Ultraxenopia (Project W. A. R. Volume I)
Blurb:
Don’t stand out. Blend in. Remain invisible. Those are the rules I lived by—the rules I thought would keep me alive.
I was wrong.
Wynter
Reeves is a law-abiding citizen of the State, a willing conformist
whose daily life is haunted by terrorism and oppression. With the
constant threat of death hanging over her like a shadow, she forces
herself to live by a strict set of rules, all in the hope of ensuring
she is never noticed. However, on her twenty-first birthday, as she
prepares to take the placement exam that will determine her future
within society, she begins to show symptoms of a rare and debilitating
illness—ultimately attracting the attention of the State. Taken into the
custody of the feared research facility known as the DSD, her worst
nightmare becomes reality.
Ripped
away from the life she knew, Wynter is forced to become the test
subject of the mysterious Dr. Richter. Through him, she learns the true
and terrifying nature of her condition: a disease called Ultraxenopia.
Excerpt:
“Her blood type,” she whispers in a hushed voice to the man. “It’s . . . changing.”
I
may not know much about science, or anything medical having to do with
the human body, but I know enough to be fairly certain that what she’s
saying isn’t possible. Not naturally at least.
I
gape at the man, but he doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t even seem to
react to this news. His eyes simply follow the code for a while, his
fingers rubbing his chin as if deep in thought.
When
the process is finally complete, the sphere stops spinning and sinks
back to the desktop, landing with a soft thud against the glass surface.
Within seconds of touching down, the metal shifts until it’s once again
nothing more than a silver bowl filled with blood.
The
man straightens up, but his hand remains planted on his chin. Everyone
in the room watches him in silence, as if waiting for him to speak.
Including me.
“Fascinating,” is all he says.
Without
warning, he looks over at me, and my heart rate increases when his lips
curl into a smile. For some reason, his expression is unnerving.
He
begins to move toward me, his footsteps echoing off the floor—the sound
growing louder as the distance between us shrinks. His gaze never
leaves mine.
Stopping
just in front of me, he flashes a kind smile. “Hello, Wynter,” he
murmurs. “My name is Dr. Richter. I’ll be taking care of you.”
Taking care of me?
“Why
am I here?” I breathe. My voice is shaky, and the dryness in my throat
is apparent in each raspy word. “What are you going to do to me?”
“Shh, hush now,” he whispers. “All of your questions will be answered in time.”
He
smiles once again, only breaking eye contact with me to glance down at
his hand. I follow his gaze, the fear re-emerging when I see him pull a
syringe from the depths of his coat pocket. His eyes flash back to mine,
and I know he can sense my fear as well as the piercing screams tightly
lodged in my throat.
“But for now,” he croons as he injects the syringe into one of the tubes in my right arm, “you must sleep.”
He
takes a step away from me, that disconcerting expression still
plastered across his face. I try to say something, but I can barely get
out a single word before I feel the effects of the liquid as it enters
my system. It rushes through me like a cold chill.
I want to fight against it, but it’s hopeless.
As the drowsiness returns to pull me under yet again, the doctor’s smile is all I can see.
Author Bio
M. A. PHIPPS
is an American author who currently resides in the picturesque English
West Country with her husband, daughter, and their Jack Russell, Milo. A
lover of the written word, it has always been her dream to become a
published author, and it is her hope to expand into multiple genres of
fiction. When she isn’t writing, you can find her counting down the days
until the new season of Game of Thrones.
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