The Watchers by Ruth Ann Nordin Read Free Book Online Page A

elevator and
looked expectantly at him. What choice did he have?
    He joined her. The blue door up ahead
loomed before him and the sense of dread in his gut twisted
tighter. Images of his past visits flashed through his mind. Some
things he wished he didn’t remember. Well, there was no going back
now. He knew too much. He’d done too much.
    “ We’re going to have a lot
of fun,” the blond whispered suggestively.
    Without another word, she led him to
the door and opened it. Slowly exhaling, he stepped
forward.

Chapter Eight

    Devon woke up at 11:30pm. His heart
beat was unusually fast and his back hurt. Where was he? Anxious,
he glanced around and quickly realized he was in his bed, safe at
home. Breathing fast, he tried to sit up, but a sharp stab of pain
in his lower back stopped him so he collapsed on the
bed.
    Dr. Raymond ran over to him. “It was a
real doozy this time, Devon.”
    In that instant, he remembered that he
had gone to Dulce. He swallowed despite his raw throat. He’d been
screaming. That was the only reason his throat hurt as much as it
did. He choked back on a cry. What had they done to him this
time?
    “ They put this in you. I
got it before it became a part of your spinal column.”
    Devon blinked away the tears and
focused on the jelly-like implant with two dangling
limbs.
    “ Whatever this one was, it
was alive.”
    “ A-alive?” He struggled to
breathe through the fear coming at him full force. That thing had
been inside of him, wrapping itself into him like a parasite? It
was half an inch long. None of the other implants were that big
either.
    The doctor turned to the dresser in
the bedroom and placed the implant in the box with the other five
implants he’d removed on other occasions. Turning his sympathetic
gaze in Devon’s direction, he asked, “Are you sure you want to know
what happened at Dulce?”
    Devon dreaded that question. Finding
out meant he had to relive the whole nightmare all over again. Each
time they were done with him, they dropped him off at home and he
didn’t remember a thing. It wasn’t until that fateful day Dr.
Raymond gave him an MRI and found the first implant that Devon
realized he was nothing more than a lab rat. Gripping the sheets
beneath him, he steeled his resolve. He had to be strong. He had to
know what they did and what they wanted. He had to. Failure was not
an option. Failure meant someone would come up to his door with a
gun and a bullet.
    He tried to speak but his voice
wouldn’t come, so he nodded.
    With a heavy sigh, the doctor lifted
the needle. “I’m sorry, Devon.” He sat beside him on the bed and
held onto Devon’s stiff arm.
    The needle went in with
little effort, and the cool liquid found its way into his vein.
Soon. Soon he’d recall the horror he’d just been through. Be strong. You can do this!
    Dr. Raymond pulled out the needle and
strapped a band-aid over the puncture wound. “I’ll be here in case
you go into another convulsion.”
    Devon managed a slight nod.
    The doctor helped him up.
    Though he was weak, he made it to the
bathroom. It was the same routine. He knew what to expect. He knelt
by the toilet and waited. The sensation of a chill passing over him
was the indication he needed. He leaned over the toilet and closed
his eyes.
    He could do this. He had to remember.
This was much too important. His life depended on him knowing the
keyword and the name of his alternate personality. So far, he’d
accumulated five separate personalities. This was his sixth. And as
long as he played along with his superiors, he was safe.
    I have to do
this.
    The chill seeped into his bones,
making him shake. The tremors started off small—easy enough to
tolerate. But he knew what was coming. He took deep breaths,
counting to ten before he slowly exhaled. This simple exercise,
he’d learned, warded off the nausea until the end.
    An image flashed in his mind. He tried
to focus on it, but it quickly blurred back into the recesses of
his