The car picks up speed while turning frequently. I can feel every bump in the road and they’re growing more frequent. I’m guessing we are heading out of the city and into the woodlands. The other three prisoners don’t seem to pay attention to our current situation and are currently biding their time. Only one I have hope for is Lizy considering she managed to calm herself when she spoke to me.

I wonder why we are leaving the city. Isn’t the upper district where all the research facilities are. I would’ve assumed Richard’s written message was true. In the inner city, all the newest technology is being displayed. Shouldn’t the researchers for Scientology of Eugenics be their boasting about their recent breakthroughs. Unless this project of theirs, is flying under the radar…. Oh god I hope I won’t become some kind of zombie.

Breaking me out of my day dream, the vehicle suddenly stops. Hearing multiple footsteps I assume we are at some gathering point. Realizing the front of the van is strangely quiet I have a bad feeling.

In the next moment, muffled gun shots echoed into the darkness. Hearing a few ricochet off the metal wall next to me, my fellow prison mates all coward while ducking. A few moments later, I see tiny pin holes spreading out next to me. With the moonlight filtering into my compartment, I discovered pointy needles sticking out of some of the holes.

Looks like Samuel and his buds got tranquilized. Seems this operation just got more complicated. Just your everyday kidnapping involving no witnesses. Don’t mind me, my new wardens outside, I can’t even stand up, let alone make another prison break. I’ll lay here laughing at how right I was about my conspiracy theory.

Hearing heavy footsteps approaching our car, I’m able to peak out from the pin holes. A squad of five full armored individuals cautiously move towards the bodies of Sam and his gang. Kicking their bodies over, they bend over to check their pulse. Signaling towards the forest, another group of soldiers appear to take away their bodies. Turning towards us, he calmly walks over.

Oh, he looks like someone from our military. Is he here to save us? Please hurry up, I need someone to fix the sloppy stitch job on me. It itches and burns like hell. I know I labeled you guys as evil, but I didn’t realized you guys were so familiar looking.

With gleaming eyes, I wait anxiously for my savior. Opening the door he grunts at what he sees. Beckoning to his squadron, I watch as they take Lizzy and the rest away. With me, the leader walks over before checking if I was still alive.

“This one is still alive. Looks like those dumb-asses did a blotched job. It should’ve been a grab and go. Not shooting the hell out of our merchandise. Tony get over here and move this bloody thing out of here.”

Are you kidding me, I thought I was being saved. I know I’m not in the right state of mind, but I still got my hopes up. You just had to come along and call us your merchandise. My last hope was crushed thanks to you fucking...

“bastards….”

Walking up to me Tony bends over. “Did you say something? Weird, I could’ve sworn you said something. Guess I’m imagining things”

“Fucking...Bastards.”

“Okay, now I know I’m not hearing things.” Not caring, he lifts me over his shoulder. “Just hush up and keep your energy.”

Keep my energy? For what? I’m half dead as is. No one would want a cripple like me. I feel like shit, I look like shit and I don’t give a fucking dam about any of you. This whole night has been one giant shit-hole of a mess. No the past two days have been. I just wanted to keep to myself, but you fucking dogs stalked me home and threatened me in my own house. Kidnapped me, shoved me down my stairs and shot off my fucking arm; now you want me to ‘hush up’. Screw you and screw all of you.

Silently, I start laughing.

“Hey stop it. Nothing is funny about opening up your wounds.”

“Who cares. I don’t.” Spitting up blood. “FUCK YOU….I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH FUCKS TO GIVE TO ALL OF YOU. YOU BASTARDS CAN ALL FUCK YOURSELVES.”

“Stop it now. You’re getting blood all over my equipment.”

“No. I won’t stop because you asked nicely. You never asked me if I wanted to be here. For your information, I FUCKING DON’T!”

Shaking his head, he throws me onto the ground. Ignoring my mad laughter, he watches as the van we road in explode into a fiery mess. Turning towards me he shakes his head.

“Hey Phil, this one won’t shut up. Come over here and knock him out.”

“I’ll be right over Tony. Wait until I get this chick into the vehicle.”

