My new life as a mercenary

Evelyn P.O.V.

The lab is suffocatingly quiet, broken only by the soft hum of machines still running in the nearby rooms. I turned 17 just a few days ago, and tonight, I’m lying on my small metal bed in my spartan room. The walls, painted a sterile white, feel like they’re closing in on me as my mind spins uncontrollably. My brain, fried from the endless experiments and tests of the day, is in overdrive. Every thought sparks like a flash, lighting up countless neural connections too fast for me to stop. I desperately try to fall asleep, but it’s like trying to put out a storm with a single candle.

My body is exhausted, weighed down by fatigue, but my mind, caught in a whirlwind of concepts and information, gives me no rest. My eyes are heavy, but every time I close them, I see complex math equations, machine schematics, images from past tests, all blending into a waking nightmare. I bury my face into the pillow, trying to shut out the thoughts that haunt me, but it’s no use.

This is my life—a relentless, suffocating routine that stretches back as far as I can remember. Every morning, I wake up in this same cold, impersonal room, where the walls seem made of stone and steel, dripping with indifference. The few times I try to imagine being somewhere else, I can’t even picture a place that isn’t soaked in the same dullness. There’s only this void, this chilling emptiness that surrounds me.

I don’t know my parents. Sometimes, I even wonder if I ever had any, or if I was just created in a lab, an experiment from the start. All I know is this room, this narrow space where I’m confined like a captive animal. The scientists, with their white lab coats and clinical stares, are the only faces I see, the only sounds I hear are the hum of machines and their emotionless voices when they give me orders. They don’t see me as a human, but as a specimen, an anomaly to explore, dissect, and perfect. Their thirst for glory and fortune oozes from every move they make on me, like they’re handling a precious gem they’re trying to polish into something even more valuable.

And me? I’m just a lab rat, a toy in their hands. My existence holds no value to them except as a stepping stone toward their ambitions. Their pursuit of perfection comes at the cost of my humanity, my pain, and my despair. My everyday life has turned into a perpetual nightmare I can’t escape, like I’m trapped in an endless loop of suffering.

Sometimes, I ask myself questions, even though I know it’s pointless. Did they buy me like a piece of property? Did my parents abandon me, maybe finding it easier to get rid of me? Or worse, did they just turn a blind eye, choosing to ignore my fate? And why me, out of all the others? Did I do something to deserve this, or was I just born under a cursed star? But these questions only fuel my pain because I know I’ll never get the answers. Silence is my only companion, a heavy silence that stretches beyond words. Outside of the tests and experiments, none of the scientists speak to me. I’m invisible, a shadow, an object to be endlessly improved but never seen as good enough in their eyes. They poke, prod, tear me apart, and leave me whole only to do it all again the next day.

Sometimes I think even the lab animals—those poor creatures locked in their tiny cages—are treated better than me. At least they get some care, maybe even a hint of attention, no matter how small. But me? I’m reduced to a function, a utilitarian purpose.

Is there someone, beyond these walls, who even knows I exist? Someone who might think I deserve better than this silent prison? Maybe out there, somewhere, there’s a soul who could want to save me, offer me a chance to experience something else, to be something else than just a thing. But those are just illusions, dreams I cling to with the same tenderness as a dying person holding on to their last breath. The world, if it even exists, has surely forgotten I’m a part of it. Or maybe it never knew.

Suddenly, the quiet sound of a door opening softly pulls me out of my internal struggle. I lift my head, heart pounding. Who could be coming into my room at this hour? The door closes without a sound, and a familiar figure slips into the room. It’s Dr. Alan Griffin, one of the lab scientists. I’ve always known him as a quiet man, one who follows orders without ever showing any emotion. But tonight, something’s different. The expression on his face is serious, almost tortured, and a shiver of unease runs through me.

“Dr. Griffin?” I whisper, my voice trembling slightly. “What are you doing here... at this hour?”

