Sebastian Walker

[Shadowess]

Sebastian could no longer remember the exact year that he became what he is now. All he could remember was that the most common method of transport had been horse & carriage and that although science had given them the gift of electricity, it was still a somewhat crude and new concept.

Orphaned as a child, he'd spent most of his childhood & early adulthood picking pockets and living on the streets. That was until he'd gotten caught picking the pocket of a man involved with a secret organisation at the age of eighteen. Initially, Sebastian had been carted off to prison. With the justice system being as corrupted as it was, Sebastian was made an offer he couldn't refuse. Join the secret organisation as a test subject or spend the rest of his life behind bars. At least with the first option he had some hope of earning his freedom. So of course, Sebastian signed the contract and was promptly taken to his new home which was conveniently disguised as a mental asylum.

The first few years had been gruelling. Unknown and suspicious looking substances injected into him or forced down his throat. All resulting in an array of side effects, from rashes to fevers. Very soon, Sebastian came to regret the contract that he signed and realised that a life in prison may have been more merciful than the horrors he was forced to endure instead.

Every attempt by Sebastian to confirm how long he was to be a test subject or even request a break from the tests for a little while were either ignored or outright denied. It became apparent, rather quickly, that Sebastian may not survive very long in this hell hole.

Always bound in handcuffs. Always locked away in a padded cell when not being experimented on. Always surrounded by the screams of the other test subjects. It was no surprise when he eventually gave up hope of trying to escape and sank into a deep depression. Living and suffering. Day in and day out. Hoping that one of the pills they made him take might be his last.

Then something happened that confused Sebastian. The nurses started being...nice. They gave him good food that at first, Sebastian had suspected of either being poisoned or containing something harmful. But no. It was proper food. No gruel. Real meat, vegetables and potatoes! Even a cake for desert! They let him bathe every evening. They gave him new clothes that made him look a little more human again. A barber paid him a visit to tidy him up. He was taken out of the cells and given a bedroom. He still wasn't allowed to leave the bedroom but at least he actually had a bed now! Best of all, the experiments had stopped completely. All of this utterly baffled Sebastian until he came to the wonderful conclusion; They're going to release him soon!

The nurses never confirmed his suspicions when he voiced them but more importantly, they never denied them either! His spirits lifted! He could leave this cursed building soon and live a normal life! A few weeks went by and Sebastian had finally put on all the weight he had lost from the awful diet he had previously been on. He looked healthy again whereas before he had been quite skeletal. Finally, the day came when one of the Doctors came to visit him.
---
The Doctor sat on a chair, flicking through paperwork on a clipboard as Sebastian sat patiently on the bed, smiling pleasantly while trying to contain his excitement. This was it. He was going to get discharged. He was getting out!

After a minute or two, the doctor looked up a little to peer at Sebastian over his glasses. "Mr Sebastian Walker? Aged twenty-one?" He asked as if confirming the information he had just been reading.
"Yes, Sir. Er-Doctor, I mean." Sebastian stammered, fidgeting with his hands anxiously. The doctor nodded.
"You've been a resident and volunteer here for three years, correct?"
Sebastian tensed at the phrasing of the question. The way the doctor had referred to Sebastian was as though he was a willing participant who had stayed in a padded cell for the fun of it. Gritting his teeth through his rising anger, Sebastian maintained his now strained smile and simply nodded.
"You have no previous health conditions and have no history of illness in your family?"
"N-no-not to my knowledge, doctor."
"Good. Good..." The doctor then dropped the papers on the clipboard that he'd lifted to read from while asking questions. He clasped his hands together on the clipboard and leant back in the chair comfortably. "You will be pleased to know, Mr Walker, that we intend to discharge you from the experimental program. We only ask that you do one last thing for us."

