Disturbed Things, Shannon Sabotage [books you need to read txt] 📗

way back with Demetrius, Emma looked so pale and clearly was having trouble walking. I helped her by wrapping her arm around my shoulders and wrapping my arm around her waist. She had a better time with that, but not so much that I could let go. We reached the hall our headquarters was on and walked down it. We approached the door and Demetrius placed his hand on the plate outside of the large metallic door. There was a click I hadn’t noticed before and the door slide open. Emma and I walked inside taking our time and leaving Demetrius behind. I closed the door once I had set Emma on the bed. There was another click and it was closed. I sat beside Emma on the bed and sighed.
“There’s no going back now…” Emma said quietly.
“I know…I hope this works out.”
“Me too.” After that little conversation we both started drifting off in each others’ arms.


Xanthus
I woke up and Emma was gone. I looked around there was a big dent in the middle of the metal wall in from of me. I found broken glass scattered on the floor. I watched where I stepped and made it to the door. I pushed on it and it opened slowly and I quietly looked out the door. There was no one in the hall. I tiptoed my way out and made my way down the hall. There seemed to be no one in the whole building from the quiet. I heard a voice and saw a light coming from a room a few doors down on my left. I walked to it quietly and heard Professor Demidov and her son talking in hushed voices. I placed my hands on the doorframe and looked inside the room. I watched Professor Demidov’s expression go from cheerful to a slight disappointed. Demetrius frowned and said he should go. He started to walk towards the door and I panicked. I flew down the hallway with my steps light and quiet. I ran behind my headquarters door and watched through a small crack in between the door and the wall. Demetrius walked past my door cussing under his breath saying that he should’ve kept it to himself. What should’ve he kept to himself? As he made his way to the end of the hall and made a left I opened my door and walked back to the room where Professor Demidov was. I slowly slipped in and she sat on a desk with her legs crossed and her flats hanging from her toes.
“Is everything alright?” I asked quietly. Professor Demidov looked up from her hands and at me. She smiled lightly and stood. I looked down at her and watched her come towards me. She spoke lightly with kindness.
“Everything is perfect. Thank you for asking.” I smiled lightly trying not to show that I saw what happened and heard some of the conversation. I decided to change the subject.
“Where’s Emma?”
“Oh she’s outside with our experimental horses.” I smiled, Emma liked strange creatures, and maybe this would be a good place to be for a while.
“Where is the stable?”
“I’ll show you. Follow me.” She walked out the room and I trailed behind her. We came to an exit door I had never seen before. Like all the other doors there was a hand print plate outside of it beside the knob. She placed her hand on it, a blue light scanned her hand and the door slide open letting a pale light come in from outside. She pushed the door open and I stepped outside after her. I closed the door and followed her as she walked across a field of emerald green grass. I saw the stable and ran past Professor Demidov towards it. I tripped and fell but got right back up. I pried the stable doors open and looked around. I stood in front of a big blonde horse it was at least eight feet tall. Its coat was thick and soft. I smoothed it out gently with the palm of my hand when I heard Professor Riggings yell.
“You stupid boy! Get away from Xanthus!” As he shouted the horse kicked at the stable door. Nails snapped and the wood split and the door was soon mangled wood. The horse ran out of the stable and out onto the plain. Professor Demidov and Professor Riggings ran after the horse I couldn’t help but laugh. I covered my mouth to hide my smile and to muffle my laughter. I heard a shuffle behind me and turned around quickly. Emma stood there in a white dress that dangled just below her knees. It had black lace around the bottom of both sleeves and was sewed along the hem. I smiled, these dresses she wore suited her in every way. She looked up from her boots and smiled at me.
“I really like these horses…especially Xanthus.” I smiled and straightened my shirt out. I gazed out onto the plain watching Professor Demidov chase after Xanthus. Professor Riggings was nowhere in sight. He probably went inside the base to get a tranquilizer gun. Xanthus jumped a gate and ran past a forest far away that’s when Professor Demidov stopped trying to catch him.
She came back to us breathless and panting. No sweat was pouring out of her skin and she didn’t look like she had run around trying to catch a horse. Probably effects from her experimenting on herself over the years.
“That horse is fast for seven years of age.” Emma giggled lightly with her hand over her mouth. I smiled at her and saw Xanthus ran across the plain.
“I’ll get him.” I jumped over the fence of the stable and ran after the horse.
