Young Writers Society

(Searria, they took Sebastian back. )

Sorry, I wanted to get the whole pen thing in there, so my post took place a little earlier in the story. I had intended to mention Sebastian coming back, and apparently I didn't. Sorry about that. I'll keep up from now on. I promise.
-Sea-

Link.

I watch as the pretty blonde doctor enters the cell with a pair of guards. She glances around at the remaining kids, then spots me. I instantly know she's picked me as her target, and curl up into a ball in a futile attempt to hide myself. No chance. She tiptoes over, as Sebastian is feigning sleep.
"Hello there", she whispers to me, kneeling down to my level. "Whats your name?"
I glare up at her, to try and make her leave me alone. "Subject 01150. We're not allowed names."
"Well, I'd like to know your name, sweetie. Mine is Britt." Her smile is so enchanting, I almost feel inclined to smile back. I almost feel guilty for not. But then I remember what this woman stands for, the pain I've been through because of people like her. She's evil. Deep down, she likes causing me pain.
I spit in her face in a sudden flare of anger, and she recoils. The guards begin forward, but she waves them back. Once more kneeling down to me with a look of hurt in her eyes, she repeats herself, asking my name.
"Link", I say with resignation. I know what happens next.
"Well Link, I'm afraid that you need to come with me. We're going to take you to see some of your friends". Obviously I'm going to get the same stuff that they took Micah and Nimsi away for.
I stand slowly. There's no point in fighting. You just end up in more pain. Britt beams at me and holds out her hand. Reluctantly I take it, and she leads me over to the guards. She beams at them too. I'm surprised her face hasn't split open.
"See! You don't have to be cruel. They respond just as well - if not better - to kindness."
Changing tack, I grip her hand tighter and look into her face whilst wearing my most pathetic expression. It's the face I used to put on when I begged money off of people, before I was kidnapped and brought here.
"Please don't let the bad men take me away. All they do is hurt us", I gesture to Isabella, who looks tiny and fragile, and then Sebastian, who's ribs are visable through his faded shirt. The impact I'm hoping for is slightly ruined by CK however, who is looking into space with wide eyes, saying things like, "No, really?" and, "You think so?"
Britt wavers, and looks to the guards, as if seeking a way out. They share a glance, then one says to her, "Well, we gotta take one of them. Might as well be him."
She sighs, and gently pulls me through the door. I feel for the pen that's tucked into the waistband of my trousers, because I had a friend who had killled a girl by stabbing her with a pen. I could take out a guard, maybe even a doctor.
Shit, it's not there. I cast back towards my blanket wildly. It's lying next to Nimsi's bear, and some of my panic subsides. It's only visable if you know exactly what to look for, and Isabella is the only one who knows I have it. I trust her enough not to steal it. I hope they don't take her away as well.

(Ihope thats close enough to what you hoped Gleek! And I also decided to go with the pen thing (Laughs maniacly) I wonder how it will pan out...)

Sebastian

Sebastian had pretended to sleep to be left alone- it's not easy for some people never being alone in a room. And, of course, it's easier to hear conversations when people can't feel your eyes on them.

He opened his eyes a little when Britt started talking to link, just to put a face to the personality. He became bored of eavesdropping- he knew which doctor he could use, no need for details- and started thinking, trying to come up with something.

He started thinking up a story, something that came quite easily to him, as if he had done it many times before. He started trying to come up with a face, a character whose story he could tell. He was trying different features, hair, eyes...

Until something struck a chord. A certain face seemed so familiar, and he remembered just a little, just a few scattered things. A laugh, a map of the world, a sidewalk, and a few lines of a song...

Yes, I know I'm just an outcast
I shouldn't speak to you
Still I see your face and wonder
Were you once an outcast too?

The sound rang through his mind over and over. He must have forgotten about pretending to be asleep, as he had sat up and started playing with a marble that was on the ground, tossing it and catching it without even noticing. "Maybe I'm more bored here than I thought..." He muttered quietly.

He rolled the marble on the ground, maybe just hard enough to hit the opposite wall. "I hear boredom can drive a man insane." He grinned.

