Episode 16
The sky outside Room 404 was bruised with the pale lavender of dawn, but Iris Vale hadn't slept a moment. Shadows painted long fingers on the floor, and her pulse thudded in time with the beeping machines.
She clutched the old photograph tighter in her hands. Her fingers brushed over the faded image—two young girls, smiling, identical eyes and freckles.
She had a sister.
A sister Alec never mentioned.
"Why?" Iris whispered to herself. "Why lie about her?"
Her thoughts kept circling the same fear: If he could lie about family, what else is he hiding?
The photograph had fallen from one of the medical files she stole the night before—a dusty folder labeled "Subject 12B." Inside, beyond the pages of medical jargon and drug dosage charts, had been the photo... and a tiny note scribbled behind it:
> She knew too much.
Those four words chilled her more than the drugs ever had.
Suddenly, the intercom above crackled.
"Iris Vale, report to Psychological Wing 3B. Dr. Kaine is waiting."
She jumped.
It was the first time her name had been publicly announced. Until now, the staff had barely acknowledged her. No one but Alec ever used her full name.
Heart pounding, she grabbed the hospital coat from the chair and slipped the photograph into her pocket. She opened the door slowly, expecting it to be locked again—but to her surprise, it clicked open.
The hallway was deserted.
Uneasy freedom.
She moved quickly, scanning doors and avoiding cameras. The hospital layout was designed like a maze. Endless halls. Identical doors. But now she had a plan.
Wing 3B.
But she wasn't going to see Dr. Kaine. She was going to find the security room.
---
Ten minutes later…
Iris crept into a small supply closet near the south corridor. Hidden beneath the panel behind the mop rack was a tiny ventilation duct—the same one she'd noticed last night while studying the blueprints inside Alec's locked cabinet.
She knelt down, pried it open, and crawled inside.
The vent was narrow and metallic, every movement echoing through its thin walls. Her breath came in shallow gasps, the air thick with dust and mildew. But she kept going.
Just a little further. Security control should be above the east wing.
After what felt like hours—but was only minutes—she spotted the faint glow of monitors ahead. She peeked through a grate and saw exactly what she hoped for:
A wall of surveillance screens. One man. Asleep.
Bingo.
She carefully pushed the grate outward. It dropped to the floor with a soft clink. The man stirred but didn't wake. She climbed down quietly and tiptoed to the desk.
Camera feed. Door access logs. Patient reports.
She spotted a drawer labeled "Confidential – Archive Cases".
Inside, there it was.
> Subject 12B: Elara Vale. Status – Deceased. Cause – Cardiac arrest due to sedative overload.
No accident. A cocktail of drugs had killed her. The report was signed by Dr. Kaine.
Tears filled Iris's eyes as her fingers trembled over the documents.
Then her gaze froze on the next file.
> Subject 12C: Iris Vale. Status – Under observation. Memory suppression successful. Emotional response high. Compliance level: 58%. Risk of regression: High.
Her entire body went cold.
They were experimenting on her.
Everything Alec said. The supposed suicide attempt. The memory loss. It wasn't some trauma response—it was induced. Controlled.
She wasn't just a patient. She was a subject.
Footsteps echoed in the hall.
She shoved both files into her coat, erased the digital log entry on the system, and darted out the emergency back door.
But someone was waiting.
"Going somewhere, Iris?"
She froze.
It wasn't Alec.
It was the nurse. Nina. Her sharp brown eyes gleamed with suspicion.
"I—I was looking for Wing 3B. I got lost," Iris stammered.
Nina raised a brow. "Wing 3B is on the opposite side."
Before Iris could reply, Nina's hand reached into her pocket—and pulled out a syringe.
Adrenaline surged. Iris acted without thinking—she kicked the nurse's wrist, sending the needle clattering to the floor, and ran.
---
Later... back in her room
She slammed the door shut and locked it behind her, chest heaving. The files were hidden beneath a loose tile under her bed.
Her reflection in the mirror was pale, haunted, unrecognizable.
Just days ago, she was a girl waking up confused in a hospital room. Now, she was unraveling a conspiracy laced with drugs, memory manipulation, and death.
A soft knock came from the door.
She froze.
"Iris. It's Alec."
Her heartbeat rocketed.
"I know you're upset," his voice was low, composed, too gentle. "Let me in."
She hesitated.
"No," she said through the door. "Not until you tell me everything."
Silence.
Then: "I will. But only if you stop sneaking around."
"I found Elara's file."
A beat.
"Then you know the truth."
"No, Alec. I know your version. I want mine."
The doorknob rattled. "Open the door, Iris."
"No."
"You're making this harder than it needs to be."
"I'm not your prisoner."
"You're something more dangerous," he whispered, almost tenderly. "You're awake now."
The threat in those words curled around her spine like a snake.
When she didn't respond, his footsteps retreated.
But she knew this was far from over.
---
That night
Iris dreamed of fire.
Flashes of memory. Screams. Elara's voice calling her name. A room filled with smoke and bright lights. A shadowed figure holding a needle.
She jolted awake, drenched in sweat.
The door creaked open.
She sat up in alarm.
But it wasn't Alec.
It was a boy. Fifteen? Sixteen? Thin, with messy blond hair and a nervous expression.
"Who are you?" she whispered.
"Name's Toby. I clean floors," he said in a hushed voice. "I—I know what they're doing to you. I know about Elara."
Her heart raced. "You knew her?"
He nodded. "She tried to get out too. She almost made it. But… they caught her."
"Did Alec—?"
Toby hesitated. "He runs the experiments. Dr. Kaine designs them. But Alec funds everything. This whole hospital—it's just a cover."
Iris's hands trembled. "Why are you helping me?"
"Because Elara helped me once. I owe her. And you… you're braver than she ever was."
Tears threatened again. "I'm not brave."
"You are," he said softly. "You're still here, aren't you?"
He handed her a small flash drive. "Everything they tried to erase is on this. Elara's voice, her notes. She hid it in the chapel wall."
Before she could ask more, footsteps echoed down the hallway.
"Hide it," he whispered. "Don't trust anyone. Not even me."
And then he vanished into the darkness like a ghost.