Broken Silence Read online

  I slipped it back in my bra as quickly as possible and fixed my shirt. The moment my shirt was in place I heard the creak of the doorknob turning on the metal door in the room. I put my back flat to the wall to face whoever came through.

  The man who walked in looked exactly like I would picture an evil scientist. He was extremely pale, tall and bony. His face was angular with severe looking pale blue eyes. He had a distinct look of disgust twisting his face. Behind him were the two men who murdered my family. The hope I had felt from texting Sophia faded as quickly as it came.

  “Well, you have certainly caused trouble. Count yourself lucky patient 634, you will be of use to us now. That means you get to live. Unfortunately for me, someone wants to speak to you before I get to start the fun.” His voice was sharp and high pitched, which caused me to instantly cringe. The fact he called me by a patient number and not my name wasn’t lost on me. I tried to tell myself over and over that Sophia would be coming for me.

  The two men lumbered toward me with the promise of pain on their faces. I took a steadying breath before I attempted to fight my way through. Even if I couldn’t win, I wasn’t going to just let them abuse me.

  They both reached for me at the same time and I slid between their bodies. Thank you softball base slides! I took off toward the door, but it was a small cell and I had no chance to gain momentum. I settled for body checking the bony scientist. I braced and lowered my shoulder to ram him in the chest. I was momentarily surprised as he flew against the wall in the hallway. I was just about to round the corner when I was roughly grabbed from behind. The guards grabbed me and slammed me against the wall.

  “Don’t try that again, or I promise you, I will enjoy every ounce of pain I inflict on you. You are no longer a person here. You are a lab rat. Walk, rat.” He snarled as he pressed a gun into my back. The other guard stepped in front of me and we walked single file through the hallway.

  The building I was in had to be underground. The walls were cinderblock and painted a bright white. Fluorescent lights flickered every few feet above our heads. The hall was lined like a dormitory with doors precisely placed. I assumed there were more cells like mine behind each one. As we rounded the corner the doors became less frequent. I jumped as I heard screams coming from behind one of the doors we passed.

  “I told you we aren’t afraid to inflict pain.” The guard behind me leaned forward and whispered creepily into my ear. I cringed again as I fought the tears threatening to spill over. Our procession finally stopped in front of a set of double doors. The guard in front of me knocked and we waited.

  The door finally creaked open and I wasn’t particularly surprised to see my dad’s old boss in front of me. I only recognized him from the fund raising events we attended. He was an older, chubby man. He always had a fake laugh and smile for everyone as he mingled through the events. My dad never spoke highly of him and mom always cringed when he got too close.

  “Welcome patient 634, let me brief you. Guards if you will?” He gestured for them to lead me in. The room was a conference room. A large table filled a portion of the room, with chairs lined up around it. I was led to a chair on one side of the table and forced to sit. The guards flanked my chair on either side in case I got any ideas.

  “Let’s start with you. What all have you told the police.” He said in a fake nice voice, as he settled his large bulk into the chair. I blinked at him in answer. “Oh yea, I forgot you were the mute.” He said with a pointed look to the guard behind me. Clearly he realized the gun to the throat two years ago didn’t do me any favors in regards to talking.

  I honestly realized in this moment how thankful I was for the damage. Not speaking for two straight years, minus one yell and a few words to Cole in desperation, would help me to not crack and tell these evil men anything.

  “Well, it honestly doesn’t matter. The FBI has started questioning the main facility. I can only assume that is thanks to you. Though they won’t find anything more then they have. We are careful and we are immense. This is only one of our locations and they have no chance of finding you.” His thin lips curled into a sinister smile. I just blinked at him, keeping my face blank. I embraced the numbness like an old friend. Emotionless was the only way I would survive this and I knew it.

  “This research facility is separated into sections. We are trying to find out exactly how far we can push the human body. It goes beyond researching the slight improvement of cell regeneration for diseases. We are finding what can rapidly increase muscle development, rapid healing, increasing vision. Pretty much anything we want to improve on the human body, we research it. With the help of our volunteers of course.” He gestured to me at the word volunteer. I blinked at him again and he narrowed his eyes. I’m assuming this man was used to the people he lures here or kidnaps, screaming and freaking out. I guess he shouldn’t have chosen someone who already lived through hell.

  “Fine, you will be joining our rapid healing research team. You will be granted a shower with sterile soap and clean clothes before being allowed to enter the labs. You can throw away the clothes you are wearing in the shower room, you won’t be needing them here . Don’t get any ideas, if you take to long or you refuse to cooperate, then I will allow these men to join you in that restroom. Are we clear?” He asked in that fake nice voice again. I nodded with my blank face. I was internally praying that this restroom was still on this level near an entrance, so I could get some semblance of a signal. The guards each grabbed me by an arm, so they could force me to stand and walk me to the shower room. The shower room was directly across from the conference room. They both shoved me at the same time so I fell into the room as they closed and locked it behind me.

