Subject D4RK

3

With a few steady steps forward you entered the new space, your body cautious and buzzing with excitement. To your right, there was the glass cell subject D4RK was held in, still lying motionless on the small bed. It or...he might be sleeping, you thought but there's still a possibility he was wide awake.

You stepped closer to the clear glass wall, tempted to press your palm against it, but decided against it. The man- Mark was facing away from the glass, having his back turned to you. You could see that he was slightly underfed, with his dark almost shoulder length hair grown out messily.

How long has he been here for?

You heard a clank to your left and turned in the direction, picking up the glass test tube that somehow rolled from the table, luckily staying in one piece. "Huh...weird." You murmured to yourself and put it away into your coat to keep it safe. Straightening yourself again you looked back through the glass.

Your heart jumped out of your chest as you flinched away from it, stumbling back with a quick breath as you tried to remain calm.

Mark was standing right against the glass, almost touching you if the barrier wasn't there. He was standing straight with his hands neatly held behind his back as he observed you with a blank, neutral expression. After seconds of simply staring he moved his hands down at his sides, the previously blank look turning into concern.

"I'm sorry if I scared you."

Mark said...though you couldn't be completely sure it was him. His voice was smooth and low. Soft. It took you a few moments and you straightened yourself too, taking a breath through your nose. "Just a bit." You responded, the answer causing a small smile to appear on his face.

"Just a bit." He echoed your words and hummed softly. "Honesty- I can respect that." He sounded...tired. You wondered what he's been through, but you didn't have any records of what they did to it...and him. Should you ask? It was probably a touchy subject, so you decided to maybe wait. "You must be Mark?" You asked in question, and he nodded as he sat on the bed.

You followed his movements and he looked in your eyes with sadness. "Are you afraid of me?" He asked and your brows furrowed. "Why would I be afraid of you?" You sent a question back, pulling a chair in front of the glass. "You know why..." He whispered like if he were to speak any louder, something bad would happen.

"Well...I guess I'll just have to wait and see. I like to experience and decide things for myself, not because of something that's written. You saw a quick sad smile form on his face and he looked at you through the hair that had fallen over his eyes. "Believe me...you should be..."

With a small breath, both of you sat in silence until Mark decided to break it. "What's your name? Well...if you don't mind..." He corrected himself quickly, not wanting to sound demanding. You thought for a bit before deciding and smiling gently.

"I'm Y/n." You responded and saw him smile too. "Mark." He responded, and you could tell that he knew that you already knew who he was. "Nice meeting you, Mark." You smiled brighter, and it seemed to be infectious since he smiled back yet again. "This is the first time someone has talked to me in here...besides spitting curse words at me." He added slowly and avoided eye contact.

This made you frown. "That must have been terrible...I'm sorry." He let out a small chuckle and smiled up at you. "You're the first to actually treat me as a person... Thank you." You felt bad for him... "You don't have to thank me. It's fine." You got up and returned the test tube to its place on the table and took a quick glance over the equipment.

Your eyes landed on a mini fridge under the desk, making you glance back at Mark again. You looked inside, the sight making you cringe. There was something that looked like food, the wrapping labeled 'for Subject D4RK'. You couldn't even tell what the hell it was.

"They feed you these?" You asked, disgust clear in your voice and from your expression. "Yeah..." He replied soon after. "Promise it's not as bad as it looks...I think...I'm kinda used to it already, so it's no problem." You took the 'food' out and examined it. "What the hell is it?" You asked another question, though Mark didn't seem to be bothered by it.

"Not sure," He shrugged. "Though it's modified in a certain way as far as I heard. Don't know how or what's in it, but it's the only thing I get. So it's either eat it or starve." You listened to him talk and sat down, hearing a beep and a vibration in your pocket. You pulled out a small glass tablet-like screen, tapping it twice to turn it on, revealing a new message.

'Subject D4RK has a special diet. The food we feed it is modified. It makes sure that its 'vessel' isn't at full power, therefore it isn't at full power. It is getting enough substances to stay alive, so don't be worried about its condition. You are not allowed to feed it more than 5 packets per day. We trust you to follow these instructions, and if you are questioning our decisions, please know that this is for your and other people's safety.'

You put the tablet on the table and eyed the packet, poking it with your finger, watching the brown sludge adapt to the pressure of your finger. It looked almost rotten... How can he eat this stuff? Couldn't they at least make it look more... appetizing?

You scrolled down, revealing more of the message and continued scanning the text.

'You may be asking yourself how you are supposed to feed Subject D4RK since previous instructions forbid you from opening the cell. The answer is quite simple. On your desk, you can find a blue button.'

You searched around with your eyes and soon found the button they mentioned, taking note of it.

'By pressing it you active the knockout gas that takes effect under 60 seconds, and will buy you approximately 5 minutes minimum before the Subject will regain consciousness. Do not try entering the cell while the Subject is still in the process of losing or regaining consciousness, due to your safety. Remember- you can never know who you are talking to. Stay wary and immediately report any and all changes'

6:00 AM

9:00 AM

12:00 AM

3:00 PM

6:00 PM

Those were timestamps of when you are supposed to feed it...feed Mark.