Micah,

When I come to, my body is wonderfully free of pain. No aches, no hunger pangs, no nothing. In fact, I feel completely fine. I lay there, with my eyes still closed, savoring the feeling. For once, at least, the experimentation has brought on good feelings.
Then I hear people moving quietly around, talking in whispers. They sound concerned. Hmm. That's strange. I open my eyes, and let out a scream. The lights seem to have grown ten times stronger since I fell asleep. They burn my eyes, and I shut them quickly. My whole body is quivering, my thin chest rising and falling in heaving gasps. This can't be right, or good. I'm still strapped to the table, and I begin struggling against the bonds.
The voices have stopped, and I can sense people coming near to me. I hear Dr. Abrams' voice.

"Damn. And he seemed to be doing so well..." His voice changes tone, "2431-Micah, I mean, what's wrong? Does something hurt?"

I whimper, still squeezing my eyes shut against the brightness, "The lights, they're too bright."

Abrams sounds confused, "But Micah, they're on at the same brightness that they always are."

"They burned my eyes," I snap.

Dr, Abrams murmurs something, and the resulting footsteps are followed by a click as someone turns off the lights.

"Open your eyes now," Abrams says softly.

"No," I mutter, turning my head the other way.

"If you want me to help fix this, open your eyes," he says, his voice not changing.

Reluctantly, I do. The room is semi-dark, and everyone looks fuzzy, but I can see, and nothing is burning my eyes.

"How's that?" Abrams asks.

"Fine," I answer, looking around. Nimsi is still strapped to the cot next to me, and there are some other kids, but I can't see who right now. Without warning, Abrams takes out a penlight and shines it in my eyes. I scream again, violently jerking backwards.

"What the hell was that for!?" I snarl.

"It's as I suspected," Abrams mutters to himself, "His pupils are completely dilated. There aren't any whites left!"

I open my eyes despite myself, "What?"

"Your pupils have become opened to their fullest extent. They let almost all light into your eyes, which accounts for your pain. And I'm guessing you're able to see things right now?"

"Yes..." I mutter.

Just then, the door to the lab opens, and hideous light enters the room. I instantly close my eyes, but not before I see a guard push Link into the room.

"Can you fix me?" I mutter to Abrams, "Or are you just going to leave me like this, and move on to other test subjects?" I finish bitterly.

Dr. Abrams

Dmitri looked at the new test subject being brought into the room and then turned his attention back to Micah with a forwn.

“You have photophobia. Probably because of the TB virus Dr. Von Ray injected you with,” he paused and, in his head, he began to scan which of agents within the new drug could’ve lead to pupil dilation. The only one he could come up with was Ethambutal, an agent commonly used in the treatment of TB. “I’ll have Dr. Grey prescribe you with some steroids. You may have to wear sunglasses for a while too. If it worsens we’ll have to refer you to a specialist.” Dmitri inwardly hoped it wouldn’t come to that. He knew very well that test subjects who needed specialist care were never sent for specialist care at all. They ended up being replaced. Killed.

He looked down at his clipboard and began to write down a note for Dr. Grey informing her of his diagnosis. He then handed it to the guard that had just brought in a new test subject. "Please take subject 2431 to Dr. Grey and give her this note."

The guards took the paper and tucked it into his pocket before heaving Micah off the operating table. Dmitri could see Micah wince in pain from the force of the guard. His eyes were still tightly shut.

“Gently!” Dmitri snapped. “The subject is already in pain, he doesn’t need you making it worse!”

The guard looked a little taken back by the tone of Dmitri’s voice. He then straightened up and visibly relaxed his grip on Micah. “Of course, sorry, Doc...” he mumbled.

Dr. Grey

Lily stormed out of the room, tears in her eyes. Nimsi reminded her of everything her little brother and sister used to be. The childishness, the wide inquisitive eyes staring up at her, the small smile that played around her lips. She felt like a heart had been ripped out when she was demanded to inject one of the deadliest snake venom of the world into her. She knew that Dr. Abrams had the regular cure, the Enhydrina schistosa antivenom, with him, but he does not intend to use it or anything else until the full effects of the poisoning has taken place.

