“That’s good. My Dad will want a full report as soon as possible.” He suddenly steps forward to hold my arms. “Are you okay?”
I nod as I step out of his grip. Wow, he actually asked if I was okay, about four questions too late. Dick. “I'm fine. A camera broke, that's all.”
He looks at the now cloudy tank. “We'll make sure you're not left on your own in here again, alright?”
I return to my desk while the others mask up and ready themselves to fix the camera. “You're overreacting. He can't get out here to me, so relax. I’ll write out the report now.”
“Meek—”
“Please,” I insist. “Let me get back to work.”
He sighs but nods before he takes his frustration out on the contamination team by barking orders at them.
I ignore him and open an email to type out a report to Mister Myers, already thinking about how truthful I’m gonna be…
Five
Mikka
A few days have passed since Thorn arrived at the lab. We haven’t been left alone together again, but that’s not because of Zane’s pathetic attempt to be the protective alpha male in here, it’s because every day, Mister Myers has brought more and more of his rich friends in to see his new specimen.
The ‘I have a new toy, let me show it off’ effect is definitely strong in that one, and it actually infuriates me. This is a lab, a scientific workplace where we try to find answers to the world’s mysteries, not a place to flaunt how well your staff are at capturing invaluable shit for you.
Ava’s just as bad. She’s so far under Mister Myers’ thumb, she’s practically on her knees sucking the cum out of his balls. And I wish I could say that was just my poor attempt at a joke, but I really do think they’re fucking.
There are always rumours flying around in here about Myers messing with the staff. In all honestly, he does look good for his age. Although he sports flecks of grey hair amongst his short hair and beard, he could easily pass for a man in his forties.
But he’s just as toxic as his son, if not more.
After my report of what happened on Monday—let’s not mention the information I intentionally omitted from that—Zane and his father have relieved me of all my other commitments to this place and tasked me with finding out as much as possible about Thorn as I can.
I told them about the theory my programme came up with, but I made it seem like it was something I looked into after I had a sample of Thorn’s DNA. They were impressed and asked me to run tests on other samples of DNA that they’ve provided me with. They want to know if there are any variations between male and female hosts.
So far, there isn’t, but I have learnt something else from my own investigations…
Since then, though, Ava has been even more protective over her computer, and I’ve heard work taking place on the next floor up. My spidey senses are in high alert, but so far, I haven’t been privy to knowing what’s up there or what they’re doing.
Can’t be anything good, though.
And to be honest, nothing good is happening in here right now, and these past few days have had me questioning my whole position in this place. Seeing what actually goes on when they get new subjects, has me feeling a way. Not only about myself, but about life in general.
I’m overthinking everything.
The intense looks through the glass have kept on coming my way, too, and Thorn’s brain scans came back, confirming my suspicions. Thorn uses both hemispheres of his brain at all times, but not only that, it’s slightly larger than normal and shaped differently, too.
Many studies have been done on the human brain, and there’s a certain area which is believed to enable the owner to possess telepathic abilities. Thorn definitely has access to that part. Even when he was sedated, it was lit up on the monitor throughout the entire duration of his computerized tomography scan.
In fact, his entire brain was so active, I questioned whether he was even sedated at all. It does worry me, though, because if he is hearing thoughts, I know he’s heard mine…
And that’s the worst thing out of everything that’s been going on. I’ve been having grossly inappropriate dreams about things I have no business fantasising about. Every touch is real, every whisper, crystal clear, and every breath on my skin leaves me rippled in goosebumps.
They’ve been so vivid, they’ve woken me up at night and left my bed sheets soaked in more than just sweat. I’m a scientist and people expect me to have answers, but I can honestly say that I can’t explain what’s going on with me right now. If anyone knew what I'd been thinking, I’d be sacked or locked up in there with him.
I just don’t feel as if my mind is my own anymore.
“Mikka?”
I look up from my desk to Ava. “Yeah?”
“They're about to start.”
I nod. “Let me just lock this.”
I password protect my computer before following her, already feeling sick. I didn't want to watch, but I'm pretty sure Zane is getting a kick out of making me witness all the pain Thorn goes through. He watches me instead of him when they're testing his thresholds, waiting for me to say something. But as much as Thorn stares at me and causes guilt to build so far up inside me that it threatens to spill out of my mouth in the form of vomit, I hold my tongue, ‘cause I need this job.
I shouldn't feel an ounce of sympathy for him, not after what his kind has done to the world, but I can't help it. My stupid mind has not only become a law unto itself, but it’s become attached to him. And as sadistic as it is, I've become fascinated by the way his skin sheds away from his body when he transforms into a monster.
And more sickeningly, I think I find it attractive.
The urge to know what goes on in that mind of his is growing stronger by the day, too, and the way he watches me walk around the lab makes my pulse race so badly, I can't focus on what I'm meant to be doing half the time.
Even my thoughts have become saturated by visions of him, and us, doing the most ungodly and unnatural shit possible, but as sick as it is, I can't put a stop to it.
And it’s only getting worse.
