And then suddenly, Cosmo wasn't laying her head down at Shane's bed side anymore.
"There there...it'll be okay my darling." A familiar voice called to her. She felt his hand on the side of her face. Why were tears streaming down her cheeks? He wiped some of them away with his thumb.
She looked up at him, red hair, gold rimmed glasses, bright yellow eyes, white lab coat.
"It'll only hurt for a little while. Once it's over, I'll give you your heart back." He smiled sweetly.
"I am afraid..." Cosmo cried, holding her hands up to cover her chest.
"Don't worry my love. You'll be fine without it. You'll only feel weaker. Your heart pumps pure energy. It really is the only thing that'll get my machine to jumpstart. Once it's started, I won't need it anymore. I'll let you out of the battery chamber and put it back. Then we can do something special...just the two of us." He coaxed her, running his fingers through her hair. Cosmo didn't really feel comforted.
"You promise?" Cosmo sniffled, looking at him with sad eyes. She wanted to believe him...to believe the man she loved.
"I promise." He nodded with a smile. He leaned in and gave her a soft and loving kiss on the lips, then another on her forehead. "You have no idea what this means to me. This machine will revolutionize the way this planet runs. It'll provide clean power for generations to come. It'll turn the tide of the war...maybe finally bring it to an end. Just count to ten and It'll all be over." He explained to her once more. She nodded, wiping away her tears. How could she say no to that?
"Okay...let us do it." Cosmo agreed. The man nodded back to her and waved for one of the scientists to come closer.
The man opened up a small compartment on the advanced looking piece of machinery and motioned for her to step inside. She did so obediently. Once she was inside, a tube was affixed to her chest, right where her scar is now. The door was closed, and she was left in pitch darkness.
"Countdown initiated...three...two...one..." she heard the man's voice outside the tiny little compartment.
She heard the whirring of the machine starting up. She covered her ears. It was so loud. Light flooded her senses, and she was suddenly screaming in agony as she felt her heart being sucked right out of her chest through the tube. Afterwards the tube would detach itself, leaving a gaping hole in her chest.
Suddenly, the tiny compartment she was in would vanish. She found herself in a swirling vortex. Colors rushed all around her as pain flooded her every cell.
Cosmo closed her eyes and through her hyperventilating counted down from ten just like he told her to.
It felt like forever, but she finally reached one. She opened her eyes and waited for it all to stop...but it didn't. She began to panic more and counted down again. When the agony continued...she began to scream.
"Milgram!!!" She called his name. "Milgram please! Let me out! MILGRAM!" She waited for him, but he never came.
"Cosmo...? Cosmo!" Shane's voice cut through the noise and the pain.
"GAAH!" She awoke with a start, sitting up in the chair she had fallen asleep in. Shane had his hand on her shoulder and was gently shaking her.
"You're awake..." Shane sighed in relief. "You looked like you were having a nightmare."
"I was..." globs of tears formed in her eyes and began to fall down her face. "It was awful."
YOU ARE READING
Not From Around Here
RomanceShane has been depressed since he was a teenager and drinks to cope with it. One night as he's drinking on the dock outside his Aunt Marnie's ranch he is greeted by a strange woman who's taken up residence at the old abandoned farmhouse...She claims...
