All Chapters of HOOKED ON ZERO: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

AT SEAAs I opened my eyes, I realized two things immediately.My insides were on fire and every breath I took was torture.What was happening to me?Where was I?Most importantly, who was I?To my right, an annoying machine beeped nonstop.I shook my head to clear it of the blurriness but it brought on an intense wave of dizziness that almost made me pass out. Then there was the jack hammering in my head like someone was drilling a hole inside of it.I lifted my hand in order to touch it but found a wire dangling from the inside of my wrist. It extended to an IV hung on a stand beside me. I noticed the same thing was on my other wrist as well.What the devil was going on here?I tried to talk but became aware something was in my mouth. That wasn't all. This something was plugged right into my throat and led directly inside of me. I felt it each time I breathed because it hurt like a bitch.I became aware of the pain that seemed to come from every part of my being. It seemed like a li

I closed my eyes and expelled a tired breath.Working from home had its perks but when you had about twenty of your staff running around in the basement, those perks became like right ropes around your neck.I didn't know if I made the right decision to bring them here, but I was left with no other option. The second and third follow up drugs of Exceva needed to be completed and ready for ship out in the next two weeks. Thankfully, Exceva was doing really well in the market and there was more demand for it, even more than I could handle.So we had to work extra hard to meet up.The lab was still under construction and wouldn't be ready till the following week. All my security guards had been replaced with new one's. They had been hired by a reputable security company that came highly recommended and were already on standby. Matter of fact, six of them were in the basement with my lab staff, making sure to keep a tight reign on whoever goes in and comes out.As a security risk, the lab

Three months later and I was finally released from hell. By hell, I meant the hospital.As I was wheeled out into the open, I closed my eyes, lifted my face to the sky and breathed in the fresh balmy air of Newark county. People walking by looked at me curiously once I opened my eyes.Happy Abi bent to my level. "Congratulations, Mia, you made it. I'm so proud of you."I stared up at her, a wide smile on my face. "I want you to know I couldn't have done it without you.""Stop that sappy shit now." She wove my words away with a flick of her hand. From the smile on her face, I could see my words had made her happy.Alex had made good on his words.Waiting at the front of the hospital was a man dressed in a black suit. He had on dark sunglasses as well. Something like a wire stuck out from his ear, and I saw his lips move. I realized he was talking to someone through it. He looked like a secret service agent, the type I watched on tv yesterday. Those men were bad men, but looking at this

These days, waking up made me energized. Today was different.I woke with an ache at the back of my neck. It refused to abate even when I massaged it. Worse still, my bones felt stiff. The reason wasn't far behind. I had been working non-stop round the clock, making sure the deadline for the second and third batches of Exceva were released to the market.It was doing so well in the market, I had a feeling they would want a fourth and a fifth batch, and soon at that. One thing about economy is one had to foresee the future. From where I was lying, the future of Exceva was luminous.There was also a higher demand for my other drugs as well and I knew it had to do with Exceva. Thankfully, the lab had been restored and all the staff were back there, no more running around in my basement. I breathed a sigh of relief.I closed my eyes and expelled a happy breath. "See, Aretha, we did it. We did it, baby."I felt her presence and closed my eyes as I wrapped my arms around the pillow. I envis

"So you're telling me you still remember nothing?" Abigail looked at me inquiringly. I had started calling her by her full name ever since she first mentioned it to me.I sighed and sat up straighter on the chair. We were on the balcony of my room. It afforded me the opportunity of seeing the beautiful frontage of Alex's house. I often sat here just staring, not thinking, until Abigail would pull me out of that state, like now."I don't." I shook my head sadly. "But. . . I have these weird dreams where I'm a child. No - not a child, a machine, a cyborg-terminator child. I'm so strong, I feel the energy pouring through my veins, and-"I caught the look on her face and stopped speaking. She stared at me like I was an endangered specie. "Sounds like a re-enaction of the terminator. Come on, Mia, I know you love Arnold Schwarzenegger, but please lay off watching all these terminator-type films, just look at what they're doing to you."I shook my head. "You don't understand, I don't mean