Yes!! He knew it! They were releasing him! At this point it didn't matter what they wanted him to do, he'd do it! If they wanted his silence on this little organisation, they had it! He'd just be happy to put this whole ordeal behind him! "What is it?" Sebastian was eager, leaning forward a little, gripping the edge of his bed. "Anything!"
The doctor smiled and although there seemed to be nothing sinister in the way that he smiled, the hairs on the back of Sebastian's neck stood on end. Sebastian was on edge again with an unexplained sense of dread beginning to grow.
"We just need to conduct one more test. Just one and you're a free man. We wouldn't ask but this particular test is vital. It may mean the cure to most illnesses we know! Mr Walker, it could save countless lives!"

Silence fell in the room. Sebastian stared hard at the Doctor as his mind raced. He knew it was too good to be true! One more test! And by the sounds of how important this test is, combined with how his treatment had vastly improved over the last couple of weeks, Sebastian was convinced that this particular test had the potential to kill him! Stupid Sebastian! They weren't being nice to him because he was being released! They were being nice to him to make themselves feel better if he died!
"I know this is not a small request. Which is why we're going to give you a day to think it over. Just remember Sebastian. You could be responsible for saving millions of lives." The Doctor says while standing up and heading to the door. Pausing with his hand on the door frame, he looked back at Sebastian. The elderly doctor had kind looking features. He smiled at Sebastian warmly. "It is perfectly natural to be afraid. But please, consider it." He says before leaving the room.
---
Sebastian didn't sleep that night. He paced about his room. He could be free of this place forever. Leave and never look back. He'd more than paid for his petty crime! They had no right! The thought of needles, unknown liquids or pills being forced into him was enough to make him break out in a cold sweat and feel like vomiting.
It could cure people who got sick though. Save lives. He might die but whether he did or didn't, he'd be considered a hero! Sebastian ran a hand through his hair nervously. What if he left and they never managed to conduct the tests needed to find those cures? People would be dying, all around him, and he'd have to live with the knowledge that he might have been able to make a difference! Could he really live with that?
---
The following morning, there was a knock on Sebastian's door and the Doctor from the day before entered his room. "Have you considered our offer?" He asked, taking a seat again. The clipboard once again in his possession. Sebastian had been looking out of his barred window at the dilapidated gardens below. "I'll do it." Sebastian replied with a heavy sigh, not moving from the window.
"Wonderful!" The Doctor beamed. "You are doing a great thing, Sebastian!"
For a moment, Sebastian didn't respond. Then, slowly and calmly, he turned to look at the Doctor. "I do this and I'm out, right? I can leave?"
Still smiling warmly, the Doctor nodded. "Yes, Mr Walker. If you help us conduct this test, you may leave."
Sebastian nodded to himself, his eyes dropping to the floor thoughtfully. "And...this test...It'll do good?"
"Absolutely."
"What do I have to do?"
"We are going to test a vaccine. That is to say, we are going to inject you with a substance we believe will protect you from a variety of diseases-"
"What diseases?" Sebastian interrupted, eyeing the Doctor suspiciously. He didn't like how vague the Doctor was being in regards to what this cure was supposed to, you know, CURE.
Unfaultered, the Doctor merely continued to smile. "Cholera, Typhus, the list goes on. May I continue, Mr Walker?"
Sebastian considered this for a moment then nodded before turning his head to look out the window once more. Admittedly, he didn't understand anything about diseases and medicine. But he figured, if he acted confidently and pretended he knew what the Doctor was talking about, then maybe they'll be less likely to try to pull the wool over his eyes!
"Thank you. Now, as I was saying, this vaccine is supposed to protect people from a variety of diseases. But it needs to be tested before we can get it out to the public. That is where you come in. We inject you with this vaccine and then subject you to a man who already has one or two of these illnesses-"
"Jesus Christ!" Sebastian's head spun around to face the Doctor once more. His eyes lit up in anger. "You infected someone with those horrid diseases?!" He accused.
The Doctor's smile slipped and he glared back at Sebastian. In an instant, the kindly looking Doctor seemed startlingly formidable. "Of course not! Do you think us monsters?"
Sebastian paused, taken aback. At the question, he had to bite his tongue. He wanted so much to yell at the man, to ask how he could ask such a question after everything his organisation had put him through. But he didn't. He didn't want to blow his chances of getting out. So he remained quiet.

