The Host

Chapter Six

It began with a needle.

She barely had time to protest before they plunged it into her neck — sharp and cold, sending an icy burn spiraling through her veins.

Alina gasped. The world spun. Hindi siya makapag reklamo, gusto nyang sumigaw, gusto nyang mag wala.

It was so painful, tagos sa laman lahat ng ginagawa nilang experiment.

And then… darkness.

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When she woke, she wasn’t in her cell.

She was strapped to a metal slab, her limbs bound tight. The ceiling above was lined with surgical lights. She couldn’t move her head, but she could hear them.

Scientists. Monitors. Machines.

And Graves.

“Subject Eleven: dormant,” came a voice to her right. “Still no visible sign of ability. But vitals are spiking after exposure to serum H-7.”

“I want confirmation,” Graves said, her voice cold as ice. “If there’s power inside her, we’ll find it. Let’s try pain-response.”

Alina’s heart skipped.

No. Not this.

A sharp sound — a switch flipped. A second later, white-hot electricity surged through her body.

Her back arched. A scream tore from her throat.

She wants to explode, she want to rip them apart and let them experience the pain she’s experiencing right now.

Fire danced beneath her skin, crawling up her spine, burning into her nerves.

“Subject reacting… but still no signs of activation. No elemental shifts. No external pulses.”

Again. Another wave.

Tears slipped down her cheeks. Her lips trembled from holding back another scream.

She could feel it — her powers, just beneath the surface, trembling, screaming to be released.

She nearly gave in.

Nearly let go.

But then Graves stepped closer.

Her face loomed above, blank, observant — like Alina was just another lab rat.

Just another thing.

“She’s resisting,” one of the assistants noted. “No flaring. No defense instinct. She’s either weak… or hiding.”

Graves studied her a moment longer. “Increase the voltage.”

Alina clenched her fists. Her whole body trembled.

The storm inside her raged — the wind, the time, the shadows.

She could kill them. Every one of them.

She could rip open the metal walls and drown this whole lab in lightning.

But she didn’t.

She gritted her teeth, and endured.

Not yet.

She still need assurance, what will happen to her if they found out of the things she can do.

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When the pain finally stopped, her body hung limp in the restraints. Her throat was raw. Sweat dripped down her face.

“Vitals stabilizing,” one of the scientists murmured.

“She’s no use to us if she’s just human,” another muttered.

Graves didn't reply. She simply turned away and walked toward the door.

“Take her back,” she ordered. “Run another test tomorrow.”

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They dragged her back to her cell and tossed her onto the floor.

Alina curled into herself, her muscles twitching from aftershocks. Every breath hurt.

But the fire inside her didn’t dim.

It grew.

For the first time, she felt something shift in her chest — not fear.

But fury.

If she stayed passive, they would break her.

If she ran now, they’d hunt her.

But if she played along… infiltrated them… let them think she was weak…

Then maybe, just maybe… she could tear them down from the inside.

She just needed time.

And in the meantime, she would listen. Watch. Learn.

She was done being a victim.