'Did I turn into some kind of vampire?' I try to look at myself in the mirror, but because of my height I can only see my forehead in the reflection.
So I grab the chair and place it in front of the sink, hoping it won't break while I stand on it, and open my mouth in front of the mirror.
'Fangs.'
I curiously touch my canines, more developed than normal, also noticing the peculiar shine in my eyes, along with some red tendrils inside and beside them, which disappear along with the feeling of satisfaction.
I get down from the chair, which was swaying dangerously. I feel the burst of energy quickly fade away, sit down on the mattress, and begin to think.
'I didn't feel the same drinking my own blood as when I drank the leftover blood from the blood bag on my arm… maybe drinking my own blood only gives temporary comfort.'
'I'm still hungry and thirsty… maybe drinking blood only helps with regeneration?'
The sound of the cell opening interrupts my inner monologue. The doctor places a bottle of water and a package on the floor and closes the cell, turns off the lights in the surgical room, and leaves, keeping only the faint light of an old lamp inside my cell.
I quickly jump toward the food. Opening the package, I find myself staring at a block of dry "food," looking like some kind of high-calorie ration that soldiers eat during wars.
I start eating. The taste isn't good, but I force myself to swallow, drinking some water along with it to compensate for the dryness of the food block.
When I'm done, I collapse onto the mattress, feeling physically and mentally exhausted, unsure if I'll be able to keep my mind intact if this continues for much longer. My eyes close, and I fall asleep.
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2nd Day
I was awakened already on the surgical table, being tied down by the doctor. He murmured the same phrase as yesterday. I have a hunch this guy is speaking Japanese, but I can't be sure.
He continued with the scalpel cuts, once again without using anesthesia. At one point, he opened a wide cut on my leg and placed a small screw inside the wound. The regeneration expelled the foreign object in the middle of the healing process.
After finishing, he replenished my blood. This time, not a single drop was left behind, so I drank from myself.
I ate the same ration again. This is probably all I'll have to feed myself…
─── ◆ ───
3rd Day
This guy is a psychopath. I already had my doubts, but today I'm even more certain…
The day started like the previous ones, but everything quickly got worse. The first difference was that he didn't gag me today. The second was that he cut me much more than on the other days. My regeneration seemed slower, but it healed me perfectly.
He murmured the same phrase as he cut me. I'm almost sure I heard a muffled chuckle between my screams of pain and agony. Also, he wasn't wearing the mask, I saw his lips begin to curl into a disturbing smile.
The worst part was when he cut off the tip of my little finger… I've never felt so much pain… I writhed on that table in agony while that bastard placed the severed piece back onto the rest of my finger… the most impressive part is that it actually healed!
I couldn't drink the leftover blood again. I think he changed the equipment, and this new one doesn't leak… I'll have to make do with my own blood.
At least knowing that I can reattach limbs is good news in the middle of this infernal day… and I have a feeling it's only going to get worse.
─── ◆ ───
4th Day
I was right… this day was much worse than the previous one… He cut the tip of my finger again, but this time he didn't hold it in place to reconnect it. Instead of my body simply closing the wound, it created a new fingertip… and that… was… EXTREMELY PAINFUL, much worse than having the finger cut off.
The severed piece fragmented into red particles after the finger fully regenerated.
As the horrific process happened and I screamed in pain and agony, I clearly heard it this time, a hysterical laugh coming from the doctor, who seemed to try to compose himself and then started repeating that same phrase over and over.
I even memorized the phrase after hearing it so many times: "Kagaku no tame ni." I have no idea what it means, and I can't figure it out in my current situation.
I tried to break the mirror glass to use it as a weapon against the doctor, but it wasn't glass, or if it was, it was far too resistant for me to break.
I don't know what to do… I think I'm going to lose my mind in this place…
─── ◆ ───
5th Day
Another day… This time he broke my arm to observe the regeneration. Then he cut off two of my fingers at the same time. The regeneration happened, but more slowly this time. The severed pieces evaporated into red fragments.
He didn't give me any breaks today. I have no way of knowing the time, but I'm sure it was several hours in a row, hours in which he kept breaking and crushing parts of my body, in addition to cutting parts of me off.
"Kagaku no tame ni." That's the only thing I heard for hours on end, along with the snapping of fingers he made while watching me regenerate, followed by a poorly contained laugh.
I feel weak. Sometimes I barely have the strength to scream in pain. My eyes are extremely swollen from crying so much.
─── ◆ ───
6th Day
I feel weak… far too weak. I barely had the strength to eat the ration yesterday, and today I feel even worse. Already on the table, I'm too exhausted to cry; my screams come out hoarse and faint.
Today, he opened a gigantic cut across my chest and abdomen. I could see much of my organs.
I don't know how I didn't pass out from the pain, especially when he removed something.
I couldn't see what it was; my eyes closed from the pain.
The removed organ must have dissolved into red fragments, judging by the doctor's irritated sigh.
During the regeneration of the organ, I passed out from pain for the first time, but I was awakened by an electric shock delivered by the doctor, making me experience the pain of the organ regenerating.
After that, I had no strength left to scream, not even when the cut across my chest failed to regenerate.
This time, the doctor had to stitch the wound shut completely. The failure of regeneration left a huge scar on my chest.
Collapsed on the cell's mattress, lying on my back, I feel my entire body trembling. But it doesn't feel like pain or cold, much less fear, it's a strange sensation.
Exhaustion hits hard. Unable to stay awake, I fall asleep, uncertain whether I'll wake up tomorrow, or how I'll wake up.