Still laughing erratically, I attempt to stand up. However, Tony’s boot find its way to my chest. Struggling under his pressure, I throw up dirt into his face. With little success, I flail my legs.

“It’s pointless.” Shaking his head. “You’re just unlucky. I’m just doing my job, so you don’t have to look at me like that.”

Job? I don’t consider manslaughter a job. Why would you work for someone, when it involves something like this. You’re putting your whole weight onto a cripples chest. I’m down here uncontrollably laughing, and bleeding from my throat for crying out loud.

Slowly my body becomes limp. My energy dwindles away as my body can’t move anymore. Before Phil could get over to me, all off my wild actions subside. I’m now laying down, blindly staring up into the stars.

Maybe this is the last time I’ll look up to the sky. I don’t understand anything anymore. Just take me away, I can’t bear this pain anymore.

“Phil get over here quick. I think he’s dead.”

Rushing to lock Lizy up, He stumbles his way over to me. Looking down towards me, he grimaces. Hurried he checks my pulse and pulls out a needle.

“He went into shock. Nothing too major will happen once the medicine starts flowing. I can see why he’s number 13. His vitality is astounding and you should be getting a bonus by keeping him alive; once you file your report.”

“Thank gods. I was worried I might get my pay deducted if I let him die on us like that. Would have been embarrassing if I couldn’t stop a cripple from offing himself.”

“He should still be conscious, but he won’t be able to move. Bring him over to my truck and I’ll monitor his condition.”

Moving my limb body, Tony sets me down on a stretcher. Watching Phil shove an IV into my vein, he clamps my finger into a device to monitor my health. Afterwards he activates a device on his wrist, where a 3D model of my body appears.

“Oh, you want to know about this thing?” Pointing towards his watch. “It’s one of the new gadgets us researchers get at the facility we’re heading to.”

Not speaking anymore, he does his own thing on the diagram. With a blue flash of light, I can feel my skin prickle. Noticing a change in the image of me on his display, I’m shocked.

Did I get scanned? Having a 3D image you can react with is already astounding technology. But by scanning me he is able to edit my model, showing the new damaged areas of my body. This is something different altogether.

“Not good. You lost a lot of blood and you’re brain looks like it fried itself a bit. Your arm can’t ever be recovered and besides the delay in our experiment on you, nothing else seems to be wrong.” Touching his chin, he continues. “Good news is your body, should go back to normal in a few days.”

Walking back and forth, he sits down editing some data. While he’s doing that our car starts glowing a little.

What is going on here? What is this blue glowing coating all over the car. It kind of reminds me of the electromagnetic field covering the city. Did they manage to make it portable enough to be used in such a small vehicle?

Groaning I tried speaking. “Where are we going.”

“Interesting. I might need to update the strength of your will and vitality.” Typing in new data, he says. “We are currently heading out into the void zone. We can’t have the media snooping around so we decided to build a relay station and conduct our experiments their.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?” Thinking for a moment. “I see. You want to know why you were kidnapped. Believe it or not, but we are in a rush against time to improve our experiments before beginning our trial runs. You William is subject 13 and was suppose to be operated on this week. Unfortunately you got yourself injured and would have to be placed into the 10th batch.”

“Thirteen? What are you even talking about.”

Noticing my disheveled breathing, he tries thinking of something.

“Oh that’s right. I remember your friend Richard gave you a scare earlier. We saw his note he gave you and gave him a slight punishment. But I think we need to correct him a bit more.” Sending out a message, he sighs. “He caused one of my experiments to be given away to a different researcher. If only you didn’t have to be so over dramatic.”

Richard was actually helping me out? Even if he pissed me off, I will give him credit. Only because he made me very jumpy, I was able to hurt myself; resulting in the delay of my turn on the chopping block. Time will only tell if this was a blessing in disguise.

I notice our truck is slowing down. Soon another electric field passes through our vehicle and right afterwards, I start feeling sick. It feels like something foreign is worming itself into my head, making me feel awful. Glancing over to Phil, I notice he isn’t better off than me.

