Chapter 3: The Device
I turn my wheel to the right, following the curve in the road. No one uses this road, and Im okay with that. I turn the volume down on my car stereo as i narrow my eyes. There in the middle of the street is a figure in a black cloak. I honk my horn, watching him just stand there. He clearly isnt going to move for me, so i slow down to a hault. I roll my window down, watching him intently with my headlights beaming on him.
"Hey! " I shout at him. Why isnt he doing anything?
I grab the latch of my car door, allowing myself out of the vehicle before walking over to the strange man. I know i shoudnt leave my door open, but this person seems to be not okay.
"Sir, are you okay? Do you need help? I can call-" He throws his arm backwards into my face. I fall to the ground hard, slamming my head into the asphalt. I grab the back of my skull as i look at him. I can feel the blood starting to drip down my hand and back.
"The only one who needs help here, is you, " he spits with venom in his tone. I immediately recognize that voice. The guy from class.
"Wh-what? Why do I need help?" I stammer, trying to scramble to my feet. The man picks his foot up and swings it forward. It connects with my face and I drop back down to the ground. I grab my face, trying to keep from losing anymore blood. He bends down on one knee in front of me. He grabs my chin, and forces me to look at him. He has those same purple eyes. The same white hair. The same favorable facial features.
He brings his other hand to my throat. I swallow against his fingers, making it even more obvious that i am fearful of this man. "Youll see, " He chuckles with a menacing smirk before gripping my throat. I grab his wrist, trying to pull him away. I kick my feet up into his body. All attempts at escape were failing. I stared at those swirling eyes that seemed to glow, as i watched my world fade to a discomforting shade of black.
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"I dont think i can, " I hear an unfamiliar voice invade my ears. I open my eyes, but am only met with a dark cloth covering my view. I try and pull my hands up to remove the obstacle, though its impossible with the chains binding them to the chair.
"And why cant you, Nephthys?" The man who had just knocked me out in front of my car, had barked back. Master? He had slaves? Who was this man? and who was Nephthys?
"I dont think it will work, " The woman answered to him. I could hear the fear in her voice, as though shes worried he will harm her. Shit, he probably will. I hope not. I dont want to see him hurt somebody else.
A low growl escapes from his lips. "Just do it!" his words send shivers down my back. I whimper against the cloth on my face. He sounds so angry.
Footsteps descend out of the area, as other ones come towards me. I feel my body tense up like a rock in the ocean as they approach me. I clench my eyes shut as the cloth is removed from my face.
"Its okay. You can look now, " Nephthys reassures me. She seems less scared now. Almost sympathetic.
I open my eyes to find a beautiful woman. Shes about my height, at 5'1", with haunting black eyes. She has vibrant pink hair that reaches just below her breasts, with a frail looking body.
"Who are you? Where am I? " I begin to panic. I observe my surroundings to find that i am in a dark room. It looks like a basement, with concrete walls and floors. I see a workbench with some sort of device on it, and the support beams holding the place up
Nephthys cups her hand around my cheek, doing her best to comfort me. "I am Nephthys. I work for that man. His name is Alucard. I hate
that your in this predicament, but my hands are tied, Love, " She takes her hand away and walks over to the table. Her black dress flows freely behind her.
"Im sorry to tell you, but youre going to have to let me do this, " She sighs as she picks up the device. "You have to do this, because otherwise, he wont let you go, " she bites her lip gently. She turns around and walks forward, stopping in front of me once again.
I try and push myself backwards against the chair. "What is that?" I try and keep my voice steady against the fear building in my chest. She doesnt answer me as she places the device on my head. I shake against it, trying to make it so she cant continue whatever it is shes doing. In retaliation, she holds her hand up to me. Suddenly, i am unable to move. She isnt even touching me, but i am paralyzed. She makes her way behind me, and fumbles around with the mechanism. I hear a beep as something stabs into the back of my neck right below my skull. I let out a whimper as i hear an electronic whirring come from it. She then takes a tube with a sharp point, and stabs it deep into my stomach. I let out a blood curdling scream from the depths of my throat.
"You can get out of this, but you have to trust me, " she whispers. I can tell by the way she looks at me that she doesnt want to do this. Trust her? Why should I trust her? I dont even know her. i swallow the agony i feel from my abdomen and let her continue.
"Neither me, or Alucard want this. We dont like killing people. We are simply doing what we have to, to save our kind. I hope you can understand that, " She raises her eyebrows at me questioningly.
Something in me tells me I should believe her. Even if she isnt telling the truth, she knows how i can make it out of this alive. I need to at least try and get it out of her.
She nods, as if she can hear my thoughts. "This device is made to harvest Cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that is naturally produced during stressful moments. Im sure you know that, given that you spent years studying epidemiology and space," She looks at me for confirmation.
I nod to the best of my ability, waiting for her to proceed as i choke down the pain.
Nephthys smiles warmly at me. "The problem with this, is we need to induce this. We cant get enough of it simply by having you sit here, " she trails off. I can tell she doesnt want to continue explaining it. She sighs heavily. "that is why we have this, " She pulls out a vile, green in color. She swishes the liquid around. "this will make you relive your worst moments, " she swallows, pursing her lips. she closes her eyes in dissatisfaction. "and, " she starts back up again. She begins chewing on the skin of her bottom lip. "If that doesnt work well enough, the device will administer the acid from your stomach, into your bloodstream," she quickly forces out the last part of her explanation.
I look at her in pure horror. Why would anyone do this? Why me? Why do they need this? How will this save anyone? Someone please help me.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
-- Power
stone