The Doctor sighed, his features relaxing back into his calming smile. The transformation was incredibly jarring to Sebastian. "We collected the poor individual from a hospital. He is sick beyond help and has no family to care for him. He has agreed to this test as well." The Doctor stood. "Will there be any more questions?"
Sebastian just stared at the Doctor. He wanted to buy the story of some dying man volunteering to infect other individuals for science but by now had learned to suspect every story the staff here gave. Satisfied that Sebastian had no other questions or comments, the Doctor nods. "Well, I suppose the sooner we get this over with, the better. I imagine you're quite keen to feel fresh air on your face again. The nurses will collect you at eight o'clock tonight. We'll run the usual tests. Then we'll give you the injection and walk you to the quarantined room where the other patient is waiting. We'll talk you through the rest later."
With that, the Doctor left. Once more, Sebastian spent several hours pacing around the room. Occasionally, he'd glance at the clock. But time seemed to slow down for him now. As if taunting him by dangling his freedom just out of his reach. He tried to relax. He picked a dusty book off the shelf and sat on the bed, opening it up to the first page. His eyes flicked over the words but nothing sunk in. He turned and looked at the clock. Ten o'clock. Turning back to the book, he re-read the same page. But still, nothing sunk in. He turned his head again to the clock. Five minutes past ten. Dropping the book to the floor, he groaned in frustration, placing his hands on his face and falling back onto the bed. This was going to be a long day.
---
After a day that seemed to stretch out for a year, the nurses finally came to Sebastian's room in the evening. From there, they escorted him to an elevator. One of them pressed a button that was so worn down that it was difficult to tell if there had once been a number on it or a letter. The little box shunted and creaked it's way down and down. Past the second floor. Past the first floor. Past the ground floor...wait, what? But still, further down it went! If not for the little, flickering light in the elevator they would have been completely consumed by darkness. Then, suddenly, the elevator shook as it came to a stop. The doors opened, revealing a well lit corridor, with white panelled walls. The nurses began walking but Sebastian hesitated. He had no idea this building had had a basement level and by how long they were in the elevator, they were quite deep underground! Why would they hide their research all the way down here? What were they going to do to him?

The nurses stopped when they realised Sebastian wasn't following him and they both turned to look at him. "Come along, Mr Walker." The brown haired one on the left cooed. Her red lipstick positively vibrant against the white of the walls and their outfits. The blonde on the right merely smiled at him sweetly. Her lips matching the colour of her colleague. Sebastian always felt uneasy around these two. In the three years he'd known them, they helped the doctors perform their experiments with sickly sweet smiles all while talking in a suggestive manner to either Doctor or Patient. Sebastian often wondered if they were born without emotions or if the pain of others was simply a turn on for them. "You'll find the medical rooms down here are far more advanced and hygienic than what you're used to. Don't be shy."

Hesitantly, Sebastian left the elevator and began following the nurses. Even though his every instinct was telling him to run, take the elevator back up and flee the building. He knew that wouldn't work though. The last time he'd attempted to run from the asylum, he was caught by one of the burly guards on the grounds and beaten to a bloody pulp. It had taken him months to recover from that, and all the while, the tests still continued.

