The steel door slid shut behind them with a heavy thud.
Liam looked around.
Another corridor. Wider than the last one. Walls made of brushed steel. Riveted panels running along the edges. But this hallway had doors. Five of them. Spaced evenly along the left side. Each one had a small window. Reinforced glass. Thick enough that Liam could see the distortion in it.
Lighting was different here. Not as harsh. Softer. Almost dim. Air slled like bleach mixed with sothing chemical that made Liam’s nose itch slightly.
He rubbed his finger. The one they’d pricked. Blood had stopped but the spot still stung.
"What was that for?" he asked.
Elena glanced at him. Kept walking. "You were injected with an antibody serum."
Liam frowned. "Why?"
She gestured upward with her chin. "See those vents?"
Liam looked up. Small grates in the ceiling. Evenly spaced. Air flowing through them.
He could hear the faint hum of ventilation.
"They’re releasing a gas mixed with the air down here," Elena said. "It’s a precaution. Keeps certain things contained. But it’s also toxic to anyone who isn’t inoculated. Without that serum, you’d start feeling lightheaded in about five minutes. Dead in twenty."
Liam stared at the vents. His stomach tightened. ’What is so dangerous that they’d release poison through the air?’
Elena kept walking. Her heels clicking against the polished floor. Each step echoing slightly.
Liam followed. Matched her pace.
After a mont, Elena spoke again. "I’m going to show you sothing. Sothing you might not believe. So prepare yourself."
Liam looked at her.
’I already have an idea what it might be. Hell, I fought one. If I’m right.’
Elena’s expression didn’t change.
He looked forward again. Just kept walking. Silent.
They reached the end of the corridor. Another door. Steel. But this one had a window. Liam could see light on the other side. Brighter than the hallway.
Elena pushed it open.
Inside was a much larger space.
Maybe forty feet across. Polished concrete floor and the ceiling was higher here. Maybe fifteen feet up. More fluorescent lights overhead. Bright. Clinical.
Standing in the middle of the room was a man.
White lab coat. Clean. Pressed. Underneath was a blue button-up shirt and dark slacks. Clipboard in his left hand. Pen in his right.
Glasses perched on his nose. Maybe late thirties. Dark hair neatly combed back.
He looked up when they entered. His face lit up imdiately.
"Miss Ashford," he said. His voice was warm. Friendly. He smiled.
Elena smiled back. Walked toward him. Extended her hand.
He shook it. Firm grip. Professional. "I was expecting you."
Elena’s smile faded slightly. Her head tilted. "I wasn’t aware I needed permission to show up."
The man chuckled. Soft. "True, true. You don’t." He glanced at Liam. Then back at Elena. "So why are you here?"
"That’s actually none of your business," Elena said. Her tone was polite. But firm.
The man raised an eyebrow. His smile stayed but his eyes sharpened. "Normally, yes. But they put in charge of overseeing everything down here. So it kind of is my business."
Elena’s expression didn’t change. "In that case, I’m here to show my client so rchandise."
The man’s eyes shifted. Moved to Liam. Studied him for a mont. Curious. Assessing.
"And you are?" he asked.
Liam opened his mouth.
But Elena’s voice cut through. Sharp. Cold. "Dr. Renfield"
The man looked back at her.
Elena’s eyes locked onto his. "If you question my client again about his identity, I will have you permanently removed from this facility."
Dr. Renfield’s smile froze. His jaw tightened. Just slightly.
Elena took a step closer. Her voice dropped lower. "Do you understand?"
A pause. Silence hung in the air between them.
Then Dr. Renfield’s smile returned. Smaller now. More careful. He nodded. "My apologies, Miss Ashford."
He turned to Liam. His expression softened. Apologetic. "And my apologies to you as well, sir. I didn’t an to overstep."
Liam just looked at him. Didn’t say anything.
Dr. Renfield cleared his throat. Shifted his weight. "Well, you’re in luck. I was just about to run a test on one of the subjects. If you’d like to follow , I can show you what we’ve been working on."
He gestured toward the far side of the room. A hallway. Narrow. Leading deeper into the facility.
Elena nodded. "Lead the way."
Dr. Renfield turned. Started walking. His shoes making soft sounds against the concrete.
