He would protect his daughter no matter what it took.
The next morning. When Jack stepped out of the living room, Vanessa was already in the kitchen.
She was making coffee, the soft clinking of cups echoing in a steady rhythm. She turned around and gave him a forced smile.
«Good morning, Jack.
«Want some coffee?» Her voice sounded normal, but her eyes still avoided his.
«Yes. Thanks,» Jack replied, keeping his tone neutral.
He sat down at the kitchen table and watched her. Vanessa looked more tired than she had the night before, probably hadn’t slept well either.
«How’s Ellie?»
«She’s still asleep.
«I think she had a nightmare last night,» Vanessa said, setting a cup of coffee down in front of him. «You know how kids are, sometimes they just have strange dreams.»
Jack didn’t respond.
Vanessa started making small talk, trying to create a sense of normalcy.
«I was thinking of taking Ellie to see her teacher today,» she said casually.
Jack spoke up, cutting in with a sudden suggestion.
«I’d like to come with you. I want to check in on how she’s doing in school.» It was the first step in his quiet investigation.
Vanessa stiffened slightly.
«Oh, that’s not necessary. I can handle it.
«You just got back, you should rest.»
«It’s all right. I want to meet her teacher,» Jack said firmly, watching Vanessa’s reaction.
She hesitated for a beat, then nodded.
«Okay. Her homeroom teacher is Miss Elina.
«She’s very kind.»
An hour later, Jack and Vanessa took Ellie to school. It was a small building not far from the house, with red brick walls and a quiet playground empty due to the chilly weather.
Ellie looked sleepy, her steps dragging. She said little, just holding tightly onto Jack’s hand.
When they met Miss Elina in the teacher’s lounge, Jack took the lead.
«Good morning, Miss Elina. I’m Jack Harper, Ellie’s father. I’d like to ask about her academic progress.»
He kept his tone polite, but serious. Miss Elina, a middle-aged woman with her hair neatly pinned up and warm, gentle eyes, looked at Ellie with concern.
«Nice to meet you, Mr. Harper.
«Ellie’s a sweet girl.» However, she paused, glancing briefly at Vanessa, then back at Jack. «Lately, she’s been very sleepy during class.
«She often seems distracted, unfocused. There have been times when she’s actually fallen asleep at her desk.»
Jack nodded.
What the teacher described matched what he’d been observing.
«Has she had any other health concerns?»
Miss Elina hesitated.
«Well, there were a few incidents where she appeared to be leaking some reddish-orange fluid without any clear cause.
«I did notify Miss Vanessa.»
Jack turned to Vanessa. She gave a small nod, her face expressionless, as if it were something completely ordinary. Jack made a mental note of it.
After they left the school, Jack claimed he wanted to take a walk around town to get some fresh air. He separated from Vanessa and Ellie.
As he strolled past a small garden, he noticed Clara, an elderly neighbor, with snow-white hair trimming her rose bushes.
She looked up and recognized him.
«Jack, my goodness, I didn’t expect to see you back here.» Clara’s toothless smile brightened.
«It’s been ages. How have you been, dear?»
«I’ve been all right, Clara. Thank you,» Jack replied, easing into the conversation as naturally as he could.
«I just came back to visit Ellie. How’s she been doing lately?»
«Well, little Ellie is still the same. Such a sweet girl,» Mrs. Clara said, her gaze drifting toward Jack and Vanessa’s house.
«But Vanessa’s been acting a bit strange lately. She doesn’t talk to the neighbors as much as she used to. And you know what? She’s been receiving some rather odd packages.»
Jack feigned curiosity.
«Odd packages?»
«Yes, square boxes, very neatly wrapped. She always accepts them late at night or early in the morning, never during the day, and carries them straight into the house.
«Very secretive,» Mrs. Clara whispered, as if sharing a piece of juicy neighborhood gossip.
Jack nodded.
«Probably just stuff she ordered online,» he said, trying to sound casual.
But inside, he felt anything but. He thanked Mrs. Clara and kept walking.
When he got back to the house, he deliberately circled around to the backyard.
The old place had a small garden out back, and a large plastic trash bin sat tucked in one corner. Jack slowed down, glancing inside. It wasn’t full.
Without hesitation, Jack slipped on a pair of thin cloth gloves, the kind he always carried in his backpack. He lifted the lid and began digging through the trash. Plastic bags, empty bottles, old newspapers.