  The shower room was about the size of two cells. It had a shower that was wide open, without a curtain. A table on the opposite wall held a set of while scrubs, underwear, a white tank top, and a hair tie. The bottle of antiseptic soap was also there, along with a rough white towel. I quickly tore off my shirt and pulled out my cell phone. Thankful that my chest was large enough to hide any bulk from my thin cell phone. I dialed Sophia’s number and hit call. It took seven frustrating tries before the call actually went through.

  “Charlie?! Is that you?” Sophia screamed into the phone. I quickly turned down the volume and turned on the shower head.

  “Sophia, please send help, I will keep the call going, get someone to track my phone or trace the call. I’m going to find a way to tuck it away somewhere as long as the signal doesn’t drop. This place is bad, they are testing on people. My number is 634 if that tells you anything. I’m so scared.” My voice was raspy, but I managed to get all of the words out before coughing. I was sobbing by the end of it. “I have to go Sophia or they will come in here and find out. If you don’t find me, I love you, thank you for fighting for me.”

  “Stop it, Charlie. I will find you. Be discreet and be strong. I will handle the tracking, I’m at the station with the agents now. They are already tracing. I love you too, honey.” She was clearly crying as well. I looked around for a place to hide the cell phone. I took the hair tie that was in my hair and broke the elastic. I used it to tie my cell to the underside of the sink’s pipes, directly under the basin. It took me a few tries to get it secure enough not to fall off. If someone came in to properly clean they would find it, but hopefully that would give them enough time to find me.

  I jumped in the shower and scrubbed with the awful smelling antiseptic soap. I took the fastest shower of my life. I was not giving the guards any reason to come after me. I quickly dried off and got dressed. I threw my clothes in the waste basket in the corner and braided my hair. I double checked my phone and saw that the call was still going. I had already made sure the volume was all the way down, so nobody could hear the background noise as they traced it.

  I walked up to the door and knocked softly. The guard opened the door and gave me an evil smile before securing my hands in a zip tie. I let my mind float back into the darkness before I
could panic. The guards led me back the way we came from and through a maze of halls. We finally reached a staircase leading down. I fought a wave of nausea at the thought of how much space these psychopaths had to torture us in. I prayed I had the strength to get through this. I already knew I would be lucky to survive with my sanity, I just hoped I would survive with my life.

  Chapter 13

  I looked around at the lab I was currently stuck in. I couldn’t name half of the equipment or explain what their purpose was. I was strapped to a chair thanks to the stupid guards, so I couldn’t exactly explore further. I was also sporting some crazy bruising thanks to fighting them as they tried to drag me in here. I was no match for the two huge beasts, unfortunately. I cringed as I heard the door slide open.

  “Now the fun can begin.” The same scientist from earlier announced, as he walked up to the equipment surrounding me. I noticed that the name Timmins was embroidered on the pocket of his white lab coat. Once he was done with the lab equipment he went over to a cart and rolled it over closer to me. My stomach dropped as I noticed the needles and IV tubing that awaited me. I started to thrash against the arm restraints. No way was I letting this insane person stick needles in me. I was rewarded with a swift smack to the face.

  “You deserved that for you little stunt earlier. Now quit thrashing or I promise I will stick you over and over until I get it.” I responded to his threat with a visible eye roll and more thrashing. He ignored me as he prepared the IV line. True to his word, he gripped my arm with one hand while I flailed around, and used the other to attempt to hit the vein. I ignored the awful pain and refused to back down. I knew that I was probably making this worse on myself, but the fact they would pump experimental drugs into my system was motivating me to fight. I had a feeling the moment I gave up and let it happen was the moment I truly lost.

  Flynn

  “What do you mean she was kidnapped again?” I bellowed into the phone. What the heck was happening in Arcadia Hills? “I’ll be there as soon as I can!” I yelled at the officer unlucky enough to inform me of the kidnapping. I swiftly grabbed an overnight bag, my gun and badge before running to my car.

  I received word about twenty minutes ago that Charlotte was missing again. Apparently she wasn’t outside when her foster mom went to pick her up from school. Word from the boyfriend was that the guidance counselor called her into the office late in the day. The office staff reported her leaving the office about fifteen minutes after the bell rang. They found her abandoned backpack in front of the school, but no trace of her. I growled in frustration and punched my desk for good measure. I promised the kid I would solve this.

  I fumed the entire drive to the Arcadia Hills police department. During the drive I informed the agents investigating the case that they believe she was kidnapped again. Hopefully the agents would beat me there. I used my sirens the entire way and made it in record time. If the same people who murdered her family had her, they weren’t likely to let her live for long. The thought had me in a panic. This kid dealt with enough and has come too far for it to end like this.

  I snatched up my phone as it started to ring and noticed it was Sophia, Charlotte’s foster mom. “Flynn.” It was all I could get out before she started hysterically yelling into the phone.

  “She’s been kidnapped, Flynn. I just received a text from her. I guess they didn’t find her phone on her. Tell me you guys can track her phone’s location! They can’t just have my girl, We have to get her back.” She sobbed into the phone as she trailed off.

