Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kicking. Screaming. Leah figured she would probably go out of this world the same way she came in. The nightmares, or night terrors, they're a big problem. The familiar feeling of danger, like someone's chasing you with a gun. She wasn't aware of what exactly was happening, but she knew it was dangerous. she wanted to run, she kicked her legs violently to try to escape, to to try to defend herself. Nothing ever worked, sometimes Leah wondered why she even tried.

Screaming, crying, her tears falling down her round face and dripping into her platinum blonde hair, leaving wet patches on her pillow. She felt sorry for her neighbours, must be unsettling to hear your new neighbour screaming at the top of her lungs in the middle of the night, like she was being stabbed in the back 23 times over. Caeser-style.

Her throat ached from the screaming. Her eyes were sore from crying. That didn't stop it from happening though. She flung her body this way and that, trying to dodge potential danger. Not like she knew what that was, anyway.

She shot herself forward, hyperventilating and opening her eyes as fast as she could. She was safe, nothing was there. No men with guns or knives, no feral animals trying to tear her limb from limb. She was in her apartment, on her own.

The silence seemed to wrap itself around her like a comforting parent. The dark, still room was calm, unlike her head. Her heart was racing, though Leah managed to take a couple deep breaths and calm herself down a little. Her breathing was still quite rugged.

Leah wiped her eyes gently; her eyes were still sore. She thought that maybe it would be best to get some fresh air? Yeah, she'd like that a lot.

She climbed out of bed, not bothering to make it afterwards. She moved silently along the wooden floorboards, tracing her hand along the beige wall as a sense of direction. Leah slipped on her puffy, white coat and her shoes, zipped her coat up and stepped outside. Her apartment was on the sixth floor so she had a beautiful view of Andermatt up there. The trees were a brilliant shade of dark green and were speckled with snow; a storm was coming soon. She rested her hands on the freezing cold railing on the balcony she stood at, then took a deep breath and watched as her breath came as a visible cloud.

She decided to take a walk around the town since, at day, it was usually full of tourists. Leah carefully walked down the stairs, cautious not to slip on the ice and fall. A few staircases later, she was on the white frosty grass, listening to it crunch under her navy trainers.

Leah thought this place was absolutely beautiful, especially during winter. It was like a dream, a frosty Christmas dream. As she walked, she wondered if she should invite her parents to stay with her for Christmas; it would be nice to see them again. She hadn't seen her parents (Antony and Barbara) for two months now and she missed them already. If she did invite them, wouldn't she have to plan a party of some sort? Wouldn't she have to buy things to entertain and keep them occupied? Maybe it would be harder than she thought, considering she was struggling to get a job in this new place. She just didn't have the qualifications people around here were looking for.

Leah realized she was lost in thought and snapped out of it immediately. She was in some sort of forest. The once beautiful and elegant trees towered over her, they now seemed intimidating and somewhat aggressive with the stormy wind in their branches. Her heart skipped a beat as she spotted something moving ahead of her. Leah relaxed when a tiny bird hopped out from behind a tree. The bird was small and colourful, she followed it just to get a picture. Deeper and deeper into the forest she and this little bird got.

What was she thinking? Where was her head at? Sane people don't just follow random birds in a forest in the middle of the night. And who was she kidding, the bird probably just flew away because it was scared that a human was following it. Leah stopped dead in her tracks. So she was going mad out here. Just her luck.

Leah rested her hands over her face. She came to Andermatt for a break. She came here for a new start and better opportunities. Now she's the just the weird foreigner who screams in the middle of the night and follows random birds she meets in the local forest. She sighed deeply, before taking her hands away from her face.

Somehow the forest looked different, like it had shifted while she wasn't looking. The forest was more dense and the snow had got thicker than she had noticed before. How long exactly had she been away from her apartment? She checked her phone. It was 4:34 am, she'd been out in the cold for over an hour now. The dense forest looked the same from all angles; Leah had no way of knowing which way she came from. She checked the snow for her footprints but she couldn't tell the difference between hers and... What were those other tracks? Human? Animal? What sort of creature makes such rugged tracks? Leah's head spiralled as she questioned these unfamiliar markings, but what she didn't realize was that more were appearing around her.

The forest had an eerie atmosphere to it now, and it was driving Leah mad. The trees twisted and grinned with a sadistic and nefarious air to them. They knew she was in trouble. She disturbed the peace and she would pay the price for it.

Leah got a sudden shiver down her spine and ran. She chose a random direction and ran faster than she ever had. Maybe it was the adrenaline pumping her with the energy to get out of there, but something was pulling her towards the edge of the forest, and sooner than she realized, she was in a plain and rural field, covered in snow 3ft deep. She finally felt the cold getting to her and looked down at her hands. The tips of her fingers had turned blue and purple from the temperature. She gasped loudly, she needed to get home, now. Leah spun around and tried to work out where she was. She didn't recognize any of it. There weren't any houses or apartments she could see from there, how far exactly did she go?

