although I had the feeling that they were trying to wear me down first, making me lose my grip on reality. I also had the horrible feeling that it was starting to work.

I never got any proper sleep, although occasionally I would kind of drift out of consciousness for a little while. The combination of the constant contact with silver and the bright light made me consistently nauseous. My head ached. It was easy to understand how David had ended up in his current state.

He was not the most pleasant cell mate. I found that when talking he only made sense half of the time. Other times he would just drift off on whatever entered his head at that time. The starvation made him mean and snappy, so he'd regularly make nasty remarks. I found that this happened more often the closer it got to blood time. Afterwards he would be almost cheerful for a while. Although that was worse. He laughed at inappropriate times and randomly hummed to himself, interrupting whatever thoughts I was having. Occasionally when he was having a lucid period, he would help me listen to the goings on in the building, trying to find out something useful.

So far I had found out that the person in charge seemed to be someone called Mr Hewitt. As far as I could tell, Mr Hewitt had not actually entered the building since I had arrived. He controlled the situation from afar. Most of the staff seemed to be respectful bordering on slightly afraid of their boss.

That morning everyone was concerned about something I found very interesting. There was a protest outside the facility. Considering it was supposed to be a secret facility, that was a surprise all on its own. What was even more shocking was that the protest was actually about me. Or at least, me and the other prisoners here.

Apparently a group of around 100 people had gathered so far, and were peacefully protesting outside the facility gate. Workers were anxious that they wouldn't be able to leave without being seen and possibly recognised if the event made it to TV. Many were uneasy about what was going to be done about it and a small argument broke out on who had to notify Mr Hewett on the matter.

"Are you getting all this?" I muttered to David.

Meeting my eyes in an unusually lucid manner he nodded. "Mr Hewett's going to come when he finds out."

From his tone I gathered that Mr Hewett was not someone I would like to meet. "You've met him before?" I asked.

For a moment I thought he wasn't going to answer me. His gaze grew farther away. "Yes, he...asked me some questions when I arrived."

"Is that all he did?" I didn't like then way he had hesitated, as if there was more to the story.

David shuddered. "He also authorised some things."

"What kind of things?"

"Medical kinds of things. I don't want to talk about it."

"Medical? David what-"

"No! I said I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!"

The force of his fear induced rage shocked me a little, making me lean back. It went just as soon as it had come and he whimpered quietly before starting to hum to himself. I sighed, it appeared that I would have to find out the hard way.

***

Several hours later My Hewitt officially arrived. The outside of the building was too many layers of concrete away for me to hear clearly, but I could hear the staff inside preparing for his arrival.

People in some kind of security office near the front of the building discussed what to do about the crowd outside. Eventually it became apparent that officials would have to go outside and create a pathway through the people for a car to get through. Excitement ran through me as one of the guards said;

"But sir there has to be over 200 out there now! How are we going to move them?" Over 200? The crowd was growing. A small smile formed on my lips.

"Use of force is authorised officer; this is a private government facility." That wasn't as good; I hoped nobody would get hurt. The darker part of me quietly thought that if they did at least it might spark off even more protest.

It was hard to determine exactly how many went out to clear a way through the crowd, but I guessed at least 20. Sooner than I expected Mr Hewitt was in the building. His footsteps were swift and business like. I could pinpoint almost the exact moment that he entered. The atmosphere in the building changed, becoming almost hushed but still urgent. People everywhere rushed to make sure that everything was exactly as it should be, in case their boss should feel the need to check on what they were doing.

I heard the guard who had previously authorised the use of force. He greeted Mr Hewett formally and asked if he required anything. I finally heard the man's voice properly as he answered.

"Take me straight to the newest arrival." His tone was cool and formal, with the kind of air of authority that expected his orders to be obeyed immediately.

"Yes of course sir." The guard answered.

Across from me David grew increasingly agitated as the group made their way downwards towards us. His breathing grew faster, and I knew it wasn't the oxygen he needed. Nervously he shifted around in his chains. He winced at the pain of the silver moving on his already raw skin but didn't stop.

I tensed as the door was unlocked. There was nothing shocking about Mr Hewett's appearance. He confidently strode into the room ahead of the guards, emitting an aura of power. He was short and in his mid 50's. His hair was greying but it didn't diminish his appearance. If anything it only served to highlight his piercing blue eyes even more.

David drew back against the wall but he didn't spare him a second glance. His gaze was solely fixed on me. I kept my face blank as I stared back at him, chin raised.

"So," he said, "This is the vampire I have heard so much about."

I said nothing.

"Jade Maison, or Jadeine Montgomery as you were originally known, it has taken us a long time to track you down."