<21:48 p.m.>
"...the subject's name will be kept confidential."
An unfamiliar voice woke me up. However my sight was filled with darkness. It feels like something is covering my eyes from looking at the person speaking.
I tried lifting my hands to remove the cover but only felt them being tied up by what seems to be rope. Moreover I'm still in a state of half-consciousness and my body can't move much due to headaches. There were multiple things going through my mind as I tried to figure out where exactly I was and why both my wrists and legs were bound together.
"Age nineteen. No parents and no siblings. Working part-time in a Utmost Diner as a delivery guy and most importantly, there is one criminal record." The same deep voice that woke me up spoke again, making me frown upon hearing that last part.
Did they just do a background check on me? Is this some kind of test or something? But why would they even do that to a nobody like me? I mean sure my life doesn't have much material to boast about or anything but… but surely there isn't anything that I've done that would warrant this kind of treatment. Right?
"Looks like luck is on our side this time. Who would have thought that we got a suitable one in our hands. So what do you think, Eight?" That voice continued.
"We only have two options. No! He only has two options. The first one, either he will agree to become one of our PAD. Second option, we take him as our next experimental material." A soft voice answered.
PAD? Experimental material? Who do they refer to? And seriously, what are they even talking about??
I kept quiet since they did not seem to realize I'm already awake. Since my eyes got covered, I could only rely on my other senses and started analyzing every single thing that I could smell or hear while listening to their conversation. I could not make out what kind of place I'm in because there were no other strange sounds in the background except the sound coming from the air conditioner. But from the echoed conversations, I could tell that this place is somewhere in a small room.
I inhaled slowly. An unfamiliar scent filled my nostrils which made me almost frown. What is this smell? I didn't remember any scent before so it must have been new to me.
"We already have enough PAD so I prefer the second option. If he can overcome our experiments, then he might be able to live like usual." Another female voice but with a mature tone.
"But what if we fail? And what if he died?" The girl who I believed as Eight asked again.
There was silence for a moment.
"We haven't tried it, so we don't know the consequences yet. This might be our last chance. If we still didn't succeed, then we had no choice but to stop trying. Nevertheless, we are already past the point of no return. We have no more alternative left." This time a male voice joined the conversation as well. A sigh could be heard afterwards.
"It's really been too long already. I hope it will work properly this time. We have done everything we could and it would be pointless to give it up just like that." Another deep voice coming from a different person, added.
"Okay then. So, the 25th Experiment will start in two hours. Be ready guys, the last step of our plan will begin soon."
I could hear someone clapping their hands twice.
25th Experiment? Why do I feel like many eyes are watching me? Or is it just my imagination?
<<3>>
<23:48 p.m.>
SPLASH!
I woke up again when a bucket of water hit my face. I could feel my body shivering from the freezing coldness of the water and fear indulged inside me.
"Finally, you are awake."
My brows knitted together while moving my head from left to right. I still couldn't see anything due to all the blindfold and ropes, but I know that if I try to open my mouth now, I probably won't last any longer. However, I couldn't contain my curiosity.
"W-Who are you? Where am I? Are you… going to kill me?"
"Rest assured. We won't kill you, we just want to test you."
That voice tried to comfort me but it just makes things even worse.
"Test? What kind of test? Is there really something that needs to be tested? What could you possibly need from someone like me?"
My heart was beating fast with anxiety, fearing the worst. I thought back to the events earlier and wondered whether those people were talking about me, if it was really real or just an illusion.
"Why me? And who are you people? Why are you guys being secretive and not letting me see your faces? Please! Tell me!!"
My voice broke down at the end of the sentence, feeling overwhelmed with emotions. It didn't take me long until tears started rolling down my face and my throat became painfully raw due to the crying and yelling.
I didn't care anymore that these strangers weren't giving me any answer. All I wanted to know was;
Did I really do something wrong? Was it not enough to just get away unscathed and not have my life ended? What did these strange people actually want from me?
