No Such Thing as Sweet Dreams

Chapter 4: Hollow

Sebastian sat in his apartment, his hands trembling violently, cause it wasn't his apartment, it was yours. Over the time you two had come together it had become his home too. You were his home, but you were gone.

He squeezed his eyes shut as the ghosts of your presence flitted about the empty space. Your laugh filled his ears, your smile haunted his eyes, your touch made his skin burn, everything you were haunted him.

He was pulled from it as Ruvik exited from the bathroom. Ruvik gave Sebastian a once over and the fact that there was a slight bit of concern in his eyes bothered Sebastian.

"Haunted?" Was the only thing Ruvik said. Sebastian nodded in response.

Ruvik returned the nod and paced around the apartment as if trying to read the memories off of the curtains.

"You two were very happy," his eyes shot back to the crumbling man on the couch. "I ruined that."

"The fact that you have any remorse is shocking. After what I saw in your head," Sebastian's words dripped with hate but he had to contain it, for your sake, to save you. "It wasn't just you though. If you just hadn't imprinted her," the strength in Sebastian's voice faded and his head fell into his hands. "Who knows what they are doing to her."

-----<>-----

The scientists and doctors looked at your body in the tank, they wanted to take it out and tear you apart.

"Take her out," the faceless man stated behind them. "But don't let her wake up. Keep as many of the wires in as you can."

With a savage like excitement the doctors pulled over a surgical table as the scientists began to remove your body from its container. They payed you securely as best as they could without removing any of the wires. The metal clang of surgical tools began as they began to shave your hair off and mark your body with black lines to indicate where incisions were to be made. They picked up one of the sharp blades and began to cut the skin back from scull while other surgeons began to cut the skin around where your heart was located. Your clothes became a nuisance and were removed leaving you unknowingly exposed to the world. The shrill screech of a saw filled the air as they cut off the dome of your skull revealing your brain. Blood dribbled across your body, painting your already sickly skin and more sickly crimson. The surgeons finally reached their target and began to complete their objective. Not too long after they placed a red mass in a bowl filled with blood, leaving you with an empty cavern in your chest. One of them picked up a small clicking machine and placed it within the cavern restarting your circulatory system. Once complete a glass window was placed in your empty chest just as a glass dome was placed over your empty skull.

They had taken the important things. You were hollow. You were empty. But you were still alive. They had pulled a trick to allow you to live so hollow. They had done the worst thing anyone could do. Make you a completely empty shell and allow you to live. And there you lie. You felt every incision. Every cut. Though your brain was gone you could still think. Though you lacked a heart it still throbbed in pain. You had in every sense of the phrase lost yourself.