Elena and Liam followed.
Liam leaned closer to Elena. Kept his voice low. "You know, you’re kind of hot when you’re serious like that. Maybe we should try role-playing soti."
Elena glanced at him. A small smile tugged at her lips. "Let’s do that right after we’re done here. If you’re not too traumatized."
Liam smirked. "We’ll see."
They followed Dr. Renfield down the hallway. Shorter than Liam expected. Maybe twenty feet. Then it opened into another room.
Liam stopped. Stared.
The room was massive.
Fifty feet wide. At least sixty feet long. Ceiling stretched up maybe twenty-five feet. High enough that voices would echo. Fluorescent lights hung from tal fixtures. Bright. Sterile.
But what caught Liam’s attention was the wall.
Glass. Floor to ceiling. Running across the entire center of the room. Dividing it in half.
Not regular glass. Reinforced. Thick. Maybe three inches. Liam could see the layers. The way light refracted through it differently.
On the other side of the glass was another space. Just as large. But completely empty except for a single figure.
A girl.
She was sitting on the floor. Her back pressed against the far wall. Knees pulled up to her chest. Arms wrapped around them.
She was wearing so kind of restraint. White fabric. Wrapped around her torso and arms like a straitjacket. Her legs were free but her ankles had tal cuffs attached. Connected by a short chain. Maybe two feet long.
Her head was down. Blonde hair hanging in front of her face. ssy. Unwashed. Tangled.
She looked young. Maybe twelve. Maybe younger. Hard to tell from this distance.
Standing near the glass on Liam’s side were two n. Both wearing black tactical gear. Helts with visors down. Vests. Thick padding on their shoulders and chest. Batons hanging from their belts. Pistols holstered at their hips.
Security. Or guards.
Dr. Renfield walked over to a small panel on the wall. Pressed a button.
A speaker crackled to life. Static. Then his voice echoed into the room on the other side of the glass.
"Release Subject 8."
One of the guards moved imdiately. Walked to the far side of the observation room. Opened a door Liam hadn’t noticed before. Stepped through.
A mont later, the door on the other side of the glass opened.
The girl’s head lifted.
Her eyes were red. Bloodshot. Pupils dilated. Dark circles underneath. She looked exhausted. Drained.
She looked at the guard. Then past him. At Dr. Renfield standing behind the glass.
Anger flashed across her face. Raw. Unfiltered.
The guard stepped into the room. Walked toward her. His boots making heavy sounds on the concrete floor.
He reached down. Unlocked the chain between her ankles. The tal clink echoed.
The girl stood. Slowly. Unsteady. Like she hadn’t stood in days. Her legs shook slightly. She caught herself against the wall. One hand pressed flat against it for balance.
The guard backed away. Out of the room. The door closed behind him with a solid thud.
Dr. Renfield spoke again. His voice echoing through the speaker. "Subject 8. Are you ready?"
The girl didn’t answer. Just stared at the glass. Her chest rising and falling. Breathing hard.
Dr. Renfield smiled. Turned to one of the guards still on his side of the glass. "Bring it in."
The guard nodded. Walked to another door. This one on the left side of the observation room. Reinforced. Heavy-looking.
He unlocked it. Pulled it open.
And a tiger walked out.
Liam’s breath caught. ’What the fuck?’
The tiger was massive. Easily four hundred pounds. Orange and black stripes. Muscles rippling under its fur with every movent. Its eyes were yellow. Focused. Locked on the girl through the glass.
It moved slowly. Deliberately. Prowling. Each step calculated.
The guard stepped back. Let the tiger pass. Then quickly closed the door behind it.
A mont later, another door opened on the girl’s side. The one leading into her space.
The tiger walked through.
Now it was in the room with her. Separated from Liam and the others only by the thick glass.
The door closed.
Silence.
Liam looked at Dr. Renfield.
’She’s going to die.’
Dr. Renfield stood there observing. His pen hovering over his clipboard. Ready to write.
The tiger moved.
Slow at first. Circling. Its body low to the ground. Tail swishing. Eyes never leaving the girl.
The girl didn’t move. Just stood there. Her back still against the wall. Her eyes tracking the tiger.
Then the tiger lunged.