I pull up my mask before I enter the room behind Ava, and I immediately see Thorn drowsy and fixed to a stretcher, wearing only a white pair of boxers. He has his head strapped down and a line in his arm to sedate him enough to keep him under control.
It's hard to ignore the ache in my chest and the bile climbing up my throat, but I force it down and tear my eyes away from his as I stand beside Ava.
I scan the faces of everyone in here. A few technicians, Zane, and Mister Myers is here with two other men. I’m sure the guy on his right is Mike Hamish, head of the country’s defence department. I can’t be sure, because half his face is covered by a mask, but I think it is.
Do they intend to use Zed-Twos as weapons?
“We'll begin at eighteen hundred volts,” Ava announces.
My heart stutters because that’s five hundred volts higher than yesterday, but I manage to keep my inhale undetected, at least to everyone’s ears except Thorn’s. I know he’s heard it. His eyes penetrate a part of me that scares me. Makes me feel as if I'd make some really bad decisions if there was ever only air between us.
Catastrophic ones.
He closes his eyes, and I can breathe again. I didn't even realise I'd been holding my breath.
“Stand back,” Ava tells us all, so I step back with her.
She switches on the current, and I lower my eyes as deep, tormented groans fill the room. And then I watch as the skin on his arms and legs begin to peel away from his body in flakes after he shifts.
His dark skin that remains, mottles to an almost bluish purple, and although patches of his skin peels away, it doesn’t bleed. You can see all the veins and blood vessels continuing to pump blood through his body, and his muscles contract fiercely as he tries to handle the pain.
My mind battles with my heart, but they do agree on one thing. This is when I begin to question what the hell I
'm doing in this job.
I used to be able to turn a blind eye to knowing this shit was happening when the subjects that came through here were nothing more than a shell of a human, but it's clear to anyone in here that Thorn is far from a shell of anything.
In fact, the more I learn about him, the more I realise that even though he sheds skin and turns into this...thing, he's actually an upgrade from us. He can hear through walls, his eyesight is at least ten times better than a human’s, he can heal himself in a matter of seconds, and although no one else believes me, I’m positive he’s strong enough to break out of that cage he spends all day trapped inside.
What I’m not understanding, though, is why he doesn’t.
As sad as it is, every day, I think about all the access codes I know to this building and his tank, so that if I’m right about him hearing thoughts, he even has what he needs to escape. Yet, he stays, and as much as I can’t wait for the sun to rise in the mornings so I can get here to see him, I wish he’d just go.
I clench my jaw as I hear Ava increasing the voltage to two thousand, five hundred volts, which if you didn’t know, is higher than the voltage they used to use on inmates on death row. But although he groans and shifts into this, there's no scientific evidence to prove that his pain receptors are triggered. These moans sound more like he's pissed off.
I follow the scattered patches of skin up his torso and chest, over his neck, until I have another image of his parted lips and piercing fiery eyes imprinted in my memory bank. I shudder and my legs feel like jelly.
I don’t know how much longer I can do this.
Mister Myers raises his hand, and finally, Ava calls time on the experiment.
My relief is instant.
“We'll need to have a more robust dynamo built,” Mister Myers muses. “If we push this godforsaken one anymore, we'll blow the entire building’s electrics.”
“I agree,” his friend says, along with Zane.
A more powerful one? What if it really does hurt him? What if it causes long-lasting damage? Jesus…I need to find another job.
I slip out of the room, scared I’ll say something that will get me fired on the spot. Me sticking up for a zombie won’t go down well on a reference.
I hurry down the corridor towards the main lab.
“Mikka?”
Fuck.
I turn to see Zane walking towards me, with a smug, but yet, annoyed expression on his face. “My dad wasn't finished talking.”
I swallow. “I, um, I just had to check something back in the lab. I'm waiting for some results to come through for him.”
His incredulous glare makes my heart race. “Look, Mikka, that thing in there is a fucking monster. It eats people. Chomps down on their flesh and bones like I do ribs at the grill in town, okay? Feeling sorry for it isn't normal, and it sure as hell has no place at ZoNaR, okay? You knew what you signed up for when you took this job, so don’t try to take the moral high ground now and grow a conscience. It’s not welcome here.”
I blink up at him, stunned into silence. I always knew he was a heartless prick, just like his dad, but to hear it from him so bluntly is something else. “I know what he is, and I know what my job is.”
He crosses his arms. “Do you?”
This idiot… I grind my teeth. “Yes, I do.”
He steps closer, and I instinctively step back. He's pissed now. “Just remember, no employee in this building is indispensable. Not even you, Meek.”
I clench my fists, barely managing to stop myself from using one to smack him in his face. I should just fuck this job off. I have savings…
I hear Thorn groan loudly from inside the room, and I just know it’s for me. I take a deep breath and decide to hold my tongue. “I understand. Can I go check the results for your dad now? I know he’s waiting on them.”
“Fine. I’ll be in to see you later.”
Fucking great.
I muster up a smile before I turn, and then I scowl to myself. I need to find a way to teach him a lesson before I leave here.
A hard one.
