Another day. More science.
Same white cage pretending it owns me.
I had already cleaned up after myself. Heh. All the mess, the blood, the screaming aftermath of their stupidity. Three bodies reduced to bones now. I even cracked a few, slow, methodical. Especially that idiot who spoke of the blond.
I hate how much I think about him.The one who never fears me.Never did. Never will, as long as I know.Doesn't matter now.
My hoof slammed into the floor, the sound echoing sharp and hollow."Arghh…"
I laid my head back for a moment, breath heavy, then stood again. Hunger crawled up my spine, cold and demanding. I walked to the pile of bones and crushed a few more underhoof, the sound dry and brittle, then tore one apart with my teeth just to feel something break.I glanced at the glass.
The scientists were there again. Watching. Whispering. Trying not to breathe too loud. I growled low in my throat, and that was enough. They scattered like insects. A few ran out of their little room.Minutes later, they returned.They were carrying a huge white box.One of them, braver than the rest or just more disposable, unlocked the door and shoved it inside before slamming it shut again.Too slow.
I lunged, horn slashing sideways. His hand didn't come with him when he pulled back. It hit the floor with a wet sound, fingers twitching once before going still. The screaming on the other side of the glass was… tolerable.
I turned to the box.Before smashing it open, I paused. Smelled it.Meat.But not fresh.Old. Preserved. Cold with death that had already settled too long ago.
"Ugh."
I smashed the box anyway. It burst apart, meat sliding across the floor in heavy, pale slabs. I picked one up, tore off a piece, and sniffed again. No drugs. No tricks. Just disappointment.I ate it anyway.Hunger won. It always does.The taste was wrong. Flat. No fear soaked into it. No warmth. I hated that. Still, I kept eating, jaw working slow and heavy, because empty is worse than wrong.
There isn't anything fresh around here.
I mean… the scientists are.
But I could just break the glass. I know I could.I took another bite, chewing thoughtfully.No.Not yet.I don't want to waste energy.Not when I'm still thinking.
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I was already dressed when the door opened again.
Not the hospital clothes. Those were gone hours ago, folded and taken away like evidence. What they gave me instead was clean, fitted, expensive in the quiet way. Soft fabric, neutral colors. The kind of clothes meant to say we respect you now while every camera in the room kept blinking.I stood near the window, hands loose at my sides, watching nothing in particular. The room was too polished. Too deliberate. White walls softened with gold lines, furniture that looked chosen by people who thought comfort could replace trust.
The door slid open without a sound.She stepped in.Same woman. Same doctor. Hair pulled back perfectly, face calm in that practiced way people use when they think calm equals control. She smiled like we were picking up a conversation instead of continuing a war.
"Vaelor," she said gently, like the name itself was an apology.
I didn't turn."So," I replied, "you only say my name when you want something."
A pause. Small. Telling.
"I wanted to see how you were doing," she said. "After everything."
I finally looked at her.Her smile tightened. Just a fraction.
"You forced me into a room with a creature you couldn't control," I said. "You threatened me. You hurt me. You watched it happen. And now you walk in here smiling like this is a courtesy visit."
She lifted her hands slightly, palms open. Non-threatening. Scripted.
"We didn't understand what you were at the time."
"And now you do?" I asked.
Another pause.
"We understand that you're human."
I laughed. It came out sharp, humorless."That's your big revelation?"
She stepped farther into the room, careful not to come too close.
"You survived things no one else has," she said. "You endured trauma that should have—"
"Stop," I cut in.She stopped."You don't get to name what I endured," I said quietly. "You don't get to use it to make yourself feel less guilty."Her jaw flexed.
"We're trying to fix this," she said. "The situation with the creature is escalating."
"Funny," I replied. "It looked pretty calm last I heard."
Her eyes flicked away. Just for a second."That calm is temporary."I turned fully now, facing her."And you think I'm the solution."
She didn't deny it."He responds to you," she said. "You've seen it yourself. He hasn't killed you. He protected you. That isn't coincidence."
"You mean when he saved me while you people were busy falling?" I said. "Yes. I remember."Her voice softened. Too much.
"We believe there's a bond."
I stepped closer. Not threatening. Just enough to make her aware of the distance closing."You used fear on him," I said. "Chains. Light. Pain. You called that science. Now you want me to clean it up."She swallowed.
"We want you to help us calm him."
"And if I don't?"Her eyes met mine.
"Then people will die."
I smiled then. Slow. Cold."They already are."Silence filled the room. Thick. Heavy.
Finally she spoke again, quieter."If you go to the lab," she said, "just for a moment, it will reassure him. Seeing you alive. Unharmed."I tilted my head.
"And if it doesn't?"She didn't answer.
I looked back at the window, imagining white walls filled with too much light. Imagining teeth bared in silence. Imagining hunger held back by something thinner than patience.
"You think I'm stupid," I said. "You think I don't see what this really is."
"And what is it?" she asked.
"You're not afraid of him anymore," I said. "You're afraid of losing control of him."
Her breath caught.
"That thing in there," I continued, "doesn't belong to you. And it never did."Another silence.Then, very carefully, she said, "Will you come?"I didn't answer right away.
Instead, I asked, "Why does he calm down when I'm near?"
Her mouth opened. Closed."I don't know," she admitted.
That was the first honest thing she'd said.I nodded once.
"Good," I said. "Because neither do I."I walked past her toward the door.
She turned quickly. "You'll come?"I stopped at the threshold.
"I'll walk into that room," I said. "But understand this."She waited."I'm not doing this for you. And I'm not doing it for your research."
I looked back at her, eyes steady."I'm doing it because if he's learning what you are… then you should be very afraid of what he'll decide to be."
Then I stepped into the hallway, and the door slid shut behind me.