"Which," she thought bitterly "would be too late for Nimsi, if the all-cure does not work."

Her mind flashed to the faint smile Nim had given her today. Tears flowed down her cheeks as her mind flashed onto the countless victims of snake bites she had seen in her life. The effects first started with headaches, sweating and vomiting. Then, they increase to a level where the victim cannot move a single muscle without suffering a lot of pain. They would slowly increase until the victim dies of cardiac arrest or acute renal failure.

She stopped walking and buried her face into her hands.

"What have I done?" She whispered to herself, as the full effect of what she had brought upon the little girl, came crashing down on her.

She knew that the all-cure was a chance taken by her and Dr. Abrams under the orders of Mr. Montgomery, developing a prototype default cure for any and all illnesses. But she has absolutely no idea on what the side effects of the drug are. So, even if the all-cure does cure Nimsi, there's a still a chance of it inflicting something much more sinister and incurable in her.

"I have to help her." She whispered, realization hitting her like a gust of wind. She turned but then stopped as another realization hit her, harder than the first.

"I'd have to break into Dr. Abrams room" She thought, and she knew that if she gets caught breaking and entering, she'd be packing her bags after a few minutes. And did not want to loose the job that she worked so hard to achieve.

She felt frozen in the middle of the corridor, feeling lost and frustrated.

After a few minutes, she made her decision.

Nimsi

Pain surrounded her like a shroud, making every minuscule movement seem like a thousand needles being poked through her skin. The world around her was going out of balance in front of her eyes, making her feel even more nauseous. Even blinking felt like someone was trying to rip her eyelids off. She lay on the bed as she was thrown on it, with her eyes closed, feeling nothing but pain.

The sounds of voices came to her left, but she did not open her eyes until she heard Micah scream in anguish. She turned her head to look, feeling an excruciating pain that nearly made her scream.

With her vision out of balance, she saw that Micah had his eyes tightly closed while Dr. Abrams hovered over him, looking concerned. He then turned to a nearby security guard and then the guard walked over to light switch and turned it off.

Nimsi then watched as Micah looked around. Then he screamed in pain as Dr. Abrams shined a penlight into his eyes.

"It's as I suspected," Nim heard him mutter "His pupils are completely dilated. There aren't any whites left!"

Her sick feeling doubled, making her cough and dry heave onto the floor. She felt a spasm of pain mixed with anger and sadness as she heard this statement. She wanted to rush at Dr. Abrams, shatter him to pieces, make him feel the pain that she was feeling right now. To her, hate was an entirely new emotion, because she stays friendly with everyone, but the thing that he had done to Micah was terrible enough. She wanted to cradle Micah in her arms, making him feel alright, but she knew that she would crumble onto the floor the minute she got out of her bed.

Then the door opened, and through her blurry vision, she saw the person she knew only as Link being dragged into, along with a blonde doctor whom she'd never seen before. Link was strapped onto a bed beside her.

Nimsi whimpered as a new spasm of pain went through her stomach, and lay down on the bed, gasping for breadth, trying to stop herself from throwing up.

Isabella

They'd taken Link. I curled up into a ball, there was nothing I could do until he came back. I glanced around the room, it was already half empty . . . it must be a big test they're performing today. I spotted Nimsi's teddy bear and quickly decided I should hide it as best as I could. The last thing I wanted was for a guard to come along and take it away, especially after Link had fixed it. I smiled slightly as I took the bear from its place on the floor. I liked Link, he always managed to cheer me up, especially when I've been chosen.

As I moved the teddy bear I noticed something on the floor, it was Links pen. Quickly I picked it up and hid it in my sleeve before moving over to where Nimsi usually sat and left her bear there. I would keep the pen, at least until Link got back, I didn't want any one else seeing it.

Sebastian

Sebastian was still in the corner, somewhere between sleeping and being awake. He sighed quietly and layed down on his side, almost flinching when his arm hit the cold floor. Thinking about it only made it seem colder, so he tried to find something else that could distract him.

He watched Isabella move Nimsi's bear and slip something into her sleeve, not bothering to take precautions to not be caught staring. Though she had put the bear in the shadows, he could barely see her straighten it, hesitate, and then walk away.

