The Northmen

Chapter 4

Anastasia:

I woke up warm, I was lying somewhere. The last thing I can remember is people in hazmat suits knocking me out. To be honest, I was just as surprised as they were. That had never happened to me before... am I even still alive? I turned around in the position I laid in to see a dude next to me. His scraggly brown hair clung to his wet face as he slept. Despite that fact that he looked to be in his late teens, there was a childish element in him. He was clearly a semianimem... and he clearly never had a chance to be a kid.

I noticed there was a black feathery thing spread over the both of us. When I touched it, I felt that it was soft. But touching it also made the boy stir. It took me a moment to realise that it was attached to him I reached out a hand to him and his eyelids flung open, revealing his bright green eyes. How I could get lost in those eyes. The black feathery thing ripped off of me as he drew back. He stood over me. As I sat up, I realised that the black thing was a wing. And they were enormous! His wingspan had to be at least ten feet wide, but they could easily fold into his back. I gaped in awe and he looked at me with a surprised expression. I stood up and faced him. "Show me your stomach." he demanded.

What the heck is he doing. Why in the world would he ask that. Uhm... sir... moving a bit too fast. Although I was sort of afraid, I complied, lifting up my shirt a bit. My stomach was stained with blood.. "What-" I started, smoothing my shirt.

"That's impossible." he whispered to himself.

His gaze met mine and he looked at me with confusion in his eyes. He then took a step forward and felt where the blood was. "Where's the cut?" he said to himself.

I drew back. "The cut!" I said, alarmed.

The sudden movement set something off in me. My gut turned, it felt like someone was stabbing something into me. I screamed aloud. "Stop!" I pleaded.

Was he doing this to me? Was that his power? Was he trying to kill me. I fell and hit the ground hard. My body contorting as I put my arms around my stomach. "Please, stop!" I cried.

It became apparent to me that it was not him when he knelt beside me. He grabbed ahold of one of my hands. I cried and curled up into him. Everything hurt. The room was so cold, but he was so warm. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." he whispered into my ear.

He started to stroke my hair and the pain subsided. It had exhausted me, so I stayed in the position I was in. It took me what felt like a few hours to gather up enough strength to sit up. "What happened, where am I?" I asked, rubbing my head.

His gaze met mine and he blinked a few times. In the time I was recovering, had he been crying? I stared into his eyes a few seconds, then his face became red; he turned away. "Why am I here?" I forcefully asked, finally taking in the metal walls surrounding me.

I picked at the chipping concrete. "Why?" I weakly asked.

He got up and walked away, putting distance between us. "So you heal right?" he inquired, voice unstable.

"Yeah..." I replied.

He turned back towards me, eyes wild. "Then what was that? You were dead! I saw you! Right there. There was a cut going through your torso.... BUT YOU HEALED!" he yelled, "But then what was that? Why are you so pained in that exact spot. Is that your weakness? You were asleep when you were injured. What if that is your weakness? It all makes sense." He was pacing like a madman.

How did he know that I was asleep when I was injured. I don't even remember it... so I guess I was. Did whoever did this do it in front of him? "Why am I here?" I pressed.

He walked towards me and our faces were inches apart. "Don't you get it?" he said, laughing. "They want you dead. We all came here to die. But they will poke you... and prod you. They will torture you. They will humiliate you. Until you wish you were dead. But you and I... we don't get to realize death's kiss. All the other semianimem.... They're dead. But we're damned."

"Who is they?" I asked.

"The Northmen."