Fast. Explosive. Claws extended. Mouth open wide. Teeth bared. A roar tearing from its throat.
The girl raised her hands.
Not to defend herself. Not to block.
Just raised them. Palms out. Fingers spread wide.
And the tiger stopped.
Mid-air.
Its body jerked. Violently. Like it had slamd into an invisible wall.
Its legs kicked. Claws scraping at nothing. Trying to move forward. But it couldn’t.
Then its head started to compress.
Slowly. The skull folding inward. Bone cracking. Loud. Sharp. Echoing off the walls.
The tiger’s roar turned into sothing else. A scream. High-pitched. Desperate.
Its mouth opened wider. Jaw dislocating. Eyes bulging. Blood started seeping from its nose. From its ears.
"RRRAAAAAAGGGHHH—EEEEAAAAAAHHHHH!"
Liam’s stomach turned. He wanted to look away. But he couldn’t.
The girl’s hands clenched tighter. Her face straining. Every muscle in her body tensing. Her teeth gritted. Blood starting to drip from her nose. Dark red against her pale skin.
The tiger’s head compressed further. The skull collapsing completely now. Brain matter and blood spraying outward. Hitting the glass. Streaking down in thick red lines.
Then the rest of its body followed.
Ribs caving in. One by one. Cracking. Snapping. The sound like breaking wood. Spine bending at wrong angles. Legs folding inward. The massive body crumpling like paper.
Blood poured. From its mouth. Its nose. Its eyes. Pooling on the floor beneath it. Spreading outward in a dark red circle.
Then the girl dropped her hands.
The tiger’s body fell. Landed in a twisted heap. Broken. Mangled. Dead.
Blood was running from the girl’s nose now. Thick streams down her face. Over her lips. Dripping from her chin onto her restraint.
She swayed. Her eyes rolling back. Her knees buckling.
Then she collapsed. Hit the floor hard. Her body going limp. Unconscious.
Liam stood there. His heart pounding. His hands shaking slightly. ’What the fuck did I just see?’
Dr. Renfield was writing. Fast. His pen moving across the paper in quick strokes. His face excited. Almost giddy.
He looked up at the guards. "Go pick her up. Restrain her again."
One of the guards hesitated. Then nodded. Walked to the door. Opened it. Stepped into the room.
He moved carefully. Slowly. His boots splashing slightly in the blood pooling near the tiger’s corpse.
He reached the girl. Knelt down beside her. Reached out. Grabbed her arm gently.
The girl’s eyes snapped open.
Her hand shot out. Grabbed the guard’s wrist.
The guard’s body jerked. Lifted off the ground. His feet dangling. His free hand clawing at her grip. Trying to pull away.
Then he started to compress.
Just like the tiger.
His helt cracked first. The visor shattering. Glass spraying. Then the helt itself crumpling inward. His head inside crushing.
"AAAAHHHHH—GGKKKHH—!"
His scream was cut off as his chest caved in. Ribs snapping. Vest crumpling like tin foil.
Blood sprayed. Everywhere. Covering the glass. The floor. The girl.
The guard’s body twisted. Bones breaking. Limbs folding at impossible angles.
Then the girl dropped him.
His body hit the floor. A mangled heap. Blood pooling around him.
The girl collapsed again. Blood pouring from her nose. Her eyes. Her ears. Soaking into her blonde hair. Turning it dark red.
She didn’t move. Completely unconscious now.
Liam stepped back. His breath shallow. "Jesus Christ."
Elena’s expression didn’t change. Just stood there. Calm. Composed. Like she’d seen this before. Many tis.
Dr. Renfield was smiling. Wide. Genuine. His eyes bright with excitent.
"Yes," he said. His voice almost breathless. "She’s improved. Her output is significantly higher than last week. This is incredible progress."
Liam turned to look at him. "What the fuck?"
Dr. Renfield looked at Liam. Still smiling. "Subject 8 has telekinetic abilities. We’ve been working on increasing her control. Her output. Her endurance. This is the best result we’ve had in months."
Liam stared at him. Then at the girl lying unconscious in a pool of blood. Then at Elena.
Elena’s face was calm. She looked at Liam. t his eyes. "Welco to the Sterling family’s research division."
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