The stench of mildew and household waste hit him hard. He took a deep breath and focused.
Then he found it.
A small flattened cardboard box. Faintly printed on it was a circular logo with three spiral arms, and in small letters, BIOGEN RESEARCH SOLUTIONS. Jack took a photo of the logo and committed the company’s name to memory.
A biological research company. That aligned with what he was beginning to suspect some kind of experimentation.
That afternoon, Vanessa wasn’t home.
She’d said she was going grocery shopping. This was Jack’s chance. He knew her office was at the end of the downstairs hallway, next to the kitchen.
He’d caught a glimpse of it when he first arrived. Jack approached the office door. It wasn’t locked.
He pushed it open and stepped inside. The room was far neater than the rest of the house. A large dark wood desk dominated the space, with a laptop placed at its center.
The shelves were packed with technical books, several of them focused on biology and medicine. Jack began to search. He didn’t have much time.
He checked the desk drawers. Most of them held mundane items bills, receipts, documents. But in one locked drawer, he found something.
A small external hard drive, a deep reddish-black color, and a stack of handwritten notes. The hard drive was encrypted. Jack knew he couldn’t access it yet.
He snapped a photo of it and noted the serial number. Then he picked up the notes. They were scrawled in a messy hand, written hurriedly.
Jack flipped through the pages, scanning each word. Strange symbols, numbers, small diagrams. And then, in the middle of one page, carefully underlined, he saw it.
Red fluid F3, strong reaction, 8 years old, tolerates low dosage. Red fluid F3, strong reaction, 8 years old, tolerates low dosage. Ellie is 8.
Jack froze, his whole body locked in place, as if the air itself had turned to ice around him.
The pieces no longer felt scattered, they had snapped into a terrifying picture, so clear it chilled him to the bone. Ellie wasn’t just dealing with bedbugs or allergies, she was the red liquid. She was being experimented on.
The quiet fury Jack had been carrying ignited into a blaze. Vanessa wasn’t just a negligent stepmother, she was an accomplice. Maybe even the one directly carrying out these horrors.
He took photos of the notebook, making sure every word was crisp and legible. Then he carefully placed the hard drive and the notes back exactly where he found them. He didn’t want to disturb a single thing.
When Jack stepped out of Vanessa’s office, something in his eyes had changed. No more vague suspicions, no more lingering doubts, only shock and a rage that burned clean through. He had found the enemy.
And he wouldn’t stop until the truth was exposed, and his daughter was safe.
Jack couldn’t sleep. He sat on the living room sofa, wide awake.
He knew Vanessa was asleep in the room down the hall, completely unaware of what he had discovered. He hadn’t confronted her yet, hadn’t dragged her into the light. The reason was simple.
He needed more irrefutable evidence. The photos and the syringe were solid, but not enough to press charges with certainty, especially if someone bigger, possibly an organization, was behind it. He needed clear video footage, a shot of the unauthorized act itself, and he needed whoever was doing it to show their face.
That’s also why Ellie still had to sleep in that same room. Jack hated the thought of his daughter lying on that bed with those vile little creatures crawling nearby. But if he moved her, he might interrupt whatever activity was taking place, and lose his chance to catch the person harming her in the act.
Around midnight, Jack quietly got up. He made his way to Ellie’s room. The door was still slightly ajar.
He gently pushed it open and peeked inside. Ellie was fast asleep. Jack stepped in, silent as a stalking cat.
He walked over to her bed. He opened the tactical backpack he had packed earlier that evening. Inside was a basic surveillance kit, a magnet-mounted micro-camera, a voice-activated recorder, and a few trace collection tools.
Carefully, he secured the tiny camera to the ceiling, directly above Ellie’s bed, where it could capture the entire sleeping area without being seen.
Next came the voice recorder. He slipped it under the bed near the headboard, making sure it would catch even the faintest sound.
Once everything was in place, Jack quietly left Ellie’s room and pulled the door shut. He returned to the living room sofa, sat down, and fixed his eyes on his phone screen.
Time dragged slowly, minute by minute, second by second.
Jack didn’t move. Only his eyes flicked back and forth, scanning the screen. He could hear the ticking clock in the kitchen, the wind slipping through the doorframe, and the steady beat of his own heart.
The clock on his phone read 2:16 a.m. Suddenly, a shadow appeared at Ellie’s doorway. It moved gently, gliding into the room like a phantom.
