The Experiments of a Lifetime

Illustrations

It only took two more days to find what Markus was hiding from me. A big binder full of miraculous drawings. Big machines, people I recognized in these violent drawings. I grabbed the binder for myself and sat on the bed, the fool left it here. I knew he wanted me to see it, or else he would be back looking for it.

My eyes scanned the skillfully drawn pictures. Some were diagrams, other comics. A few included my name and pictures of me. Nothing was happening to me, I looked like a lure. The drawings fascinated me and I couldn't stop flipping through the pages. I slammed the book shut, and bounded out of my door. I was going to see what this was about.

I slipped on my boots and walked out into the broad daylight. I probably looked like a lunatic but I didn't care. I walked to his house beside mine. The door was a normal dark oak color. I knocked on it forcefully almost wanting to just open the door and invite myself in. "What do you want with Markus?" The babysitter asked. Her hands were more cracked now, some teeth rotten from the cigarettes. I pushed past her and into his room.

"Markus Versinger what the hell is this!" I whisper yelled. He turned to me and smile, "don't you think it's beautiful?" I dropped the book and felt tears come to my eyes. What am I crying for? "You don't like it?" He asked snatching the book from my feet. I was confused, why did I like it? Why were some of the ideas perfection?

"I, I love it. Markus but you need to be careful with that book out in the open." His eyes brightened and he took my hand and sat me down. We flipped through the book, "which three are your favorite?" I remembered a page number that I saw earlier and flipped to it page eight had a beautiful diagram of a contraption that could dislocate all your joints. He looked up at me, "why do you like this?" I didn't want to admit the utter beauty that could happen with having a human puppet. Painting a beautiful story with real life people.

"Human puppets," it was all I could manage to say before I flipped to my second favorite. It was an illustration of a procedure involving swapping body parts. He didn't ask for me to show my last pick. "So we're on the same page?" He asked shutting the book. I nodded. Words were hard to form. This world is so fucked up, why have I never felt anything for people?

"H-how did you come up with these? They're beautifully illustrated," I asked, tracing my hand over the cover. "That fucking babysitter," he laughed dryly. "She put all the hatred in the world into me." I accepted the answer and laced my hands together. The bruises were now evident as my hands grew pale from the grip. Bruises, scars, and fresh scrapes on my knuckles. I guess I was always violent, always picking fights out of school. Sometimes I got my ass beat but I never gave up.

He walked over to his desk and pulled out an entire drawer. Markus carefully set it down in front of me. It was an array of different tools, most of them being sharp. I picked a dagger shaped knife, it's edges quite dull. I set it down, and continued the search for a sharp blade. I came across one and luckily it was double sided.

I looked Markus in the eye and placed my hand over the blade. I ripped the blade up and the searing pain went through my hand. I could see the blood but I was more worried about placing the blade on Markus' hand. He held it as I ripped it up and into his flesh.

The smell was something different, it smelled like metal, maybe the fake stuff you get at the stores that turns your hands green. I lifted our left hands and pressed the bloodied flesh together. It was intoxicating, the feeling of blood dripping down my forearm. This locked in the deal, the unspoken one.

I stood up and disconnected my hand from his, "you have something to clean this up with right?" He nodded pulling a first aid kit out form under his bed. He was right on fixing my hand. Soon enough it was presentable and I was able to leave. "I- come over tomorrow." I nodded agreeing to the plan.