the seven devils [completed]

chapter thirty-four

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

The room was obscure, with no windows or openings to the outside world, and the only source of light was the flickering light bulb in the middle of the ceiling. It was covered in grime and spider webs, and it swung from one side to another with a faint creak. The air was dusty, and each breath burned the lungs, so much so that some of the bodies in the room coughed continuously. It was almost like being in a pneumonia ward.

Drip, drop. Drip, drop. Drip, drop.

Something rattled at the old pipe that ran across the wall of Scholomance's basement, and a hand darted out to reach to the sound source, almost like a twig about to break in the wind. The girl felt herself lose all strength in her system, and she could not feel her lower body. Despite her best attempts, her vision kept blurring, and when she moved her head, it was as if water waved inside her skull. It stung profoundly, and if she had had enough vigor to part her lips, she would have winced.

There was only deadened vibration around her, and the odd sensation of being watched, but she was somewhere between alertness and a fainting feeling, and could not make sense of her surroundings. They looked familiar, and something knocked at her brain, almost as if she was supposed to remember the gloomy room.

Drip, drop. Drip, drop. Drip, drop.

"She is waking up, sir," came a cry from the deepness of the obscurations, and the girl saw something move across her visual field, before a sensation prickled at her skin, a dull ache in her arm. "That should keep her down."

"You said that about the last dose as well," grumbled a man as he strode over to the table, grabbing the syringe and inserting it deeper in the girl's arm, pumping its contents in viciously, "If you cannot do your job, Matron Lawrence, then have a man with the guts to do it take this over."

"My apologies, sir, I promise to watch her over carefully."

"How are the rest faring?" steps reverberated as the man walked away from the girl, and the Matron followed closely. Their voices bounced off of the walls, echoing through the basement.