Plain: Book 2

Open Up--a missed chapter

Author's note: sorry, I just realized i accidentally skipped chapter four and just went to chapter five. Here it is, reinserted. x.x I seriously apologize. 

Chapter 4

My world didn't shift away, but became warped as I viewed it through the overlapping of bodies. Green scrubs, masks, and glimmering goggles reached for me with plastic hands, their words beating against me like a rush of water. The yellow lights blazed white, bleaching everything as it had been or never could be; clean and featureless.

Ayako reached for me—through the film—through the layers of green and words. Her mouth moved, but their voices overcame hers.

"---better—"

"—this is all normal—"

"—everything will be okay—"

"Just rest. Rest. Let your body heal—"

"Let it do its job—"

"—soon you'll feel all better."

A flash of pain and color and a scalpel had sliced across my abdomen, which popped open like a drawer to reveal the great worm which was my intestines curled within the slime and scarlet goo of my body.

My stomach had been cut open, and I saw the potion of white and egg from my breakfast, throbbing as the organ struggled to continue its work and vomit at the same time.

But I couldn't throw up. They had cut those muscles too.

Ayako had her hands on my arms, but her eyes weren't to my exposed guts, but to my face, her eyes wide with concern.

"I'm going to die!" I screamed. "Help me! Hold it in!" Hold in my guts—stop the blood—someone call an ambulance—

But she just looked confused. I managed to pick out three of her words: "---there's nothing wrong—"

How could she not see? How could she—

"It's normal," said one of the doctors.

"It's okay, it will pass."

"Just hold it up with paperclips—don't let your acid spill—"

The piercing scream of Masako broke through, and I jerked to the side. She was there too, surrounded by layers upon layers of the green and white scrubs, blood on her wrists and ankles. One had bent over to pluck at her eye—or was it her mouth?

John looked just as confused as Ayako. Takigawa remained in the room, fighting to stay focused on the exorcism. I knew that he'd keep going, as it was key to finish. All would be okay when he finished.

But I could feel my guts—could feel the cold air on the great worm and throbbing flesh bowl in the drawer of my abdomen. I hurt, but the real pain would be coming, once the shock wore down.

"Shock," murmured a doctor.

Masako was on her knees, screaming, screaming, blood down her face—

I lifted my fingers. If I couldn't make it—there was still time for her—

" Rin Pyou Tou Sha---"

"Mai, what are you doing?!?"

"---Kai Chin Retsu Zai—"

"Stop her—"

"Zen!"

Masako's body was thrown to the ground, but so also were the images. In a horrid twist of something like vertigo and being swirled in a barrel, the doctors shifted from her and whirled towards me, layering one before another like transparent cards.

But Masako wasn't screaming anymore. Nothing reached for her. I only prayed my power hadn't hurt her too greatly.

They closed in, all painful, too-bright light and hands, fingers flickering with scalpels and needles and string. Masks and goggles and plastic hands filled my vision. I could see their eyelashes framed about their eyes, so human, so inhuman, for I could see each lash down to the cuticle and then deeper to the blobs of cells.

A hand reached up into my chest. My lungs hitched; fingers poked each inner sack to push out its air.

Small, no! Small small, a wall—A WALL!

They then proceeded to show me in just how many ways I was mortal.

And the pain set in.