Experiment Zero

5. Patient Zero

 I take a few seconds to shake the feeling back in my hand, before moving towards the tray of food.

     "Ashie," He groans in pain again, letting out a cry similar to a whimper as his hand searches around where I was only to find nothing. I rush back over, glass of water in my hand.

      "Drink," I order, putting the glass to his lips. He sniffs and then takes a small sip. Once he deems it safe, he gulps it greedily, his throat probably as dry as a desert. 

I go to the sink and refill the glass, before letting him drink it again. I'm about to pull away, but his hand is then on my arm, dragging me down onto the bed with him.

    I inhale sharply, scared that his deadly touch is on right now, but when his forehead meets my neck and I don't die, I relax. 

He nuzzles my neck, his arms going around me and pulling me closer to him. I let him snuggle against me,  shocked when I find his skin is slightly cold. It is pretty chilly in this room, and the blankets are really feeble.

      He sighs against my neck, and slowly, very cautiously, I bring one of my hands up, patting his head hesitantly. Poor guy. It seems like he just can't catch a break.

 After a few minutes pass, I start to sit up and see Zero's eyes are trained on me. Good, he must have gotten his sight back, which is considerably quickly for how many bolts of electricity were shot into him. I get up, forcefully pulling away from his embrace as he lets out a little grunt in pain.

    "You need to eat," I say, even though he can't understand me. I pick up the bread, which is now cool instead of warm. I sit down carefully on the bed, balancing the tray on my lap.

    I'm happy to see someone also bowl of cut up fruit on the tray. Maybe someone else really does car for his health. I tear off a piece of bread, holding it up to his mouth but he glares at it suspiciously, doing nothing more than sniffing it.

How do I show him it's not drugged or poisonous? That's obvious. I eat it myself. 

I put the piece in my mouth and Zero's eyes widen, filling with panic, but when nothing happens to me in the next few moments, he seems to calm down.

      I tear off another piece of bread and hold it out to him, and cautiously, oh so cautiously, he takes it, chewing it for a few seconds before swallowing.

     He seems to like it, his eyes lighting up a little before he tries to push himself into a sitting position, but ends up groaning in agony and going limp.

    I maneuver with the tray on my lap, helping him sit up and lean against the wall the cot is pushed up against. 

I put another piece of bread up to his mouth, this one larger, and he lifts his hand, trying to take the piece from me, but his hand is super shaky so I shove it down and hold the piece to his mouth again

He huffs, but eats the bread, and I huff playfully right back at him.

Over and over, I feed Zero pieces of bread. He seems to like it good enough.

Next, the fruit goes. He takes a liking to the grapes and watermelon. He likes the strawberries the most, so I save them for last as a treat. He hates the bananas and blueberries, and doesn't really care about the orange slices, even though he eats them. When it's down to the strawberries, I start to feed him one, but he grabs my wrist, taking the strawberry away from me, strength returning to his hands.

    He holds the fruit to my mouth, and I shake my head, motioning for him to eat it. He has a really puzzled look on his face, and for some reason the expression looks fake. I walk through the motion of picking up an imaginary strawberry and putting it in my mouth. The minute my mouth opens, he shoves the strawberry in. I choke for a second, surprised, but then I chew, giving him a flat glare while I do it.