He doesn’t answer right away. He just stands there, staring at me with an intensity that makes me uncomfortable. Then, in a low voice, he breaks the silence.

“Evelyn, you need to listen to me very carefully. What I’m about to say... could change your life.”

I feel my heart clench. I’ve learned not to trust the scientists who manipulate me like a lab rat, but something in Dr. Griffin’s tone tells me this time, it’s different. I slowly sit up, my eyes fixed on him.

“What’s going on?” I ask, my throat tight.

Dr. Griffin steps closer and kneels beside my bed, placing a hesitant hand on my shoulder. His gaze is filled with a sadness and regret I’ve never seen in him before.

“Evelyn...” he begins in a soft, almost fatherly voice. “You should have never lived through what you’ve experienced here. You deserve so much better than this life of pain and loneliness. I was part of this system, I contributed to your suffering, and I can’t live with that anymore. I want... I have to do something for you, before it’s too late.”

I stare at him in disbelief. I’ve dreamed of escaping so many times, but never could I have imagined that one of the scientists would turn against the lab to help me.

“What do you mean?” I ask, my voice cracking with emotion.

Dr. Griffin squeezes my shoulder a little tighter, as if trying to give me strength. “We’re leaving, Evelyn. Right now. I’m going to take you far away from here, and you’re never coming back.”

My brain, exhausted but still alert, struggles to process the information. Leaving? Now? It’s almost too good to be true. But before I can protest, Dr. Griffin is already standing, gently pulling me out of bed.

“Get dressed, quickly, and grab what you can. We don’t have much time.”

My heart pounds in my chest, and I obey without question. I throw on simple clothes, grabbing the few personal items I own. Dr. Griffin watches me, his face set with fierce determination.

A few minutes later, we slip out of the room, moving silently through the deserted hallways of the lab. Every fiber of my being is on high alert, expecting to be caught at any moment, but miraculously, we make it out without a hitch. The cold night air hits us as soon as we step through the doors, and for the first time in my life, I feel a fresh breeze brush my face, free of any restraints.

We walk for hours, putting as much distance between us and the lab as possible, until we reach a distant town, still asleep under the cover of night. There, Dr. Griffin uses fake papers to pay for a hotel room. Exhausted but free for the first time in my life, I collapse onto the bed, my thoughts still racing with everything we’ve left behind.

After a night of rest, we took a bus and crossed several states before Dr. Griffin bought a modest apartment that became our refuge.

In the days that followed, Dr. Griffin became almost like a father figure to me. He helped me adjust to a normal life, teaching me everyday things I’d never known. Under a false identity, he played the role of my adoptive father, protecting me and encouraging me to explore the world for myself. We shared simple moments, like cooking together or reading in silence, moments of peace I never thought were possible.

But one morning, everything changed. I woke up to find a note left on the kitchen table, hastily written on a scrap of paper. My hands trembled as I unfolded it.

“My dear Evelyn,

It’s time for me to go. I’ve done everything I can to give you a chance at a normal life, far away from the horrors of the lab. But I can’t stay here. I have one last mission to complete: to destroy that cursed place and all the research that caused you so much pain.

It’s the only way to make sure you’re safe, that no one will ever find you or take you back there. I know you’re strong, and you’ll find your way. You’re destined for great things, Evelyn. You have a generous heart and a brilliant mind. I believe in you.

I don’t know if we’ll ever see each other again, but know that I’m proud of who you’ve become. Take care of yourself.

With all my love,

Alan”

Tears welled up in my eyes as I read those words, a dull ache filling my heart. I know he’s right, but it doesn’t make the pain of him leaving any easier. I’m alone once again, but this time, with a hope I’ve never known before. Dr. Griffin had given me more than just freedom: he gave me a chance to live, to really live.

I clutch the note to my chest, taking a deep breath. The future is uncertain, but now I know I’m capable of facing whatever comes next. Evelyn Ashcroft is no longer a victim. She’s a survivor, ready to carve her own path in a world she’s about to learn how to navigate.