  “I promise I am going to put everything I’ve got into finding her. Get to the station and wait for the agents. They can help you better then the officers there. I’m almost there.” I tried for a soothing voice, but it failed. I sounded harsh, even to my ears. I hung up and picked up my speed again.

  I walked into the station to be greeted by the two agents I had been working with. I was glad they got here first, now we could dive right in.

  “Flynn, I’ve got officers getting the school’s footage at the time of the kidnapping. The text she sent accused the counselor of being involved. The officer’s should have her in custody soon, so she will be here for questioning. I’ve got a tech expert on the way to work on tracking her cell phone. This station isn’t exactly equipped for a case of this magnitude.” He updated me as we power walked through the halls. How the hell did the guidance counselor get involved? This whole case was the biggest mess I have ever seen.

  “Where’s the girls mom?” I asked as me reached the conference room that the agents had secured for our use.

  “We have her talking to one of our people, trying to calm her down. The text Charlotte sent said that the van was a red work van with tinted windows. We have another officer scanning traffic camera’s to see if they can find a direction they were going. There was an hour and a half difference between her leaving the office and sending the text. Agent Simms is pulling up a map so we can see where that amount of time could place her. That text may save her life, smart kid.” Agent Clark finished the update and pulled out his phone. Hopefully checking the progress of his team.

  One of the officer’s poked his head in the room. “counselor is here, are you two interrogating?” I stood up at the same time Agent Clark did.

  “Hell yes we are.” I growled as I hurried to the interrogation room. Looking through the small window on the door I noted the older woman’s black eye and swollen nose. “What happened to her face?”

  “She claims that she was attacked by the kidnappers, trying to save Charlotte.” His voice didn’t hide his disbelief. They all had heard about the text too.

  “You think they could have sent the text to throw us off?” I asked Clark. It was possible, they would have known who Sophia is by the way they stalked Charlotte the first time they tried to take her.

  Clark shrugged and opened the door. The counselor’s severe face didn’t give the reassuring vibe you usually got from counselors. She began recounting her tale, saying she walked out and saw men dragging Charlotte out towards the maintenance doors. When she tried to pull Charlotte away they apparently punched her in the face and took off in the van. I didn’t buy it. If Charlotte sent that text then I believed her. I worked with this kid for over two years now. I knew better then to think she would make it up or lie, especially in a kidnapping situation. Using her phone was risky and she sent a concise text with the most important information.

  “Explain to me why we have word from, Charlotte that you helped them kidnap her.” Clark said as he slammed his hands on the table. The lady flinched and I saw a flicker of shock cross her face.

  “I don’t know why anyone would tell you that. Like I told the officers, there wasn’t anyone around to help us.” Her voice was sharper now. I guess we rattled her already. That’s always a good sign.

  “We have word from Charlotte herself.” I said casually. She turned her gaze on me.

  “Impossible. I saw them pat her down before throwing her in the van. She would have no way to call anyone and she doesn’t talk anyway.” Her voice was now bordering arrogant. She clearly thought her answers through, but something didn’t add up. Not to mention a worried counselor trying to prover her innocence, didn’t fight with the police or FBI.

  “Agents!” an officer barked out as he slammed the door open. We hurried out and closed the door behind us. “Charlotte called Sophia. She’s in the conference room with Simms. Go!” He ushered us away and stood guard outside of the interrogation room.

  When we reached the conference room Sophia was sobbing and holding the phone out to Simms. I noticed another agent nearby that was opening a laptop and pulling other small devices out.

  “Flynn. Clark. This facility isn’t good, but that Charlotte is a smart kid. She’s got her phone silenced and hidden with the call still running. I’m trying to connect now.” The new agent was talking and working, which I respected.

  “She said they gave her a patient number and they are testing on people. That mea
ns they will test on her, we have to get there fast.” Sophia’s voice was shaky and hysterical. An officer came in, escorting the kid’s social worker. She immediately went over to Sophia to comfort her. Thank goodness for that, I certainly wasn’t any good at the comforting side of this job.

  “Charlotte’s friends are all in the Lobby.” Danielle announced softly. This only made Sophia start crying harder. I couldn’t blame her there. I saw how broken Charlotte was when we started the interviews. She was a completely different person now that she moved to Arcadia Hills.

  “I think I’ve got them! It looks like it’s in a cluster of warehouses an hour and 45 minutes from here. Address is sent to your phone Clark. What kind of back up are we anticipating?” the tech expert asked, while typing away.

  “If she is patient 634 then it isn’t a small operation. Get in contact with the local pd for back up, let the director know the plan so she can handle the other steps while we get in route. Look into the owner of the buildings, he might be our guy.” Clark barked out orders as he grabbed what he needed and ushered us on our way. Now that we had a location, nothing could stop us. This has to end.

  Charlie

  The scientist growled in frustration as he tried again to stick the IV in my arm. My fight was draining but I wasn’t going to give up. I was doubting they would kill me if they needed me for this experiment, but if they did it would be better than being a lab rat for the rest of my life. I was also betting on his ultra-skinny arms tiring out before me. I had muscle and age on my side. He growled once more before stomping off to the intercom on the wall.