(Dennis's

POV)

The car hummed softly as the driver navigated the road toward the center. The inspection day was now inescapable, like it was literally that day. I stared out the window and watched as my reflection stared back at me in the glass a woman composed and unreadable. But inside? A shitty mess.

I tightened my grip on the leather bag in my lap. A part of me still couldn't believe I was doing this again. Stepping foot into the very place I swore I'd never return to. But Dr. Aurora's words from years ago echoed in my mind. "Freedom has a price, Dennis. Are you willing to pay it?"

The memory hit me like a fist to the stomach, dragging me back to a time when I wasn't in control-when my survival depended on my ability to comply, to nod and smile and accept the unimaginable.

•

(Flashback)

I was patient #271. At least, that's what the small tag on my wrist said. My real name didn't matter here.

The center was a maze of cold hallways and inaudible nightmares. Every corner held cameras, and every shadow held secrets. I didn't remember how I got here only that one day, I woke up strapped to a bed with lights glaring down at me and a woman in a white lab coat peering into my soul.

Her lab coat was too white...

Dr. Aurora.

Her smile was purely predatory. "Welcome, Dennis. You'll adjust soon enough."

Adjust. That was what they called it. The injections, the isolation, the endless psychological "evaluations." Adjusting meant breaking-breaking us down until there was nothing left but obedience.

But I wasn't like the others. I didn't adjust. I watched. I listened. I learned. And after months of playing their game, I saw my chance.

It was during one of the inspections-Aurora's inspections. The staff got so nervous and super eager. whenever she visited. That day, I overheard a conversation I wasn't supposed to.

A new batch of patients was arriving, but one had escaped during transport. The guards were panicking, and Aurora was furious. I realized then that even this place, this fortress of nightmares, wasn't infallible.

I used the chaos to slip into a restricted area, stole a lab coat and blended in. The escape was full of adrenaline and desperation, but I made it. Somehow, I made it.

•

But freedom came with strings.

Weeks later, Aurora found me. I'd thought I was safe to rebuild my life piece by piece. But she reminded me that no one truly escapes her grasp.

"You're resourceful," she'd said, almost... admiringly. "I can use that. Here's the deal, Dennis. I let you live your pretty little life, and in return, you send me recruits. People who won't be missed." I'd hesitated, horror and shame clawing at my throat. But what choice did I have? She owned me.

•

(Present Day)

The center came into view. It was a monolithic structure that seemed to swallow the horizon. My stomach grew more upset as the driver pulled up to the gates.

Hendrix. Angel. Their names were a weight in my chest, heavier than I could bear. My stepson and my daughter. My family. And I had betrayed them.

The thought of Angel's bright eyes dimming, of Hendrix's sharp wit dulled by the center's grip, made my knees weak. But what could I do?

Aurora's grip on me was as strong as it had ever been. And yet, as I walked through the gates, a small voice whispered in my mind.

Maybe it's time to stop running. Maybe it's time to fight back.

•

(Dr. Joe's POV)

Inspection days were always chaotic, but this one was different.

The air in the center was thick with tension, and I could feel it in my bones. The staff moved like ants, scrambling to ensure every detail was perfect. No loose ends. No mistakes. But something wasn't right.

I stood in my office, watching the security feeds. Patients moved through the halls with blank and obedient faces. At least, most of them. A select few-Angel, Hendrix, and their little band of misfits-were anything but. They thought they were clever, sneaking around and whispering among themselves in corners. But I saw everything.

•

I flipped through the reports on my desk and scanned for inconsistencies. The patient logs. The medication inventories. The security schedules. Something was off, but I couldn't put my finger on it. "Sir?"

A voice interrupted my thoughts. It was one of the guards, standing stiffly in the doorway.

"Yes?" I snapped. 

"Everything is prepared for the inspection," he said. "Dr. Aurora will arrive shortly."noveldrama

I nodded and dismissed him with a wave. As the door closed, I leaned back in my chair, trying to settle my racing mind.

Aurora's inspections were brutal. She had a way of exposing every flaw and weakness. And if she found any today, it wouldn't just be my head on the chopping block-it would be the entire center.

I tapped a pen against my desk and shifted my gaze back to the security feeds. Angel's face appeared on one of the monitors. She looked pretty determined. She was always scheming, always pushing boundaries. What are you planning, little girl?

The door to my office opened again, and this time it was Dr. Nixon. She looked as frazzled as I'd ever seen her, holding a stack of papers.

"Joe," her voice trembled. "We need to talk."

"Not now," I said and waved her off.

"But-"

"I said not now!" My voice echoed through the room, and she flinched. Her face went pale.

She left without another word, and I returned my focus to the feeds.

Something was coming. I could feel it.

•

As the clock ticked closer to Aurora's arrival, I tightened security across the board. Guards were stationed at every entrance, and additional patrols swept the restricted areas. But no matter how much I prepared, that uneasiness still remained.

Inspection days were always unpredictable. And this one?

This one felt like the calm before a very heavy storm.