His eyes followed her, even as he sat up again.

(Sorry it's short, I have an essay to research. ._.)

Link didn't struggle as he was strapped to a different table than Nimsi and Micah. Micah glanced at him before he scrunched his eyes up and turned away, then he muttered something to Dr. Abrams. As the straps were tightened around him, he heard Nimsi moaning in pain. Even though he knew very little of the girl, a spike of anger travelled through his body. She was the same age as him, but since she was so small she looked a lot younger. And in her current condition, she seemed exactly like a fragile doll, ready to break at the slightest jarring motion. If he hadn't been tied down, Link would have run over to her.
"Now, sweetie, I'm going to place an IV in your arm. Please don't move around too much, I wouldn't want to hurt you." The syrupy, dulcet tones of Britt fill his ears. If anyone else in this prison had said that, he'd have laughed at the irony. However, she somehow seems as if she genuinely means it, like she actually cares about how he feels. He stared up at her as she puts the small needle into his forearm, trying to figure out if she really does care.
"You have photophobia. Probably because of the TB virus Dr. Von Ray injected you with.” There was a pause. "I’ll have Dr. Grey prescribe you with some steroids. You may have to wear sunglasses for a while too. If it worsens we’ll have to refer you to a specialist.” Specialist. If a subject was referred to a specialist, they weren't coming back.
"Please take subject 2431 to Dr. Grey and give her this note." Dr. Abrams scribbled on a piece of paper, then handed it to one of the guards, who took the paper and tucked it into his pocket, before heaving Micah off the operating table.
“Gently!” Link heard Dr. Abrams snap. “The subject is already in pain, he doesn’t need you making it worse!”
The guard looked a little taken back by the tone of his voice. He then straightened up and visibly relaxed his grip on Micah. “Of course, sorry, Doc...” he mumbled. Link snorted in derision. They didn't really care. They just didn't want to have to go through the hassle of removing a dead subject, then having to replace him.
Britt straightened up, then beamed at Link. He glared back because of the sharp prick in his arm.
"There!" she said brightly, "that wasn't so bad, was it?"
"What is it?" he asked, suddenly nervous. What was being drip-fed into his bloodstream?
Her smile widened further. She clapped her hands and, as if it was the best joke in the world, said, "It's alcohol! Nothing dangerous, just a carefully measured stream of alcohol!"
Link was dumbfounded. What was the point? Micah had obviously gone through something horrendous, and Nimsi was still in the throes of whatever she had been given. Why give him something reasonably harmless?
Britt giggled at his confused expression. "It's because we're testing the All-cure! It's not a real All-cure if it doesn't cure everything. Even hangovers."
Link's emotions were in turmoil right now. He obviously wasn't going to suffer like Nimsi and Micah had, which filled him with a huge sense of relief, but also guilt. Why should they have to put up with a great deal of pain and discomfort, whereas he didn't? And one more thing was making him anxious. What exactly was a hangover?

Thank you so much Roo!

Britt Crawford

"It's because we're testing the All-cure! It's not a real All-cure if it doesn't cure everything. Even hangovers," I said enthusiastically. Link just stared at me as if I were crazy. He looked extremely confused.

"You'll find out soon enough," I said. Link looked down and started fidgeting in his bed. This All-Cure drug should be able to cure anything, even the most simplest of them all. If this doesn't work, it's back to the drawing board again for us. I took a seat beside his bed, so I could distract him just in case any pain starts to kick in. Distraction, distraction, distraction. It always worked for me.

"How long have you been here, exactly?" I asked. I was very curious. There was one patient who looked too young to be here. Drastic times calls for drastic measures, not drastic age.

"Not long," Link muttered. I nodded and clasped my hands in front of me.

"If it makes you feel any better, I haven't been here that long either. I'm 22 for crying out loud!" I said, trying to crack a joke. I've always liked children, always! I always tried to make them laugh at the worst times, that's just the problem. I leaned back into my seat and massaged my temples. The lighting in this place... makes it seem like we're in an asylum.

(I really hope this is okay!)

