Episode 3
The folder trembled in Iris's hands.
Her name was scrawled in capital letters across the tab: VALE, IRIS E.
She glanced at the hallway behind her. Still quiet.
Heart hammering, she ducked into a narrow space between two filing cabinets and opened the folder under the flickering ceiling light.
The first page was a basic intake form.
> Patient Name: Iris Evelyn Vale
Date of Admission: [Blank]
Diagnosis: Dissociative Amnesia, PTSD, Schizoaffective Disorder
Primary Caregiver: Alec Draven
Authorization Level: Restricted Access – Clearance: D4+
She blinked. The words blurred.
Schizoaffective Disorder? PTSD?
She couldn't remember anything about herself—how could they confidently label her with this? And why was her fiancé listed as her caregiver?
She flipped the page.
The next set of documents were heavily redacted medical notes. Entire paragraphs blacked out with thick ink. But a few phrases remained readable.
> "Patient exhibits signs of trauma-induced memory suppression."
"Subject responds adversely to medication X-17."
"Test phase results: inconclusive. Proceeding to Phase III."
"Keep the subject sedated post-injection to monitor effect on cognitive suppression."
Iris's blood turned cold.
X-17. Test Phase. Phase III.
This wasn't just a hospital.
It was a lab.
She wasn't just a patient.
She was a subject.
---
Her breath quickened. She forced herself to read further.
A final page was labeled:
> Project NIGHTSHADE – Confidential Behavioral Reconditioning Report
More redactions. But she caught a key line at the bottom:
> Subject's twin, Isolde Vale, terminated after mental breakdown and exposure to Phase I truths.
Iris nearly dropped the file.
Twin. Isolde.
The name struck a chord in her soul, and with it came flashes—like jagged pieces of shattered glass.
A girl with the same face.
A scream echoing in a stairwell.
A fall.
Blood.
So much blood.
She gasped, hand over her mouth.
Her twin… was dead.
And Alec Draven had something to do with it.
The note was real.
He killed her.
---
Suddenly, she heard footsteps.
Fast.
Approaching.
She shoved the folder under her gown, stuffed into the elastic waistband of her pants, and slipped out the back emergency door just as the green door burst open behind her.
She ran.
---
Back in her room, Iris locked the door and pretended to be asleep.
Moments later, a knock.
She didn't answer.
The knock came again—sharper.
She kept her eyes closed, her breaths slow and even.
Finally, the door clicked and creaked open.
She recognized the scent before she heard his voice—cologne laced with something darker. Chemical. Sharp.
"Iris," Alec said softly.
She didn't move.
He stepped closer. The bed creaked as he sat beside her.
"You're not asleep. I know you."
She kept still.
"I found the lock strap outside your room," he murmured. "Smart girl. But breaking into the records room?"
Her pulse spiked.
"You're digging in places you shouldn't," he continued. "You could hurt yourself."
She opened her eyes slowly. "Did I have a sister?"
Alec paused.
Then, very slowly, he nodded. "Yes. Isolde."
"Where is she?"
"She's gone."
"Gone where?"
"She died, Iris. A long time ago. You… weren't well after it happened. You tried to erase everything. Even her memory."
Her throat tightened. "How did she die?"
"She jumped," he said simply. "From the top floor of this very building."
Liar.
The file said terminated. That wasn't suicide. That was murder.
"You're lying," she said.
Alec's jaw twitched. "What makes you say that?"
"I remember things now. Flashes. Her face. Screams."
"That's the trauma," he said quickly. "And the medication wearing off. You're hallucinating."
"No," Iris whispered. "I saw the file."
His expression turned cold.
"You really shouldn't have done that."
He stood.
"I didn't want to accelerate your treatment. But you're leaving me no choice."
"What treatment?"
He turned back, his smile brittle.
"You'll see."
---
The Next Morning
She woke to find a new nurse in the room. Not Nina. A tall woman with hollow eyes and gloves that went up to her elbows.
"Time for your morning shot," the woman said flatly.
"No," Iris snapped. "No more drugs."
The nurse ignored her. Drew out a silver syringe with a dark purple liquid.
Iris backed away.
"I said no!"
But the nurse advanced—and two male orderlies followed her in.
Iris screamed.
They held her down.
The needle pierced her neck.
The world spun.
---
When Iris woke again, she was in a different room.
Larger.
No windows.
Metal walls. A glass panel with what looked like cameras behind it.
The door was solid steel.
She wasn't in a hospital anymore.
She was in a cage.
She stood shakily, her mind fogged, but her determination burning.
Across the room, a speaker crackled.
A voice echoed from above.
Alec's.
"Good morning, Iris."
She looked up.
"Where am I?"
"This is the Observation Room. We use it for… rehabilitation."
"You mean torture."
"I mean healing."
"Where's Nina?" she asked suddenly. "She was helping me. What did you do to her?"
"She's been reassigned. She got too close."
"You mean she knew too much."
"You're paranoid, Iris. That's a side effect."
"No," she said. "It's clarity."
Alec's sigh echoed through the speaker.
"You weren't supposed to remember."
"I remember enough," she whispered. "You killed my sister."
There was a pause. The silence stretched.
Then, Alec said one word.
"Yes."
The word hit like a hammer.
"You're sick," she said, trembling.
"No. I'm a visionary. Isolde was unstable. She tried to expose the project. She would've destroyed everything."
"And what am I? Your next experiment?"
"You were always the better subject," he said calmly. "Smarter. Stronger. I had hope for you."
"I'm not your puppet."
"No," he agreed. "Not yet."
The speaker went silent.
And Iris sank to the floor, shaking—but still not broken.
---
Later That Night
Something slid under the door.
She rushed to grab it.
Another note.
> "Room 308. Storage. Loose panel behind sink. You'll find help there."
Her heart raced.
Someone was helping her. Nina?
She looked at the camera. Still red. Still watching.
She sat back on the bed, pretending to rest.
But her mind was already planning.
She'd get to Room 308.
She'd find out what Alec was hiding.
And she'd end this.
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