♡Chapter dedicated to hookedonwriting_♡

"Hello there, the angel from my nightmare. The shadow in the background of the morgue." Blink 182

Anna Baker was feeling exceptionally pleased with herself.

And so she should, she had created something the world had never seen and managed to secure not one, not two, but five test subjects. All it had taken was a little bit of intelligence.

Something she had in epic proportions.

It was laughable really; how easy it had been to get them all here to the abandoned farmhouse she had found all those months ago.

The only downer on her mood was currently sitting next to her as they watched the dark screen. He huffed in annoyance, again. A sound that was going to drive Anna crazy if he continued to do it in the small, makeshift surveillance room they had set up.

"When are you going to administer the serum?" His patience was clearly wearing thin. But then again, so was hers. 

"We have been over this. If we give them the serum when they are already frightened, the results will be inaccurate." She gestured to the screen in front of them, where the cameras in the room were showing complete darkness, but the unmistakable sounds of sobbing, shouting and screaming that filtered in from the speakers showed that the kids were still panicking and attempting to get out of their restraints.

She had hoped turning the lights off would calm them down slightly, but sadly they seemed determined to be hysterical. She couldn't understand why they wouldn't just relax.

"Of course, they are. They have no idea what's happened to them, wouldn't you be scared if you woke up in an unfamiliar room?" He seethed.

The honest answer was no, she would not. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would be able to find her way out of it. She was sure that her intelligence outweighed anyone who would try to take her captive.

"There's no rush." She said, instead of answering his question, wanting to avoid offending him. He was particularly resentful about the fact that she was so much smarter than him.

"Yes, there is. How long do you think it will be until the kids are reported missing? How long until the police come knocking at our door?"

He was insufferable, really. But unfortunately, she had needed the money he was willing to offer. He was so hell-bent on stepping out of daddy's shadow that he had not even considered the fact that they would be breaking the law. 

He was now, though, and it irritated her to no end.

All in all, she wasn't too worried about being found. Location was essential in these matters and she had spent months finding the perfect one. One that she didn't need to buy or rent and therefore leave a paper trail. There was absolutely no way it could ever be connected to her. Plus, it was in the middle of nowhere, so no one would be able to hear the kids screaming, an added bonus that she was particularly pleased about.

Perfection.

"Ten more minutes, and then I will go." She sighed, caving into his demands. She may have been smarter than him, but he still knew too much, about her, about the serum. If she pushed him too far, he was stupid enough to turn them both in.

She supposed it was unlikely that the kids would ever calm down. There was no harm in giving them the serum now, after all, it was designed to make them terrified anyway. Soon, they would be begging for mercy as their nightmares materialised right in front of them.

Her smile widened, and she shivered in anticipation. This was it, the first step to greatness.

It wouldn't be long now until the whole world knew her name.

Even though the room was so dark it seemed to seep into his skin, Aaron swore he could differentiate the heavy breathing that was coming from Noah from the rest of the sounds the others were making. 

He knew he would be able to tell that sound anywhere, having lain on Noah's broad chest listening to it so many times before. Right now, he would do anything to be able to reach out and touch Noah's soft ebony skin, to feel the reassurance that came from the steady pulse beneath the pad of his thumb as he held onto Noah's wrist.

But he was denied that luxury due to the restraints that held him in place. The logical part of his brain was trying to figure out how they had found themselves in this situation, but the larger, less sensible part was screaming in panic.

He had no idea how long they had been there, enveloped in darkness. Ryder's shouts had died down to a low mumble. Kayla and Savannah's loud weeping had lowered to small whimpers. His own terror was increasing with every heartbeat. 

He felt every single hair stand on end as he realised that beneath the screams and sobbing that filled the room, he could hear a door opening and closing and vaguely make out the soft thud of footsteps falling on the stone floor. 

"Guys, shh." He whispered, straining his ears to listen to the sound of someone walking in the room, the others took no heed and continued to make enough noise to drown out the sound of movements.

Aaron froze as he felt soft fingers brushing the hair away from his forehead. Terror clutched at his chest as the unknown person in the room brought their lips right up to his ear and whispered in a feminine voice. "Don't be scared. Yet."

Every single nerve ending in his body switched to high alert, and he gasped and sputtered, trying to form words. Sweat covered his brow, and he tried to flinch away from the cool fingers that had now moved to trail down his arm.

He felt a pinch on his upper shoulder, similar to receiving an injection from a doctor, but he knew this was no medication being forced into his body. "Fuck!" His arm spasmed as he tried to jerk away from the foreign object, his movement restricted due to the straps that held him in place.

"What? What is it? Aaron are you okay?" Even through the haze of terror that was clouding his senses, the sound of Noah's voice managed to reach out and wrap itself around Aaron like silk.

"She-She-," but he didn't get to complete his sentence as the unknown woman had clearly made her way over to Ryder, judging by the swearing that was streaming out of the boy next to him.

