Darrick's eyes snapped open, the sharp sting of cold air biting at his skin. His body ached—an all-encompassing soreness that reminded him of the events he wished he could forget.

The disorienting sensation of waking up in an unfamiliar place was almost enough to overwhelm him, but the tight space pressing in around him forced his attention.

His breaths came out in quick, shallow bursts, fogging up glass walls that surrounded him. A massive, translucent box enclosed him on all sides, its smooth panels gleaming under harsh fluorescent lights. The sharp smell of antiseptic and metal filled his nostrils, making him nauseous.

Darrick pressed his hands flat against the cool walls, his large palms covering most of the surface in front of him. He pushed, testing the structure's strength, but it didn't budge. Panic surged in his chest, and he banged his fists against the walls, each strike echoing like thunder in the confined space. Despite his massive size, the glass like walls didn't crack, didn't even give the smallest hint of a flaw.

"Come on!" he growled, his voice reverberating within the box. His hazel eyes darted around the space, searching for any sign of weakness. Every breath he took fogged the glass more, amplifying his feeling of confinement.

He was massive—larger than he'd ever remembered being. The realization hit him when he noticed his own reflection faintly mirrored in the glass. His shoulders nearly brushed the top of the box, his legs bent awkwardly beneath him to fit. He clenched his fists, his pulse racing. He hadn't shrunk at all; if anything, he felt... bigger. The proportions of the room around him confirmed it.

How did he get in here?

Darrick's breath came heavy and uneven, his massive chest rising and falling in deep, labored motions. Every muscle in his body burned, his skin hot and slick with sweat, the remnants of whatever sedatives they had forced into his system still sluggishly pulsing through his veins.

Yet he was awake now.

And aware.

The sterile glow of the containment chamber cast long, sharp shadows over the metallic surfaces surrounding him as he looked around. He was sitting, his broad shoulders hunched forward to fit within the reinforced glass walls that boxed him in. The space, though larger than any cell he'd ever seen, was still too small. His massive frame pressed against the cool floor, his bent legs barely contained within the enclosure. He shifted slightly, his knee bumping into the glass, the impact sending a dull thud reverberating through the walls.

Even without standing, he felt monstrous.

Larger than he'd ever been.

The serum had locked his body into this unnatural gargantuan form, and his instincts screamed that it wasn't done with him yet.

Looking closer, the glass before him was thick—reinforced, coated with some kind of energy-absorbing material. His hazel eyes flicked across the walls, scanning the security measures in place. Surveillance cameras embedded in the ceiling. Bio-scanners mounted along the edges. The containment wasn't designed for a regular giant—it was built for something far worse.

Something like him.

Beyond the glass, he finally noticed the facility stretched endlessly outward. Rows upon rows of sleek, metallic platforms stacked high against the walls, each level lined with computer terminals, monitors, and towering figures in pristine white uniforms.

Giants. Dozens of them. Researchers, scientists, handlers—his own kind—watching him.

And for the first time in his life, he was the anomaly.

Even among them, his sheer scale was unmatched. They stood at their stations, speaking in hushed, analytical tones, their fingers flicking across glowing touchscreens, recording data, running simulations. Some whispered, their expressions a mixture of fascination and thinly veiled apprehension.

Darrick felt their eyes on him.

Studying. Measuring. Calculating.

Waiting.

His jaw clenched. His hands, still trembling from the aftershock of his transformation, flexed against the cold floor. His fingers curled slightly, his nails digging into the metal as his mind raced.

They weren't just observing him. They were expecting something.

The sound of a mechanical hiss drew his attention. A small door opened on the far wall, a faint whoosh of air following it. Darrick tensed, his body instinctively pressing back against the glass as his heart thundered in his chest. A small figure appeared in the doorway, stepping into the cavernous space with the confidence of someone who had no fear of what awaited them.

David.

Darrick had never hated someone more. Hatred surged through Darrick, hotter than anything he had ever felt before.

Darrick's jaw tightened as he recognized the man. The smirk that tugged at the corners of David's mouth was infuriatingly calm, his demeanor that of a predator who knew his prey was cornered. Dressed in his usual polished attire, David walked with deliberate precision, his shoes clicking softly against the steel platform that extended from the door.