After a couple of turns, they stopped at one of the doors and unlocked it. Inside was what looked like a clean hospital room with fresh linen on the bed. Well, at least the nurses hadn't lied about it being hygienic! After conducting a couple of tests that Sebastian was used to by now, such as checking his weight and sight, he was then asked to sit on the bed while the vaccine was administered. It hurt a little and almost immediately, Sebastian felt like throwing up. Without wasting time, the nurses took Sebastian by the arms and guided him to another room. This room was far less hygienic. Doctors stood around with notepads and pencils, ready to jot down notes. They all watched him eagerly as he stumbled into the room. He wasn't sure this vaccine was working right. His muscles ached and he felt very tired. One of the Doctors approached him.
"How are you feeling Mr Walker?"
"Mmm..." Sebastian groaned, shaking his head a little. "Not sure this vaccine is doing the right thing Doctor...I feel tired and light headed..."
"Good! Good, no it's working just fine! Listen carefully, we're going to put you into the room with the other patient now. It's only for a minute but you need to focus and tell us exactly what you feel, if anything. Understand?"
Sebastian nods sleepily and he is guided to another door. This door seemed to be very heavily armoured and the Doctor had to unlock several, heavy duty looking locks to be able to get it open. In his current state however, Sebastian simply could not comprehend why this door seemed so out of place or wrong. He felt very uneasy suddenly. Like despite his addled senses, he just knew that he didn't want to be with whoever is behind this door! He stumbled back clumsily but was pushed into the room so forcefully when the door was opened that he fell face first onto the hard, stone floor inside.

He heard a loud bang behind him and several metallic scraping noises as the locks were being fastened once more. Slowly, he lifted his head to look in the direction of the other patient, unable to stop a little drool slipping past his lips and dripping onto the floor.
The other patient sat in the corner of the room, hugging their bare, white legs. The small, white gown they wore had splotches of red here and there. Long, greasy black hair hung over their face, obscuring it's eyes from view but it's mouth was clearly visible. Slightly agape and quivering a little. This whole scene made Sebastian shiver but the one feature that made him quake with dread were the two sharp, white points poking down just under it's upper lip. What is this thing??
Sebastian didn't dare move. He just stared at it in terror. Upon noticing that while he wasn't moving it seemed unaware of his presence, his mind began racing. Thinking of how he was going to get out of this room without 'waking' it. He attempted to slowly crawl backwards but clumsily stumbled. Upon hearing the noise, the thing in the corner jerked suddenly causing Sebastian to jump, unable to take his eyes off it. It's head had lifted a little so that the dim light reflected off it's white nose which twitched. It was sniffing! Twitching it's nose just a little at first and then it's nose creased up as it audibly took in a deep breath, it's head snapping around to look in Sebastian's direction.
He began screaming, panicking. He backed up to the door hurriedly and tried to pull himself to his feet but simply didn't have the strength. What was in that injection? Something to weaken him? Oh God! Is this what they meant when they said he could leave?? As a meal for this creature?! He clawed at the door desperately, screaming and slurring his pleas for help while this creature began moving on all fours towards him. It's mouth wide open, it's fangs on show and dripping with saliva. He still couldn't see it's eyes through all that hair but Sebastian just knew they were locked onto him.
He felt it's hand grip his leg and he cried out, kicking at the creature. But his kicks seemed to do little more than irritate it as it grabbed his other leg as well and pulled him under it with astonishing ease. He tried to punch it, to slap it, to push it away but he was so weak and tired already. The creature grabbed his hands and pinned him down, leaning down so that it's face to close to his. It's face was darkened by the light shining from behind it, but he made out the feminine shape of her body. Her dark eyes bore into his. He stopped screaming to stare at her as she hovered over him. For what felt like several minutes, all they did was look at each other.
Her eyes were wild, her lip still quivering. Her breath which he felt on his face was foul. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he noticed that she seemed to be quite gaunt. Were they starving her? He imagined that she may have looked quite beautiful if she weren't so very thin. Her expression flickered back and forth between anguish and a look Sebastian had never seen before. It was a look that kept him trembling and he wondered if it might be the same look that a fox might give to a hare when out on the hunt. He wondered if this creature could be reasoned with. "P-please...." He whispered. Her face contorts, as though his whisper had cut her somehow. Feeling a little hopeful, he tried again to speak. "P-please...d-don-" He stopped mid-speech however when she began lowering herself further. His eyes widening as her head lowered to the side of his so that her mouth was by his ear. He could hear her shallow breaths.
"Forgive me." The softest whisper reached his ear before he felt a sharp pain plunging deep into his throat. The shock of it had forced him to gasp and look around the room wildly, his exhausted limbs flailing uselessly under her in an attempt to fight her again but it was no use, she already had him. Then he saw it. The window, high up near the ceiling. A window similar to what you would see on a ship. Circular, with an iron frame and bolts to hold it all together. Through it, Sebastian saw the face of the elderly doctor smiling that same gentle smile he had earlier given him. 'They're watching me die' Sebastian thought. 'They're watching me die and probably taking notes! Those bastards!'
The woman's bite seemed to deepen again suddenly, making Sebastian gasp once more, groan and shut his eyes. He felt it then. A euphoria. It washed over him, rapidly replacing any pain that he was feeling. He could hear his heart beating. His own breathing becoming shallow. He heard her drinking from him, gulping in his ear. Weirdly, this sound didn't disgust him. In fact, he thought it almost...cute. Almost. He realised, despite the way he felt now, that he was definitely going to die here. That he was simply food. But do you know what? Maybe he was alright with that now. Maybe this wasn't such a bad way to die. There are certainly worse ways to go. He relaxed under her. Yes, maybe he was alright with this after all.

