*Underground Lab*
Fifth lay bound to the examination table, tears pooling in her eyes. The pain was excruciating. She hated this place. Hated Doctor Shou. She wished a brutal death to all her tormentors.
"Fifth, you're not focusing," cooed Doctor Shou.
She flinched at the heat of Doctor Shou's breath near her ear. She tilted her head, the only movement she could make with her bound body.
Doctor Shou's amused laugh grated Fifth's frayed nerves. Her anxiety rose. She wanted out of this hell.
"Bad girl!" Doctor Shou snapped, jabbing the needle harshly into Fifth's arm.
Fifth's mouth opened in a silent scream as the fiery pain of the injected liquid burned her nerves. She couldn't talk, but she could make some noise. She whimpered, flinching at the mocking gaze of Doctor Shou. The growing pulsating pinpricks of pain radiated from the injection site, making her writhe in agony.
Her body was on fire and itching like crazy. She wanted to scratch her skin until the itchiness subsided. It wasn't allowed. No matter what she wished, the restraints securely restricted her movement, increasing her suffering.
"How does that feel?" Doctor Shou asked, scribbling notes on her datapad.
Fifth glared, her eyes burning with hatred toward the uncaring, sadistic doctor. Her anger rose when Doctor Shou laughed and stroked her cheek. Furious, Fifth jerked her head away from the doctor's touch.
"I don't think she likes it, Doctor," giggled the female intern standing to Fifth's left.
Fifth hated the short blonde female intern as much as she did Doctor Shou. The two loved to inflict pain on their victims without remorse for their victims' suffering.
"Too bad. Fifth, you need to concentrate. Change your right hand into a claw."
Fifth shook her head frantically. She couldn't do what the doctor was asking. They had been demanding this of her for a week with no results. She was tired, in constant pain, and hungry, too. Not to mention, her body odor from the lack of a good shower. Yet, Doctor Shou persisted in her attempts to get Fifth to change.
"Still refusing? Do you need another beating to help you understand your place?"
Fifth violently shook her head no. Anything but that! Her back still ached from this morning's punishment. The blonde intern lied to Doctor Shou and said Fifth was giving them a hard time. Doctor Shou felt Fifth required a reminder of her status in this hell. She had futilely struggled but to no avail as Doctor Shou beat her with a cane. It was her new favorite way of punishing Fifth.
Her thoughts scattered at Doctor Shou's enraged shout. "Fifth, do as you're told! Shift!"
Frustration and despair filled her. She didn't know how to do what the Doctor wanted. No one ever explained anything as they demanded the impossible from her. When she failed, she suffered their wrath and brutal retaliation. She closed her eyes, refusing to look at Doctor Shou's determined gaze.
After several minutes, Doctor Shou called her two strongest male interns. Fifth's eyes snapped open at their entrance. She started to hyperventilate. She secretly called the pair "Bastard One" and "Bastard Two." They were as inhumane as Doctor Shou and the blonde intern. Things had just gone from bad to worse.
Doctor Shou stepped back from the examination table and left the room. Tensely, Fifth lay there, her gaze on the two male interns. After what seemed an eternity, she picked up the sound of Doctor Shou's returning footfalls. The automatic door opened with a hiss. Fifth's gaze swung from the interns to Doctor Shou. She saw what the doctor held and trembled uncontrollably.
"Too late to act afraid. You seem to enjoy defying me. I shall repay your disrespect with a lesson in manners," Doctor Shou said, swinging the cane in her hand a few times in the air.
Each whoosh of the cane's swing mirrored the terrified thumping of Fifth's heart. This was a nightmarish repeat of this morning. Why was her life so cursed? Why did the gods abandon her to this madwoman's insanity? She was pulled from her thoughts by Doctor Shou's cold words.
"Remove the restraints, stand her up, and bring her here." Doctor Shou pointed to the spot near the desk placed against the wall.
Fifth fought once the interns had freed her hands. She was rewarded for her defiance with two powerful backhand slaps to the face that rocked her head, making her dizzy and disoriented. Bastard One took the opportunity to unfasten her leg restraints while Bastard Two dragged her from the examination bed. Fifth was so dizzy she thought she would vomit. She couldn't give up. She had to try to escape!
Her resistance was short-lived. The interns' grips were steel clamps on her emaciated body. She would bear bruises later from it. They brought her to Doctor Shou.
Her gaze went to the wooden cane that Doctor Shou tapped, tapped, tapped against her hand, her expression thoughtful. Fifth wasn't fooled. The doctor was plotting something terrible. She could feel the hint of budding violence in the air.
Doctor Shou stilled, and fear coursed through Fifth's body.
"Bare her back."
Unceremoniously, Bastard One ripped the thin hospital gown from Fifth's body. Her tan skin was littered with old whiplash scars, purpling bruises from the morning's caning, and a jagged z-shaped scar near the base of her spine on her right side. She stood in only her white panties, breathing harshly.
"You brought this on yourself, stubborn girl," growled Doctor Shou, raising the cane high before bringing it down hard on Fifth's shoulder. The burn was instant. Fifth's mouth opened in an agonized, voiceless scream, her body trembling violently.
Doctor Shou continued her onslaught of blows until Fifth's legs gave out. She sagged in the interns' hands. Fifth hurt so much that she wished to die. The stinging ache of blood flowing into the welts and cuts from other beatings pushed her close to fainting.
Doctor Shou wrapped her fingers in Fifth's matted hair and yanked her head back in punishing angle. "Shift and this will all end."
Fifth pleaded with her eyes for mercy. Doctor Shou stared into her eyes and let go.
"I see. More reminders it is."
Fifth lost count of how many more blows rained down on her weak body. Tears flowed freely down her face, the only sign of her torment. Finally, she heard the welcome sound of Doctor Shou's wheezing gasps. Whenever the doctor overexerted herself, her asthma acted up and Fifth was granted a small reprieve. It meant no more pain, at least until the next session.
"Lock…her…up," snarled Doctor Shou in between gasps for air.
Fifth didn't resist. She stumbled along as the interns dragged her to the isolation room. They unlocked the door, dumped her inside on the floor and left. Fifth curled into a ball, her body protesting all movement as she gave in and wept bitterly about her misfortune. Would she ever be free of this place? The silence of her cell mocked her misery. She cried some more until, completely drained, she fell asleep, her only escape from the nightmare known as her life.