Son of Lazarus

Chapter 7: Soldier Nine

September 1st, 2038
1:27 a.m.

   The room was always left in complete darkness without a single strand of light able to enter. The room itself was small and cramped with a single bed sitting against the far wall with the figure of a young man laying on it. An I.V. drip was attached to his arm that hung idly off the edge of the bed, the cord leading up to a bag that was labeled MORPHINE.   The bag itself was suspended in the air on a metal stand that rested near the bed. His face was angular and quite handsome-looking with thick, black hair that curled up at the ends. There was a single scar running down his jawline and its end disappeared under the shirt he wore at the base of his neck.   This was Soldier Nine, a title he deeply resented. His real name was Zachary Moore, which they refused to use whenever they referred to him. Zach was a rare telepathic Variant and because of this, they had moved him to Section Fifty-Seven immediately.   The reason why was simple: with just a single thought, Zach could cause an immense amount of pain in his target and, with enough force applied, he could kill someone easily by simply tearing their mind apart.   He was one of their deadliest soldiers, but he was also their most unwilling. Due to the high dosage of Morphine that he received every day, Zach was rendered oblivious to his surroundings and had little choice but to lay there on his bed, listening as others passed by his room.

   The sound of a heavy door folding in on itself resounded against the hard, metal walls and he could feel the touch of hard fluorescent light touching his face. Voices began to drift around the room, followed by the sound of footsteps stepping from the hallway into the room.
   "Do you think he's awake?" By the sound of it, the voice posing the question belonged to a young man. Zach could detect a note of fear hidden deep within it.
   "I hope not," said a second. This voice was much deeper and wiser than the other. The footsteps that had entered his room now shuffled closer to his bed. "Last time he woke up from his sedation, he almost killed one of the others."
   The Morphine was beginning to loosen its grip on his body and as a result, his mind sent a quick signal to the tips of his fingers. They twitched slightly and the motion went unnoticed. Then a thought crossed Zach's mind: today, one or both of these men would die.
   His mind sent another quick signal to his fingers. Zach felt them curl in toward his palm and emitted a soft sigh from his lungs. With his mind beginning to clear the drug away, Zach could sense fear rising inside the youngest of the two men.
   He could feel a gentle tug at his arm, telling him that the I.V. line was being removed. He could hear the sound of a bag full of liquid getting passed between hands.

   "Hold onto this for a second."
   Zach felt his muscles tense as much as they could while the rest of the drug slipped from them. He had to act before the bag switched hands again and he had to act fast. As quick as a bolt of lightning striking from the sky during a thunderstorm, Zach's hand shot out as fast as it could go.
   His fingers curled around the wrist of the man that was standing next to his bed. His eyes snapped open, their emerald depths glittering with hostility in the darkness and he could hear a startled yelp rise from the man's throat.
   Zach's face twisted into a dark, hostile grimace, his lips peeling away from clenched teeth. His eyes shifted quickly to stare at the man whose wrist he now held. His mind was forcing his body to move as fast as possible now.
   He brought his free hand around to grab at the man's throat, his palm connecting with the man's skin and encouraging him to wrap his fingers around it tight. Zach pressed his fingers so far into his skin that he was certain the man would have bruises.
   Zach swung his legs violently over the edge of the bed, his feet touching down on the cold, metal floor. As soon as he had solid ground beneath him, Zach put his whole weight into slamming the man against the wall just behind the I.V. stand.
   He used so much force in throwing the man against the wall that he heard the air escape from his lungs and saw a dazed expression cross into the man's eyes. Zach was so focused on the man in front of him that he had barely noticed the younger's existence.