Microscopic Swarm

Stages / 29

⚠️CW/TW: Blood, Mania, Twitching, Mild Panic⚠️
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Waking up, you expected to hear Gwess' snoring, and Jolyne's feet rub against your arms in an attempt to keep warm, but instead, you woke up alone.

Your bleary eyes looked around the room, and your face dropped upon realising where you were. Still being punished. You had been stuck here for the past few days, and in them days, you had been told why you were stuck in here.

"You must've slipped something into his drink!".

'He didn't have a drink on him! Stupid guards with their stupid excuses'.

Groaning, you sat up on the concrete slab, and zipped up your jumpsuit to cover your torso. Trying to sleep with such a scratchy material was almost impossible, so you had been sleeping with the suit covering your legs, but not your torso.

Why you were awake was a mystery. Had you slept ten hours? Or maybe seven? Time no longer existed for you, minutes felt like lifetimes, and hours felt like eternities.

Then you heard it, the tell sign of prisoners groaning, and the large hose pipe release a barrage of water. You knew you were next, so you threw aside your dignity and unzipped your jumpsuit, letting it sit dryly underneath your 'bed'. Your underwear stayed on though - no way were you completely exposing yourself to shithead guards.

A beep sounded from your door, and you heard hushed whispers outside. Then, the door slammed open and a hose pipe stared at your prepared body.

"Awe come on!" Blondie groaned as the dark-haired man next to him laughed.

"You gonna wash me then?" You asked rhetorically, not hiding the nasty attitude from your voice. Exhausted could best describe how you felt. You were so tired, you didn't care how you sounded, and you didn't care of the consequences.

"Alright bitch, bend over first why don't ya? Give us a show while we're here" the dark-haired man said, mockingly bending into overly feminine and sexualised poses, like from a playboy magazine.

Huffing, you leaned against the wall behind you, refusing to pose, "You just enjoy posing for me, sweets" you matched his energy mockingly, watching his face drop into a frown as he snatched the hosepipe from blondie.

The hosepipes dark entrance faced you again as water sputtered forth, blasting you in the face, and smothering the rest of your body in its cold murkiness.

"Not so cocky now, eh?" The dark-haired guy laughed, keeping the pressured water over your face, effectively water boarding you.

"Hey man, I think you're drowning her" blondie said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Let's have a bet for the next ones eh? $20 if they don't dive outta the way".

Humming, the fragile guard stopped the onslaught of water, and turned to his partner, "Yeah sure, why not?" He grinned shutting and locking your door.

Like a wet cat, you scowled as you walked your dripping body over to your thin blanket that rested on the concrete slab, using it as a mock towel. Next, you squeezed the water from your hair, and shook your head in an attempt of drying it. The outcome was damp hair, but at least it didn't stick to your skin anymore. You peeled your underwear off, and let them hang off an old pull-up bar, and finally, you put your dry jumpsuit back on.

Going commando wasn't on your list of prison duties, but it's not like anyone will notice, since you'll just be locked in here without human contact.

The guards continue their torment session, that is until you heard the two bickering. Peeping out of the window, you watched both guards start pummelling in the shit out of each other, blood and teeth flying everywhere as they cheered like it didn't hurt.

Shock coursed through your body, as well as nausea from seeing such a gruesome event. But unbeknownst to you, electricity charged through your body, igniting the core of who you are.

You watched them both, your nausea starting to shift into something foreign, but also familiar. You were nervous, or you thought you were. Bones jittered, eyes twitched, jaw clenched, breathing increased. Was this nerves? It had to be, there was no other explanation. Of course you were nervous.

"Welcome to fight club!" The dark-haired guard bellowed, slamming his fist onto something you couldn't see. Next, a piercing beep filled the air, and your door opened, revealing all the other prisoners stood by their cell entrances. Everyone stepped out of their cells, almost robotically as everyone looked to each other with suspicion and mistrust building inside.

Your eyes were the same, roaming around the other prisoners, gauging their reactions as the final guard laughed, his bloody mouth on show as he started his war cry, "Come on bastards! Show me what you got!".

What? Did he expect everyone to fight him? What would they gain? More to their sentence?

'But I do wanna get back at him for waterboarding me. Maybe I can tear off his nose and shove it down his throat?'.

...

What?

Shaking your head, your eyes widened as your breathing sped up - eyes rapidly spinning over everyone around you. Muscles glowing, sparkling like angels tears, or like the light the sun gives when reflecting off water. It was beautiful; a giddying sight.

A giggle broke from your chords before you knew it, not a cute giggle, but one of malicious humour. Like one you'd give when a kid ate shit smashing off their scooter into the grass. The awful, quiet laughter you give once it processes the fall, and cries from a small bump.

Craving, a need. An itch that was insatiable. Your eyes locked onto a familiar head of blonde, and a malicious grin grew along your revealed teeth.

'Izzy...'.

"And I've already said, give me my goddamn money!" you heard from behind a bookcase, shortly after some whimpered excuses.

But doing your work when people are talking is never possible, your attention span won't allow it.

"N-no, please" you heard a soft voice say from behind the bookcase, "Seriously...I don't have anything on me. You took it all".

In front of you was a green-haired girl with her back facing you, in front of her was a woman with a half-shaved head of blonde locks.

Sharp blue eyes turning up from the green girl, the blonde looked at you with a nasty snarl, "What? Do you wanna get involved, neek?".

You remember that day, the day you refused to fight. The day you met Atroe, and the day your stand revealed itself.

But now, you could feel everything. It was so overwhelming, like a steady stream sudden exploding into terrifying amounts. You could feel the fear you felt when you helped Atroe; you could feel the distaste for Izzy as she threatened you; you could feel the relief and horror when Izzy passed out; you could feel the growing hatred for her the more you learnt about what she did to Atroe; and you could feel the love you felt for Atroe.

It was crystal clear...you finally understood. You knew what you needed to do to move on. You had experienced almost all the steps to grieve, except one.

Bargaining.

Izzy's life for Atroe's peace.

Atroe deserved to know Izzy would never hurt another soul again. So, you were gonna make sure Izzy never walks again.

Izzy caught your intense gaze, and stared back as electricity flooded her body. 'It's that bitch from the library'.

It was a shared thought, one you both knew each other shared.

'I'm gonna tear her to shreds'