Feral Heart by Duron Crejaro (distant reading .TXT) 📕

wasn’t quite sure what I expected, torture maybe, experimentation, surely whatever lay in store for me couldn’t be a good thing, not after everything I had heard about these people. I whirled as I heard the door slam shut behind me; neither the doctor nor his companion had followed. I realized I was holding my breath. Letting it go, I turned trying to steel my emotions against my fate. Chapter 16: Difference

Much to my surprise, I was in a large well-lit common room. Numerous doors led to small rooms, not unlike the solitary cell I had just left. The room was filled with what I can only imagine are Wylder that have been captured. I sighed, feeling the tension leave me with a wave of relief. I wasn’t going to be tortured or experimented on, at least not yet anyhow. As soon as the Wylder realized I wasn’t an enforcer, I began to draw a small crowd. Most of them were faces that I was unfamiliar with, soon however, a friendly face appeared before me.

 

“So you were caught too eh?” Bobby asked, “Well you’re not alone, several of us were caught.” He sounded bitter, “The rest who knows, dead or escaped I hope.”

 

“They were waiting for us. Our ambush was ambushed.” I complained.

 

“Yes,” He pondered. “Someone certainly tipped them off about our plans.”

 

“So what do we do now?” Desperation oozed from my voice.

 

He gave a pained expression, “I have no idea Eliza, no idea.”

 

Just then, a high-pitched voice broke into my conversation, “Eliza?” It was overflowing with excitement.

 

I knew that voice I was sure I thought to myself turning to the voice. Cami was there, right before my eyes. I was stunned to silence. How long had she been here? They must have moved her earlier than we thought after she was taken. “You…You’re here!” I said finding my voice. She looked tired, and a little dirty. She was wearing the same drab gray outfit that everyone else was, but none of it seemed to dampen her spirits, she was just as bubbly as ever.

 

She wore a huge smile, as if we weren’t under the direst of circumstances. “What are you doing here? Don’t tell me you’re a Wylder too!” Her pitch became almost a squeal of delight at the notion.

 

I gave a quick shake of my head, “No such luck. You remember me telling you about Tarin?” She only nodded, eyes wide in anticipation. “Well I went to him for help, and his people tried to get the convoy before you were brought here. I was with them, but they were waiting and ambushed us.” I felt tears begin to brim up as I spoke, “A lot of people died because of me, and I was captured along with others.”

 

Cami looked a little perplexed, “But Nali says you are Wylder. She even wrote it on your mirror.”

 

I stopped. My heart dropped as I thought back to the strange message written on my mirror. “Who’s Nali? How did you know about my mirror….” I let my voice trail off.

 

“Umm,” Her ditzy mind was trying to figure out how best to explain it. I could almost see the wheels moving in her mind, I laughed just a little. “She is me, well my spirit I think. She helps me, and does things.”

 

I thought back to when I’d seen her last; the strange shimmering that seemed just beyond my vision. Yes, It was still there, darting around Cami as if on a sugar rushed whimsical dance. I let my head lilt as I watched its flitted movements, and I saw past reality. I could see it, hear it. It was small maybe in size, if I hadn’t known better I would have mistaken it for a two year old girl, giggling and full of joy just like Cami. The main differences were the gossamer wings and pale pink dress that looked unreal. The wings flapped beyond my ability to comprehend until she landed near Cami. Nali looked at me, as I stared at her.

 

She jutted her little head towards me, peering intensely, “Wait. Can she see me?” Nali’s eyes went wide as she inched her way towards me. “Cami, I think she can see me.” She said turning briefly to Cami who simply gave a bemused shrug. She crept closer and closer watching for any reaction, soon she was almost right in front of me.

 

“Hi! You must be Nali.” I spoke directly at her, startling her. She gave me a shocked look and shot to the air and hid behind Cami, she snuck a look at me over Cami’s shoulder looking mortified. I don’t know why, but the entire scene just seemed hilarious to me. I started to laugh, despite the strange place and unusual circumstances I couldn’t help myself. I laughed and laughed until tears were streaming down my face and I was forced to sit and the muscles in my stomach began to cramp up.

 

“I thought you said she was nice.” Complained Nali pouting as she watched me.

 

“She’s nice, most of the time.” Cami said with a wry grin.

 

Finally, I was able to subdue my mirth. I sat up looking at them. “So she thinks I’m a Wylder? Sorry to disappoint but I don’t think I am.”

 

Our conversation was interrupted as a voice came over a loudspeaker. “Eliza Blayne, report for testing.” I stood confused; all around people were giving me sympathetic looks, which only added to my confusion. The barred entrance whirred to life with a mechanical swoosh and slid open. Two armed enforcers stood at the doorway waiting. I gulped, swallowing the pit of anxiety down to my stomach. I thought about hiding, pretending I wasn’t myself, anything to not go through that door to god knows where. I concluded that it didn’t really matter; they knew who I was, and where I was. There would be no escaping whatever they had in store for me. So I stood, straightened myself out, and walked with as much confidence as I could muster out the door.

Chapter 17: Revelations

I was alone in a relatively large room filled with equipment I had never seen before. I was naked now, except for the clinic gown that was open in the back except where it tied close. I was sitting on an exam table, left to wait upon their whims. I was terrified, just like when the wild dogs had attacked me, except this time the fear was different, more unsettling. At least I knew what death would be like at the hands of the wild dogs, it would have been painful, but also over with fast. Here I was left to stew in whatever horrors my mind could come up with, and I’ve always had a vivid imagination.

 

After what seemed like an eternity, the same dour faced aging doctor entered the room with a clipboard and a nurse following on his heels. The nurse ignored me, as if I didn’t exist, or were some animal that didn’t deserve her recognition and began turning on various machines. The Doctor on the other hand ignored the nurse and instead focused all his attention on me. I wasn’t sure I wanted it.

 

He flipped a few pages, not bothering to look up at me. “So your test came back, and they were, well inconclusive. We’re pretty sure you are some kind of Wylder. We just aren’t sure what exactly.” He glanced at me to see if I understood, but I remained silent. “So, we are going to run some more test. Nothing to invasive yet, you should only experience mild discomfort.” He said, and I almost believed he cared.

 

So it began, hooked up to machines whose purpose I didn’t comprehend, vial after vial of blood drawn. The indignity of a forced catheter for a urinalysis, before being carted off to another exam room full of more machines, where I was strapped down and scanned multiple times from my head to my toes. They were relentless and thorough, and it felt like it took weeks before they were finally finished and I was escorted back to the others. I felt alone, I felt disgraced and violated to my very core. Now I knew what it was like to be Wylder, to be taken by the enforcers. I knew more than I ever wanted, and I knew as I broke down into tears while Cami held me that it had to stop. It would stop. No one else would have to go through what I did. Someway, somehow, I would put an end to it.

Chapter 18: The Plan

It had been a week since I had become a prisoner. I had learned as much as I could during this week from the others. This group, was the shadow government for Nashboro, had been since its inception. This place was just a military research and development center, as well as a training ground for the enforcers. People that excelled in training to become an enforcer at home, were shipped off here to undergo advanced training, as were some of the more gifted intellectuals from home were trained as doctors and scientists. They were trying to find a cure for being Wylder, as if it were some kind of disease that needed cured. In reality though, most believed they were trying to weaponize and create their own Wylder soldiers. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be able to take a normal human, and create a hybrid of any number of different types of Wylder mixed together. It’s a mad scientists wet dream.

 

For the most part, unless we were being tested we were left to ourselves. Our captors seemed secure in the fact that though we were dangerous, we weren’t likely to be able to escape. I spent