CHAPTER 2 - ALEXEI
722 Words
When I woke up, I found myself lying on a cold, grimy floor.
The room was small, dark, and windowless. The air smelled stale, like it hadn’t been touched in months. Panic surged through me as I tried to move—but my head throbbed, my limbs felt heavy, and every movement was sluggish.
I stumbled toward the metal door and shook it violently. “Hey! Someone! Please! Open the door!” I screamed. “I was trapped! Please save me!”
The door creaked, and a man stepped inside. He wore a long white lab coat and a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Oh… you’re finally awake!” he said cheerfully. “I thought the dose I put in your drink would have killed you.”
I froze. My mind connected the dots. The man who had served our drinks… it was him.
“Y-You…!” I stammered. “Who are you?”
He bowed slightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Freya Miller. Call me Alexei. A genius doctor, if you like.”
“Why… why am I here?” I asked, my voice shaking. I prayed this was some cruel prank.
He laughed—like a madman. “You, my dear, and your friends… are part of my new experiment. And I think you’ll love what I have planned.”
“Experiment?!” I echoed, my stomach dropping.
My fear intensified when I realized I wasn’t alone. In the next room, I saw Nina and Bella—my friends—screaming in agony, their bodies twisted in pain.
“What did you do to them?!” I yelled, rushing toward the door.
Alexei glanced at them casually. “Oh, them… I injected them with my serum. They’ll either adapt… or die in a few days.”
I tried to push past him, but he grabbed my arms and yanked me into another room. I struggled, my screams echoing.
“Nina! Bella!” I cried. “I’ll save you! Please!”
My words were met with silence… until two familiar voices weakly called my name.
“F-F-Freya… is that… you?”
Louis and Joe. My heart leapt—but fear followed immediately. They were pale, trembling, and barely conscious. Alexei had done the same to them.
“No… Louis… Joe… not you too…” I whispered, panic tightening my throat. I reached for them, holding their hands.
“We… we thought… we lost you,” Louis said weakly. “You were unconscious for… almost a week…”
“A week?!” I gasped. “I’ve been out for a week?”
Joe’s face was grim. “Nina and Bella… Alexei took them. We couldn’t stop him. We tried.”
Tears stung my eyes. “I… I should have done something!”
Louis squeezed my hand. “It’s not your fault. We were weak… we couldn’t stop him.”
I looked around desperately. “But… how could he capture others? He’s just a man.”
Joe shook his head. “Not just a man. He’s smart. He knew our weaknesses. The werewolves… the vampires… he subdued them.”
My stomach dropped. “Werewolves? Vampires? Joe… what are you saying?”
Louis placed a weak hand on my shoulder. “It’s real. They exist. And Alexei… he’s experimenting on humans to turn them into them.”
The words barely registered. I shook my head. “This… this can’t be real. Werewolves… vampires… that’s just fiction.”
Joe lifted his sleeve, revealing deep claw marks, bleeding and raw. “Proof. We fought… and lost. That’s all that’s left.”
“Oh my God…” I whispered. “You’re hurt…”
“No time to worry about us,” Joe said grimly. “Focus on surviving. That’s your only chance.”
Louis leaned closer, his voice faint but urgent. “The werewolf lady… she has a mate looking for her. When he comes, he’ll give you the opportunity to escape. That’s your window. Don’t waste it.”
“I can’t leave you… I can’t…” I said. “I won’t abandon my friends.”
“Just survive,” Louis said softly. “Do it for all of us. We don’t want to die in vain.”
I swallowed hard, trembling. “I… I’ll try. I promise I’ll save everyone…”
- Writer
