earth

chapter 63

I looked up at the people who were now staring down at me, their faces twisted in twisted expressions. Their cold eyes held no comfort, only a silent, heartless judgment. All the while, I wondered what I had done to deserve such a fate.

"Where's Ava? And Jason?" My heart raced as I scanned the room, filled with people whose teeth appeared to hang barely by the roots, and whose noses had suffered as though someone had drilled a hole straight through their faces. Twisted fingers completed the ghoulish scene before me.

My mind raced with the possibility that Ava might already be among the decayed crowd. "Is this how Ava will end up too?" I whispered to myself, my throat tightening. Suddenly, a man, tall and with a smile that revealed small, pig-like eyes, approached me.

"Man Oh Man- I miss my skin!" he exclaimed, his face covered in red bumps as millions of ants had bitten him. Deep burn marks stained his face, causing half of it to wrinkle. "They are going to mess you up," he cackled, letting out an uneven laugh.

My thoughts became foggy as the man approached even closer. Fear crept through me until I could barely breathe. "Where's Ava? I need...I need Ava," I pleaded. But then a terrible thought came to me: what if Ava was already one of them, with twisted fingers and no nose? The idea sent chills down my spine, and I prayed that it was not the case.
      
"I-i have someone here- a girl...where is she," I stuttered, my voice trembling with fear and uncertainty.
He simply tilted his head, looking at me with clear suspicion in his eyes.

"Women are usually on the other side of the place," he said calmly, "there's a section where they're forced to make children, so they can use their infants as an 'unlimited' source of monkeys."

My throat sank to my stomach, and my back hit against the wall. That's not possible. Ava, she can't do that... It's impossible! I was surprised when she got pregnant the first time.

"Hey, you're shaking," the man observed, a mocking sneer curling his lip. "If it makes you feel any better, most people last here only two months. That's as if your luck is bad. If you're lucky, you'll die in a week."

As he spoke, the other people in the room started to surround me, their cruel words and repulsive appearance making my stomach churn. Their faces were twisted in an ugly snarl, their teeth yellow and rotting, and they reeked of sweat and filth. Some of them had fingers that were burned or missing, and others had limbs that were twisted and deformed.
The room itself felt smaller, and my chest felt tight as the walls seemed to close in on me. These people were disgusting, and the longer I stayed there the more I realized just how dire my situation was.

The doctors came inside the room- they didn't even need a gun to threaten us- they know we were powerless to stop them...He points

"I need you, you and you," his bony finger pointed towards me and two other people, and I could feel my knees buckle under me. This can't be real. Panic rose in my chest as I trailed behind the doctor, my eyes searching for any sign of Jason. My gaze flickered to the buckets lining the hallway, and the sight made bile rise in my throat. I could see a thin layer of ice floating atop the frigid water, and my heart sank as I watched the doctor yank out a lifeless body from one of them - frozen solid, with blue skin and blackened fingers that looked like they could snap off any moment.

"It's dead," the doctor stated nonchalantly, shoving the corpse aside as if it were a piece of garbage. "Bring another," he barked, scanning the line of people he had summoned to carry out his grotesque experiment. I felt a cold hand grab my arm, tugging me towards the bucket. I tried to resist, but it was no use. I was trapped. The steam rising from the icy water was a chilling reminder of what was to come.

"Strip," the doctor demanded, his voice devoid of any emotion. My fingers fumbled to undo the buttons of my dirt-stained clothes, and I stepped into the pool of water. The biting cold crept up my skin slowly, but surely, engulfing me in a painful, icy embrace. I gasped for breath, my panic increasing as I realized that I was going to share the same fate as the frostbitten body next to me. The lid snapped shut, cutting off any airflow, and I was plunged into complete darkness. The cold was unforgiving, stabbing at my bones and seeping into my very being. How long would I be stuck here? I shuddered at the thought. My teeth chattered as I hugged my body, trying to keep warm. I needed to hold on. I needed to survive - for Ava's sake. But every inch of my body screamed at me to give up. The faint sound of cheers and clapping from outside only added to the mounting terror of being trapped in a freezer.

I try to keep my composure, but soon the pain begins to set in. My toes and fingers throb uncontrollably as the numbing sensation spreads through my body. Each movement sends another wave of agony coursing through me. Despite the agony, I try to stay focused and push through, knowing that it will be worth it in the end. But the pain is almost too much to bear. I grit my teeth, trying to maintain my resolve, but the cold water seems to have other plans. It's as if it's determined to strip me of all my strength and willpower. Each passing second feels like an eternity as my mind struggles to cope with the unrelenting pain. I try not to wince, but my body seems to have a mind of its own. The only thing I can do is endure it.

I attempt to push the lid above me upwards, but my lifeless fingers refuse to cooperate. The doctors may pose a threat to my well-being, but it is this bitter cold that will ultimately be the death of me. I feel my mouth becoming sealed shut as if glued together.

My pain has become an unwelcome companion in my life. It's been so long since it started that I can't remember what life was like before it. Time has lost its meaning as every day feels like an eternity. This unrelenting pain steals away precious moments of my life that I can never get back. It's a constant reminder that something is wrong with me, a cruel joke the universe is playing on me. I try to distract myself with different activities, but the pain never goes away. It's always there, nagging at me, and reminding me that I can never escape it. I can't remember what it's like to be pain-free, and it's become a part of my identity. But I can't let it consume me entirely; I must keep fighting, and keep pushing forward, no matter how difficult it becomes.

There is no conquering the cold, it's merely surviving it.