It felt like the bones inside my body weren't in the right places. Every time I moved, a sharp pain pierced through me. I should've gone to the lab doctor before checking on Kav. After all, this pain was his fault too. But if I delayed his examination any longer, we'd probably have "Monster Rampage Chapter Two" on our hands.
Leaning against the wall, I cradled the small creature I saved earlier. I didn't know what species it was, but it kept calling me "Mama." Damn it, it must've mistaken me for its mother.
"Vinnie, what's that creature you're holding?" one of my colleagues asked.
"I don't know. I'll need to re-observe this specimen," I replied casually.
After asking, he walked away without even offering to help. Typical. The people in this lab were like demons—utterly heartless.
"Mama... ma ma ma mamama," the little creature babbled.
"Oh, so all you can say is 'mamama,' huh?" I teased.
As if it understood my sarcasm, the chewy little ball hit my shoulder with its tiny hands.
"That's enough. We need to be serious now," I said as I stroked its head.
We were still standing in front of Kav's chamber, yet the suffocating aura had already crept out from behind the door. Yeah, that's the difference—one's a reincarnated wolf, the other a reincarnated slime.
My hand touched the cold door panel. Not long after, it slid open, revealing Kav's muscular body lying on what looked like a giant roasting machine. Well, kind of. It was a scene I had seen for decades—tubes connected to parts of his body and wires spread across his chest. Each had a different function, but all served the same purpose: to monitor his heartbeat and other vitals.
"Kav?"
As if he'd been waiting for me, his closed eyes slowly fluttered open.
"Mama, Papa! Papa!" the little creature pointed at Kav and called out.
What? Did this slime come from one of Kav's experiments?
"You brought it?" Kav asked hoarsely.
"Is that a problem?" I asked in return.
He gave a small shake of his head, then extended a finger to touch the creature I held.
"When I carried your body to the research chamber, it kept calling for Mama. Then it switched to Papa after seeing my face," he explained with a faint smile.
I pulled a chair from the corner of the machine and sat beside him. "So you're the second person it saw. But why call it your child?"
Entities created through experiments usually had a way of recognizing their kind.
"Its human cells are stronger than the other additives," he said.
"You mean... this thing used to be human?"
Kav shook his head. I sighed in relief. At least it wasn't a human turned into a monster.
Also, Kav wasn't a werewolf like in fairy tales—one that shifts between a hairy beast and a human. Kav was a man, and even in his awakened state, he retained his human form. He was an artificial immortal, not a descendant of any ancient race.
"Are they still injecting you with animal cells?" I asked, checking his heartbeat.
He shook his head again. "My experiment is complete."
"Yeah, I know."
I didn't make any more small talk and moved on to examine him. Some of his nerves had stopped functioning due to the last experiment. He'd need light therapy to restore them.
Kav also had bruises all over his body. Every night, he was sent on some insane mission—either to terrorize villages or to hunt and kill humans deemed a threat to the lab's secrecy. Although he moved under the scientists' control, once he regained consciousness, he'd be tormented by the memories. The images of the people he killed would replay endlessly in his mind.
Kav was a wild beast inside a human body. He thought like a wolf, yet still had a human conscience—an unbearable combination. I still remember when he was under surveillance, constantly rebelling for freedom. Kav didn't want to be a test subject; he just wanted to live a normal life.
"You've become calmer since officially becoming a werewolf," I said after finishing my examination.
"I'm tired of resisting," he replied.
"When the time comes, I'll destroy this place."
Kav was quiet for a moment, then asked, "And kill everything that was created here?"
"I'm not a lunatic like them, Kav."
"Then what's your purpose?"
Ugh, this old wolf sure was nosy.
No matter what, the suffering of these creatures, animals, and humans in this lab had to stop. If the dead humans were volunteers, then the surviving experiments were the opposite. They were kidnapped, forced, or had their memories erased just so the scientists could run smooth trials.
Like a magnetic field, similar poles repel, but opposites attract. Negative elements need to face positive ones to survive and yield successful results.
"How old are you now, Vinnie?" Kav asked. He looked at me with deep meaning, a look I knew he reserved only for me.
"Twenty-five," I replied.
"You're all grown up. Can we get married now?"
Here he goes again.
"You're twelve years older than me," I shot back.
Kav just chuckled softly. He may look two years younger than me, but believe me—this guy is an old bachelor chasing a girl he raised. Like a beast, Kav wouldn't age, even if a hundred years passed. When my father dies, Kav will probably still look exactly the same.
After giving him his medication, I reattached his oxygen tube and closed the chamber. On the machine's edges were various buttons used to control Kav—adjusting his pressure, heart rate, pulse, cell movement, and blood flow to keep him stable. One wrong move and this werewolf could either die or go berserk like earlier.
Kav would remain inside the machine for about three hours. After that, he'd be allowed to move freely for one to four hours, depending on room temperature and his condition. And the one in charge of him? Me. Yep, my father basically dumped his daughter into a monster's den.
"Vinnie, don't forget to submit this week's lab activity report."
Oh right, that annoying task...