Can we redefine the word torture in order to be able to practice it?
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The first results of the analyses quickly reached the hands of the scientists, who were more than disappointed.
"How is this possible? All the analyses are completely normal!" (Scientist)
"He doesn't even have the awakened mutation gene!" (Scientist)
"Everything is normal with him!" (Scientist)
The blood, urine, and mana tester analyses were all perfectly normal, indicating that Kevin was a normal human being. What's worse is that he didn't possess the DNA marker that could activate an awakening to become a hunter. Unable to believe it was an error, the scientists repeated the samples over 5 times. But no matter what they did, the results they hoped would change remained the same.
The scientists engaged in endless and empty debates resulting from their terrible disappointment. They were so frustrated that they resembled drug addicts deprived of their drugs. After all, they had hoped to make one of the greatest discoveries in human history.
Juda remained silent, watching Kevin sitting in the room while the other scientists spoke in an indistinct murmur. It was true that based on the analyses that showed nothing, they clearly couldn't do much.
However, Juda, who had clearly sensed something, wasn't ready to give up so easily. This boy had come back from the dead; it was impossible for him to be normal. His curiosity and insatiable thirst for answers urged him to continue regardless of the results. It was out of the question to leave empty-handed; he had to find something.
"We'll stimulate him!" he declared.
"Stimulate him?" responded a perplexed and intrigued scientist.
"Yes!" he replied with a cold tone, capturing the attention of everyone else.
Kevin, who was tied to a chair the same color as the room he was in, saw the scientists enter. They came in with a device containing electrodes. They removed his t-shirt to place the electrodes on his chest and temples.
"What are you doing?" Kevin asked as Juda observed through the glass.
"Begin," Juda declared.
The other scientists hesitated for a moment before finally obeying the orders.
"First shock!" said a scientist near the machine.
"First sh..." (Kevin)
Kevin screamed in pain before finishing his sentence, as the machine sent him an electric shock without warning. The scientists monitored his vital signs and looked for any changes, but nothing concrete happened.
"Increase the intensity!" (Juda)
The scientists then increased the intensity of the shock before delivering it to Kevin, who screamed in pain. They then looked at the readings and if any change occurred, but nothing happened.
"Increase the intensity even more!" Juda said coldly.
"Please, no!" Kevin whimpered.
But the scientists increased the voltage to administer it to him, and his screams of pain became even more piercing. The cries sent shivers down the spines of some scientists, but Juda remained impassive.
"Sir, it's too much, we should stop," a young woman asked.
"The experiment requires you to continue. Increase the voltage!" (Juda)
The woman hesitated before finally increasing the voltage to electrocute Kevin once again.
"Ah! Stop, stop, it hurts!" (Kevin)
"Increase the exposure duration by 2 seconds." (Juda)
"Sir, this..." she hesitated again.
"You have no choice, Héléne. You must continue. If you're not willing to do it, someone else will." (Juda)
She looked at him and pressed the button again with horror. Kevin was electrocuted once more, his screams of pain lasting longer and becoming louder due to the increased exposure. After that, they didn't increase anything further but repeated the process for 2 consecutive hours until Kevin passed out from the pain.
"Conduct analyses on him, we'll continue the same procedure tomorrow." (Juda)
This repeated for the following 5 days, with the intensity and exposure duration slightly increasing each day. In addition to the electric shocks in the morning, Kevin experienced horrific nightmares and night terrors that invaded his mind in the evening. The white room he was in turned completely black at night, but in the adjacent room, thanks to the infrared cameras and microphone, the scientists didn't miss a minute of this spectacle where he cried out and called for help.
"Leave me alone! Disappear! Stop hiding in the darkness!" (Kevin)
"What's happening to him?" one of the men asked.
"He has been experiencing hallucinations since his return, according to the report from the psychologist that I have in front of me." (Juda)
"Shouldn't we analyze his brain activity?" (Scientist)
"That would be unnecessary. Let's continue as we've been doing." (Juda)
One month passed, and Kevin's beautiful caramel skin began to pale due to lack of sleep and physical torment.
"Sir, we really should stop. It's been a month, and we still haven't found anything." (Héléne)
"I think she's right. This is torture." Another man added.
"It is absolutely necessary that we continue. This is not torture; it is a necessity for research. For humanity. Don't forget why you were brought here. The power to conquer death is within our reach. Are you really going to let this opportunity slip away?" (Juda)
The hesitant men reconsidered their position, as Juda appealed to their thirst for answers, their selfishness, and their submission to authority. But one of them was not satisfied with this decision. Finally, after another month, they reached the current level of voltage that would kill a normal person.
