Edited by: Waning_Crescents

“What do you think? Didn’t you do your homework?” Lester strode over, joining his companion. “But fine, I’ll explain it to you. First, I will drug you up.” A grin spread across his face. “Then I will watch as the substance slowly makes its way through your body, eating away at your neurosystem and rendering you in indescribable pain.” He bent slightly down as he continued, “I will bathe in your screams and pain until your sanity leaves you and you can only succumb to death.”

Cal’s pulse sped up, and he started to tug at his restraints.

“And then when your heart stops beating, we are going to take your organs and sell them for good money.” Lester added before he pulled back. “I hope you are a healthy young man, or this is a waste of resources.”

Cal gnashed his teeth lightly, trying to suppress the fear these words sparked inside of him. “You are Lester Brown, aren’t you?”

“Words travel fast.” Lester chuckled. “You are right, and you are a part of the ruthless organization, called Conciliators. I thought if they came after me, I would be done for, but instead I have you lying on my table, helplessly. Isn’t that quite the turn of events?” He broke out into laughter. “You guys are nothing special after all.”

Ignoring his mocking, Cal said, “Weren’t you a doctor once? Didn’t you become one to help people? How can your wish to help people turn into this? Why…why are you doing this?” Cal raised his voice.

“Why? Well…” Lester pondered for a second. “It is true that my interest in studying medicine was to save lives. I was even renowned in my field and saved many lives. But I quickly found out that my ideas clashed with the ideals of the public.”

“What do you mean?” Cal continued yanking at the straps in the hope of loosening them a little.

“Are you really that interested in my story?” Lester seemed amused.

“I am.” Cal replied, while he thought, I have to stall for time.

The conversation he had overheard before still spiraled in his mind. It was true that Sigal despised him and threw him alone into the wolf’s den, but despite all that, he still wanted to believe that he would not abandon him or use him as fodder. He believed that Sigal was looking for him right now to help him out of this situation.

“Boss.” Sam sighed.

Lester put his hand up, indicating that it was fine. “If it helps him accept his death quicker, why not?”

At least they are not all that smart… Cal let out an inaudible sigh of relief.

“Where was I?” Lester restarted his story. “Right, their ideals. You see, I had a lot of good ideas to cure various diseases for which no cure had been found yet. First, they were thrilled by my intellect, but when I started the experiments, they quickly turned their backs on me. Said I was inhuman and reported me to the committee to shut my experiments down. How often they reprimanded me. It could have been for the nation—no, the world—but they just wouldn’t listen. Certainly, there would have been sacrifices, but when aren’t there sacrifices, huh? In the end, it would have benefited mankind.”

Cal listened to the maniac’s reason, but none of his words sounded remotely sane. “So, you want revenge?”

“Revenge? No, not exactly. I just realized that humans don’t want to be saved. They are ignorant and fragile. After they threw me out, I decided to conduct my experiments nonetheless but added a little thrill to it. I was surprised at how much joy it would bring me to watch people suffer and die. It’s exhilarating.”

He is completely insane. Cal searched for words to keep this conversation going. “All I hear is that you just gave up and chose the most convenient way out. Was there never a time you regretted your actions?”

“Regretted my actions?” Lester suppressed a laugh as he walked away to a nearby table with his back facing Cal. “No. It only filled me with bliss.”

“It is hard to believe that a man who once saved lives turned out this way because of mockery.”

Sigal, please get here soon!

“Interesting…” Lester remarked as he turned around with a needle in his hand. “Turned out what way?”

He moved closer to Cal, whose calm demeanor slowly faded at the sight of the needle in Lester’s hand. His face paled, and sweat formed on his forehead while he curled his fingers into fists and dug his nails into his palms.

He had his eyes plastered on the object for a few seconds before he tilted his head to the side and took a deep breath to calm down. “You…can still change your ways…and—“

Lester roughly grabbed his hair and corrected his position, forcing Cal to look directly at him.

Cal choked back the rest of his words when his eyes met Lester’s piercing glare, whose face was only an inch away from his. The vicious, wide smile Lester carried on his lips resembled that of an animal gazing down on its prey, almost unable to quell the urge to rip it apart.

“Became like what?”

Cal could feel Lester’s breath on his skin and hear the swelling anger in his voice. Unintentionally, he had chosen the wrong words and triggered this insane man’s rage.

I screwed up…

“Don’t you mean insane? Worthless? Trash of society?” Lester continued without waiting for a reply. “That’s what you were thinking, right?”

“I…didn’t say…that,” Cal pressed out between his lips while he squinted one eye shut. What can I even say to turn the situation around?

“You don’t have to; I can see it in your face. It’s written all over it.” Lester said it matter-of-factly. “I have seen it before.”

‘You are insane! How can you even think about something like that? Sacrificing humans?’

The voices of former colleagues echoed in Lester’s mind.

‘You fool! Lester, you are not a doctor; you have no right to be one. You are trash! Get out and never come back! I’ll make sure you never get to work as a doctor ever again…never!!!’

“I will never forget the disgust in their eyes and the contempt in their words, but they were at least honest with me.” Lester said in a tone that showed he had lost all patience for further talks. “You better be quiet now; I don’t want to hear another peep.”

He forcefully smashed Cal’s head back on the table and then let go of him.

Cal squinted his eyes shut at the sudden impact before he turned his attention to the walls that surrounded him. He had not noticed it before, but now that he desperately searched for any entrance Sigal could appear at, he found none.

Where is the door?

When he came to the realization that nothing paved the way inside, his collected demeanor shattered into pieces, and the suppressed terror spread limitlessly through his body.

Cal yanked with all his might at the straps. Loosen up, dammit!!!

“Stop making so much noise! Didn’t I say I don’t want to hear a peep out of you anymore?” Lester said, rather annoyed. “No matter what you try, you won’t be able to get out of your binds. Accept your fate!”

“Ready?” Sam asked.

What should I do...what should I do?”

“Yeah, let’s get started.” Then he turned to Ian. “Stay guard at the entrance. I would hate to be interrupted, but I would be grateful for another gift.” He grinned.

Ian did as told, while Sam moved up to Cal.

“Entrance?” Cal’s gaze shifted to Ian, but only for a second before Lester interrupted his view and showed him the syringe in his hand with an expression of bliss. “That scared you before, right?”

“G-get this away from me.” Cal’s voice trembled, and his breathing grew shallow. “Don’t come closer!!” His movements grew more agitated, thrashing at the restraints, yet they refused to even budge an inch. Sigal, please…

Lester eyed him for a little while before he flicked the syringe. “You are a special case, aren’t you? I think I will enjoy this more than I did with my other victims.” He smiled. “Amuse me, will you?”

“Don’t…” Cal shook his head in a pleading manner. “Please, stop!”

Not this...just not this…Why?

Lester sighed at Cal’s futile struggle before he said, “Shut him up.”

“Don’t do this!! Please!!! Stop!!!” Cal screamed in agony, but in the next moment, Sam covered his mouth. He leaned forward and whispered into his ear, “No one will come to save you. No one cares about you.”

Cal froze. He recalled that he had heard these words before, a long time ago.

“Hold him down! If he moves, it will just get messy,” Lester ordered. He grabbed Cal’s arm, while Sam pressed him down by his shoulder.

Tears filled Cal’s eyes; he trembled all over. He stared at the wall, hoping, praying, but nothing happened…no one came, no one cared. As the needle pierced his skin, a muffled cry echoed in the relatively empty space, and along with it, all hope crumbled, drifting into a sea of despair. He squeezed his eyes shut, and tears rolled down his cheeks.