Shifters

Chapter 7

                                            Will

Beep

Beep

Beep

I reached out to shut off my alarm clock, but my hand found only empty air. I slowly opened my eyes. Whitewashed walls glared back at me under the harsh light of the flourescent bulbs in the ceiling. The only color in the room came from a screen beside my bed. Slowly, my brain woke up completely and I realized that I was in a hospital room. I tried to sit up, but as soon as I did, pain rushed through me and I slumped back again. Then the memories surfaced.

How it took longer than usual for me to shift.

Being a fish.

Trying to shift back.

Pain.

Darkness.

Well, it looked like I'd been able to shift back eventually. And I hadn't died. Always a plus. The monitor continued its incessant beeping. I groaned. It reminded me of the alarms when my family's house burned down with my parents and sister still inside. That was what you got for standing up against the government. The only reason I wasn't inside was because they wanted me for experimenting. My throat burned from the memory of the smoke. No, wait, my throat really did hurt. I slowly reached my hand up to my neck. I gasped in pain as my fingers connected with the stitches in my neck. My gills, I realized. They hadn't disappeared. I could have died. Not that anyone would have cared. I was just a test subject, a lab rat. My only worth was that I was "strong enough" to be a shifter. Or maybe not, seeing what just happened.

My musings were interrupted as a nurse entered the room. She bustled over to the bed.

"You're awake."

"Obviously."

"Hmph. That was quite some damage you took. We managed to replace the missing part of your arm, so that was good. Your neck is another matter. You'll just have to wait for it to heal on its own-"

The door slammed open yet again. This time it was Dr. Edmont.

"Change of plans," he told the nurse. "We need another subject down in the lower level experiments. Do whatever it takes to get him functioning again as soon as possible. Just don't kill him. Yet."

He rushed back out of the room. The nurse turned to me.

"It looks like I was wrong. You'll be on your feet in no time. Now, just lie still. The less you wriggle, the less it will hurt."

The less it will hurt. So reassuring. Then I felt the chill of metal encircle my wrists, locking them into place. My pulse pounded in my ears. Do whatever it takes. Don't kill him.

Yet.

************************

I snapped awake to find myself strapped down to a gurney. I was being rolled down the hall, but I couldn't see who was pushing the gurney. Doors slid by, but all of then were unfamiliar. I had thought the black and white doors were kind of sinister. This corridor was all metal and barely lit. I realized that this must be the "lower level" Dr. Edmont had mentioned. "We need another subject in the lower level experiments." I wonder who that could be.

A knot of dread formed in the pit of my stomach. It didn't help that one of the gurney's wheels squeaked in the otherwise silence. The sound echoed around the corridor, making it sound even more empty. Then the gurney turned a corner and the doors turned into rows of bars. Prison cells lined the corridor, and a terrible stench permeated the air. I couldn't see any prisoners, but of course that didn't mean there weren't any. Suddenly, the gurney jerked to a halt and the knot in my stomach threatened to squeeze the breath out of my lungs.

"You're awake," a voice said from above me. Dr. Edmont's face loomed into view. "Perfect timing. Now, this is your new home, okay? And there's no use in trying to escape. We have very high security and even higher numbers of ways to make you regret anything you may try. If you cooperate, you might live." A guard walked over and unlocked the door of the cell to my right. Dr. Edmont moved around the gurney, untying the straps binding my wrists and ankles.

"Get up," the guard ordered. I slid off the gurney and was hit by a wave of dizziness. I fought to stay standing. I felt a hand on my back. Then I was falling toward the floor inside of the cell. I tried to catch myself, but my arms wouldn't support me. My head slammed into the hard stone floor. Right before I passed out, I heard Dr. Edmont speaking.

"Just remember, as far as anyone else knows, you didn't survive the operation. And no one will waste the time searching for a dead boy."