Day 7 - Part 1

Mad Doctor

        The last thing Hyuna remembered was the sting of something pinching her skin, the dizzy feeling that followed and then not much else. There was a faint remembrance of strong, warm arms but Hyuna wasn’t sure if that was her imagination or not. She could tell she was lying down now, but her limbs felt immobile. There was a slight beeping sound in the room but she was unable to pinpoint what it was or where it was coming from. Or if it even really existed.

       She tried to move but her whole body was numb and did not react to her signals. A creeping fear was making its way into her mind and tears pricked at her eyes. She was stuck in the middle of some awful zombie apocalypse and now things were much worse than they had been hours before. She could handle the zombies. They were slow and it wasn't all that difficult to avoid them. Sure, they were scary and they could kill her given the opportunity (so she assumed since she had never actually seen the zombies kill anyone, but from the state they were in it was quite obvious something had attacked them. The only logical conclusion she could come to was that they made each other into what they were. Nothing was conclusive however.).

       This was scarier than what was outside roaming the streets. She couldn't move and she couldn't remember how she had gotten there. Her brain ached as she tried thinking back to the events that had led her to this place. She tried to move again and this time succeeded in lifting her head, only to be alarmed by what she managed to glimpse before collapsing back down on the hard surface beneath her. She was strapped down to some sort of metal table, which greatly explained why she couldn't move her limbs. But what she was doing there was still a mysterious with seemingly no answer.

       Hyuna closed her eyes and tried to calm down. There was no way she would ever be able to escape if she was frantic. But no matter how she tried to think rationally, her mind wanted to focus on breaking free.

       And where was Hyunseung? Hyuna's eyes opened quickly and she struggled against her restraints. If he was harmed she would kill whatever had hurt him. If he was dead she would lose all she had left in the world. She had to get free. She had to find her best friend.

       “Moving around like that will only hinder you,” a slow, calming voice said. Hyuna turned her head this way and that to try and catch a glimpse of the man that had spoken. “Do you really think a skinny thing like you could even escape anyway? From here it doesn't look like there is a single muscle in those thin arms of yours.” A deep chuckle rumbled through the room, but Hyuna couldn't pinpoint where exactly it was coming from. It seemed to be coming from everywhere, all at once.

       She heard footsteps and when they stopped she held her breath. Fingers ran up her arms, causing her to shiver in fear.

       “I don't feel anything either.”

       He was right next to her and still she couldn't see him. The room was much too dark, but she was beginning to see a faint outline of his body. All she could tell was that he was rather tall. He retreated and seconds later the lights overhead flickered to life, buzzing around the room and lighting up the room in a pale yellow glow.

       The walls were lined with cabinets with glass doors that revealed medical equipment. She remembered then that she had entered a hospital with Hyunseung, but that was it. So she must still be there, she concluded.

       “How are you feeling? Does it hurt anywhere?”

       If she hadn't have been so scared and if she wasn't strapped down to a table she would have trusted a voice like his. She turned her head to the side and finally she could see the man. He was leaning against a desk, his arms crossed over his chest. His dark eyes were covered by glasses that made him look smarter than he probably was and the lab coat he was wearing made him look evil – which was probably spot on considering the situation.

       This was it, Hyuna decided then that ever science fiction being was beginning to come in to existence because clearly she had been kidnapped by a mad scientist. Any minute now an alien was going to walk through the door.

       “Who are you?” Hyuna said at last, trying to mask the fear that tried to lace with her words.

       “I asked you a question,” the man said, his calming voice starting to disappear. “You should answer it!” He was yelling now and Hyuna didn't like it.

       “I'm fine. It doesn't hurt,” she said quickly. It was mostly the truth. Besides a mild headache, she really was fine. Now, if he had been asking her if she were comfortable, she would have a different answer for him. Her wrists were starting to cramp.

       “Very good.” His voice was calm again. “I'm sure you have a lot of questions, and they will be answered soon enough. Until then, I'd like to get to know you. Let me ask a few questions and then I'll let you ask some. Sound fair?”

       Hyuna didn't want to talk with this strange man. She wanted to be free and she wanted to find Hyunseung. “The man I was with-”

       “I get to ask the questions. You'll get a turn too, so just wait.”

       “But-”

       “Fine. You'll get one question before I begin. Choose wisely.”

       “Where's Hyunseung? Where is the man I was with before you kidnapped me?”

       The man's eyebrows furrowed as he met Hyuna's pleading gaze. His lips that had pulled down into a frown opened to answer her question.

       “I don't know what you're talking about. You were alone when I found you.” Before Hyuna had time to properly process what he had said he continued speaking. “Now, it's my turn. Are you aware of the events that took place six nights ago? The events that led up to what is now our present? The events that will make a better future?”

       “What are you talking about?” He talked so calmly that it was hard to believe such strange things were coming from his mouth.

       “The Poisoning.”

       “The what? What's the poisoning?”

       “The Poisoning is the greatest event to ever hit Korea – to ever hit the planet Earth.” He laughed darkly. “I wish I would have thought of it.”

       “Are you talking about those... things out there?”

       “Things! Those beautiful yet hideous things used to be what you and I are. They're special now... but they are a mistake. This wasn't how things were supposed to turn out but I like it better this way. I always did find people annoying in a way. Now they can't complain.”

       “You've lost me.”

       “There's a lot the public doesn't know. A lot you don't know.

       “But you know?”

       “Of course I do. I was part of the team that made all this possible.” The smile that had been lingering on his face dissolved and a dark anger glinted in his eyes. “But they kicked me out right before got ugly. I don't know if I should be thankful or not, seeing as how they're all probably dead.”

       “Are you saying that you helped make those... people out there into what they are?”

       “How many questions have you asked so far? I'm supposed to be asking the questions!”

       “I thought you were done.”

       “Well, I wasn't. Now, what was I going to ask next... Dammit! You've made me lose my train of thought.”

       Hyuna looked away from the crazy man and tried to focus her attention on the plant at the corner of the room. She was beginning to wonder if she was going to be killed or if he had other plans for her. He had said he was part of the team that created the walking corpses outside. Did he plan on experimenting on her? She couldn’t let that happen. She needed to get out of there.

       There was a sound of something crashing into something else beyond the room they occupied. The man pushed himself away from the desk and with a look alarm set on his features he started for the door.

       “Don't make a sound,” he whispered, his voice filled with a warning tone that made Hyuna flinch despite the distance between them.

       As he began to open the door Hyuna was having an internal battle. She could do as he said and keep shut or she could call for help. Maybe it was Hyunseung out there and he was looking for her. She had to let him know she was there. If it was a stranger maybe they'd help her. She had to try, right? She couldn't just lay there and keep her lips closed...

       Could she?

       The door was opened now and if there was someone out there they would be aware that someone else was occupying the hospital. The light spilled into the hallway but did little to make much of the building visible. No matter which way Hyuna turned her head she couldn't see anything but the man's back.

       “What's this?” he said as he stepped out into the hall. “Another toy?”

       Hyuna heard a grunt come from the hall and she was sure it was not the crazy man that had kidnapped her. It was someone else and they were probably in no condition to help her.

       “How wonderful.”

       Hyuna had a feeling things were only going to get worse from here on out.