Experiment 5475

Britney gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles white, her bloody hands clammy against the worn leather. The speedometer needle trembled, pushing past the legal limit as she raced back to their apartment. Every few minutes, her eyes flickered to the rearview mirror, half-expecting Don's sleek black car to materialize from the twilight, a bullet already inscribed with her name.

She knew he saw her as weak now, a broken tool. She'd seen it in his eyes earlier - a chilling calculation that told her her days were numbered if she didn't disappear, fast. Hopefully, he hasn't already gotten to Zoe. She slammed her fist into the steering wheel in frustration.

She tried calling Zoe again, her phone pressed tight against her ear, but was met only with the infuriatingly cheerful voice-mail. "Shit! Zoe, pick up your damn phone!" She screeched to a halt in front of their building, jumping out of the car without bothering to cut the engine. The tires spun on the asphalt as she abandoned it.

Sprinting up the steps, two at a time, she fumbled with the key, finally thrusting it into the lock of their apartment. The door burst open. "Zoe! Zoe, are you here!?" Silence. There was no sign of her. A cold dread seeped into Britney's bones. She rushed into her bedroom, yanking two large duffel bags from the back of her closet, frantically tossing random clothes into them, stuffing in wads of saved cash.

She moved into Zoe's room, filling the other bag with a chaotic mix of clothes and hygiene products. Two pairs of shoes went into each bag. "I have to find Zoe. Hopefully, this will be enough for us to get out of town," she whispered, her voice raw, picking up the heavy bags, their weight a tangible burden, and walked back into the living room.

Don was sitting on the living room couch. His legs were crossed, a picture of chilling composure, as if he'd simply been waiting for her. The front door, which she had left ajar, was now silently locked and closed. Britney gasped, stumbling back, the heavy duffel bags falling with a dull thud to the floor. "You're quite the runner, huh? Fast... but not fast enough," Don purred, a small, knowing smile playing on his lips as he slowly rose, his movements deliberate, approaching her like a predator.

Her eyes darted around the room, desperate for an escape route. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Don't you want your friend Zoe to live to see another day?" he asked, his voice soft, yet chillingly effective. Britney froze, a cold terror seizing her.

She slowly turned her head, her gaze locking onto his.
His smile widened, thin and cruel. "What did you do to her? Where is Zoe? Please don't hurt her!" Britney pleaded, her voice cracking. Don chuckled softly, a low, unsettling sound, as he smoothly pulled a sleek black gun from inside his tailored jacket.

He held it out towards her. "She's alive, for now. I need to set her straight, to teach her not to go sticking her nose in places that don't belong to her. You're going to be my example. Now, take this gun and kill yourself with it." Britney's blood ran cold in her veins, her eyes fixated on the deadly weapon.

Her gaze desperately searched his eyes, pleading for any flicker of compassion, any glimmer of understanding. She found none, only a vast, empty expanse of cold amusement. Don sighed, a sound of mild impatience, and stepped closer, wrapping her shaking hands around the gun. His fingers, firm and unyielding, covered hers, pressing her fingerprints onto the cold metal. "You... you promise you won't kill Zoe?" Britney whispered, her voice trembling.

Don laughed deeply, a chilling, hollow sound that echoed through the quiet apartment, rattling her to the bone. "I don't owe you any promises." Her lip trembled, her last shred of hope flickering. She slowly raised the gun, its weight terrifying in her hand, bringing it to the side of her head. "Please..." she whispered, a final, desperate plea for her friend's life.

Don looked into her watery eyes, and for a fleeting instant, a tiny, almost imperceptible twinge of something-perhaps a flicker of the man he once was-crossed his features. "Fine," he said simply, the word clipped and cold. Britney's face contorted into a weak, sorrowful smile, tears rolling freely down her face.

At least she would die knowing her best friend would live another day. She placed her finger on the trigger, her gaze locking onto Don, a defiant spark in her dying eyes. "You'll never get away with this." He tilted his head, a crooked, amused smirk. "But I already have..." A deafening crack filled the room. "BANG!" Britney's body hit the ground like a rock.