Darrick's fists clenched, his body tense as he followed David with narrowed eyes. The man carried a clipboard tucked under one arm, the other hand loosely at his side. There was no fear in his movements, no hesitation. He might as well have been strolling through a park.

The man walked with calculated ease, his crisp uniform untouched by the chaos he had orchestrated. His sharp eyes flicked up at Darrick as he approached, his smirk unchanged. He moved like someone completely at ease—as if standing before a monster didn't unsettle him in the slightest.

Darrick's breath came slow and deliberate, his massive chest rising and falling as he watched David climb.

He wanted to be closer. He wanted Darrick to see him.

The researchers had built a secondary platform outside of his containment unit—a raised observation point that brought them slightly closer to eye level with him. It wasn't truly close—nothing could match his size—but it allowed David the illusion of standing over him, of having some measure of control.

"Look at you," David mused, his voice carrying smoothly through the containment chamber. "You're something else, aren't you?"

The difference in scale was staggering—David was tall by normal standards, but compared to the titanic mass of muscle and power before him, he looked insignificant.

Yet he wasn't afraid.

Darrick could see it in his eyes. The calm certainty.Because this was exactly what David had been waiting for.

"Congratulations, Darrick," David mused further, his voice smooth, collected, clinical. He glanced at his tablet, his fingers scrolling through lines of data before looking up at the giant before him. "You are officially the largest subject we've ever had."

Darrick's lip curled in disgust. His hands twitched, the metal beneath his fingers groaning softly as he shifted his weight forward. His massive shoulders blocked out part of the light, casting an ominous shadow over David's platform.

"I'm not your subject," Darrick snarled, his voice thunderous in the enclosed chamber. Even speaking normally, the sheer depth of his voice rattled the glass.

David didn't flinch.

Pressing a finger into the control panel. The monitors around the room flickered to life. And Darrick's stomach dropped.

His own image flooded the screens.

Slow-motion footage—frame by frame—of his transformation.

His body expanding, muscle and bone stretching beyond what should have been possible.

Then—the lab.

The destruction. The way he had lost control. The moment when his instincts took over, and—

The handler in his mouth.

Darrick's breath stilled. His stomach churned violently. His stomach growled at the image, the deep, guttural sound reverberating through his chest. He clamped a hand over his abdomen, his face twisting in revulsion at the memories that floated back to him. Licking his lips, they were dry. He could still feel the sensation of the living being in his mouth, writhing on his tongue. He groaned at the thought. The hunger was still there, even if it was a distant feeling now. David smiled.

The screen lingered on the image—his massive lips closed around the writhing figure, saliva dripping as his jaw tensed.

He remembered the taste. The weight. The unnatural pull in his gut. A primal hunger he didn't recognize.

"You felt it, didn't you?" David's voice cut through the air like a scalpel. "That need. That instinct. You resisted it—this time. But how much longer can you fight it?"

Darrick's vision blurred at the edges.

"Shut up," he growled.

David took another step closer. "You're different, Darrick. More than just a giant—you're something new. Something we didn't anticipate. But now we know."

Darrick's breathing quickened.

"We've seen the potential of what you are." David's eyes gleamed. "And we're going to push you further."

Darrick's pulse slammed against his skull.

He thought of the handlers, the scientists, the white-coat technicians moving behind the glass, watching him like he was something to be studied and dissected.

And then—

He thought of Tess.

His chest tightened. She had no idea where he was. She was waiting for him, and he had vanished. What were they telling her? Had they even told her anything at all?

He pushed against the floor, shifting his weight as his body tensed.

He was done being observed.

David must have seen it—the shift in his stance, the storm brewing in his expression—because he exhaled through his nose, almost as if he'd been expecting it.

"Don't do anything rash, Darrick," he warned, his voice calm but firm. "We both know how that will end."

Darrick's eyes darkened.

The hunger in his stomach coiled, dark and insidious, whispering at the edges of his consciousness.

Darrick's rage exploded.

With a sudden, violent motion, he lunged forward, his massive hands slamming against the reinforced glass. The chamber shook, the steel beams groaning under the force.

The scientists flinched. The monitors flickered. David didn't move. He smiled

And that infuriated Darrick more than anything else. Only made Darrick's fury burn hotter.

He wasn't staying here.

Not like this.

Not as their experiment.