"Get the fuck off me, you sick, psychopathic freak! What the fuck are you do- ouch! FUCK!"

"What's happening?" Kayla's voice rang out, questioning her brother.

"The fucking bitch jabbed something in my arm!" A high-pitched squeal rang out as Savannah was subjected to the same fate, followed closely by a loud shout from Noah. 

"Stay the fuck away from my sister you psychotic bitch!" Ryder screamed, clearly getting more agitated by the second as Savannah's whimpers filled the room. 

His shouts were in vain though as the next scream came from the sister he was trying to protect. "What the fuck do you want? What do you want?"

If he was expecting an answer, he didn't get one, but the lights came flooding back on, revealing the woman who held them captive.

Aaron couldn't help but think that she didn't look like the kind of person who would take people hostage. She looked.... normal. Her dark hair was tied into a severe bun, not one loose strand escaping, her brown eyes were framed with thick lashes. Her cheeks were full, and her lips were a soft shade of pink. She had a slightly olive complexion, her skin completely free of blemishes apart from a small freckle just above the left side of her lip. If Aaron were to hazard a guess, he would say that the top of her head would just reach his shoulders. She was almost attractive.

But the smile that was currently etched across her face spoke of sinister things. It was a smirk that he knew would haunt his nightmares if he ever made it out of this room.

"Welcome, all." She beamed, gesturing her hands as if she was inviting them to a dinner party instead of holding them captive inside a dark and dingy room. Aaron couldn't help but notice the small remote held tightly in her grasp. Did it open the door? Turn on the lights?

He had a feeling if he could get to it, they would all be able to get out of here.

"YOU CRAZY BITCH!" 

She ignored Ryder and his fruitless attempts to once again pull his arms free, and instead smiled at the rest of them. "You're probably wondering why I brought you here. The answer is simple really-."

"FUCK YOU!"

She calmly turned towards Ryder after this outburst, speaking patiently as though she was addressing an unruly toddler. "I would really appreciate it if you could keep quiet for just a few more moments. After that, you are free to make as much noise as you want. In fact, it would be encouraged."

He answered with a string of colourful curse words that would have been impressive if it had been any other situation. Her smile faltered for a moment before it returned full force. 

She turned her back to him, smoothing out her white knee length lab coat, acting as if he hadn't spoken.

Aaron caught Noah's eye across from him, the fear he saw there sent his own sky rocketing. Noah was mouthing words that Aaron had to squint to see.

I love you.

Instead of the warmth he had always expected to feel when Noah finally told him how he truly felt, Aaron almost felt disappointed. After all the sneaking around, the stolen moments and the broken promises, it seemed that when the words finally came out, it was too late.

Still, Aaron mouthed the words back, not even caring anymore if Kayla saw. It was about time she knew anyway, the guilt was eating him alive, eroding his insides like acid. 

"Now," the woman in the middle of the room continued, oblivious to the monumental exchange that had just occurred between Aaron and the boy he had longed for. "I am hoping there won't be any more interruptions." She glared pointedly at Ryder, reminding Aaron of a parent scolding their child. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Anna. And you are about to be a part of a very important experiment."

Ryder finally seemed at a loss for words, or maybe he had just depleted his vocabulary.

"What are you talking about?" Aaron surprised himself by saying. 

She turned to look at him, her eyes locked on his; a cobra mesmerizing its prey before striking. "Well aren't you handsome! What's your name?"

Aaron didn't miss the fact that Noah clenched his fists at the word 'handsome', "Aaron."

"Well Aaron," she walked over to him and crouched down in front of his chair, her white coat trailing along the dusty floor. "I have created something the likes of which the world has never seen and you get to be the first to experience it."

Now, there was no mistaking the words that Noah was mouthing to Aaron.

Keep her talking.

"What is it?" Aaron obeyed, doing his best not to glance at Noah or Ryder, both desperately trying to loosen the straps on their arms to no avail.

She leaned forward and tucked a lock of hair behind Aaron's ear, moving it out of his face, before standing up and walking back to the middle of the room.

She seemed to like the attention as all of them stared at her, a diva taking centre stage.

"Phobia," she stated, the pride in her voice evident. "The serum that makes you hallucinate your darkest fears." She spoke of it lovingly, as if it was a child she was particularly fond of. 

Her words were greeted with silence, but the attempts to break free tripled as all five teens tugged and pulled at the straps that were incapacitating them. 

"Why are you trying to resist?" She seemed honestly perplexed as her captives battled against their restraints. "Can't you feel the serum already rippling through your veins, setting your skin alight?"

She surveyed each of them in turn before speaking again. "Let the fear overtake you and welcome it as a long-lost friend. Let the terror crawl up your spine, leaving goose bumps in its wake. Show me what makes you human, what makes you afraid."

The sound of sobbing filled the room, followed by multiple curse words flung in her direction. Ignoring the insults, she let a smile creep across her face and raised her voice so they could all hear.

"Show me what makes you scream!"