She didn't want to go back into the forest, but maybe if she travelled back through in a straight line, she would get back home? She was terrified, but she was going to fucking freeze to death of she just stood there. All she had was her puffy jacket, that barely even went past her hips, she was wearing thin silky pajama bottoms and a matching vest. Leah longed to be back at her apartment, where she had heating and blankets. She never meant to go this far, only around the apartment block and back.

Leah started to hyperventilate. She was worried sick. This is it, this is where she dies. She's going to freeze to death. She wiped the sweat forming on her brow and was greeted with snow and frost. "Shit..." She cursed under her breath, watching her breath slowly disappear into the air. Her chest got tighter and tighter as she felt a panic attack rise through her.

A last sudden, sharp breath left her blue lips and a rag was forced over her mouth and she was restrained. She didn't have the energy to react much, the adrenaline from earlier had worn off and all she could feel was her body going stiff from the cold. One attempt at breaking free and she could barely stand. Her body went limp and her eyelids got extremely heavy.

Everything went black.

Chapter Text

Leah wakes up feeling drained. Her body ached from the cold and her limbs were still stiff from the lack of movement. Her eyes opened slowly to adjust to the hazy off-white lights above her. Where was she? Some sort of hospital? Thank god, she thought, someone had rescued her.

She sits up slowly, her eyes still adjusting to the lights. "H-hello..?" She found her voice was croaky and shaky. Had it not been that long since she had passed out? Leah glanced at her hands, afraid that she might've been hallucinating. They were pale, sure, but they were no longer blue and purple from the cold. It was much warmer in this room, which Leah was grateful of, but she wished she knew where she was. It was probably just a hospital, but she wanted to meet whoever had rescued her. She wanted to thank them.

Leah looked down at herself, she was in a strange outfit. Not like a hospital gown, but more like underwear. She slowly removed the thin blanket that covered her legs, she was wearing shorts. A vest and shorts weren't like hospital gowns at all. They were both grey, with a strange symbol on them. Everything about this was just strange.

She spun her legs off the side of the bed and went to stand up but her joints were still a little stiff. She stretched and started again. Leah clung to the mattress and tensed her legs, pushing herself up. Her legs were shaking but she was standing at least.

An unexpectedly loud turn of the door handle made Leah jump out of her skin. She fell and painfully smashed her back into the bed frame. "Ahg!-" She cried out, almost immediately reaching to rub her back better.

"Oh! You're not supposed to be awake yet, you scared me" a woman, who looked to be in her late 30's, exclaimed with her hand placed on her chest.

"I scared you?? I just fell over and hurt my back and you, who is clearly a nurse, is explaining how I scared you?" Leah was clearly overreacting, but she always got like that whenever she hurt herself.

"They didn't tell me you'd be rude.." The nurse muttered to herself, setting a few documents down on her desk before wandering to Leah's bed to tidy the sheets.

"If you have something to say, say it to my face." Leah said through clenched teeth. She gripped the sides of the mattress and pulled herself up again, this time pushing herself off the bed so the nurse could tidy it without trouble.

"Don't use that tone with me, I'll have you know I'm not the only one who's been told to keep an eye on you, so go complain to someone else because I'm not dealing with you when you're acting like that" the nurse raised her voice slightly and pointed harshly at Leah, who (up until this point) had been quite pissed off.

Now she was really pissed off.

"Then get out."

"Excuse me?? "

"You heard me. Get out of you don't wanna deal with me."

The nurse reached out and struck her across her face. The tingling burning sensation quickly shooting through her cheek. "What the fuck??" Leah exclaimed.

"What's going on in here??" They were both interrupted by a man's voice, he had brunette hair and matching eyes that hid behind a pair of rectangular glasses. He was wearing a lab coat (not like a doctor but like a scientist) that reached his knees. If it wasn't for his average height and baby face, Leah might've been intimidated.

"Sorry Sir. I let things get out of hand." The nurse immediately hung her head and, as this man took a step towards her, flinched at his movement. The tips of her fingers were white because of how hard she was holding her clipboard.

"Leave." He ordered, every word he spoke spat superiority at everyone in the room. He's made sure everyone knew he was important.

Leah stayed quiet after seeing how the nurse reacted, if this guy was scary enough to make a gobby old nurse submit, then she probably shouldn't push her luck.

"You." He faced Leah once the nurse's heels couldn't be heard on the polished floors. "You're not supposed to be awake yet." .

