Teraphobia (ONC 2024)

Six

I eat my food in silence my mind refusing to move on from my conversation with Mother Eve. I set my plate in the dishwasher just as Scout enters with a hairbrush and scissors in hand. I will confess to not looking into a mirror when I took my shower. My mind had been elsewhere; memorizing the layout of the apartment and drawing up an escape plan. I still did not know what kind of Monster Mother Eve was. What I did know was that I would not be assimilated. I would be long gone before she sank her fangs into my neck.

Scout pulled out one of the stools from the kitchen island and gestured for me to take a seat. I sit down making sure I have the tablet in my lap. He begins to brush through the tangles in my hair that cascade down to the midpoint of my back. My bodyguard has a secret, he lived a double life in the beginning stages of his employment. During the day he would be the dutiful bodyguard, at night he would attend cosmetology school. He was the only one I allowed to touch my hair.

What can you tell me about the assimilation process?

Scout glances at the screen, he takes his time answering my question. I keep myself still allowing him to work in silence. It gives me time to think through more questions. The more information I had the better the chances I had of surviving here. I needed to know my enemy, after all, I certainly had no intention of befriending it.

"Do you remember the rooms from those detective shows we watched to pass the time?" He asks me. I wait for him to take a step back so that I can nod in confirmation. I take a quick glance at the floor realizing it had been closer to six years since my last haircut. We didn't have time for those things in the bunker. He gives me another moment to get comfortable before he resumes his work.

"I was in the exam room for the first forty-eight hours while the Medical Attendants saw to me. When I was cleared they handcuffed my wrists and ankles and proceeded to take me down the hall to the interrogation rooms. Mother Eve was there waiting for me. She gestured for me to take a seat. They cuffed me to the table and injected this solution into me." He falls silent, it's as if the very memory is causing him pain.

I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. You don't have to tell me, Waylan.

I call him by his real name hoping there is still a shred of humanity left within his heart. I call him by his name to remind him that I haven't forgotten about the secrets we shared with one another when the world started to fall apart. He squeezes my shoulder, it's a gesture that conveys his appreciation.

"Mother Eve started asking me questions off the sheet of paper. My first instinct was to keep my mouth shut, the last thing I wanted was to betray our friends. The solution she injected me with had me giving her the answers she was looking for. After I answered the final question, it felt like my chest was about to explode. She looked at me with her creepy-looking eyes and commanded me to let go."

What did she do to you?

"I didn't know what was happening at first, it took a total of three days before it finally sunk in. The questions on the paper were always tied to a different emotion. The serum she was using was bringing those emotions to the surface. She then used her abilities to take them away from me." He takes a step back handing me a mirror.

I look at myself in the mirror, seeing my sky-blue eyes staring back at me. My honey brown hair rests delicately on my shoulders my natural waves providing a slight bounce. I turn around to face Scout giving him a hug of thanks.

How did she turn you into a monster?

"Mother Eve visited me in my hospital room after the Medical Attendant gave the "All-Clear". She closed the door behind her. I just stayed in bed, I had no reason to fear her. I didn't have any of my emotions. I felt this pinprick sensation in my neck and felt her lips on mine. That's about all I remember before I blacked out. When I woke up there was a uniform waiting for me and my instructions to come and get you."

What can you tell me about the Hall of Judgment?

"I can tell you that it's where the Elites go if there's a complication found in their assimilation." He answers.

I excuse myself heading down the hall to the bedroom. He doesn't stop me, even though Mother Eve's instructions were clear. I knew what the assimilation process was. Mother Eve used it as a means to create her Elites. She might have put everyone through. The serum I could wager a guess was a solution that was taken from her fangs. I quickly made notes in my notepad.

If Mother Eve wanted us to go to the Hall of Judgment it stood to reason that my father and Nathaniel did not provide her with the truth. If this was truly the case, then it was possible I'd be witnessing an execution today. Could I really sit by and watch my remaining family members die at the hands of our supposed savior? I sat at the edge of the bed waiting for Fear to take hold of my heart as it always did. When it remained quiet I placed my notepad in my pocket.

"Aislinn it's time." Scout's voice carries down the hall.

I take and release a deep breath placing my hand on the notepad in my pocket. My father and Nathaniel were the reason I had lost my voice. My father had stood by and watched the virus ravage my mother's body and did nothing to save her. My brother ridiculed me and treated me like I was a wad of gum that had been stuck to his shoe. They were the reason I was like this, scared and alone. They were the reason I was in this Ivory Tower staring down at the world below. If there was a chance for me to witness their demise I'd take it. Even if it meant taking the first step into becoming like the Monsters in the Dark.

Can you believe it?

I'm gathering as much information as I can.

The more of it I have, the better chance I have of leaving this place.

I'm still scared, but not so much now that I know you're here with me.

The Monster wants to see me.

Will you stay by my side through this?

I'm scared to face my past.

I'm scared of the Monsters in the Dark.

Will you help me? Or will she take you away from me too?

Word Count: 8731