Inhuman (OLD VERSION; UNFINISHED - SEE NEW BOOK)

Chapter 17 - Beth

My eyes pulse with pain as the brightness narrows to a single point, a ceiling light burning bright and buzzing with electricity floating above me. I lose myself in it for a moment, captivated by the array of dust particles that drift around it in a dance. Turning away I blink rapidly, white dots moving before me like imprints of dust shifting with every glance.

Blankets cover my body and hastily I throw them off, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and pressing my bare feet to the cool floor. The room shifts with the motion and I brace myself on the mattress waiting for the vertigo to subside.

The damp and musty smells of neglect and misuse permeate the air and I cringe, breathing in sharply from disgust. My throat burns as the cold air winds its way into my lungs, the sides of my throat scratching with need for water. Absently I reach for my throat and recoil with pain, my cool fingers brushing my skin which feels afire.

The image of a man hovering above me flashes in my mind and my heart accelerates, my chest seizing with the memory of his weight crushing me. The hairs on my neck raise and I scan the room for him. Stumbling from the bed towards the corner of the room, my legs feel weighted and stiff as though unaccustomed to walking. Pressing my back against the wall I search the room for anything familiar, any sign at all to tell me where I was..

The bed was in the middle of the room, its simple metal frame glinting in the lamp light, the blankets atop it skewed and draping on the floor. An aged orange armchair sits nearby, frayed and torn, the only other piece of furniture apart from the bed.

The room was small and dark, the only door leading out of it closed on the opposite wall. My chest loosens as I realise I'm alone, the man nowhere to be seen. Sinking to the ground, the chill in the air settles on me. The warmth from the blankets was already evaporating, rapidly replaced by the cold from the tiled floor. I feel the tiles press against my bare skin and I notice the hospital gown I'm wearing, the back entirely open to the cold. I reach forward and pull the draped blankets from the bed, wrapping them around me as I huddle in the corner away from whatever lay beyond the door. I close my eyes and try to focus my thoughts, trying to figure out how I got here.

The last I remembered, I was running with that man, the one who had saved me. What had happened to him? Jay. That was his name, he was the one protecting me.

I search my mind desperately for more information, the only images surfacing showing Jay's bloodied face beneath a barrage of punches from the man, the agent. I try to search my mind for more information, but nothing else emerges except for more unanswered questions. Had the agent killed Jay and taken me? Or had Jay been able to get us out and if so, where was he?

The handle to the door starts to turn and my attention snaps towards it. My hands ache for want of a weapon, empty and useless of anything except the blanket which I pull tight around me. The door opens and the outline of a person steps through. My body tenses. Slowly, the person moves into the light and my chest releases a heavy breath of relief, the burning of my throat protesting the sudden movement.

His eyes dart from the empty bed to my huddled form on the floor, his face morphing from shock to relief as he realises I'm still here. Walking around the edge of the bed he crouches in front of me to meet me at eye level.

"Hey you," he says gently "how are you feeling?" His eyes look me over, lingering on my neck where the pain emanates from. I try to respond but dryly swallow my words, my hand flying to my throat and pain surges causing me to cough.

"Shit sorry, try not to speak. Here I brought you this." He places in my hand a bottle of water and I open it greedily, my body working of its own accord and desire to down the water. Within seconds I've finished half of the bottle and stop only to catch my breath.

Jay stares at me intently, his eyes glancing between my face and my neck. I hadn't given any thought to how the pain I felt was reflected on the outside, but the look he wore was enough to know that evidence of the attack was visible on my skin. Clearing my throat, I take a deep breath. Jay looks at me concerned.

"Hey," he says placing a hand on my shoulder "take it easy, you need to rest." I steady myself, the desire for answers burning stronger than any pain in my throat.

"What happened?" I ask slowly, my words hoarse and barely above a whisper. He lowers himself to the floor and sits cross legged opposite me, a look of defeat upon his face.

"I'm not sure how much you can recall, but we were in the basement of the hospital," I nod and he continues "I was trying to lead us to the upper floor. We came across one of the government agents blocking the stairwell and I thought... I thought I could take him. He was laying into me and I couldn't do a thing to stop it."

His voice turned flat and void of emotion, a shadow crossing his face even in the darkness of the room.

"I thought I was done for, and then suddenly he was gone and you were standing there, you'd just shoved him off and it was the only thing that saved me. The next thing I knew he was on top of you, using his bare hands to strangle you. I had to stop him and... I managed to. I thought I was too late, but you were still breathing."

He breathes out a sharp laugh through his nose and a weak smile spreads across his face. I smile back and nod, urging him to continue whilst trying to remember anything about the events in the stairwell.

"You were unconscious for the rest of it, but we got you out of the hospital just fine. Ironic considering you needed to see a doctor, but it wasn't safe to see anyone there." I finish off the water, licking my lips which are dry and scaly. "That was two days ago."

I drop the bottle and my head suddenly feels light. Two days? I had been out of it for two whole days. He looks at me alarmed, gripping my shoulders to hold me steady.

"Woah, take it easy." He says, his voice both concerned and irritated.

Take it easy? It was easy for him to say considering he hadn't spent two days unconscious and at the mercy of complete strangers. I feel the scared girl inside me retreat, replaced instead by a growing temper.

I shove his hands off me and clear my throat, the burning only fuelling my anger even more. I stand abruptly and he follows, looking at me as though I were insane. I didn't like that look and I didn't like being vulnerable. Pulling the blanket around me, I realise I'm still in the gown, virtually naked.

"Clothes?" I ask him, and he just stares open mouthed as though shocked by my sudden resolve to get dressed. "I need clothes, Jay" I say again, my voice venomous. I feel my cheeks redden as I hear myself and see his face recoil as though slapped by an invisible hand. I was embarrassed more than angry, the anger coming from my lack of control. I knew he wasn't to blame, but somehow standing in front of me and holding all the cards sent waves of anger through me.

He stares at me a moment more, the last hint of concern leaving his faced replaced with a steely look of emotionless control.

"I'll get one of the girls to bring something down for you," he says distantly "just stay put and don't do anything stupid." He crosses the room and leaves, slamming the door behind him.

I sit on the edge of the bed and stare down at my hands which shake in my lap. I was horrible. I had just treated quite possibly the only person I knew in this place like they were an animal to be reprimanded, and after he had saved my life. My body trembles as the wave of uncertainty builds within me. I wouldn't cry. I wouldn't cry. Scrunching my eyes shut I repeat the mantra to myself as I rock back and forth on the bed, willing my mind to close all doors on my fear and my anger, warm tears slowly streaming down my cheeks through silent sobs.