Immortal In A Death Game-Chapter 181: The Intern (2)

Several weeks passed, and the living corpse that emerged from that ancient crypt now looked entirely human—a boy, perhaps ten years of age, with dark hair and pale skin.

He was no longer confined to the glass box. Instead, he sat in a stark white room, and the soft floor was his bed. And on the door was a metal placard,

[Patient: 0]

He wasn’t alone in this white room, though. Dr. Aniston sat with her legs crossed on the floor beside him, holding a colorful shape sorter toy. She picked up a red square block and held it up.

"This is a square," she said gently, her voice warm and patient. "It goes in the square hole. See?"

She demonstrated, sliding the block through the matching opening. "Square."

Patient Zero watched intently, his lips moving as if trying to form the word. Only ragged breaths emerged, but his eyes showed understanding.

"Would you like to try?" Dr. Aniston offered him the toy.

Patient Zero reached for it carefully, his fingers brushing against hers as he took the shape sorter. The contact made him pause, looking down at their joined hands with wonder.

Dr. Aniston smiled and gently brushed her fingers across his hand.

"This is your hand," she said softly, pointing to different parts. "These are your fingers. This is your palm. And this is your wrist. Wrist."

Patient Zero’s mouth moved again, still struggling to produce sound, but his eyes were bright with curiosity.

But then, once again—

<Dr. Aniston!> A harsh screech erupted from the intercom, making both of them jump.

<What exactly do you think you’re doing in there?>

Dr. Aniston looked up at the speaker mounted in the corner, her jaw tightening.

"I’m conducting behavioral assessment and—"

<You’re playing games with the specimen. This is not a daycare center.>

"This is not a daycare center," she echoed and mocked the doctor’s words before sighing deeply. "Like I don’t know that. Anyway... I’ll come back later, okay?"

Patient Zero’s hand reached toward her as she stood, but she was already moving toward the door.

Days passed... and the experiments began.

Now, the once curious Patient Zero huddled in the corner of his white room, knees drawn to his chest. He glanced at the door, and even though the walls were thick, Dr. Aniston’s loud voice erupted.

"This isn’t right!" she shouted. "He’s just a child! What you’re doing to him—I’ll go to the police, I’ll report this to—"

"You’ll do nothing of the sort." The responding voice was cold—Dr. Williams’s. "You signed the same agreements we all did. You know the consequences of breaking it."

"But this is torture! You’re torturing a child!"

"We. We are conducting necessary research that will save millions of lives. Your emotional attachment is clouding your judgment. This is why I warned you not to get close to Patient Zero."

"My emotional attachment? He’s a human being!"

"He’s an anomaly. A specimen. And you’d do well to remember that."

The argument continued for several more minutes before gradually dying down. Patient Zero pressed himself deeper into the corner, trembling.

The door opened. Dr. Aniston entered, and he immediately cowered, expecting pain.

"Ada—" Dr. Aniston covered her mouth with her hand, fighting back tears as she saw how Patient Zero responded to her. She carried no toys this time—only a soft blue blanket.

She sat beside him on the floor without speaking. Five minutes passed in silence before she gently offered him the blanket.

Patient Zero flinched but slowly reached out to take it, wrapping it around his thin shoulders.

"What... what you’re going through..." Dr. Aniston said quietly, "...all the pain, all the trials... they say it... it will help a lot of people. Your gift... your gift... it could save... save the world."

She covered her face with her hands and began to cry.

"But it’s... not right," she sobbed. "It’s... not right what they—what we’re doing to you. You’re just a child. Just a little boy who should be playing and learning and—"

She broke down completely, and Patient Zero watched her cry, something stirring in his chest—an emotion he couldn’t name.

Dr. Aniston gently took his hand in both of hers.

"I... I shouldn’t have found you," she whispered. "You should have stayed sleeping in that crypt, safe and peaceful. I should’ve found a way to hide you, and then come back to just..."

She looked directly into his eyes. "But I promise you—no matter how long it takes, no matter what I have to do... I’ll find a way for you to escape this place."

And with that, years passed.

Dr. Aniston’s face had grown weary, lines etched around her eyes. She stood before Patient Zero’s door, but the hallway had changed. Dozens of other doors lined the corridor now, each bearing a number: Patient 1, Patient 2, Patient 7, Patient 12.

Her lips trembled as she reached for the handle of Patient Zero’s door. The weight of what this place had become pressed down on her shoulders. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The door opened.

Patient Zero, looking older now, perhaps sixteen, sat on his bed, staring at the wall. When he saw her, something... magical happened—her trembling lips curved into a smile.

Despite everything, despite the horror of this place, despite the guilt that ate at her every day—one look from him, and she smiled.

Always. No matter how tired she was, no matter how much the job destroyed her soul piece by piece. One look from Patient Zero, and she smiled.

It was the same for Patient Zero. One look from her, and all the pain he’d experienced was forgotten.

Always.

***

"It’s... her."

Back in Adam’s room, tears trailed down his face as the memories flooded back.

He remembered now. He finally remembered Dr. Aniston—not as the cold scientist who had hunted him, but as the woman who had shown him kindness in that sterile hell.

The woman who had taught him words. Who had brought him toys and blankets. Who had promised to help him escape.

So, why...? Why did you violently chase me through the street? Why were you... so desperate for me to disappear? Why—The Hospital. It’s the Hospital, Adam. Always them.

...What has the Hospital done to you for you to become like that?