Just as Sebastian had resigned himself to his fate, listening to his heart beat harder and harder to try to keep him alive, he suddenly felt lighter. Then colder. Then the pain creeped back. As did his hearing as it expanded back from his heart beat to the sounds of shrieks and men shouting. He opened his eyes and saw the asylums guards had opened the door and were striking the woman who was on the other side of the room again, cowering and shrieking at them. Her mouth, neck and gown drenched in red. But they were getting further and further away. He glanced up and saw two doctors dragging him out of the room. "No..." He moaned, then cried. "Put me back...Give me back to her..."
"Now, now Mr Walker. You are delirious. You don't want to die, do you?" One of the Doctors panted. Sebastian watched the guards back out of the room with them, hurriedly locking the door once more.
"Yes..." Sebastian wept. "I want her...take me to her...please!"
"Now, now. We've no time for that Mr Walker. There is so much work to be done."
From there, Sebastian was strapped down to a bed. There the Doctors performed a blood transfusion to replace the blood that Sebastian had lost. Sebastian remained delirious, babbling about wanting to go back to the woman, until the majority of the new blood was in his system. Then he became quiet, contemplating everything that had just happened. He didn't move or speak as the nurses helped to prop him up into a seated position on the bed. His wrists and ankles bound to the bed by leather. But restraints in this place was nothing new.
The group of doctors meanwhile had stayed close. Some observing Sebastian carefully and the rest taking it in turns to climb a large set of ladders and peer into the window at the creature. A few hours after all the blood had entered his system, the elderly Doctor approached Sebastian and sat in the chair near him. "How do you feel, Mr Walker?"
Sebastian turned his head to glare at the Doctor. "How do I feel?" He asked sourly. "How do I fucking FEEL??"
"I understand you're upset-"
"Upset?" Sebastian scoffed. "You lied to me! What was in that injection? Huh? You fed me to that- that...Monster! I'm not upset! I'm furious!"
"I apologise for misleading you." The Doctor says calmly. "But had we explained what we needed of you, would you have done it?"
"Of course not! What even is that thing anyway? What exactly were you trying to achieve here?"
"All in good time, Mr Walker. Now tell me, how do you feel?"
Sebastian glared at the doctor silently.
"Tired? Pained? Physical symptoms, Mr Walker. They're important to what we're trying to achieve."
Sebastian continued to glare at the Doctor. Of course they don't care about how he feels in the emotion sense after something so traumatic. They only care about their figures and research. He scoffs again and looks away from the Doctor, shrugging. "I don't know...my neck is sore, obviously...my head is throbbing...I'm pretty thirsty..."
The doctor had been scratching down notes with his pencil as Sebastian spoke but glanced up at him at the mention of being thirsty, his pencil hovering over the paper on his clipboard. "Nurse, bring Mr Walker some water, will you?"

