More Deadly Than Poison

More Deadly Than Poison

WARNING: Gore, Violence

I look at the strange liquid in front of me. If you could even call it that. The potion moved like sludge in the glass container. The residue streaking the sides like spoiled gravy. Hesitantly I lift the bottle to my lips. Unprepared for what comes next. The deep crimson color is almost unnatural. A soft glow emanates from the bottle. The very same color as the liquid itself. The pulsating of it taunts my cowardliness. I recall what would lead up to this point in my life.

The idea came to light on hallow eve, only 3 months prior to now. The thought had come to my coworker in a flash of brilliance. That's what she claims it was at least. Personally I would call it a vein of madness; for we were overworked, stressed, and two pots of coffee in. Regardless of how this logic was interpreted, it stuck. My coworker bounded over to me with a wild look in her eyes.

"Luke! I've got it! I've got it!" I looked up from the mounds of failed formulas.

"What is it Ann?" Hope found its way into my words.

We had been working for years on a way to unlock the brain. Early on we had concluded that something was there that had yet to be discovered. So we spent many days, weeks, months, and years working off of this belief. Time after time again we had failed, and then started over. Every time we thought we might have had a breakthrough I found myself hopeful. Even after we would discover that the breakthrough just led to a concrete wall.

"What if it was ingested?" She waited in anticipation. As the words registered I tried not to feel disappointed.

"I thought we already crossed that one off. The brain is not your stomach." She beamed at me with a look that seems to say, "I'm not done explaining yet". So I quieted down and looked expectantly at her.

"I know we've already gone over it!" She defended. "But listen for just a minute!" I gazed at her with a hint of doubt.

"Oh but look at the time! I best be going home to give the slop to the hogs!" I responded sarcastically. Ann glared at me. I cracked a sleep deprived smile.

"Thank you!" She said exasperatedly. She had finally got my attention. "We already know that the stomach and brain are a part of two different systems. But the stomach absorbs different nutrients and so on." I began to say something but she raised her hand to stop me. She rushed on, "Then those nutrients go to different parts of the body." She paused, then continued. "What if we made something in the brain that needed these specific chemicals we're making? Then we have the ingested chemicals sent into the brain." She finished the looked expectantly at me.

"You know...." I pondered for a moment, "...that might be possible." I grinned at her.

We wasted not a moment, and got to work.

We had slaved over this quart of liquid. Three months it took us to make this revolutionary prototype. In terms of the science world that is very quick. Mixed in with a substance that is unknown to the mortal world. Making a 75% chance that this will go catastrophically bad. There's only the two of us in the sterile room. Behind one way mirrors, doctors, physiologists, neurologists, and first aid wait patiently. Normally someone else that's not the scientist would drink this. But with no one else on the team, I'm the chosen one. This was of course decided by the gods of Rochambeau.

Ann stands behind a plastic shield with a clipboard. For safety reasons, all the "important" people stand behind the glass. Ann raises an eyebrow at my hesitance. Dread and excitement rip at my bones. Time to just bite the bullet.

I slam back the glass. The potion seeps into my mouth, an unwelcoming feeling. It tastes so much worse than it looks. Its texture is that of an uncooked snail. The flavor is like drinking electricity made with blood. I swallow.

Ann looks me over, then jots something down. I wait in a state of utter fear. I remember going over what was supposedly going to happen. The unknown substance in the liquid would make me crave the other chemicals in the potion. They would then be promptly transferred to the brain. My hands shake subtly at my sides. This was a bad idea, what was I thinking! Unknown substances? Three MONTHS? There surely had to be something that went wrong along the way. I give a weak smile at Ann. My last attempt to seem somewhat okay.

I feel a certain urge to go to bed and collapse. In a drowsy realization I'm aware that I'm going to pass out. Fatigue is grabbing a hold like wildfire. I begin to mutter something about being tired. That's when the blackness crowds into my eyes until it's the only remaining thing. I distantly hear a thump as pain erupts in my body. Shortly after unconsciousness finally appears.

I wake up in strangling sheets. The fluorescent lights above flicker familiarly. The smell of cleaning supplies blasts into my nose. Dazed, I see the face of Ann. She says something, and then a nurse pops in through the curtain.

"Quite the long fall you took there." She says warmly. I remember now what happened. The pain must have come from falling. I try to sit up to look at them more clearly. An ache through my whole body sends me back to a lying position.

"Honey I wouldn't try to sit up just yet. Your body is taking quite the toll as of now." A slight southern drawl slips into her voice.

"We're aware of what's to come, thank you." Snaps Ann. We hardly ever get recognition for our work.

"Yes well I'm just making sure, sugar." She looks over to me, "Your going to be bedridden for a day or two while your body and brain figure out what's happening." I sigh, I should have known that this would be the case. Ann notices this and adds,

"I can bring stuff for us to do when you're conscious." I smile gratefully at her.

"Thank you." The nurse also smiles and then leaves. Not long after I feel the familiar pull of sleep.