Jack held his breath, his eyes locked on the screen, trying to make out who it was.
The figure was taller than Ellie and had long hair. It walked straight toward the bed. The camera captured a chilling scene.
The shadowy figure slowly pulled Ellie’s blanket back. Jack could clearly see a hand reaching out, holding something small and gleaming. It looked exactly like the syringe he had found the night before.
The hand gently placed the small object on Ellie’s wrist and fastened it with a strip of medical tape. Ellie remained fast asleep, completely unaware.
Then, the figure slowly stepped back, pulled the blanket up over Ellie again, and quietly slipped out of the room, vanishing into the darkness.
Jack sat still. He had recorded it. Evidence.
The rage inside him erupted hot and painful. Vanessa. Or someone else.
Whoever it was, they had crossed a line. Someone had interfered with his daughter without consent.
Without hesitation, Jack pulled out his phone.
He couldn’t wait any longer. He dialed 9-1-1.
«9-1-1, what’s your emergency?» The dispatcher’s voice came through.
«I need to report a case of child abuse,» Jack said, his voice low and tightly controlled.
He described the situation, gave them the address, and emphasized the video he had just recorded.
«I have proof.»
Less than 15 minutes later, a police cruiser pulled up in front of the house. Two officers entered, their eyes scanning the dim interior.
Jack showed them the video.
He also handed over the syringe, carefully wrapped. The officers watched the footage several times. They examined the syringe, then looked back at Jack.
One of them, a younger officer with a skeptical look, spoke up.
«Mr. Harper, we understand your concern, but this video, it doesn’t clearly show anyone’s face. We can’t confirm who that is.
«And this syringe, where did you find it?»
«Under Ellie’s pillow,» Jack answered, his voice tight with emotion. «I think someone injected her with something. Vanessa is here.
«She’s the stepmother. She might be the one who did it.»
The older officer, calmer and more measured, spoke next.
«Mr. Harper, this seems to be a family matter. We’d need more concrete evidence to intervene. A blurry video and an unverified syringe aren’t enough for us to act, especially when there are no visible signs of violence.»
«No signs of violence,» Jack nearly shouted. «She’s showing abnormal biological reactions. There were disgusting creatures under her pillow.
«Isn’t that evidence enough?»
«We understand,» the older officer replied firmly. «But something like that would need to be investigated further by health authorities or entomologists. Legally, we don’t have sufficient grounds to issue a search warrant or arrest someone based solely on this information.
«This is a domestic matter, Mr. Harper. We’ll file your report, but we can’t pursue it further at this time.»
After the officers left, Jack stood frozen, gripping his phone tightly.
He knew he couldn’t rely on the local police, he needed someone he could trust. He opened his contacts and searched for a name. Captain Meyer, an old friend from the military, now working in a high-level position within federal investigations.
Jack typed a brief message, attaching the video of the unknown figure, a photo of the syringe, and most importantly, a shot of the Biogen Research Solutions logo he had found in the trash bin.
«Meyer, I need your help. Something big is going on.
«Look into this logo. I’ll explain later.»
He hit send.
His only hope, now, rested with Meyer.
As Jack returned to the sofa bed, the sound of soft footsteps echoed from the hallway. This time, it was Vanessa.
She stepped out of the bedroom, eyeing him warily.
«What are you doing, Jack? I heard noises.»
Jack looked her straight in the eye.
«I called the police.»
Vanessa’s face stiffened.
«The police? Why?»
«To let them see what’s going on in this house.
«With Ellie,» Jack said coldly.
Vanessa took a step back, fear flashing in her eyes.
«You… what are you talking about? Nothing’s happening.
«She just had an allergic reaction.»
«Don’t lie anymore, Vanessa.» Jack stood, walking toward her.
«I saw what was under Ellie’s pillow, and the syringe. I know about the unmarked packages, and that biotech company. I have video, photos, everything.»
Vanessa went pale. She couldn’t say a word. She just stared at him, frozen in terror.
Jack didn’t waste another second arguing with her. He turned and headed to Ellie’s room. He needed to check on her.
When Jack walked in, Ellie was awake. She sat up in bed, her wide eyes looking at him. The red marks on her skin seemed to have faded slightly.
«Daddy?» Ellie whispered.
Jack sat down beside her.
«What is it, sweetheart?»
Ellie leaned into his chest, whispering.
«Tonight… The whispering stopped. I feel lighter.»
Jack’s heart clenched again, but this time for a different reason.
