This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

While Cherry was inside of her cold and damp cell alone, the almost constant background noise of screams suddenly stopped.

'They're done early…

' Usually, the screams would last much longer, but from when they began this morning until now, not much time had passed.

Suddenly she heard the steady rhythm of approaching steps that echoed throughout the corridor, and for the first time, they stopped in front of her room.

The sound of a chain latch being removed and the door unlocked, echoed ominously in the room, and was still extremely clear over her heavy breathing.

The cell door creaked open, flooding Cherry's dim, damp prison with the harsh light of the corridor outside. She instinctively shielded her eyes with a trembling hand, the sudden brightness searing after days of complete darkness. A cold gust swept in, carrying with it the sharp, metallic scent of blood and harsh chemicals.

Two figures stepped inside. One was a towering man with a cold expression, his presence alone filling the room with dread. He was the same man that Cherry had been wary of after seeing him around town lately.

Beside him, a pale man in a pristine white coat exuded an unsettling calmness. his glasses reflected the dim light, obscuring his eyes, but the corners of her mouth curved into a slight, predatory smile.

Cherry scrambled backward, her small, shivering body pressing into the hard stone wall. The man in black reached down without a word, grabbing her wrist with a grip so tight it felt like her bones might snap.

"Please… no…" Cherry whimpered, tears spilling from her eyes as she tried to resist. Her legs kicked out, but her movements were no match for the man in black's strength. He hoisted her up like a rag doll, the restraints tied to wrists and ankles biting into her skin as she struggled.

However, Cherry's pleas were ignored as the man dragged her out into the corridor and then up a set of stairs to a laboratory.

The laboratory was starkly different from the dark, grimy cells. As they entered, Cherry's senses were assaulted by the sterile brightness of the space. White walls gleamed under the harsh glare of fluorescent lights, every surface clinically clean yet carrying a lingering chemical smell that stung her nose.

In large containers filled with a mysterious liquid, were 6 children floated—the local missing children, including Harvey. However, from what she remembered there were 8 children missing, meaning that one was unaccounted for…and possibly already dead.

At the center of the room was a long examination table, its surface cold and metallic, equipped with heavy restraints.

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Above it hung a morbid chandelier made up of machinery, needles, tubes, and sensors all within the researcher's easy reach.

Cherry's breathing became frantic as the guards dragged her toward the table. Her small cries turned into screams as she kicked and twisted, trying desperately to break free. The sound echoed off the sterile walls but did nothing to deter the emotionless figures in black carrying her.

The man slammed her onto the table, and the cold metal sent a shock through her body. She struggled as he fastened new restraints, but the difference in strength was too great and she was strapped down to the examination table against her will no matter how much she fought.

"Good," the man in the white coat said. "Let's proceed immediately."

The machinery above whirred to life, its needles descending slowly, casting long shadows over her pale, terrified face.

Ring ring ring

Cherry cried out in pain, as the machine made the first cut into her body.

Ring ring ring

"

Sigh

. Would you shut up that phone?!" The irritated man in white said while turning off the machine. With the machine no longer on, the loud ringing of the phone became even clearer in the quiet space.

"My apologies, I will just be a moment…" The man stepped to the side to answer the phone call, and for a moment, the only sound aside from the heavy breathing and occasional whimpers coming from Cherry were the intermittent one-word responses of the guard in black to whoever he was on the phone with.

"

Sigh

…my apologies Doctor. It's so hard to get good help these days. It looks like the site in the neighbouring Morningstar City has an emergency that they need me to personally tend to."

The man in white, the "Doctor," just dismissively waved his hand in annoyance. "Go! I still have some hands to help me manage things around here. Go and help that incompetent Dr. Burrows!"

The man in black nodded in relief before leaving the room.

"He's a shame to our teacher. God knows why he was so often pampered by teacher when he's so incompetent…" The Doctor grumbled while moving to the side of the examination table next to Cherry to restart the machine.

In Cherry's horrified eyes, the machine whirred to life again and restarted its operation on her.

"

Ahhhhh

!"

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"I don't feel good about this… how much longer do we need to wait for the wish to go into action," Kain said anxiously.

About half an hour ago, the light representing Cherry's location began to move to another room, and ever since a feeling of pure fear and panic began to overwhelm him. He just knew that something was wrong with Cherry, and he couldn't stand just waiting here instead of rushing to her side!

"Be patient Kain. I know you're afraid, but we can't risk barging in too early and then not being able to rescue them. Or worse, them killing all of the kids to conceal their operation before leaving."

Thankfully, it was only another 5 minutes before they saw a figure in black rush out of the building. Serena grabbed Kain's shoulder as he attempted to immediately rush over to the building, "Wait a little longer to be sure that the coast is clear…"

Kain, bit his lip in reluctance, but he had to acknowledge that waiting until he was further away was the safest course of action. After all, their wish is kind of wasted if an alarm or signal is sent to him immediately after they enter and they aren't given enough time to rescue Cherry and the other kids.

"By the way, Balins said that the price to be paid isn't clear yet, the time for it to occur is still a bit further into the future. Once it is closer to the time that the accident resulting from the price is closer, it will have a more precise idea and I will be able to warn you."

Kain nodded absentmindedly, not really caring about the price that he figured would probably fall on him. He was more foused on the current state of Cherry. It took all of Kain's self-control to remain where he was until they received confirmation from Balins that their wish for him to momentarily leave the city had been fully granted, meaning that even if an alarm is set off from their invasion it will take him a while to return.

'Cherry, hold on! I'm coming…'