Drip. Drip. Drip.
Blood splattered onto the cold steel floor beneath him, each droplet echoing in the sterile silence. Kai hung from his restraints, arms stretched above his head, his strength bled dry. His head was slumped forward, damp hair sticking to his clammy skin.
The metallic scent of his blood that pooled below him filled his nostrils.
Squinting against the harsh light, he lifted his heavy head and caught a faint reflection on a nearby monitor. Dark, hollow eyes stared back at him, framed by gaunt cheekbones and skin stretched too thin.
'Is that... really me?'
'And how long have I been in this hellhole?!' His head throbbed just thinking about it.
A soft chuckle sliced through the silence, low and mocking.
"You are something else."
Kai's gaze drifted toward the voice. Dr Nyx stood just outside the flickering light's reach, his silhouette sharp, his eyes gleaming behind thin-rimmed glasses. The amusement in his tone sent a fresh wave of loathing through Kai's veins.
"I've injected you with enough serum to kill a thousand times over," Nyx mused, scribbling something in his worn leather notebook. "Yet here you are. Alive and kicking." His pen scratched against the paper, a slow, deliberate sound. "It's fascinating."
Kai's muscles tensed, anger simmering under his skin. 'Someday,' he vowed, his thoughts sharp as a blade. 'Someday, I'll pay this psycho bastard back for all this.'
Nyx tilted his head as if reading his mind. "Ah, that fire in your eyes… That's why you're my favourite." He leaned in slightly, his voice dipping into something almost reverent. "So full of defiance, even now. It's delightful."
Kai forced his head up, glaring with what little strength he had left, a dark promise in his stare. He spat weakly, the saliva falling short, but Nyx's chuckle only deepened.
"Time for your next dose."
A syringe gleamed under the artificial light, filled with a viscous green substance that crackled like liquid lightning. Without hesitation, Nyx plunged the needle into Kai's neck. A burn spread beneath his skin, crawling through his veins like acid, but he refused to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.
Nyx watched with sick fascination, his gaze flicking between Kai and the monitors displaying his vitals. Even as the serum coursed through him, nothing changed. No spasms, no screams - just silent endurance.
"You never cease to amaze me," Nyx murmured. His fingers twitched with excitement, rapidly scribbling more notes.
Yet Kai's resistance continued to defy every calculation.
'Why isn't he reacting like the others, even after all my refinements?' Nyx's fingers ruffled through his messy white hair, searching for answers.
'The Z gene should multiply and spread throughout his body - either harmonising or causing immediate adverse effects. Yet even after enough serum to produce an army, his body is still... disgustingly mundane.'
It was both frustrating and exhilarating - the enigma that Kai presented.
The possibilities teased Nyx's mind, filling him with anticipation. If he could isolate Kai's unique resilience to neutralise the serum's side effects, he'd have a blueprint for true evolution - no more failed creations. The thought electrified him, swelling his chest with a strange, almost feverish elation.
A deranged laugh escaped him.
Kai narrowed his eyes. 'Yeah. This fucker's definitely got a few screws loose.'
But before he could process anything further, another needle pierced his skin.
"See you next time," Nyx murmured as Kai's vision began to blur...
-
A rough jerk yanked him back to consciousness.
Kai barely registered the hands gripping his arms, unhooking his limp body from its restraints. He was being moved, dragged - guards hauling him down dimly lit halls, their footsteps quick, nervous. They avoided looking at him, their movements skittish, as if proximity alone unsettled them.
Then, without ceremony, they tossed him into his cell.
The door slammed shut with a sharp clang, followed by the heavy click of a lock.
Kai hit the stone wall hard, his body sliding down, limbs sluggish from sedation.
'Back here again,' he groaned internally, struggling to remain conscious.
'If I ever get the chance, I'm-'
A sudden, searing pain exploded in his chest. His breath hitched, a strangled gasp tearing from his throat as the agony ignited like wildfire.
With every frantic heartbeat, the pain spread - flooding his arms, his legs, and every fibre of his being. His muscles seized, and his bones felt as if they were cracking under the unbearable pressure.
'Is this it?' The thought drifted through his mind, oddly detached. 'After everything, am I finally dying?'
A bitter chuckle threatened to spill from his lips. 'Survived this long, only to die like a dog in a cage?'
The pain intensified, consuming him whole. Darkness crowded his vision, his heartbeat a faint, fading drum. 'Nothing to live for... but scared of dying? How pathetic.'
His body convulsed, trembling violently as the agony spread to every inch of his body.
Then everything stopped, including his very heartbeat...
-
Meanwhile, sat in his control room, Dr Nyx bathed in the glow of his monitors. His usual detached curiosity twisted into something darker as he watched Kai collapse.
"No!" His voice came out sharp, cutting through the hum of machines. His hand slammed down on the desk, fingers gripping the edge. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not with him.
Kai was supposed to be different. The outlier. His prized specimen.
"Is he… breaking?"
The question grated against his sense of control, his jaw clenching as he chewed on his bottom lip.
For years, his research had been filled with failures - bodies too weak to withstand his experiments, corpses stacked in the pursuit of perfection. But Kai...
Kai was special.
He was the only one who had survived past the expected breaking point. A subject of unparalleled resilience and inexplicable resistance to his serum. A key to unlocking the future.
And now?
Now, he was dying?
"No. Not yet. I will-" he sprung up, unwilling to let Kai out of his grip, but...
Beep! Beep! Beep!
A sudden blaring alarm ripped through the entire facility, shattering the silence.
Nyx froze. His mind raced.
'Intruders?'
His gaze snapped to the flashing red lights as the chaotic din of footsteps and voices filled the facility.
Then, to Kai's motionless form on the screen.
His lips curled, amusement flickering through his frustration. "Of course, they choose now to show up," he muttered. The timing was almost poetic.
His mind worked fast. This facility was compromised. But Kai…
He still needed him to continue his experiments.
"You," he barked at a guard stationed at his door. "Retrieve Subject 357's body. Leave the others. They're replaceable. And once we evacuate, they'll all be disposed of."
The figure nodded and left without hesitation.
More of his senior staff rushed into the room, awaiting orders. Nyx barely spared them a glance, his twisted composure returning as quickly as it had cracked.
'Everything is still under control,' he reassured himself. 'I'll deal with our guests and use them as additional subjects. And I'll just have to make do with his corpse.'
He turned to leave but cast one last glance at the monitor. Kai's lifeless form remained still.
A pity. He hadn't gotten to break him properly.
"Oh well, it was only a matter of time," Nyx sighed, a smirk tugging at his lips. "On to the next. Hah... Hahaha!"