While watching out of the window, I had to sigh. It had already been raining for the whole day, and it didn't seem like it would stop anytime soon. I was the only one left in the changing room of my local baseball court. We lost our training game against our underclassmen pretty hard and my current mood reflected that quite obviously.

I packed my backpack, to which I also attached my baseball bat. The reason for me still waiting inside the changing room being that I forgot my umbrella at home and hoped for the weather to clear up.

But since that didn't seem to happen any time soon, I stepped through the door heading straight towards my home – taking all the shortcuts I know, in hopes of not getting completely soaked. Although the original plan was to buy some groceries on my way back, I now just wanted to get back home and read some books.

However, while being lost in thoughts, I spotted something strange. A girl around my age seemed to get harassed by two older people in black coats. Today really nothing went according to plan… I didn't have any martial arts experience to speak of, but I was somewhat confident in my physical strength. I also had my baseball bat attached to the side of the backpack, which I could use as a weapon if worse comes to worst…

As I approached the incident and saw the girl's face, I instantly recognized her: She was Kaitlyn Harris from my class. Always paying attention to class and studying very hard; that kind of girl. But while she was very good in school, she neglected her personal life a bit too much to the point where she had basically no friends. Always only being interested in science to the point where everything she did is based on whether it will help her gain knowledge about different science topics. But now wasn't the time to think about such things; I had to help her!

"Hey, Kaitlyn! Are these friends of yours?" I should try to solve this peacefully, if possible.

Kaitlyn hadn't noticed me yet, so when I spoke up, she looked a bit surprised, but also somewhat disoriented. However, before she could answer my question one of the two hooded people turned towards me. "I think you should stop asking questions now, or it might end very badly for you." Speaking to me was a middle-aged woman who stood in front of me. Her tone was hostile but strangely calm, as if she was already certain of the outcome of this conversation.

"Ma'am, I really don't want to bother you, but she is a friend of mine," I replied, "and we wanted to meet each other after school." This was a complete lie, as I had never even talked to her before, but it was still the most effective solution to getting someone out of such a situation. Under normal circumstances.

"Sorry, boy, but we have to take her with us, and we don't have any time to waste on someone like you." The woman grabbed Kaitlyn by the wrist and started dragging her in the direction of a black van, which stood parked nearby. While Kaitlyn still seemed a bit confused, she started to struggle against the woman.

If I didn't help her now, she'd get kidnapped! Without thinking, I grabbed the bat on the side of my backpack and threw the backpack to the ground. However, before completely finishing these preparations, the second cloaked person started to move. Extremely quickly at that! I couldn't react in time and felt his boot burying into my stomach. Damn, I was already on my knees and I hadn't even started to fight. When I could gather the strength to stand up again, I saw a revolver pointed at my forehead.

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"You're coming with us, too.", the man holding the revolver told me in a deep voice. I should have just ran away, when I saw these guys – this is a fight I couldn't win. "Why do you do this? What do you get from kidnapping children?" "You're asking too many questions. Guess we're doing this the other way…" He started moving again and before I could react, he hit me on my temple with the grip of his gun, and the world around me faded.

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When waking up again, I found myself in what looked like a medical room. This wouldn't be that bad, if it wasn't for the fact that I was tied to an operating table. Panic started rising in me. Why does this shit happen to me? How the fuck could I get out of this ridiculous situation?!

While still busy with panicking, I started hearing footsteps coming closer to me. Then the door opened and at me looked the woman which had grabbed Kaitlyn. Since she didn't wear a cloak this time, I could clearly see her emotionless face and blonde hair, which was bound together in a short ponytail.

"So you're finally awake? It would probably have been more pleasant for you if you'd been unconscious for a bit longer. This stuff can be a bit… nauseating." She spoke those words as if she was pitying me, but I didn't feel any sympathy from her at all. When the woman started walking towards a nearby cabinet, I asked her the only thing I could think of: "What are you going to do to me? Why are you doing all of this?" "You might understand it someday. Or you might not. But for now, just be quiet and let me give you your next dose."

Next dose? What was she talking about? When she turned to me again, I get my question answered immediately. In her hand, she was holding a syringe containing a dark purple liquid. I had never seen such a thing before, but I'm damn sure that's bad news. When she stepped next to me, I tried to free myself, but my hands and legs were strapped securely to the table. Ignoring my struggle, she prepared the syringe and injected the liquid into my veins.

Just as I thought things couldn't get any worse, I saw something else. Right next to where she injected me with the syringe, I could see multiple other puncture sites. Had they really been doing this to me already while I was still unconscious? That would at least imply this stuff wasn't completely fatal. But even if it wasn't fatal, I already started feeling nauseous.

"Here is a bucket, if you have to puke. It makes it easier for me to clean up the mess." The woman told me with her always monotonous voice.

"As if I'd care about your clean-up!", I tried sounding determined, but at this point the medicine already gave me such a headache I couldn't think straight anymore. "What is this stuff anyway!?" Instead of answering, the woman just turned around and left the room.

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I'm not sure how much time had passed, it had probably been multiple hours… I wondered if Kaitlyn was ok. That woman had come and gone multiple times since I first woke up. Each time giving me one of these strange shots. I was feeling ill and the whole room smelled like vomit. With each passing injection I felt worse, and if things kept going this way I was sure I'd die… Yet I didn't even have any strength anymore to try and fight back.

I already started hearing her footsteps again. It was always been the same procedure. She came, gave me an injection and then went without answering any of my questions.

But this time, when turning around after searching for the syringe in the cabinet, she was holding a much larger one than usual.

"Don't worry, Arthur. This is gonna be the last one."

I had already guessed I wouldn't get out of this room alive, and while I still felt the fear of death, a part of what she told me was scaring me, too.

"How do you know my name? Did Kaitlyn tell you?"

But instead of answering my question, she evaded the question by telling me another thing I didn't want to know: "You're still worrying about her? Don't worry, she'll leave this world, just like you."

Damn. So that's how I'd die.

I felt the needle puncturing my skin and this sickening liquid entering my body.

I felt dizzy and noticed the world around me getting dark.

Then – I felt nothing.