Contents: Lab whump, kidnapping, defiant whumpee, clueless whumper, role reversal (sorta), knockout gas, swearing, caged whumpee
Max’s head throbbed. He tiredly reached his arm up to rub his eye, groggily opening the other. He stopped, dumbstruck. This wasn’t his room…
The sight of bars greeted him, no further than 20cm away from his sitting figure. Past the bars, a large, sterile looking facility greeted him. The walls were all bare white, but a labyrinth of tables stretched the rest of the room, almost every surface covered with brightly coloured vials, scratchily written notes and mindlessly discarded needles.
Fear began to weigh down his stomach. Where was he? What had happened? He backed up to the end of the cage he was in, only managing to shuffle back about a step before he felt his back hit the cold metal bars on the other side.
“Oh you’re awake!” Max turned around and sprung to the other end of the cage, back now facing the lab. The man now stood, looking down on the cage. He was unable to make out a lot of details from the angle he was sitting, only able to distinguish the vague silhouette of a lab coat.
His face was slightly more clear, an innocent looking curious expression in his wide brown eyes. He had scruffy mid length black hair that looked poorly looked after and greasy. He’d tried to tie it into a low ponytail, but large chunks of his too short hair had fallen out and over his face messily, and there was an excitable, childish grin on his round face.
Max stared at him in disbelief.
“Who the fuck are you?” He asked, his voice hoarse
“Please, language. I don’t tolerate that kind of language in my lab.” He paused for a second, making uncomfortable eye contact with Max. “My name is Doug Gillen. I’m a scientist. Do you have any questions?” Max, who was trying and failing to properly collect himself, snapped back into speech, ignoring the strangely matter of fact way his captor spoke.
“Yes, actually, I do. First of all, What the fuck? What the fuck is going on? Where the fuck am I? What the fuck is-” Doug cut him off.
“Please, please, mind your language. I really don’t appreciate swearing. To answer your question, you’re in my lab. I needed a test subject, and you fit the bill perfectly. No longer close to family, drifting away from friends, no one will think much of you disappearing.” He adjusted his glasses “Anyways, we should probably get to -”
“No. No no no. You can’t- no. No. You kidnapped me? Oh fuck oh fuck oh fu-”
“What did I just tell you about language?” Doug paused for a second, narrowing his eyes slightly. “Anyways, I’d like to ask you a few questions now, if that’s okay.” He looked at Max for a second, not waiting for a reply before continuing. “What’s your full name? Even in all the time I was scoping you out as a potential test subject, you never brought up your full name. I’m curious, Max. What is it?”
The sound of his name coming from the mouth of his kidnapper sent a chill down his spine.
“You-stalked me!? You-you.” Max paused for a second to compose himself. “No, I’m not telling you. I’m never telling you anything. His voice was laced with venom. Doug tilted his head, seeming genuinely confused.
“Why not? I’m not asking for much here.”
Max stared at the figure in front of him with a mixture of disbelief and disgust.
“Why not!? You’re asking me why I don’t want to give information to my kidnapper!? If you think for a single fucking-”
“‘Second that I’m going to comply with you, you must be insane. Hell, you probably are! I mean, no one sane would just fucking kidnap someone and-”
“Max.” Doug kneeled down to meet him at eye level. Quieten down for a second. Let me speak.” Max stared daggers at him, but stayed quiet. “Good. Now, I’ve got a proper cell for you. You’re the first human guest that-” Max quickly began to say something but was quickly drowned out by Doug, who just continued to speak. “So if it's a little different to what you expect I apologize. Anyways, I’m just gonna let you out of your cage and lead you there.”
Max looked up at the last sentence. He’s just gonna let me go loose? Doug was still speaking, but Max was no longer paying attention. This might be the only chance I get. He blinked, noticing Doug’s expectant stare. “Well?”
“Yeah, okay.” Max had no idea what he’d just agreed to, but Doug seemed satisfied. He reached into one of his lab coat pockets, pulling out a small key and beginning to fiddle with the lock.
Max took another look around the lab.There was a door, about 20m to his left. The lock finally clicked open, and Doug opened the hatch in the side, eyes gleaming with excitement. Max quickly scrambled out of the cage, ignoring the aching in both his legs as he stood, handcuffs immediately clicking onto his wrists, Doug taking a firm hold of the metal.
The first thing Max noticed when he stood was Doug’s height. It had been hard to tell earlier, from where he was sitting, but he was short. Max wasn’t a super tall guy, maybe around 5’10, but he stood almost a foot taller than the scientist.
Doug was just stood there, loosely holding the middle of the handcuffs with one hand, and fiddling with the keys with his other.
Max yanked his arms quickly away from Doug, who, not expecting it, let go of the handcuffs for a second, quickly snatching them back, using his free hand to pick a small spray bottle out of one of his oversized lab coat pockets and spraying his face with a bit of water.
Did… did he really try to use a spray bottle to punish me? Like a cat? Max felt more and more confused the longer this situation continued. Max looked down at Doug, who was now trying to shove the spray bottle back into one of his many bulging pockets, clearly filled to the brim with things he didn’t need.
Max looked down at his handcuffs again. This scrawny, clearly deficient in some vitamins, scientist seemed to have no sense of self preservation. He claimed to know about Max, but still seemed entirely unfazed being entirely undefended infront of someone whose biggest hobby was boxing.
He knew he couldn’t fight like he normally would, not with the handcuffs, so he clasped his hands together, slowly bringing them up. He almost felt bad, this Doug person seemed harmless enough, but-
No. He kidnapped me. He stalked me. He deserves this.
Max clobbered him around the side of the face, the hard metal handcuffs striking his unprepared face painfully. Doug lurched back, a pained squeak coming out of his mouth as he felt his now bloodied cheek. He looked back up at Max, pleadingly, with fear in his wide, innocent eyes. Max had to shake away any sympathy. He kidnapped me! He stalked me! He raised his hands again, swinging again.
Doug was on the floor by now, his face a bloodied mess, his hands weakly raised in a pathetic attempt to keep Max away. Small, cracked whimpers escaped his broken lips, but he wasn’t able to speak anymore. Max continued to pummel him, all empathy for this guileless man replaced by pure blind fury.
He noticed, between strikes, that Doug was trying to reach back towards one of his pockets, trying to pull something out, but being thrown off with every punch. It took him a few tries, but he eventually managed to grab the item firmly enough to pull it out. A gas mask?
Realisation dawned upon Max, and he sprang up, rushing towards the door.
A faint hissing sound was audible from somewhere above him.
He covered his mouth and nose with his hoodie sleeve. It didn’t help. The walls seemed to sway as he stumbled to the door, falling forwards and catching himself on the locked door handle.
Max couldn’t stay upright. Even while holding onto the door handle, he couldn’t help himself from slipping, falling onto the floor. The walls kept spinning around him, his eyelids struggling to stay open
So this is the first time I'm ever posting my writing anywhere, and while its not my best work, I've decided that I need to try to post it anyways, because if I don't now, who knows when I will.