The silence made me more nervous and anxious.
"I won't repeat myself. What's more important is, you must have to cooperate with us to give you a test."
I shook my head.
"No! I refuse to give my consent and I will never fall for your coax! Just let me go! Please! I'm begging you!"
All of a sudden, a strong hand grabbed both my shoulders and pinned me down. Not just one but there are more of them, trying to hold me by each side, restrain me from moving.
"What are you doing?! No! Stop it! Let me go! PLEASE!!"
<<3>>
The cries and screams rang throughout the room causing the two PAD standing guard outside the laboratory flinched. They looked at each other before turning their attention back to the front.
"We have been in this situation so many times but it still felt surreal and horrifying. Each of them who were being experimented on would always scream their lives out, begging our superiors to stop but they never did."
One of them with number 98 on the back of her white coat, sighed.
"It's not like we have any other choices. We are willing to take this job because we know that this method is better than the alternatives. And we knew that one way or another, those people would end up dying anyway, including the new subject. That's why, we as their PAD have no other choice but to accept that possibility."
Said her friend with number 99, before looking towards the door once again. "We are getting close, almost finished. Don't worry, it will be over soon so just endure it for a bit longer."
A scream resounded inside the laboratory and 99 closed both her eyes, trying to calm herself as she could. Her friend also covered her mouth with her hand while shaking slightly. Hoping this endless hell will go away soon.
<<3>>
"We don't have much time to waste! Nine!"
"Operation for Experiment 25 initiated now! Eight! Give me the first wire. Ready in a..."
BEEP!
BUZZZ~!
A sharp pain shot through my head on the right side causing me to cry out as I writhed around in pain. No amount of words could describe how horrible that pain felt. My whole body seemed to be pulsating from all the shocks and pain I had suffered.
"Don't make any sudden moves, I still need to monitor you!" Eight quickly records everything that shows on the monitor into her jotter.
"No, no, no! It hurts! Make it stop! I beg you!" Tears streamed down my face once again as I continued to yell. My breathing becomes erratic, which makes Eight frown in concern.
"Hey! Calm down! We need you to calm down!! Do you understand? Your life is the key to our success! So you must endure it! The pain will be gone soon, I promise you!" Once again, Eight tried to comfort me.
BUZZZZZ~!!
"AAARRRGGGHHHHHH!!!"
It's like the electricity itself was shooting through my brain from the temple down to the abdomen, forcing its way down the veins and arteries that make up every single cell in my body. The pain was so painful to say the least and I didn't realize that my skin began to swell and turn red due to the sheer amount of the current running into my bloodstream.
Suddenly, a thousand memories came to mind. Everything from the moment I was a little until now. Every single memory I'd ever had. Even the ones where I couldn't remember anything clearly, they flashed by before my eyes in rapid speed. My heart raced wildly as I gasped desperately for breath, trying to catch up to the information I had been missing.
"The energy is rising up to ten percent! Thirty percent! Fifty percent! Seventy percent!"
"Give me the second wire. Get ready once again with the second-"
The rope that tied on my left hand suddenly snapped and I immediately shoved the second wire away from me, causing my wrist to throb badly. Even though my eyes were still covered, my instincts allowed me to recognize that the other wires were coming towards me again.
"THE EXPERIMENT...! STOP THE EXPERIMENT RIGHT NOW!!"
Eight shouted hysterically as she rushed towards the machine while her companions also rushed to their subject's side, wanting to pull the wire that connected to his right forehead. But before her companions could reach the wire, the girl yelled in panic.
"DON'T TOUCH THE WIRE!"
However, it was already too late to stop the experiment.
BUZZZZZZZ~!!!
"AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!"
The second shockwave caused me to scream even louder. The shocks kept coming one after another, increasing in intensity and frequency. The excruciating pain was endless until finally, all the signals stopped as the third shock hit me for the last time which caused me to lose consciousness. The hell has finally reached its end.
<00:00 a.m.>