The Day They Came (WATTY AWARDS 2016)

Chapter 4

Bright light forced her to blink. She moaned. The last thing she remembered before passing out was the silver man hitting her on the head to make her pass out.

Claire managed to open her eyes. Despite the bright sunlight, she didn't need to blink this time. The first thing she saw was a bed. The covers over her had blue and gold butterflies.

She moved the covers aside, and then sat up. Her head was pounding, but she knew it'd go away with time.

Her feet touched something cold. She looked down. A metal floor met her eyes. A look around revealed that she was in some sort of metal room. It was set up like a guest bedroom.

Then something on the side table caught her eyes. She stood up, ignoring the wheelchair set to the side of the bed. After gaining her balance, she walked to the table. Upon closer inspection, she found the thing that had caught her eyes.

It was a metal rose.

The interesting thing was that it seemed to be made flawlessly from one piece of metal. There was no soldering, or marks that would indicate soldering. Each petal connected to the one above and below as if it were a real rose. The intricate details impressed her.

Then the door swung open. She looked up from the rose.

"You're awake." The voice conveyed surprise. It didn't take her more than a couple of moments to recognize him as the silver man from her apartment.

"You're the one who appeared in my apartment right before I passed out..." She set the rose back on the table.

"I apologize for my brute force in bringing you here. My name is Xyzlendisquin, or Xyzle while you learn the pronunciations." He flashed a quick smile. "I really must insist you cooperate. It'll be easier for everyone."

"My name's Claire. Claire Davidson." She managed a smile. Though her adrenaline was pumping and she felt her heart racing, she didn't want to get herself into trouble.

"It is nice to meet you in person, Claire." The way he said her name made her nervous. "I apologize if you are uneasy."

"The apology doesn't help much, Xyzle." She tripped on the syllables of his name.

"It is pronounced 'ks-I-sle'." He broke his name down for her. "It will take time for you to learn to say it properly, and I understand. However, it will be expected that you call me by my full name." She managed to nod.

"Where am I?" She couldn't help but ask.

"I will answer your questions in a few hours. In a few minutes, three female scientists will enter the room. The more you cooperate with them, the less they will have to poke and prod." He was about to leave.

"May I have an answer to an unimportant question?" She spoke up in a hurry. He stopped, his hand on the door. "Where did the rose come from?" At this, she picked it up.

"I made it. It is a peace offering. You may keep it. Now, I must leave and allow the scientists to do their jobs." She watched him close the door. A light click sounded, and then echoed through the metal room.

She was locked in.

With that realization, she turned to look around the rest of the room. The walls were all made of metal. The bed was seven, maybe eight, feet long. As was the window.

She walked towards the window. Earth was truly beautiful from the atmosphere. The leaves were falling off the trees, changing colors before they did.