Micah,

The guards becomes rougher with me after he leaves Dr. Abrams' presence, and I can't see anything because my eyes are squeezed shut. He drags me to what I assume is Dr. Von Ray's lab. He knocks on the door, and walks in.

"Why did you bring it in here?" asks the hissing, hateful voice of Von Ray, "I don't want to deal with the body."

"Dr. Abrams told me to take him to you, sir," the guard responds, "It's something about his pupils being dilated."

"Why do I care?" Von Ray snaps, then speaks directly to me, "2431, open your eyes."

"No," I mutter. The guard twists my arm, and I let out a yell.

Von Ray's voice is soft, sibilant, and dangerous, "But if you do no, 2431, then we cannot cure you, now can we?"

Then he slaps me. Involuntarily, my eyes snap open, and I shriek, the searing pain seeming to stab into my very brain. I quickly close them again.

"Interesting, very interesting," Von Ray hisses, "Its eyes have no more whites. They are all pupil. I don't know of a cure at this moment. Give him those dark glasses you guards always wear. I'll find something to deal with this and add it to the All-Cure. Don't dispose of this one yet, either; we'll need to study it more closely."

So saying, the guards drags me from the room again, and down a hallway. He finds some tinted glasses, and shoves them on my face. I tentatively open my eyes. It's bright still, but I can keep them open. I let out a sigh of relief, just as the guards hits me on the back of the head. I pitch forward, curling into a ball in case he kicks me. He laughs nastily, and just as he is about to hit me again, another guard walks into the room. He slams the other guard into the wall, and grabs his collar.

"We're under orders not to harm the subjects, Richards," he snarls into the other's face, "Or had you forgotten?"

The other guards splutter incoherently, before finding his voice, "I'm...I'm...sor-rr-rry, Johnson. It won't happen again!"

"It had better not," Johnson says, releasing Richards, "Now get back to your post."

Johnson turns to me, "Get up, son. Let's get you back to your room," he sighs, and adds under his breath, "if you can call it that."

~C.K.~
Christopher smacked the back of C.K.'s head as Isabella slipped the pen into her sleeve.
"It was sitting on the floor, you dolt! Now how do you expect to get it?" he snarled.
C.K. simply whimpered. He hated it when Christopher got angry. He might leave again.
"I'm sorry. Maybe I'll just ask Link for it when he comes back - "
"You mean if he comes back. And what kind of a suggestion is that? You said it yourself; he probably wouldn't give it to you."
C.K. bowed his head and stifled a sob. Christopher sighed. "Don't worry about it, C.K. We'll be alright. We'll come up with something. She looks tired. Maybe, if she falls asleep -"
Christopher jumped to his feet as the door burst open. Micah, a pair of dark sunglasses shielding half of his face, was guided into the room by one of the guards.
"Guess Micah survived," Christopher stated simply.
"There must be something wrong with his eyes, though. Why would they give him sunglasses like that?"
"Sunglasses!" burst Christopher. "That's perfect! Who needs a pen when you've got sunglasses?"
"But it looks like - "
"Don't even think about saying it looks like he needs them," Christopher sighed. C.K. shook his head, though those had been his exact thoughts.
The guard left Micah in the middle of the room and gave a C.K. a inquisitive look. He straightened and took a step towards the boy. Christopher stiffened as the guard approached. "Don't make eye contact, C.K.," he whispered. Immediately, C.K. became very interested in his fingernails. They weren't long like most of the other test subjects' because he tended to tear at them when he was nervous. He picked at them, but he didn't have enough nail to tear.
The guards shadow slithered over him and swallowed his slight figure. The guard knelt to be on eye level with the boy. He pushed up C.K.'s shirt sleeve.
"Who are you talking to, 24601?"
C.K. bit his lip. Duh. Who else would he be talking to other than the boy right next to him?
The guards tone was disconcertingly gentle. "Do you have a friend here?"
"That's Christopher," C.K. muttered.
"C.K.!" Christopher hissed.
The guard turned to the space the boy indicated. He smiled at the empty space. "Hello, there," he said.
Christopher looked down at C.K., cocking an eyebrow. "Um, C.K.? Why is he smiling at my knee?"
C.K. couldn't help but giggle, and judging by the spark in the guard's eye, C.K. thought he might join in. But he didn't.
"What's so funny?" he asked, his tone still light-hearted.
C.K. shrugged. "It just that you're looking at his leg."
The guard looked shocked, but he said, "So I am! Well, I'd best go now. It was nice to meet you, Christopher."
The guard stood and left. Christopher snorted at his back.
"He thinks you're mental," he spat.
"How do you know?"
Christopher leaned back against the wall and slid down to the floor. He grinned at C.K. "Just good at reading people, I guess."

