The Experiment P.40

"He told me to help him." Marcus whispered, a look of pure fear written all over his face.

Lydia gasped. "You mean..?"

"Yes." Marcus sighed. "I used to be very good friends with Jonah. We lived in the same little town. He was quite a few years older, but that didn't matter. We were brothers at heart." Marcus sighed, rubbing his head.

"He was brave, healthy. But there was something odd about him. Maybe it was the glint in his eyes that appeared one afternoon. But he was never the same after that."

"Then one day, Jonah left. Disappeared. His mother said he went exploring, but the rumors said otherwise."

Marcus looked at Lydia. "They said he had gone crazy. Went to an asylum. Thought he could make a contraption, thought he could find a way to face all his fears. He was in newspapers, on television. 'The Boy Gone Mad', that's what they called him. No one understood him but me."

"He was never found. But I was brought here one cold night. I was kidnapped from my home and thrown into a duffel bag. I woke up in front of Jonah. He asked me to help him with his experiment. He explained it carefully, telling me how it couldn't possibly fail."

"And what'd you say?" Lydia asked skeptically.

"I said no." Marcus murmured, caught up in his thoughts.

"After that, I tried to run away. I knew Jonah has went insane. But I was too slow. The Capters caught me and brought me back. Jonah decided he couldn't trust me, so they locked me up in one of those rooms. They kicked me, they whipped me. They put me in the worst possible situations you can think of."

Marcus looked at Lydia. "I was the first one there."

Lydia looked at Marcus, actually looked at him. She hadn't really taken a good look at him since they were all inside the tunnel. He had scars and scorch marks all over his skin, his arms and legs looked as if they had been broken many, many times.

Marcus caught her staring at him.

"After a while, Jonah noticed I was growing stronger, he knew his plan was working. I wasn't afraid of getting chased by a bear or getting an arm eaten off by an alligator, because they could just sew me back together."

Marcus's face had grown red. "I was their doll, their puppet."

"I can't even comprehend it." Lydia murmured. "Why would he do that to you, if you two were friends?"

Marcus sighed. "I don't know."

Jupiter was in front of Marcus and Lydia, listening intently to the duo's conversation. She knew she would have to act soon.

"I gotta pee!" she yelled at Tashie.

"Um, okay." Tashie said.

"I'll go behind that tree," Jupiter said. "I'll catch up with you in a few."

"Whatever," Tashie muttered, and kept walking.

Jupiter pulled out her gun as she walked behind the tree and squatted. She put in the bullet, and put her finger on the trigger.

Lydia walked by the tree, listening to Marcus.

Jupiter was an amazing shooter, this wouldn't, couldn't, fail. She needed the glory. She hated Lydia already. She didn't know why.

Lydia looked at the tree.

Jupiter aimed the gun between Lydia's eyes and gently pulled the trigger.