#lab monster

“Report on the subject 131, Doctor,” you hated the arrogant authority in the man’s tone. It didn’t fit him, not when he was know for using…inhumane methods to steal the powerful position. It was true on what they say, money really did control the world.

Reeling in a grimace, you cleared your throat and tucked in your clipboard, “Since the incident involving the janitor two weeks ago, her behavior remained normal. Part of this could be contributed to the fact that we recently installed camera equipments alongside the upgraded control-prevention’s.” You pitied the subject—but she was extremely dangerous to have to let loose.

“The subject’s an it, Dr. —,” he corrected, nearly smacking you with his broad shoulders when he breezed to the glass wall. Despite the blindingly light above and pure white color consumed the room from top to bottom, a massive darkness remained impenetrable in a corner. It resembled a little like spiderweb, constantly growing in size. It was the subject 131′s nest, though neither you or your coworkers were able to understand its purpose if beyond being a home.

It never mattered though.

You clenched your tongue from flying off at the general and willed yourself to be on your best behavior. You were all but one of this government facility’s many hostages. “Yes, yes, my associates and I called the subject she and her because the subject happened to have a female reproductive system—”

“An abnormality. It had nothing to fuck little pests in, does it?” The general gritted his teeth at you, his jawline was a warning enough alone. You smothered the urge to cuss him out. It wasn’t the subject’s fault that the government had been hasty in introducing her with another one of her kind. One should approach them like animals, like how the professional zoos had done it for decades. Slowly, cautiously, but at least they’d both have a measure of protection.

Unfortunately, there were no such protection provided for the male and it was already too late. She came out the winner of their fight and left nothing but scraps for maggots to touch from her potential mating candidate. The subject made it apparent that even someone of her own species is a part of her diet.

A deafening hiss erupted at the man’s sour note and movement detected from that angle. A long coil of tail slithered from the top, shining like oil, before it completely dissolved in the void. The general scoffed, “Could’ve done us a favor and just become our loyal dog. How long until we can control her?”

The general was a moody, unpredictable bastard. With sweaty palms, you kept a careful distance, “It’s…in the work—you’d have to ask—”

You nearly avoided receiving a bruise—or possibly losing a tooth (dentistry hardly existed in this building and you were incapable of leaving anyway), when the general slapped the air at you with a tight fist and smarted your nose, “I am asking you, Doctor! Answer my question or you won’t like what I’ll do to you.” His tone dropped to a dangerous level.

With his slow stride, you were cornered with no way to defend yourself, “S-sir! I swear, I am not the authority on this matter—”

His hand roped your neck in an instant, “Does it look like I care? You’re responsible for this thing—in my eyes, it is your responsibility to ensure the timeliness of this device.” You gagged at his flexing squeeze, he was a meaty man and you were nothing but a twig to him.

He was deaf to a roaring hiss—or perhaps he was purposefully ignoring the subject’s snapping at the glass wall. Buzzes of electricity vibrated the air, but you couldn’t make out her reactions to the attacks. All you could see were his nightmarish gaze.

“Do you think you’re the only one who got people—me, breathing on your back?” He was practically caving in your shoulder with his other hand, “There’s so much at stakes. You’d do well to know this,” a low chuckle turned your heart to ice-cold stone, “but I’d be generous this once and let your inadequacy slide. Next time,” you squealed a gasp, your lungs relishing in the sweet taste of oxygen. The general stepped away, his back turned to you, “pick a god and pray. Get me an answer within 24 hours, Dr.—,”

The door whistled, unclasping for the general’s departure, “sooner the better.” Were the last words he said.

With the door thudding down and shutting up the subject’s rolling cries, you collapsed on the floor and rasped, “You…son of the…” a thud rang, your fist slamming on a waxed tile. Tears beaded your eyes.

Clickclickclick

They were from the glass wall, meant to be an observation of the subject’s nature. You rose your head and saw her head, with her strange face pressed flat. Her strange eyes were wide and would’ve break a man’s heart—if she’d ever look at one the way she did you.

Any other time she’d look at your associates like preys to be eaten. That poor janitor was lucky you were there and got away missing a hand. It wasn’t his fault that another doctor had gotten careless with the then-current preventative methods to keep her in place, though you can’t be sure of both of their fates.