Six
Mikka
I've spent the rest of the morning worrying about Thorn and obsessing over why he stays here. The way he looked at me earlier haunts me, too. I want to speak to him again, but we still haven’t been alone, and I refuse to let Ava hear anything he says, or at least alludes to with his gestures and expressions.
I'm going insane, ‘cause I have no idea how to cope with this. I spent my lunch break looking through my online banking, deciding I could survive off my savings for a few months, but I'd need to find another job pretty quickly.
I even filled in an application for an epidemiologist position in Manchester. It's pretty far away from here, and it’s different to the job I’m used to, but the plus side is that I'd be almost two hundred miles away from Zane.
And that’s a big plus.
I’d feel bad about leaving Gia, but I’ve decided to call her tonight and let her know what’s going on. She probably won’t understand, and I know she’ll beg me not to go, but I really need to talk to someone about this madness.
I make my way up to my old lab to grab a few of my files, thankfully, not running into Zane on the way, but I notice everyone rushing around and panicking in the corridor.
“What's going on?” I ask Ava, who quickly walks towards me.
“All the cameras are down.”
“Don't they have back-ups?”
She glances up. “They're out, too.”
“Oh, damn. I bet Mister Myers is having a breakdown right now.” I know how much he's obsessed with his precious cameras.
“He is. He was upstairs earlier, barking orders at everyone, but he was needed on the top floor.”
“Oh…” What could be more important than his precious Zed-Two?
She gives me a look. “He wants eyes on Thorn, twenty-four seven and, seeing as though he’s on his best behaviour when you’re around, you're taking over from Seb. Security are needed elsewhere right now, so we’re just gonna have to make do, okay?”
Seb from security. “Um, no problem. Let me just grab my things and I'll make my way back up there.”
She pulls me to the side of the corridor as a handful of technicians rush past us. “I should warn you, Mikka. Zane has made it pretty clear he wants you to talk to Thorn while you're up there. He wants to know what he wants. Myers has found another of his kind, and it’ll be arriving shortly.”
I barely hide my shock. I’m almost certain Zed-Twos don’t just get ‘caught’, so what the hell is going on? “I'll try my best. Is the other one talking?”
“We don’t know. He isn’t here yet.”
“Oh, yeah. Of course.” Another male… I kinda hoped it was a female. “Let me get going.”
She nods before we part ways, and I quickly collect the files I came for and my MacBook before going up to the next floor.
More weirdness…
Cameras just don’t go out, and why are these Zed-Twos letting themselves be captured?
My thoughts divert when I enter my new lab and see Thorn laid on his bed, asleep. I feel almost relieved. I was only gone an hour, but with everything going on here, even leaving him for that long worries me. I don’t know what crazy shit they’ll inflict on him next.
“How's he been?” I ask Seb.
“The usual.” He gets up from Ava’s desk and starts packing away his things, clearly eager to leave. “He not long ate, though. Tore the shit out of the corpse, too. Mister Myers said to keep an eye on his mood and request another body if he starts looking hungry again.”
“Oh, alright…” He’s only been eating at night; Mister Myers sources John Doe’s from the city morgue for all the subjects that come here. Not once have I seen Thorn eat while I’m here, though. Why the sudden change now?
Seb smacks me on the back. “Have fun.”
I walk over to my desk. “Thanks.” I take another look through the glass at Thorn.
Still
sleeping…
I settle into my chair and pull up the results from my most recent experiment again. I feel uneasy when I notice crumbs on my keyboard, though. I never eat at my work Mac, which means someone else has been on this…
My worry grows. This MacBook is encrypted, but what if someone managed to hack it? If they have, it means they’ll know my latest theory. That Zed-Twos could be capable of reproducing with human females.
Oh, no…
And I haven’t used this computer for a few days now, so I don’t even know when they found out. What if they’ve already taken sperm from Thorn? What if they’ve already tried to… I quickly delete my programme off the Mac but already know the damage is done.
Shit, shit, shit.
I feel eyes on me, so I turn my head. Thorn’s standing at the glass, staring at me.
“Hey,” I say, but I really want to tell him I’m sorry for earlier. Say I’m sorry for being part of a company that does these kinds of things. I also want to ask him why he’s still here and why he keeps letting them do these awful things to him.
His eyes narrow as he motions me over. I look back at my screen, debating on whether I should go or not, but I finally decide to.
I stand a few steps away from the glass and my hearts starts pounding. His eyes travel the length of me and then his hand presses to the glass as he nods for me to come closer. I hesitate, knowing how dangerous it is to get so close to him after last time, but then he takes a quick glance around at all the new cameras, and I frown.
“Did you have something to do with that?”
He definitely smirks.
“Did you get out when no one was looking?” I ask, knowing that if his answer is yes, it means that I’ve been right about a number of things.
A solid nod is his reply.
I shake my head, my thoughts going into overdrive. “Why are you still here? I don’t understand. You should leave…” I think about what I just found out. “I think they know things. Look, I think someone hacked my computer…” I know he knows what I know. “They’ve also caught another man like you.”
Love For My Zombie Kings: A Reverse Harem Zombie Romance (Zombies Rule The World Book 1) Page 3