“Seems like your heartbeat is picking up. Please be calm Will, nothing is wrong.” Smacking the wall. “It’s just these vehicles are the newest model. They still need a bit of fixing to completly shut out the outside contamination.”

“Contamination?”

“Ah yes. This must be your first time being out here. Before we made our current generation of shields, we had to use a more, ‘lethal version’. Our first communications with the other districts used these old generation models. Eventually we made great improvements creating a giant generator which we are currently using in the city.” Chuckling. “This brings us to today, with our now self deploy-able shields on a go.”

“Next will be equipping individual shield to soldiers, I guess.”

“Yes, in our ideal scenario. However, we could never make it small enough for individual use. Instead we had to use the old generation model and find a new way to help block out the contamination that gets through.”

“And that brings us today… I assume you guys are going to experiment on us to find out.”

Thinking to himself for a moment, he stares down towards the floor. Noticing a slight hesitation, he smacks his leg.

“I suppose you’re right. I at least am confident enough to pull off one of my tests successfully. I don’t know about the person you’ll be given to, but many people will not make it. Consider yourself luckily for being in the top 20 William. Those twenty subjects have the highest rate of success and will be used as a baseline for our soldiers.”

“What about the ones who were not kidnapped like me?”

“They will be recruited like regular soldiers. We will use our successful experiments to alter their genetic makeup and create something… More Than Human.”

At least Aris won’t be tested on. My only hope now, is to survive or at the very least, make sure nobody else ends up like me. If I knew my last night was with her, I should’ve gave her a goodbye kiss. Fuck being just friends, I should’ve tried harder.

“Thanks for being honest.”

Looking away from his gadget, he frowns a bit.

“I won’t promise anything.” Exhaling. “You’re just a test subject to us. Nothing more and nothing less. Don’t ever forget that in the facility, everyone is like me. That is my only advice for you as a researcher.”

“I see Phil. Can you promise me no one will do anything to Catharine.” Looking into his eyes. “Consider it my will.”

Nodding his head, he returns his attention to his display. We sat their silently minding our own business. The sun started to rise and filter into the car. Curiosity gets the better of me and I look out of the window.

Nothing looks different besides the shade of the trees. I would’ve assumed outside of our district would be filled with monsters as far as the eye can see. However, nothing like that seems to be out here. The grass is green the trees are a bright autumn color. In the sky, a few clouds are foaming and my breath turns into mist. Small snowflakes begin to fall to the ground while they glisten in the sunlight.

My long night seems to be coming to an end. I can see the relay facility in the distance. The blue shield in the sky pulses calmly as we pass through it. Noticing my nausea passing away, our caravan is escorted inwards. All around, military personal are all dressed for winter chatting and having a good time.

It looks like this place is being used for military lodging. They are gossiping to one another, oblivious to what is brewing underneath their feet. I believe they don’t even know anything about the experiments that are about to take place.

Slowly our convoy comes to a halt to the main building. On the roof there is a radio tower reaching up into the skies. I admire the view as I’m pushed out of Phil’s van, eventually I’m brought in-front of a team of researchers.

Looking at their smiling faces make me disgusted. They are definitely all in the know how. Right now I wish for nothing more than to strangle their cheerful expressions.

“Welcome back Phil. Looks like one of yours got a little bit injured.”

“I know.” He replies distressed. “I’ll need to change number 13 for one of batch 10’s subject.”

“Wow, can’t believe you have to give him up.” Looking towards me, he continues. “Fill out the paperwork with the director. I’ll get him situated in our holding tank.”

Once everyone caught up, I was slowly wheeled into the facility. Numerous guards were taking shifts all down the hallway. The walls, ceiling and floor where white like a clean room. Once we took the elevator down below, I started to see rooms filled with 3D images of unknown creatures and the anatomy of the human body. Their was also a room showing the DNA structure being broken down and replaced during a meeting filled with researchers. Finally my trip arrives in the medical bay.

It was here, where my last moments of being human ended. His smiling face, the syringe stabbing into my forearm:

and the blackness that soon followed.