The brunette nurse walked to a counter where she poured water from a metallic jug into a metal cup and brought it over to Sebastian. Unable to hold it himself, the nurse carefully placed the cup to his lips and let him drink from it. After a couple of sips, she steps back. The nurses and Doctors watched Sebastian carefully. He looked around at them warily, disturbed by their interest, then back at the nurse with the cup. "S-sorry, could I have some more? I feel like I've been eating sand actually..."
The nurse looks back at the Doctor who nods, still staring at Sebastian in fascination. The nurse walks up to Sebastian and pours more water into his mouth. This time Sebastian tried to take bigger gulps, growing increasingly desperate to quench this thirst. When he felt the cup start to lift away, he gently bit the edge of the cup to try and pull it back to him, signalling to the nurse that he wanted the whole cups worth of water. She poured the rest into his mouth before stepping back.
But he still felt thirsty and to top that off, he was now starting to get a stomach ache. "M-more please."
"Still thirsty, Mr Walker?" The Doctor questioned.
"I did just almost die. I think it might be shock..." Sebastian fired back then glared at the nurse. "I said more!" He barked angrily, making the nurse jump with a squeal. She practically jogged back to the counter with the jug to pour another cup. As she did, Sebastian scowled at the Doctors, growing frustrated. "What? What's so damn interesting, huh?" He barked. None of them answered. Just kept watching.
The nurse returned and brought the cup back to his mouth. This time he bit the lip of the cup and tilted his head back a little, opening his mouth so that all the contents of the cup poured into his mouth. He drank the water greedily but just as he finished the cup he began wretching. He pulled away, turning to one side as best he could in his restraints to lean over the side of the bed. The nurse had jumped back as a small jet of red liquid ejected from Sebastian's mouth. Gagging, Sebastian stared at the puddle of blood on the floor and all over the side of his bed in fright. He looked up at the nurse then at the elderly Doctor. "Wh-what is wrong with me?"

"Nurse, you're hand, if you please." The nurse stood by the Doctor and opened up her palm for him which he gently took with one hand while putting his pencil down on a little table beside him. With his free hand, he took hold of a simple needle and proceeded to prick the nurse's finger. A little bubble of blood oozed out of the tiny wound. The nurses and the Doctors watched Sebastian carefully while the nurse held her hand out, just out of Sebastian's reach. "Now, Mr Walker. Tell me, how do you feel?"
Sebastian stared at the finger. At first he was confused. Then a deep gnawing pain in his abdomen caused him to double over as much as he could. His throat felt even more dry than before he'd drank the water and whatever the gnawing sensation was, it felt like it was pulling him to the nurse. "Wh-what?!" Was all he could ask as he winced in pain, unable to take his eyes off the little droplet on the nurse's finger. He wanted it. He knew it as soon as the pain began. He wanted that little bit of blood on the nurse's finger. His every instinct was telling him he needed it to survive. Horrified at this realisation, he tore his eyes away from the nurse and stared at the Doctor who seemed to be grinning while puffing up his chest in pride. "Whose blood did you put into me?" Sebastian demanded. "What did you do to me?!"

"Mr Walker." The Doctor chuckled. "Be proud. You have just been a part of a major scientific breakthrough! We now know how these creatures multiply!" To this statement, the other Doctors began clapping, some tucking their notes under their armpits to do so.

"Y-you...? I'm a...?!" Sebastian stuttered in disbelief.
"A Vampire, Mr Walker. Yes. This is a major breakthrough indeed!" The Doctor got up out of his chair. Placed his clipboard onto the little table and walked over to Sebastian, placing his hand on his shoulder. "One of many. We have so many more tests to run!" Sebastian shook with a combination of fear and rage as he stared into the Doctor's eyes.
"B-but you said...You said this was my last test...that I could leave!" Sebastian exclaimed.
"Mr Walker, have you not learned by now?" The Doctor laughed as he removed his hand and began walking towards the door to leave. "There will always be more tests and you will never leave. You belong to us Mr Walker." Then waving dismissively at the guards; "Lock him in the cell with her. I'm sure she'll be happy to have company after all this time."