"You should go too. Or else I'm going to pass out in front of you." She grins and gets out of the chair to go.

"See you soon." She promises. I nod, and succumb to the waves of darkness.

Thoughts race through my head competing. Even though I'm technically asleep I feel each thought as clear as rain. A searing pain  in my head courses through me. For one blinding moment I think I can no longer take this excruciating pain. Then it stops. It leaves me with a new feeling. An openness one can not fathom to comprehend. It swells into my veins, bones and very spirit of me. With this flood of appreciation comes another sense. A darkness to match the light.

I awake once again to the blinding lights. No one is around. Curious, I turn to glance at the clock on the bedside table. It is at an angle that makes it impossible to see while laying down. I know very well that sitting up will not end well. Frustrated, I stare at the clock. It sits there undisturbed. Then it does something remarkable. It moves. Ever so slightly it moves towards me. My eyes widen with realization. I stare at the clock again. This time with concentration. It spins around violently to face me. I gasp at the turned clock. I rub my eyes then look again at the table. The time 1:30 blinks back at me. I laugh at this newfound information. How the world of science and medicine will be sorry they ever doubted us.

A different nurse peeks in.

"Everything alright?" She takes in my face, a face brimming with possibilities.

"Just wonderful." I respond, and I was feeling just that. Slowly I glance down at my sheets. I focus for only a moment before the roll back. With every waking moment I become more powerful. The nurse's eyes widened with horror. She darts out of the curtain. Most likely to find someone who knows what's going on. I laugh at her ignorance. Gently I rise to a sitting position. Then I swing my free legs out onto the linoleum. I remain in the same blank clothing as before. A black long sleeve with black pants. Although now I seem to be without shoes. I glare at the tattered blue curtain, it flies open. 

Hungry from the new potentials, I walk down the rows of plain beds. Some are covered with the same worn curtain, others are empty. I grin when I come up to a circular desk with busy nurses and doctors. One of them notices me and walks over.

“What are you doing out of your bed?” Concern flows through his eyes. I disregard his unimportant emotions.

“Where are the spectators for experiment 203 A?” I stare at him. He looks blankly back.

“I’m afraid I can’t disclose that.” I beam at him. Then I look over at the pen hanging from his shirt pocket. It lifts into the air with ease. Then it floats menacingly in front of his eye. He gasps in shock.

“Shhhhh. You shouldn’t be bringing attention to others. He nods.

“Follow me.” I grin as he speeds down an empty hallway. Practically skipping down the hall I follow. He leads me to a lounge type area with proper looking men in lab coats. They look at me with curiosity. A maleficent grin slips onto my face. They share a look of shock. Without looking back I tell the other man to leave.

“Don’t say a word to a soul. This is a casual meeting that doesn’t need probing from others who find out.” The men in the room seem to let out a silent breath of relief. The door shuts audibly behind me.

 My grin doesn’t fade. Tension hangs in the air like the fate they are about to receive. Looking at the upholstered chair that holds a rather skeletal man. It begins to float. Barley at first but soon it gains momentum until the bald head of the man scraps the ceiling. The men around look in astonishment. This is quickly replaced with utter horror. A few eyes dart nervously to the door. Then a click of the lock sounds. The realization on their faces is delicious. Looking back at the man in the floating chair I drop my concentration. Both man and chair drop to the floor in a crack of wood and bones. It was not enough to be fatal, but just enough to hurt immensely. A shorter, wider man begins to yell out.

“SILENCE!” I roar over the weak cries for help. The man does not stop screaming. Showing that he already blatantly ignored my warning I proceeded. Glancing briefly at his jaw I hear a satisfactory snap. Not uncommon to the sound of a glow stick breaking. Blood gushes from his mouth and pours onto his white lab coat. The bright red soaks through the plain white cotton. 

The room goes silent.

“Finally. Now you are going to experience the wrath of karma and revenge.” I smile maniacally while my eyes sweep through the room. An average man quivers while speaking,

“What have we done?” He asks softly. His hands raise protectively in front of him.

“What have you done? What have you done!” I let a booming laughter ring out. “I spent years trying to find some recognition for my work! It took risking my life to finally be noticed! Is this what it takes to finally be seen?!” I chased after the insolent man that asked such an ignorant question. He gets up to run but is too slow. Effortlessly he dangles above the ground. I spin him around to face me. A slow smile appears on my face as I drink in the dread on his face. Slowly the bones in his neck bend. Slowly the veins bend with it. Until finally a SNAP rings out. Blood gushes out of his mouth and spills all over himself. The scene is like the man with the now broken jaw, but with more force. He drops to the ground with a squish. I turn around casually to face a dozen horror filled faces. They run for the door but their attempts are futile. The door handle jangles but does not budge. I scream out to the doomed men,

“You will experience the pain given to the ones you had bestowed it upon! You will see what your greed at the cost of others will do! Your insignificant  lives will end at the hand of what you wanted! YOU have done this to yourself! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?”