“No! He’s aggressive! He’ll only trample you!” Professor Demidov shouted but I barley heard her over the clomping of Xanthus’ hooves. I ran beside of him with my hair blowing back out of my face. I got a grip on the side of his saddle and hoisted myself up onto his back. My legs pounded on the sides of his lower back. I held on tight as he charged through a fence.
“Kyler!” Emma shouted, but I couldn’t answer I was breathless. Xanthus stood on his hind legs and threw me off. I fell to the ground with shards of wood sticking my arms and back. I heard a scream and horse whines followed with a loud thud and the ground shook. I sat up on my elbows and looked forward. Xanthus lied on the ground knocked out. Professor Riggings walked toward him and pulled out a large needle from his thigh. I looked directly into Professor Riggings’ eyes and they were stone cold. He was much more different when we first met a few days ago. Now, he had changed and I had slowly developed a deep loathing for this man. Everything he did made me furious and I no longer thought of him as a man I could trust but a man where I must be careful around.
“Charles, why’d you do that?!” Professor Demidov shouted at him waving her arms around in frustration. He shook his head with a slight smile. I questioned this, he never smiled really only at Professor Demidov and I had never seen him around Demetrius. I still wondered about if he were Demetrius’ father. I gave a little shake of my head clearing my head of this thought. I looked up at Emma who was now kneeling down beside me in the grass. She smoothed out the bottom of her dress and smiled at me the way my mother used to.
“You alright? You took a pretty hard fall when Xanthus threw you off.” I nodded lightly ignoring the headache I had now. Emma glanced at Professor Demidov and Professor Riggings who were now talking in hushed voices.
“Do you ever feel like they’re always talking about us?” Emma asked looking away from them and focusing on me.
“Sometimes, but most of the time I think they’re secret lovers. And Demetrius is their love child.” Emma laughed and stood. I pushed up on my left knee and stood a little wobbly and dizzy. I held onto a stack of hay off to my right. When the world stopped spinning I let go and walked up to Xanthus who was still lying in the grass. He was calmer and sweet now that he was woozy from whatever Professor Riggings had injected him with. I wonder if they do this to a lot of ‘experiments’. I thought about this for a while.
Xanthus started to wake up slowly and pushed up with his strong thick legs. His legs wiggled and his muscles throbbed. I stepped closer and unbuckled the saddle from around his back. He looked back at me and that was the first time I noticed his green eyes, greener than mine. His long mane swayed when he turned away from me. It was curly and thick, probably very hard to comb through. He was a Clydesdale horse, strongest I’ve ever seen. Professor Demidov looked at me with a scared expression.
“Kyler…be careful.” I nodded and climbed onto Xanthus’ back. Emma looked up at me and I held my hand out. She smiled and grabbed it lightly, and I pulled her up. She wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed her cheek against my back. Xanthus was calm and collected, thank god. One slight kick on his stomach and he was moving. He strolled past Professor Demidov and Professor Riggings. They stared like they had never seen someone ride a horse before-maybe no one had ever touched Xanthus.
Xanthus galloped around the border of the fence and came to a stop at the gate. I kicked his side lightly; he backed up slowly, and walked back to the stable. I swung my leg to the side rejoining with my other leg and sliding down Xanthus’ side. My feet hit the ground and I stood. Emma swung her legs to one side and jumped down. She smoothed out her dress and Xanthus walked into his pen. I closed and latched the gate and Professor Demidov turned to look at Emma and me. Her expression left me grave as she walked off. I looked to Emma and she flinched.
“I want to go inside now, please?” I nodded and we walked after Professor Demidov. Emma walked beside me with a little skip to her walk. I smiled and looked at Professor Demidov from behind. Her hair was bouncing up and down and curls brushed the back of her neck. The back of her flats were scuffed and gray under the black leather. Her lab coat had grass stains on the back with hay and dirt covering the back. We walked in after her through the exit door we came out of.


No Longer Human
The door slammed shut and clicked behind us. Emma slightly flinched from the door slamming. We followed Professor Demidov down the narrow hallway and into a dark room. She flipped a switch and a yellowish light flooded the room’s walls and gathered in the center of the tiled floor. Professor Demidov spoke softly,
“It’s about time I see how you two are doing with the injections.” There was a long pause before she instructed us to sit down on the hospital beds to her right. She tapped the end of a syringe and stabbed it through my left arm, I gasped and the last thing I saw was Professor Riggings entering my vision.
I woke up about I’m guessing a hour later. I shook my head back and forth with my vision blurry. I squinted hard and