[Chapter 6] Youth is Wasted on the Young

Chapter 6: A Youthful Hunger

For the Halloween season, this is a story with some horror elements while also being science-fiction. A new chapter will be posted each week exclusively for paid subscribers. If you want to become a paid subscriber, I’m offering a 14-day free trial.

If you want to read the entire thing now, you can pick up the book for free using Amazon Kindle Unlimited.

Without further ado, here is Chapter 6: A Youthful Hunger

---

The chemical calm was warm and soothing, but Jonny knew that it was a lie to make him compliant and ignore the deep pain that was truly coarsing through his body. Yet knowing this meant he couldn’t surrender to the pleasure, that wasn’t in his nature. He was a disciplined athlete, so he went along with the schedule. But he was not a lamb.

He knew he was being watched. The cameras watched in every room. Young stared from his glass perch. Technicians and other employees delivered his meals and took his vitals. He gave them a show that they expected.

He followed the workout protocol while in the gym. He worked consistently and in perfect form. He ran with a steady gait, not trying to push beyond his means but to show off his improved performance. His weightlifting was controlled. His movements were precise. His face was a mask. Internally, he was memorizing the labyrinth of the compound and timing the paths of the staff every day.

He sat through the Cognitive Testing every evening, tapping the current light sequences with a rhythmic focus. He showed them that he was compliant, a good specimen. As he did so, he noticed how they relaxed a little. They would let down their guard just enough for him to exploit.

Overnight, the schedule on the wall had changed. There was a new item added in.

22:00 - Nootropic & Sedative Infusion Supplement

He knew that was going to be his chance, when they gave him a dose to keep his body docile overnight even as his mind remained unaffected. Before they gave him this sedative, he would need to do something. He needed a key to get out and the best option was from the man who came in with the infusions.

At 22:00 on the dot, the door hissed open after a soft chime rang. The same tech rolled in the same steel cart from that morning. He had spent that day coming up with his plan, so he was sitting on the edge of the bed when the tech rolled in, not in the chair as would be expected. The bed was just marginally closer to the door.

“Mr. Harker, it is time for your supplemental infusion,” the tech said, applying the locks on the cart wheels.

“Good evening,” he replied neutrally.

He watched the tech’s hands moving as if by instinct to open the prep kit and prepare the IV bag. He could see the thin keycard resting on the tech’s belt. It was a piece of plastic with the Young Foundation’s minimalist ‘Y’ etched in silver. It had an RFID transmitter to allow one to unlock doors. That was his target.

The technician wiped an alcohol swab on the port around Jonny’s arm. Jonny took a deep breath and applied the same focus to his next move as he did before a free throw. The needle clicked into the port. The tech turned his back for a split second as he logged the dosage on a small tablet and initiated the flow.