"Number 07, number …" The little girl could hear a woman's soft voice from afar. When she tried opening her heavy eyelids, all she could see were white walls. The strong smell of disinfectant hit her nose sharply. She tried to shield her eyes from the sudden brightness as she focused on the voice beside her.
Slowly, she lifted her body from the small bed, scanning her surroundings until her brown eyes landed on a middle-aged woman with braided hair.
"Number 07, you are finally awake!"
"W-w-where am I?" the little girl asked warily, already disliking the feeling this woman gave her.
"Young girl, you don't need to know that. Just stay here and rest for a while. I'll be back in a few minutes."
The woman left immediately after confirming that the young girl's vitals were stable. Internally, she felt a twinge of pity for her_ but it didn't last. She had become numb to such feelings ever since she joined the organization five years ago.
Their organization, known only as ZERO, kidnapped children aged between seven to ten years. They trained them in various fields to become "Important" people in the future. But the truth was far darker_ those jobs were only a cover. In reality, the children were trained to become assassins.
Meanwhile, in the underground lab, the rapid thud-thud-thud of the woman's footsteps announced her arrival before she burst into a certain room.
Without knocking, she entered, "Draco, number 07 is awake after being unconscious for twenty-four hours! The experiment was a success for the second time. Big boss will be pleased," the woman reported to her direct supervisor, her voice full of excitement.
Draco spared her a brief glance and responded with a simple 'Mmmh,' though a smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Of course, he knew the big boss would be happy. Out of the ten kids kidnapped last week from Nairobi, only two survived the experiment_ a fifteen-year-old boy and this ten-year-old. The rest had died. But Draco didn't care. Around here, death was routine.
Adjusting his rimmed glasses, he asked, "What's the condition of number 05?" as they walked towards the exit of the experimental lab.
They had assigned number codes to the new batch since this was the first experiment conducted on them.
"His body responded quickly to the drugs," the woman replied. "Draco, I must tell you, this boy's a rare find. Not only did he survive, but his genes are off the charts. No side effects, he started training the same day. I can already tell, he'll surpass many of our current members in no time."
Draco couldn't help but recall how, two months ago, Professor Johnson had approached Big Boss with a new drug he had developed. The drug would boost the capabilities of trainees, but only younger children, and erase their memories in the process. Survival depended on sheer willpower. Only two out of ten had made it.
He quickened his pace toward the main hall, eager to share the news with Tiger, Big Boss's right-hand man. Maybe this time, he'd earn a promotion.
Meanwhile, Number 05 stared at his trainer, a man called Vince. According to rumors, Vince had joined ZERO nine years ago and now leads team five.
The Big Boss, who had founded ZERO, was a notorious serial killer who had escaped from prison ten years earlier. After his escape, he started out as a drug dealer, then moved into prostitution, before eventually building the gang that would become ZERO. The organization was divided into ten teams, each led by one of the original recruits.
Minutes after waking up, Number 05 had quickly pieced together the nature of this place. He had overheard Samantha and Professor Johnson discussing his training schedule with Vince while observing him from a distance.
"Number 05!" Vince barked. "We don't space out during training around here. Fifty push-ups, nothing less. And tonight, you'll be sleeping in the dark room. No supper."
After the session, a teenage boy with a girlish voice approached him.
"Hey, kiddo! You just got here a few days ago, and you're already getting sent to the famous dark room for punishment?" He chuckled.
Number 05 didn't reply. Instead, he simply asked some other trainees for directions and walked off silently. The teenage boy watched him, a smirk spreading across his face as he realized he was being ignored.
When he arrived, two guards were stationed outside. They opened the gates without a word, clearly informed by Captain Vince of his visit.
As soon as he went in, the door was slammed shut, plugging him into darkness so absolute it felt less like an absence of light and more like a physical presence pressing on him.
The place was horrific!
He almost vomited the little food he had eaten for lunch. Blood stained the cobweb-covered walls, and human skeletons littered the corners. One patch of blood looked disturbingly fresh. A small window high on the wall barely allowed light or air inside.
His boots crunched the floor that was less stone and more a mosaic of splintered bone and dried up filth. He could hear the drip-drip-drip of something viscous hitting a puddle somewhere in the black.
Covering his nose with his hand to block the stench, Number 05 felt like he was living a nightmare. He had never witnessed anything this gruesome in his entire existence.
No wonder they would punish trainees here, he thought grimly. At least I have some company, he added with a grim chuckle, glancing at the skeletons.
He also wondered why Captain Vince had even bothered to say anything about supper; no one could eat in a place like this.
Realizing the futility of standing, he slowly slid down the cold, slimy wall until he was sitting and pulled his knees to his chest, closing his eyes as if in deep thought, then opened them with a knowing smirk.
He remembered exactly who he was and where he came from.
But since, according to the professor, he was supposed to have forgotten everything, he decided to play along.
For now.
He would bid his time....
And then escape this hellhole.