Chapter 62 - Callahan

Keep your cool.

" T his is how it has to be."

I opened my eyes and the room around me spun. My vision was dark, and I couldn't see clearly. Where was I?

Fred Astaire played on a record player, and the room looked like…

Was I back in the bunker?

I bolted up and tried to stand but found my hands bound behind my back. I fell forward with a thud. So were my ankles.

"Oh, you're awake. I was hoping you wouldn't have to see this."

I recognized Myrtle's voice, and slowly things began to return to me.

We'd made it to the TEST headquarters. We'd found Eleanor's ageless mother, and she'd gone berserk after we asked too many questions.

I squirmed, trying to get upright.

"Why am I tied up?" I demanded.

"Because you fought me. Bad behavior will not go unpunished. Now, if you stop moving, I'll help you sit up." She stalked over and yanked me up, shoving me hard against the wall. I looked around and saw the others in the same condition. Cherry, Soda, Bonnie, and Boone were placed along the wall, scattered throughout the room. Everyone had their wrists and ankles bound, and Boone had something over his mouth.

I tugged on my binds, but they were made of something that tightened the more I resisted. It bit deep into my skin. I had to stop or I'd risk hurting myself. I watched with daggers in my eyes as Myrtle waltzed to the record player and switched records. Bernadette Carroll filled the room and Myrtle danced around the room to the music.

She was nothing like Eleanor, and yet, so eerily similar. They had the same spoiled, entitled attitude, but while Eleanor was all that was good, Myrtle was the opposite. Eleanor would never do something like this.

Myrtle came over to me, crouching down. She tried to kiss me, but I turned my head. Her cold, dry lips landed on my cheek.

"What, do you not like me?" She pouted.

"I do not," I spat. "What would make you think I'd like someone who attacked me and my friends?"

"I did what I had to do." She shrugged, and wandered over to the table, where a suitcase was resting on it. She unlocked it and tossed it open. "And the same goes for what I'm about to do. You have all proven you can't be trusted."

Myrtle dug in the suitcase and pulled out a syringe. She uncapped the needle and fear ran up my spine.

"Most of the bunkers ran on injections. Some were mild, just vaccines to keep us healthy. Others were more intense. Some were downright scary." She giggled. I began to panic. She was waving that syringe too wildly for my comfort.

"Finding this building was like finding the holy grail. Inside each unit, they kept the original blueprints and plans for the bunkers. So now, anyone with access to the units can replicate the original experiments. Care to guess which bunker I took this one from?" She raised the syringe and showed the room. The liquid inside was glowing orange.

No one answered her, which she didn't seem to care about so she continued her monologue.

"It's from the 49 th floor. Bunkers 490-499 experimented with emotions. Each one injected their inhabitants with an extreme amount of a drug that would overstimulate the brain, causing them to feel that specific emotion to an unhealthy amount. Some bunkers went mad, others went feral, others well… only one bunker survived. The happy one. But, that's not the one I took from. Which emotion do you think this could be?"

She waited for a response, and when she wasn't satisfied with the continued silence, she huffed.

"Let's just see." Her words were cold and dry.

She stormed over to Bonnie, and the room erupted. We fought to get to her, screaming for her not to do it. Bonnie sobbed as she attempted to wiggle away, but being bound, it was futile. Myrtle snatched Bonnie up by her hair and stuck the needle deep into her neck, plunging the drug into her blood.

Myrtle dropped her to the floor; Bonnie didn't move. Myrtle went to the record player and put on Elvis. We stared at the limp body in the middle of the room as Myrtle danced around, as if she were having the time of her life.

Suddenly, Bonnie's arms twitched. She broke her bonds and jumped to her feet. Myrtle turned, as if expecting this. Bonnie's eyes were red. She was enraged. Her chest rose and fell heavily as she seemed to be preparing to charge at Myrtle.

Myrtle smiled and went to the suitcase, pulling out another syringe. Bonnie charged with a growl and as their bodies collided, the syringe went deep into Bonnie's belly. She collapsed, but was breathing.

"Anger. She's now an emotionless killing machine. I should probably take her out of here --lock her away so she doesn't hurt anyone." Myrtle dragged her out of the room and returned sometime later, smiling. She rubbed her hands together. "Who's next?"

"You crazy bitch," Cherry snarled.

"You then." Myrtle grabbed another syringe and without skipping a beat marched up to Cherry and stuck her. In a flash, Cherry's face erupted in brown hair. Her neck, ears, and everything else was covered in the same fuzzy hair. Cherry screamed.

"Floor 24, animals." Myrtle laughed.

Cherry's cries were cut off by an unnatural growl coming from her throat.

Her hands began to morph, and her face was shifting to something bear-like.

"Oof, she'll want to tear your faces off soon. Let me get her out of here." Myrtle muttered, and dragged her away too.

While she was gone, Soda, Boone, and I stared at each other. What did she have planned for us?

"If she gives me something bad, just kill me," Soda said mournfully. "I don't want to live as an animal."

Boone's mouth was covered, making him unable to speak. He fought his restraints, making it to his feet, but Myrtle came in just as he stood, and she pushed him back down.

"Nice try. I have plans for you three."

Myrtle went to the suitcase and pulled out three syringes full of a liquid that was a sparkly, light blue.

"I don't know how much you know, but one of the side effects of those little pink pills they give the Young Ladies is immortality. They don't do this as a gift. They added that little bit to be able to experiment on us for as long as they want." She turned to me. "Did you know that bunker 237 still has the first 15 Young Ladies down there? They're locked away in their own small section of the bunker, where they're still tested on. They're almost 300 years old and look like they're 20. That was meant to be my fate, but I changed that. I get to make my own fate."

She flashed the syringes.

"These took a long time to find. Almost a year, actually. Gary keeps the good stuff locked away. He's an annoying bastard, isn't he? I've had to hide and sneak around for so long, but I finally secured the vials I needed and had them prepped and ready to go for when you got here. Although, I'd thought Riot would be here."

She frowned, and then looked to Boone.

"But, you're pretty handsome. You'll do."

Boone's eyes grew wide and he shook his head furiously.

"What do you mean? What are you planning on doing with us?" I asked. While I was terrified of the syringes, I wasn't afraid of her. She turned her head slowly toward me, as if she was angry I had the audacity to speak.

She plopped down on the ground, setting the needles down beside her. She smoothed out her dress, and suddenly she looked innocent, like the Young Lady she had once been.

"Bunker 237 made it so I'd always look young. I tried to acclimate, but the only men who are interested are perverts. They don't see me, they see my child-like features, and want me to act the part. Even Riot, he never saw me as anything more than someone who needed help. I tried to find love but no one wants someone who will never age. So, if I can't get it naturally, I'll just have to force it."

She grabbed the needles and stood. She looked at me, and shook her head.

"This is how it has to be."