A dark, rapidly spreading pool of crimson seeped across the polished floor, inching closer to Don's pristine, expensive shoes. He turned, unconcerned, walking back to the couch and sitting down, pulling out his phone. He began playing a random phone game, his thumbs tapping idly. "Now I wait," he whispered, leaning back into the comfortable cushions, paying no mind to the woman bleeding out on the floor, her life draining away.

"Hey, Brit, sorry I missed your calls, I went grocery shopping. The funniest thing happened at the store, you'll never believe it-" Zoe's voice, bright and cheerful, suddenly died in her throat. She dropped the grocery bags, apples and oranges scattering across the polished floor, and sprinted inside the apartment.

Her eyes landed on the scene: Britney, crumpled, still. Zoe fell to her knees, landing hard in the spreading pool of blood beside Britney's body. "Brit... Britney! Please, answer me! You'll be okay, okay? Stay with me!" She pressed her trembling hand against Britney's bloody head, sobbing uncontrollably.

Britney's eyes weakly fluttered open, hazy and unfocused, looking up at her friend. "Zoe... you never pick up your phone," she managed, a faint, fragile smile touching her lips, a ghost of their old banter. Zoe squeezed her bloody hand tightly, her own tears blurring her vision. "Unfortunately, you're a little too late this time... but I'm happy to see you... my best friend... one last time." She began coughing heavily, a wet, rattling sound, making Zoe hold her even closer.

Zoe shook her head frantically. "No!... No, you'll... you'll be okay," she whispered, not even believing her own words, her voice a desperate plea against the inevitable. Britney let out a shaking, ragged breath, her strength fading fast. "No, Zoe, I'm not... Before it's too late, I have to tell you something. Come closer." Her voice was a fragile whisper, getting weaker and weaker; there wasn't much time left.

Zoe leaned in, her ear close to Britney's lips. Britney's bloody hand, cold and heavy, lifted, placing a crimson smear against Zoe's cheek. "He's watching... Please, take care of yourself, Zoe. Do everything he says. Don't go against him... just survive, Zoe... just sur... survi... survive..." Her voice faded into nothingness, her hand falling limply from Zoe's cheek. Her entire body went still, lifeless, in Zoe's trembling arms.

Zoe cried harder, her face pressed against Britney's chest, her own tears mingling with the blood. "No... no, Britney! This is all my fault! I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry!" She coughed on her own tears, her throat raw.

She didn't hear the light footsteps coming up behind her until Don's cold voice cut through her grief. "So unfortunate. She was a pretty good guard. Even more unfortunate to have a friend like you to put her in this situation." Zoe glanced back at him, her eyes red and swollen.

He was crouched down a few feet behind her, making sure to keep his expensive shoes well clear of the spreading blood. "And the worst part is, your fingerprints are on her body, and hers are on the gun. The police will be looking for you if they find out about her death. I could make it all go away easily if you follow my every order." Zoe swallowed hard, the cold dread clamping around her heart.

She slowly, numbly, let Britney's body slip from her arms, lowering her gently to the floor. This all couldn't be happening, yet the cruel, sad fact was that it was. "What do you want from me?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. Don smiled slightly, a glint of predatory satisfaction in his eyes. "You're going to take her place as a guard in the lab. I would have killed you, but I made her a promise before I had her blow her brains out. Being a guard in the lab is your only option, other than going to jail for the rest of your life." Zoe closed her eyes tight against his harsh, brutal words, her stomach churning.

She didn't want to be part of this anymore. She didn't want Britney dead. But what other choices did she have? There was no way out. No getting out of this. "Fine. I'll do whatever you say," she said, completely defeated, her voice flat, devoid of hope. It was Britney's dying wish for her to survive, and she would do her absolute best to honor that last, heartbreaking request.

Mia note- Not me crying 😭