-Sea-

Dr. Grey

She could feel sweat flowing down her underarms as she flitted towards Dr. Abram's office. She could actually feel fear rolling around her stomach. She knew the path so well, as she and Dr. Abram's had worked together to produce the all - cure in his office. Although she did not do the actual chemical process there, but the theorizing of the chemical effect had taken place in his office.

She approached the door, fear boiling inside her lava. She looked about the empty corridor, and took one of her hair pins from her hair. She carefully slid it into the slot, and twisted it gently until the door clicked. Holding her breath, she opened the door and entered the room.

The room looked exactly like in the days she'd been allowed here. But instantly she saw something out of place. A small drawer was open. Her curiosity elated, and despite her fear of being caught, she went near the drawer. Inside it were several brown files with stamp that said "Classified"

Her curiosity increased. She had seen the exact files in Dr. Abram's hands, but she'd not paid much attention to them then. But now, for some reason, she wanted to know what was in them.

As she flipped through each, beginning from "Drug number 200" she noticed that each of them held the basic chemical composition, effects, hypothesized side effects. But the thing that got her notice was the patient files attached to them, under the heading, Reason for death of test subject.

She flipped through the other files, noticing that in each file there was atleast one test subject who had died after the injection of the drug. She came to "Drug number 206" and her jaw dropped. She was looking at the exact same drug composition of Drug 207, with a few minor dissimilarities. Her heart racing, she flipped towards deaths section and read the reasons for death.

"Death by arrhythmia followed by cardiac arrest"
"Death by dangerously increased metabolic rate"
"Death by drastic decrease in blood pH value"

All together, there were eight subjects that had died.

She knew that "Drug number 206" had been an attempt at an All cure, which had gone wrong. She also knew that, the drug number 207 could lead to similar results, as the chemical composition was basically the same. After placing the files back, she closed the drawer and looked around for what she actually came here.

There! On the far side of the room was a cabinet named "cures" She hurried towards it and opened it using the same hair clip. Pushing aside some bottles, she found one named "Anti-venom - Enhydrina Schistosa"

Slipping the small vial into her pocket, she closed the cabinet and, after making sure the coast was clear, she exited the room.

She had begun walking towards the testing room, when she remembered that she needed a distraction. She couldn't just walk into the room and give her the anti-venom. After thinking for moment, Lily remembered that Nimsi always carried a teddy bear where-ever she went. And the fact that she didn't have it with her meant that it was in room where the subjects staying. Without further ado, she turned to her right and started walking briskly, away from the testing area.

Dr. Abrams

Dmitri rubbed at his temples wearily. He needed a lie down, and maybe a strong cup of coffee. There was no chance of that happening though. Not when he had to meet Mr. Montgomery. He could only guess that the boss wanted to be briefed on the success of the all-cure. He was probably expecting good news. Taking in a deep breath, Dmitri walked out of the testing theatre and headed straight for the elevator. Mr. Montgomery was about to get news alright, but it wasn’t the good kind.

“Dr. Abrams,” Dmitri turned to see James O’ Reily chasing after him. “Dr. Crawford has prepared two more subjects for testing. They’re ready for assessment.”

Dmitri pressed the button and watched as the elevator doors opened. “I have a meeting with Mr. Montgomery that I must attend. Dr. Grey will assess the remaining patients in my absence.”

James’ face visibly fell. “But, she-”

Dmitri stepped inside the elevator and turned to face James with a warning look.

It was enough to silence the young doctor. “Yes, of course, Dr. Abrams,” he said.

“Good,” was Dmitri’s only reply. He punched the top floor button and the doors to the elevator closed.