You hadn’t seen either of them since.

“Doctor,” she rasped. Her vocal cords were lacking. While the subject could roar and create guttural noises, her words were weak—difficult for her to sting together. But, she was highly intelligent, enough to understand and communicate aptly. “Doctor,” the subject whined again when you hadn’t gotten up fast enough.

“Give—“ you inhaled sharply and held up a hand, “give me a minute.” With weak legs, you shifted to your two feet and rubbed your sore throat. Clenching the clipboard, it served a small source of comfort, you ambled into the subject’s full view, “I’m…” breathing through your nose, you lend heavily on a desk behind you, “sorry you had to see that, sweetie.”

The subject looked at you pitifully, “You, okay?” She still pressed her horrifyingly face on the window, with her heavy claws glazing cross the surface. Desperate for your attention.

You nodded slowly and stretched out your hand on your heaving chest, “I will be, don’t worry.” Your smile wasn’t enough to convince her.

She shook her head and gnashed her teeth, “No! Not…okay!” A whine followed her cry, remorseful—though you couldn’t be sure. Her expressions didn’t line up like most humans you knew.

“Please, calm down. It’s okay,” you tried, closing in to the barrier. Palming your hand over where she kept her claw, “I’m fine, see?”

There was no appeasing this beast, “I…eat that! Promise!” You paused at her declaration. You understood what she meant, pronouns weren’t a concept she understood.

You snapped back, “No! No eating people, sweetie!” Even using your nickname for her hadn’t quieten the subject’s conviction. You thudded your forehead on the glass and strangled out a breath, “We talked about this…No. Eating. People. Okay?”

She huffed, though her tail thrashed and betrayed her unwillingness to listen. “Alright, let’s change the subject,” you decided. Sometimes it does wonder to make the subject to forget, “how was the television today?” You grabbed this opportunity to look at her state.

Everything about her was pure black, even her insides were of the same exact color—sans her bones and teeth, white as ivory. Lots of hair, it coated her body like a curtain of mane, and knife-like claws and feet. Her tail was a strange mix of snake and scorpion, with its movements slick like ice yet would curl to her back like a scorpion would. Her teeth were massive too, resembling closer to a big feline’s, but it was oddly one of your favorite features.

She was both hideous yet…enticing. Not quite the right word for it, but you hesitated on saying she was beautiful.

With another look, you realized she looked relatively unscathed from when she was punching the glass and provoked the electricity attacks. It might worth a check in, for later. It could be her building a tolerance to it, which wasn’t a good sign, you mused with a subtle frown.

The subject wrinkled her strange-looking nose, “No tv. Wanted no tv. Only wanted You.” She streaked her long tongue on the window, attempting to nuzzle into your face but failed.

Cocking your head, you blinked, “You were waiting for me again?” Not an unusual behavior for her. For reasons you couldn’t understand, she held you in an extremely high regard.

She favored you ever since your arrival under an internship—and it was her who ultimately prisoned you on the government ground. The officials hadn’t missed the subject’s unexplainable favoritism toward you. Despite your lack of appropriate qualifications, you were all but hired (read: shackled) on the spot.

Sometimes you resented her for your loss of freedom, but you weren’t going to breathe a single word of this to anyone. Especially not her, not when she still looked at you with a child-like wonder.

“Yes!” She rumbled. Waiting for you seemed to be her favorite hobby.

You wilted, “I see. So what did you do today?”

Pleased with your attention being lavished onto her, she stung together all the words she knew to describe her day. She wasn’t about to tell you of her little surprise inside her nest. That was staying a secret.

The hole was getting bigger everyday and soon it’d be big enough to fit her body through. She will be free and in your arms and ensure there won’t be any obstacles in her path (she fully intended to shred that sorry piece of meat apart for hurting you). You were perfect, in her eyes. From the top of your head to your toes, she adored every inch of you. Your voice pleased her ears, but your words to her were sweeter. Out of every countless bodies she’d seen in her long lifetime, you were the only one who worried for her.

How did you not realize you were surrounded by predators? You were too innocent, too kind-hearted, like a lamb—among the wolves she vowed to eradicate. With an upturned curl on her lips, the subject kept you distracted from the knowledge that she was too a wolf.

She had no intention of eating her precious lamb.