"What do you mean? That nurse said the same thing. Isn't it good that I woke up early?" She questioned.

"Depends." He answered plainly.

"On what?" Leah folded her arms in irritation. Who does this guy think he is? Just because he's a doctor doesn't mean he's too important to speak to her properly.

The man looked up from his clipboard at her, "Depends on who you're asking." This statement confused Leah and annoyed her even more. She decided to keep her temper under wraps until needed though; she was still physically weak from the cold.

The man spoke again, "I need your name, age and address." He didn't even hesitate.

"Uh, for what..?"

"If you refuse to participate, it can result in either punishment or we will force it out of you." He looked at her with a straight face, as if serious.

Leah laughed a little, but after seeing his expression she realized he wasn't joking. Her stomach dropped. Was he really serious?

"You're kidding right..?" She questioned.

This mystery man pulled aside his spotless coat to reveal what looked like a pistol. Leah felt sick.

"That's not real right..?"

The man swiftly pulled it out of its holster and shot to the left into the window. It didn't smash but it left a mark, they must be bulletproof. Why the hell would a hospital need bulletproof windows??

The sound of the shot was so loud it rung through Leah's ears. "Anymore questions?" He asked, again with no emotion to his voice. She shook her head.

"Answer me. Full name, age and address." He ordered. She answered without hesitation.

~°~°~°~°~°

After telling the man everything he wanted to know, Leah was taken away by a bigger, bulkier man with an AK. He was wearing a bulletproof vest (like that of a member of the S.W.A.T team) and a cap that both had the same symbol on them as the one on Leah's clothes. She was led to a hall that was filled with women of all ages in the same uniform she was in. They were all lined up in front of desks with nurses and guards situated at each.

Leah looked back at the guard, he gave her a semi-sympathetic look before telling her to join a line sternly. Glancing at the gun in his hands, she did as she was told.

An hour later and it was Leah's turn. The guards and nurses were practically all the same to her. The nurse asked for a bit more information than the mystery doctor did an hour before, but she answered truthfully nonetheless.

"Name and age?"

"Leah Cooper, 21"

"Address?"

"56 *** road, Andermatt, Switzerland"

She glanced up at her suspiciously, wondering about her accent, "Race?"

"Australian" Leah didn't know whether to say white or be more specific since she hadn't been in a situation like this before.

"Past medical or psychological issues?"

"Uh, well, I get night terrors but I'm not sure that's very important..-" Her voice drifted off. She felt like a fucking idiot.

"Disabilities?"

"No, none" she mentally sighed with relief, that was an easy question.

The nurse spoke in another language that Leah didn't recognize, she snapped her fingers and Leah was dragged out of her seat by her arms by the two guards that stood by the nurse's sides. Their tight grip dug painfully into her biceps as she struggled to set herself free. There was no way she ever had a chance to set herself free, these men were practically twice the size of her, their arms were the size of her head.

Leah was forcefully pinned down in a black leather chair. There were leather straps like belts to lock her in place. What were they going to do to her? Was this the end of the line? Did she say something wrong and now she has to be killed?

Her arms, legs, chest and waist were all strapped in place. She couldn't move. This was it for her, she was going to die. She was going to die and she never even got to see her parents before she died. She didn't get to tell them how grateful she was for them. For everything they've done for her.

A skinnier, lanky man with a slight limp walked towards her with a syringe. The liquid inside was transparent, but Leah knew it was deadly. She begged him not to, she tried to pull away but she was locked in place. There were other chairs like this one around in the room, other people injecting others in the neck with this liquid.

A girl that looked to be around 15 was being dragged out of her seat. Her eyes open and facing up. Her mouth slightly ajar and her hair falling around her face in a tangled mess. Her limp body being heaved off the dirty floor by yet another guard. A small dot of blood where those monsters injected and killed her.

The scrawny man in front of Leah flicked the end of his syringe, "You'll feel a slight pinch..." Tears streamed down her face as she begged him again and again. She cried out as the needle entered her neck. She could feel it pierce every layer of skin and she could feel the cold liquid mix with her blood.

She sobbed quietly as her eyelids got heavy and she slowly lost consciousness.

Everything turned black.

Chapter Text

Leah woke up in a smaller white room. It had the same hazy off-white glow that the medical room did. The lights made a quiet buzzing sound, and the lonely atmosphere hung around like a heavy fog. She was lying in the bottom of a bunk bed, and the thin white sheets were tucked neatly in underneath her.

She blinked slowly, groggily, as her body shifted beneath the weight of sleep that still lingered. Her head pounded dully- residual pain from whatever the hell they'd injected her with. Cold sweat clung to her back, and her limbs felt like damp sandbags.