Lighter. That meant something had been removed from her, or perhaps his presence had scared whoever it was into backing off, or maybe… maybe they believed the job was done for tonight.
Vanessa had locked the bedroom door the night before, and hadn’t come out since.
Ellie, after a night’s sleep free from whispering voices, looked better, though still weak. Jack hadn’t left her side. He cooked porridge, fed her spoon by spoon, told random little stories, trying to create a normal day inside a house that was no longer normal.
The doorbell rang. Jack opened it.
Standing before him was an older man with stark white hair, tall and slender, wearing a khaki coat and carrying a leather briefcase.
Behind him were two other men in dark suits, their eyes sharp and unreadable.
«Are you Jack Harper?»
«I am.»
«I’m Dr. Simon Black, referred by Captain Meyer.
«These are Agents Davis and Evans.»
Jack glanced at the credentials they presented, then gave a silent nod, and stepped aside to let them in.
Without delay, he led them straight up to Ellie’s room.
Vanessa still hadn’t come out of hers. Ellie was sitting on the bed reading a comic book. She looked up when she saw the strangers.
Dr. Black leaned down slightly and offered a gentle smile, then turned to Jack.
«Can you carry her out, please? We need to inspect the room.»
Jack picked Ellie up and brought her downstairs to the living room.
Settling her beside him, her arms wrapped around him tightly. The bedroom door closed behind the three men.
Inside, there was an eerie silence.
Only the faint clicks, rustling sounds, and the low hum of equipment could be heard. Jack listened to every sound. Each minute felt like an hour.
After a few minutes the door opened. Dr. Black stepped out first. His face was pale.
The two agents followed, visibly tense.
«What did you find?» Jack asked.
Black looked at him for a long moment, then shook his head slightly.
«They don’t match any known category of natural insects.»
Jack’s hands clenched.
«From our preliminary analysis, they show signs of genetic modification, man-made organisms.
«They’re not bedbugs. They were engineered to extract red biological fluid.»
Extract.
Red fluid. Or other bodily fluids. It’s highly likely that Ellie’s fluids were being collected on a recurring basis.
«Recurring?» Jack froze. «Experiments?»
Black didn’t answer. His eyes shifted toward Ellie.
Then he pulled out his phone.
«Yes. Emergency evacuation.
«Send in the biohazard containment team. Red priority code.»
He hung up and spoke quickly.
«We need to get Ellie out of here immediately. There’s a potential for biological exposure.»
At that moment, Vanessa’s bedroom door opened.
«What’s going on?» She rasped. «Why are there strangers in my house?»
Black turned to her.
«Ms. Vanessa Harper.
«We’re with the Federal Task Force, investigating a matter related to Ellie’s condition.»
Vanessa glanced at Jack, then at the agents. Her face went rigid.
Jack noticed it right away. No panic. Only calculation and caution.
«Are you affiliated with a company called Biogen Research Solutions?»
«I…» She stopped. The answer didn’t come. The tension thickened.
Then came the sound of sirens, distant at first, growing louder. Within minutes, more than a dozen individuals in white hazmat suits stormed in. Unmarked ambulances and police cars lined the narrow street.
The entire house was placed under lockdown. Ellie clung to Jack in fear. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, shielding her head from the chaos.
«Carry Ellie to the vehicle, Harper. They’ll take you both to a secure facility,» Black instructed.
Vanessa rushed forward.
«You have no right. She’s my daughter.»
«You’ll be placed under quarantine and questioned.»
Agent Evans blocked her path. Vanessa struggled violently.
«Jack, you bastard!»
Jack didn’t respond.
He simply bowed his head and whispered to Ellie.
«It’s okay, sweetheart. Daddy’s here.»
He lifted her up and carried her past the line of people in hazmat suits.
Just as they neared the door, one of the team members shouted,
«Dr. Black, under the floorboards! There’s something here!»
Jack stopped, turned his head.
Inside Ellie’s room, they were prying up a wooden floor panel.
A small cavity was revealed, cleanly cut out. Inside were several small glass vials filled with dark red liquid, each one labelled in handwritten script. E Harper.
Jack stared. He couldn’t look away.
Black furrowed his brow.
«Red liquid. Stored, possibly for weeks.»
A chill ran down Jack’s spine.
Ellie’s red liquid hidden right beneath her bed. Right where she slept. Where she’d been bitten by bedbugs night after night.