The prompt
For Rasmus. Thank you.
“Why is it always serial killers who are experimented on?”
Aprox. 1000 words
Slavi was looking at the machines in front of him. He smiled satisfied. The readings were as predicted. That meant that everything was going as planned.
“How does it look, doctor?”, Veren asked beside him.
The big man was anxious. Not that he wanted to show it, but Slavi had seen the tell from the first day; the slight flexing of his right index finger. Slavi had noticed because Veren had almost pulled the trigger on the convict that had escaped from the compound and taken his associate as hostage.
“The serum has taken effect. The subject is responding positively to the changes. We should soon see it manifest in physical form”.
Even if Slavi couldn’t see him as he checked the last reading again, he could sense the man relax. It was time. Slavi nodded to his assistant, Alec, on the other side of the mesh fence. The young man returned the nod solemnly and pulled the lever for the last part of the process. This was the stage where they brought the subject back to consciousness.
“You would think it would look cooler”, Veren said.
The prisoner was strapped to the table, cables running through and along his torso. The lever had sent a small current of electricity through the cables, waking him up.
“I care about the effects”, Slavi said. “If you wanted a bigger show you should have brought me a bigger specimen to experiment on.”
Veren’s expression changed to one of chargrin. “You know, I couldn’t get any prisoner out of the compound after the last escape. Serial killers are unpredictable and the bosses upstairs thought they were too much of a liability. I don’t get it. If we want to create a killing machine we should at least get somebody who has the skills to do it. Who was this guy again?”
Slavi shrugged. He had no idea. He looked at the physical attributes. “He came from sector C.”
“Hmm. Sector C, that is the blue collar wing.”
“He was an accountant”, Alec chimed in, checking his notes. “He was imprisoned due to fraud. He volunteered to ensure his daughter could stay in the school.”
“An accountant!” Veren cursed in a language Slavi didn’t understand but had gotten used to. “I got a bloody accountant. Farah at least got a boxer.”
“You got me”, Slavi said nonchalant.
Veren slapped his shoulder and grinned, ignoring the doctor’s discomfort at the touch.
“You are so right, doctor”, Veren said. “You are the best. Are you sure that you can make him into a killing machine?”
“Of course. My skills are exceptional. Do you want a demonstration? He is waking up in a moment”.
Slavi didn’t wait for Veren’s answer. He knew what the man wanted. He hadn’t come here himself if he didn’t want to see the experiment come to fruition.
Alec motioned to one of the soldiers to enter the pit, where the unconscious man was starting to stir. His bare chest and thin arms bore witness to a body not having worked out much.
In comparison the soldier looked menacing in his black riot gear and much bigger build.
“Weapons outside”, Slavi said, and the soldier gave Alec his machine gun and pistol.
“So what now?”
“Now it is kill or be killed”, Slavi said as Alec locked the door behind the soldier, who didn’t like Slavi’s words.
Crossing his arms over his chest, Veren smiled and leaned back to enjoy the show.
The show was – from Slavi’s point of view – boring but not predictable. Apparently he hadn’t counted on the soldiers will to live. He frowned.
The soldier had in a couple of fluid motions beaten the prisoner by smashing his jaw and breaking at least a knee that made the prisoner fall to the floor like a doll.
Veren cursed again and turned to Slavi, angrily. “Did you see that, doctor? Not even a fair fight! I said it was a mistake not to use a prisoner who didn’t have some kind of killer instinct! I’m going to be the laughing stock.”
Slavi tried to ignore him, calculating everything in his head again. Had he been wrong about the serum? No, he was sure it was correct. His gaze met Alec’s who was looking just as perplexed. He was checking the instruments on his side of the mesh fence.
The soldier was panting and banging on the door to be let out. He looked relieved and a little angry.
Slavi could not believe his experiment had failed. He was the most senior of all the scientists here!
The banging became louder, and Slavi nodded to Alec who opened the door for the soldier.
“Retrieve the body”, Slavi said absently, still trying to figure out where he had gone wrong. Maybe an autopsy would help him.
And then it happened.
As the soldier was trying to exit, the prisoner had crawled and then risen behind the soldier, as if the knee had not been smashed at all. With a growl the prisoner grabbed the soldier’s head, exposing the tender flesh beneath the collar and bit hard.
The soldier screamed loudly in pain and fell to the ground. Alec tried to backtrack and close the door but it was pointless as the soldier’s body was in the way.
“What the fuck!” Veren exclaimed, drawing his own weapon.
The prisoner jumped through the door and attacked his assistant who was no match for the ferocity of the not quite human coming at him.
Blood splattered through the mesh fence as prisoner and assistant fought in a makaber death dance. It was the blood that woke Slavi up from his trance.
His mind screamed: It worked! He was the best and he couldn’t help a triumphantly smile in Veren’s direction when his attention was caught by more movement on the other side of the mesh fence.
The soldier’s body was writhing and coming alive. Yes! He was even better than he thought. The serum was even better! It could be extracted and reused! No reason to create it all over again from scratch, not sure if they could get the dosage right. The perfect incubator!
As the soldier rose to his feet, his eyes turned to the prisoner and to Slavi’s delight he saw them communicating wordlessly. Intelligence had only been a dream; but the reason he had agreed to work on a intelligent if weaker specimen.
Veren was pointing his pistol but couldn’t get a good shot through the mesh fence as he didn’t want to get too close the the carnage in front of him. His suit was also drenched in blood splatters.
“Kill them!” Veren shouted.
Turning his head, Slavi registered who Veren was talking to. Soldiers was running into the enclosure ready to take his beautiful creatures out.
“No!” Slavi shouted alarmed.
He was not sure why he was shouting. Was it the thought of his experiments were in danger of being killed, or the the fact that the soldiers had been on his side of the mesh fence and the door was now open.
Now both the prisoner and the soldier attacked the other soldiers, ignoring the barrage of bullets that only made everything seem to rain blood.
On the floor Alec was beginning to move and for the first time in all his years as a scientist, Slavi began to feel fear. Veren beside him was shouting unintelligible words in his native language as the soldiers’ throats got ripped out, but Slavi recognized the word zombies.
Before Slavi could process or deny the word, the prisoner turned his eyes towards him and Veren – and the open door. Slavi was sure he was smiling at them before he with inhuman speed jumped through.