Leah grasped onto the cold metal bars of the bed, pulling herself upward. Her shoulders ached from tension she didn't remember holding. She felt as if she'd been asleep for years and somehow also not at all. She lifted her aching hand to brush the hair away from her face, then caught a glimpse of something black on her wrist.

It was a number.

833

Tattooed directly onto her skin. The ink was a stark contrast against the paleness of her wrist, jagged from slight swelling, but clear enough to read.

Her stomach dropped. Her fingers trembled as they hovered above the ink, unsure whether to touch it or not- like it would burn. A number. She was a number now. A label. Someone -something- had done this to her while she was unconscious.

She pushed her damp hair behind her ear, realizing it was wet. So were her arms, and even her clothes had a faint dampness to them, like they hadn't fully dried after a scrub down. Her skin smelled faintly like antiseptic and something industrial, like she'd been washed with the same cleaner they used on floors.

They bathed her. Branded her. Prepared her.

Panic nipped at her throat, but before it could fully take hold, Leah noticed someone else in the room.

Across the space, sitting at the top of another bunk bed, was a girl. She looked maybe a few years older, with a layered shaggy brunette haircut and a wiry, athletic build. She sat cross-legged, hunched forward, fiddling with something small in her hands. Her skin was slightly darker than Leah's, and her expression was hard as stone.

The girl wore the same uniform Leah did -grey vest and shorts- but it fit her much tighter, showing off the muscles in her arms and legs. She hadn't noticed Leah wake up.

"...Hello?" Leah said quietly, voice still hoarse from sedation.

The girl's head snapped toward her like a cat catching movement. Her eyes were dark, cold, and disinterested. Her sharp jawline and permanent scowl gave her the appearance of someone constantly chewing on bitterness.

"What." The word came out as a snarl. Her voice was low, raspy, and somehow still feminine. Something about it made Leah's stomach twist- unsettling, but... alluring, in a strange way.

"Um..." Leah cleared her throat, suddenly regretting speaking. "Where am I?"

The girl tilted her head, clearly irritated. "Am I supposed to know?"

Leah flinched at the response. "Who are you?"

"You don't need to know," the girl said flatly. She turned her head back toward her hands, fiddling with the same object- something metallic. Maybe a spoon? A broken fork?

Leah felt irritation rise in her throat. She hated being ignored.

"I'm Leah," she offered, still trying to be civil.

"Nice. I don't remember asking."

Leah clenched her jaw. "What's your problem?"

"Leave me alone."

The words weren't yelled. They weren't even particularly aggressive. But they were said with a kind of finality that made it clear: this girl didn't care. About her, about anyone. Maybe not even herself.

Leah sat in silence for a while, letting the stillness settle. Only the humming of the lights and the occasional metallic clang from outside the room could be heard. She leaned her head back against the cold wall behind her bed and exhaled.

Her eyes scanned the room again. There were no windows. The door was a smooth, featureless panel with no handle on the inside. Two more bunk beds lined the opposite wall, currently empty. Three more numbered victims could be moved in here any time.

Her fingers ran unconsciously over her wrist again.

833.

That number was permanent.

After a long pause, she spoke again, more gently this time. "Did they... do the same thing to you? The number?"

The girl didn't look up. "Everyone here has one. Get used to it."

Leah blinked. "How many are there?"

"I don't know. Hundreds? Thousands? They don't tell us anything."

"You've been here a while, then?"

This time, the girl looked at her. Her expression softened just a hair, as if Leah had earned half a point. "Long enough."

A beat of silence passed between them.

"Why are we here?" Leah asked, almost whispering. "What is this place?"

The girl hesitated. Her fingers stopped moving for a moment. "Call it a lab. Call it a prison. Call it whatever helps you sleep. But don't think about leaving. That's the only real rule."

Leah's throat dried up. "So we're just stuck?"

"You're not stuck," the girl said. "You're stored."

The words hit Leah like a slap.

"What's your name?" she asked again.

This time, the girl didn't answer right away. Then, after a few seconds:
"...Roxanne"

Leah nodded, the name anchoring her to something human in this inhuman place. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me," Roxanne said. "I'm not your friend."

"I didn't say you were."

"Good."

Leah laid back down, exhausted again. She didn't realize how heavy her body still felt, how dizzy her mind had grown. Her vision began to cloud, dark spots creeping in from the corners.

Maybe it was the drug still in her system.
Maybe it was the stress.
Or maybe it was just this place -this sterile, buzzing, soulless place- pressing down on her until she could barely breathe.

She felt her hand slide off the edge of the bed, her number visible under the flickering light.

833.

She didn't even know what that meant.
But it was her now.

Her thoughts slowed. Her chest rose and fell steadily. Her eyes slipped closed.

Everything turned black.