Listed: Book One of The Listed Trilogy

Chapter Thirteen

 Lilly

I hit the slimy fish, and I don't feel anything. My entire body goes numb, and I can't move. After I'm basically paralyzed, the fish begin to surround me, swallowing me up. The last thing I see before I go under is Alan's face peeking over the edge of the platform, tears streaming down his cheeks.

About a dozen fish push me down with incredible strength, and I can't fight them. They push me to the bottom, and I hit the hard metal with a clang.

Blood floats up to the surface, turning the water crimson, and I see the fish's eyes become black. They swim towards the blood, and suck it in. They turn their bodies towards me, and start to swim to the bottom. They swim towards my lip, which has blood flowing from it steadily. They suck in the blood, and I feel disgusted, when I start to feel lightheaded.

Air, I think, air! I tell my stupid arms to start to swim, but they refuse to move. I scream, and the fish back away, frightened. I see the result of my screams, and I scream some more. The fish retreat, swimming back to the top of the tank. Great, now I'm out of air. My lungs are empty, and my instincts take over my common sense and I suck in a breath. 

My lungs fill with water, and I see black spots flashing across my vision. Black rims my vision, and I know it's over. I'm sorry, Lavender. I couldn't do it, I couldn't make it. I'm so sorry. The last thing I see before my vision goes black is a metal claw splashing through the water.

I wake up with a start, and I feel extremely tired. I look around, and find that I'm in a sterile, white room in a cot with white sheets. There's a gray cabinet in the corner, and to the right of my bed is a small metal table with several syringes and pills scattered across it. The door opens, and I find General Babcock walking in.

"Where am I?" I ask her weakly. She walks over to the side of my bed.

"You're in the nurse's ward." she says. I nod slowly. "May I sit?" she asks, gesturing to the end of my bed. I shift awkwardly, but my body moves slowly, like I'm in a tub of molasses.

"Sure." I finally say.

She sits, her gray uniform making a crinkling noise. There's a silence, and I feel weird sitting with General Babcock.

"What happened? Why am I alive?" I ask. She opens her mouth to say something, then hesitates.

"That's a complicated question, Athena." she says vaguely.

"What do you mean?" I ask nervously.

"Well, maybe you should get some rest. You know, so that you can get moving again." she says quickly and stands up. She walks towards the door.

"Wait! What do you mean!" I yell to her, but the door is already swinging closed.

I wake to the sound of the door opening, and Laila walks in.

"Hey." she says quietly.

"Hey." I reply. She sits down, where General Babcock was sitting before she left. 

"How are you feeling?" she asks. I shift my body, and it's a little bit easier.

"Still kind of hard to move, but I'm feeling better." I reply, and she nods.

"I did a little research on those fish, and I found out what happens when you touch them." she says.

"I already know, they temporarily paralyze you." I say, looking down at the white blanket.

"Well, the fish release a poison from their glands which seeps into the skin through our pores, and then it spreads through the body, having the strongest effect on the limbs. The fish then wait until the victim drowns, and then they eat it alive." she explains. I shiver.