The Fate Of The Marked

Chapter One

"He's alive." A voice said. "I can feel a pulse."

There was noise all around me. Unfamiliar sounds and smells. Hands touched me, picked me up. I couldn't do anything. My body refused to move. I hurt everywhere. One voice stood out against all the others. It was so close by, I could have reached out and touched it. Panic seized me slower than it should have. My mind was hazy.

Where was I?

I was being moved. Something pricked my wrist, something else was put over my mouth. I couldn't push it away. My only choice was to breath in the strange taste in the air. My body jumped, but it was not my fault.

There were no certain memories, just small flashes. The deeper I dug, the more confused I became. I couldn't think of why I hurt so badly. Something powerful had happened. It was on the tip of my tongue, but I still could not recall it. Someone spoke again, closer than ever.

"Can you hear me?" It said. "Can you squeeze my hand?"

I wanted to respond. I wanted to move, but don't we all want things we can't have? I couldn't tell that a hand held mine. Fear took over, but I couldn't do anything. The person, a woman, spoke again, but I focused all my energy on trying to move. It didn't work.

"This won't hurt for long," The same voice said.

I was picked up again and set on something soft. I was now completely still, though there were others moving around me. I ached. My head, legs and neck were the worst. I could not unclench my muscles. They felt frozen the way they were, in terror. Slowly, the noise around me died down. I wanted answers. I wished I could answer my own questions.

Even though I hated to admit it, I was scared. Though the pain faded faster than I thought possible, I was left alone to brood in silence, trapped in my own body. There was no one near me anymore. Distantly, I could hear footsteps and the slow sound of machines.

The strange air had been taken away, but the smell lingered. It was too clean and reminded me of something I could not quite reminisce on.

Then, just as my fear peaked again, someone moved close by me and touched my other arm. There was a small prick on my wrist. I barely made out the sound of a door closing as the person left.

Seconds later, I was gone again.