2132:Phoenix

Chapter 37

  It was so similar to the day they took me. I was coming out of a fog. Things were speaking gibberish around me. it was almost like clicks and whistles, but there were syllables strewn throughout. I was strapped tightly to the cot I was on. Something hard came up beneath me and two cold things pierced my neck. Clammy rough hands pinned my head when I screamed. My neck was on fire, but I couldn't claw or even squirm. I opened my eyes to see two black beings with sharp teeth and emerald green eyes. This time when I tried to scream my throat closed and I choked for breath. They made a few more clicks and one moved away and came back with a mask.

"No!" I started breathing harder but I couldn't do anything. "No!" The one holding my head loosened his grip enough that I could turn my face. The alien and I made the same noise as he jerked my head back. The fire spread throughout my body like I was shocked. They made more whistles as the mask was laid on my face, but these seemed distressed. I was distressed before air started to fill my lungs and the fire shooting through my body cooled.

The beings clicked more but did not move from their positions above me. They had rough back skin and sharp teeth that reminded me of sharks. One had grey hair that fell just above the eyes, the other had long hair pinned back. I had wanted to be awake, but I didn't want to be here. The one with pinned-back hair had white spots, small and oval all over her exposed skin. My body went limp after a while and the spotted one started to run its hands over me. A few testing pokes then under my clothes. I whimpered, and the one at my head scratched my scalp gently with very sharp claws. I wondered how quickly they could claw through my head. Their clicks became lower and more frequent until they both stepped away. I turned my head to watch them approach a monitor. My neck was so stiff I thought it might snap with the motion. They looked back at me from time to time, clicking and emoting a low-pitched hum. It was almost soothing, but their appearance reminded me of something out of a nightmare. I could see their long tails now, and it looked like they had a barb tucked into them. Every once in a while their tails would scrape across the stone floor creating an eerie shuffle. It was a relief to feel something again, even if it was fear. Even if I could barely breathe. I wasn't empty. At this rate, I could be back to myself in no time.

The dampener cuffs were starting to chafe my wrists, but my neck no longer hurt. The creatures had stopped clicking at me and allowed me to stare at them in silence.

My stomach grumbled weekly. I wanted pancakes. I wanted Calepus's pancakes. They were always fluffy and cooked perfectly. I always overloaded them with syrup. Would I ever have syrup again.... Would I ever see him again?

Of course, I would. I just had to escape first. So first I had to get out of these cuffs.

"I'm hungry." My voice cracked from all the screaming I did. They looked at each other with puzzled expressions and whistled. At least their expressions are similar. Maybe they couldn't understand me, but that wouldn't remain the case forever. They looked at me and I gave them my most desperate gaze. I tried at least. They clicked and hummed lowly again, clearly trying to placate me, but I pulled hard at my restraints. I'm sure it looked like another spaz because they approached me with pressed lips. They weren't as scary when their teeth were hidden. Their long claws terrified me though as they reached toward me, and I began to pull more desperately. The spotted one kept my head still and traced the pads of her fingers from the top of my forehead to my eyelids. Her fingers were soft despite the rough skin of their arms.

She began tracing small circles over my eyelids.

"I don't want to go back to sleep," I tried, but she kept doing it. Her fingers traced up my forehead again so I forced my eyes open and did not close them when she tried to circle my lids. She sighed at me. Her limbs were large and long, sort of like swimmers. Her chin was sharp, her cheekbones were practically jutting out of her face, and I could see lighter-colored skin against her neck, two large strips vertically on either side. Maybe they have gills? Her eyes looked up and the other one was standing there with a translation chip updater. The spotted one's eyes watered when her chip updated, but she was soon whistling at me again.