"Go ahead!" (Juda)
One of the scientists, with a trembling hand, briefly glanced at Kevin and finally pressed the button. The shock lasted for 7 seconds, with more than 120 volts. Kevin screamed at the top of his lungs. A piercing scream that sent shivers down everyone's spine in the room, except for one person. During this brief moment, burns began to form on Kevin's body due to the current passing through him, spreading a burnt smell in the room, while his body and muscles violently convulsed.
Finally, after the 7 seconds were over, Kevin completely stopped moving.
"Is he dead?" asked a frightened scientist.
Another scientist urgently checked his vital signs, but Kevin's heart was still beating. While they were relieved that they hadn't killed him, something unexpected happened. All the burns on Kevin's body started to heal on their own.
The men were perplexed but mostly astonished by the phenomenon unfolding before them.
"Finally, quickly conduct new analyses!" Juda declared.
What seemed like a success for them would be a long torment for Kevin because now that they had obtained some results, what would prevent them from going even further?
Once we admit that man is inhuman to man, once we continue to live in a world of wars, tyranny, terrorism, torture, and senseless violence, we are all victims of the night of the Ripper. - Robert Bloch
After receiving the results, the scientists were once again completely perplexed. There was still nothing.
"How is this possible!" (Scientist)
A huge uproar filled the room once again; they couldn't understand the situation. Juda immersed himself in deep thought, trying to understand the phenomenon. But nothing worked—neither the machines nor the analyses could grasp the phenomenon. So the only thing they could do was to persist in what had worked.
Thus, an infernal cycle was established between night and day. Violent electric shocks during the day and night terrors during the night. Kevin couldn't sleep, not even for a single second, and this had been going on for several months. The scientists claimed it was impossible; such a long period of sleep deprivation should have killed him long ago. But this time, in addition to the electric shocks, they tore off his nails, causing blood to flow onto the white floor. They made slight cuts on his body with sharp weapons.
With each nail torn off, Kevin screamed:
"Ah, stop! It hurts! How can you do such things?" he cried as blood dripped from his fingers.
Unfortunately, shortly after, his nails would heal, only to be torn off again. It was an endless circle of pain. A good portion of the white floor underneath Kevin turned red. Finally, five more months passed during which Kevin endured and suffered. His caramel skin had turned pale white. Despite the physical and mental degradation, the scientists continued due to their thirst for knowledge.
The burns and physical torments continued to heal on their own, and the analyses still showed nothing. The scientists began to lose hope. So they stopped to consult with each other, examining the analyses over and over again, producing theses and hypotheses. Instead of electrocuting him this time, they infused pure mana into his body, hoping for a reaction, but nothing happened. This went on for another month, plunging the scientists even deeper into discouragement.
That's when Juda decided to share the terrible idea he had been brewing for a while:
"We know that he heals minor wounds like burns, superficial cuts, and torn nails. But all this time, we haven't found even a shred of explanation for it. We're here to understand how he came back from the dead. So, as a final research endeavor, wouldn't it be better to kill him and see if something happens?" (Juda)
A heavy silence filled the room. They, who had tortured this child, were they ready to go this far? As the months went by and they heard Kevin scream, they had become accustomed to it, to the point where pressing the button had become a game. Their darkest inclinations had been laid bare in their insatiable thirst for knowledge and answers. All these months with no progress? All this time wasted? No answers to their questions?
They were determined not to let that happen. And in the end, the ends justify the means, don't they?
They connected Kevin to the machine one last time, increased the parameters to ensure that the shock would kill him, and all that was left was to press the button. But this time, it was Juda who entered the room. He looked at Kevin before speaking:
"I believe you were right. I am a selfish, hypocritical person trying to justify my actions by hiding them under virtues. But I think that all these months with you have also made me sadistic," he said, pressing the button.
A shock of over 300 volts coursed through Kevin, who screamed as if all the pain in the world resided in his voice. His body contorted and convulsed violently. After 10 slow and horrific seconds, the screams ceased. Only the horrible smell of burned flesh remained due to the violent electric shock. Kevin's eyes and ears dripped streams of blood. Several scientists were horrified by the spectacle and the putrid smell in the air.
"Last time, it took 13 days. Let's see how long it takes this time," Juda said curiously as Héléne left the room.
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"Wild animals never kill for sport; man is the only creature for whom the torture and death of his fellow beings is a diversion." - James Anthony Froude
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INFO APPENDIX :
Milgram's experiment is a psychological experiment published in 1963 by American psychologist Stanley Milgram. This experiment assesses the degree of obedience of a United States resident in the early 1960s to an authority figure that they consider legitimate. It allows for the analysis of the process of submission to authority, particularly when it involves actions that pose moral dilemmas to the subject.