Chapter 0 - Prologue

"I hate rain!"

Even though she just had to run to the trash bin and back she was completely soaked. Her nurse uniform was dripping and left a wet trail behind.

As she walked past the corner in the entrance area, another nurse was sitting at the counter, grinning at her.

"Did you have fun out there Clara?"

The soaked nurse, Clara just gave her an angry stare.

"Very funny, if this shitty hospital at least gave us a fucking umbrella I'd already be happy!"

"Hey, at least you didn't get struck by lightning!The old man Dave didn't have as much luck as you..."

She was right. This morning they had an emergency at the gas station as Dave, one of the regulars there, was suddenly hit by a lightning.

Clara could still remember how they brought him in. How he could only moan in pain, the doctors who were yelling instructions and the disgusting stench of burned flesh that was hanging in the air. Just thinking about it gave her shivers again.

"But ti think he didn't make it even though we have a healing Stim User. I feel sorry for him..."

The other nurse just made a face as Clara mentioned the Stim Users.

"Those Bastards couldn't care kess about us Lost! I bet he didn't even check on him!"

The official term for people without Stims was 'Regulars', but many Stim User started calling them a different name: 'Lost'.

"You know that we shouldn't talk like this here. Even if he has a healing Stim, Dr. Brooks can't just make any injury disappear. He also has limits to what he can do."

"So what I don't care, what're they gonna do? Drag me to the Sphere?"

"That might just happen if you're not careful enough."

The sudden voice behind her made her jump slightly. As she turned around she looked at a handsome tall man.

"Dr. Brooks?! I'm sorry, please forgive her, she didn't mean to-"

Brooks just raised a hand to stop her from apologizing further.

"I know better than anyone, that your colleague here indeed has a point. Some Stim Users tend to have a... superiority complex."

"What you tried to beautifully reshape is that they're just fucking assholes."

"Jess! Stop!"

"No, it's alright. That is exactly what I meant."

It took her till now that Clara remembered that her uniform still was soaking wet. Dr. Brooks also seemed to notice now.

"So Miss Hope, it seems like you also fell victim to this gosforsaken storm?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't have anything to change with me so I just wanted to ask Jess if I could borrow something from her."

Dr. Brooks gave her a warm smile and put down the clipboard he was holding until now. After that he raised one of his hands and his palm began to softly glow in a damp yellow light.

"I can't dry you up with my Stim but I can at least make you feel a bit more comfortable."

Just as he said that Clara felt a slight warmth from her skin. It was like she just wrapped a healing blanket around herself. Even though she was still wet it felt a lot better than the cold sticky clothes on her.

"Oh t-thank you! It...it helps a lot, thanks."

Clara knows how embarrassing this situation was and it made her blush slightly. Dr. Brooks either didn't notice, or he ignored it so she wouldn't feel any more embarrassed than she already did.

"It was a pleasure meeting you two here, but we still have a lot to do this shift, and Miss Hopes should also probably go and change into dry clothes now."

While talking he already grabbed a new clipboard and was on his way to his next patient. As he was passing the corner he looked back and gave Clara another warm smile which made her heart flutter a bit.

"Could you be so kind as to stop making Dr. Stim User beautiful eyes. I feel like I'm 'bouta throw up if I had to watch this for another second."

Clara's face went bright red and she didn't now why she fwlt kinda guilty.

"N-no that's not- I mean I definetly don't, -what I'm saying is-"

Jess just threw her some clothes in the face and answered in a annoyed way.

"Fuck, just go and change before you turn the lobby into a pool area!"

Clara didn't even try to argue with Jess anymore and just headed into the direction of the changing room. Was she actually liking Dr. Brooks? Well he IS definetly an atteactive man, no doubt. But it's just that, before today she never noticed or felt anything like this.

As she entered the changing room she was getting more and more confused. How was it that she suddenly felt much more attracted to him. Was it because he helped her out before, pr maybe was it his gentle smile. The thoughts started spinning and spinning in her head and finally Clara shakes her head and closed her eyes.

"Stop it Clara, he is just a work colleague and you're starting overthinking thongs again!"

"I'm kinda hurt now. And I tried so hard to keep my brainwashing subtle so that you wouldn't notice."

Frightened by the sudden voice behind her Clara slipped a scream. She wanted to turn around but was grabbed by someone and forced to keep looking forward. In the mirror infront of her she saw herself in her wet clothes. Her chin long black hair sticking together while still dripping water to the floor. Her glasses were still a bit foggy by the sudden temperature change from coming back inside. But she didn't notice any of that, because she could only stare at the person pressing his hand on her mouth, keeping her from screaming. Standing behind her was Dr. Brooks still in his doctors coat. He gently smiled while he pressed a scalpel on Clara's throat.

"Dear Girl, why couldn't you just stop overthinking everything? All you had to do was accept my hormone brainwashing and let me fuck you a few times. Maybe you would have even enjoyed it, who knows? But you had to go and just doubt everything i carefully planted in your beutiful little head!"

Tears started running down on Clara's face as she was too terrified too even resist him anymore.

"Please- Doctor I-Im sorry I-!"

Clara went silent as he pushed the scalpel slightly into her skin, forcing a drop of blood to run down her throat.

"Well it can't be helped now anyways. If you couldn't just be a good girl-"

He made a small break and his gentle smile changed into an evil grin.

"-then I'll have to punish you like a bad girl!"

He pushed Clara down on the wooden bench and his hands started glowing again, but this time it was a dark red color.

"Well you know that my Stim is that I can manipulate Human Hormones. So when you were cold before I activated some that are responsible for feeling heat. So what do you think happens when I activate them all simultaneously?"

Clara felt this warm feeling again, but this time it got warmer and warmer until it started to feel like her skin was burning up.

As the heat got unbearable Clara started screaming out of pain, but you could barely hear anything as Dr. Brooks was holding her mouth shut.

Just as she was about to pass out the heat disappeared. Clara tried to open her eyes but it was hard to actually see something through the tears she couldn't hold back.

"Oh do you think that was everything?"

He brought his face right before hers and stared her deep in the eyes. In his usually soft and gentle gaze, Clara could now only find violence and malice.

"No Clara, let me tell you, I have only just begun!"

As he let his hand slip a bit further down, she tried to bite him. Her teeth just slightly grazed his palm, but it was enough that he instinctively pulled his hand back. With a short breath of air she just had enough power to let out a faint voice.

"He-elp."

Dr. Brooks swiftly put his hand back on her mouth and choked her with the other one. Clara couldn't get any air and was struggling under the heavy weight of the doctor.

"Who do you think will help you?! Do you maybe believe that some knight in shining armor and a white horse will come to save you?"

"Sorry but I'm neither a knight nor do I have a horse."

Dr. Brooks looked surprised as he heard the voice coming from the door. Clara turned and saw the silhouette standing at the door. He was wearing a long dark coat and the hood was hiding his face.

"Who the fuck are you?!"

"Why? Will you keep me a seat in hell if I tell you?"

The silhouette raised his head a little and Clara could make out a pair of glowing, deep-blue eyes, before finally falling unconscious.