Lights

Chapter 10

“Wake up!”

A hot slap across my face seared the flesh on my cheek before sending cold chills throughout the rest of my body. Exhaling as my vision began to return from the darkness I had transcended into, I began gradually familiarizing myself with my surroundings before gambling with whether I should give a witty remark or stinging abuse.

Slowly transitioning from darkness into bright fluorescent light, I could feel a strange tingle on my body beneath my flesh. It felt as if I were one entire mass of concrete; hard and heavy to move around. A strange, cold flat surface leaned against my spine before I had come to realize that I was lying on what seemed to be a coldsteel table. Deciding to take a swing at wounding the heartless and slightly disturbed doctor, I started off my overused insult with more effort than was actually required.

“You hit like-“

“You can finish that sentence but first, remember who’s got who captive.”

Satisfaction.

Refusing to receive another sting on the flesh, I bit my bottom lip in an attempt to withhold the sour words that were bound to slip and become a sweet taste in my mouth whilst retaining its bitterness inside his head. It wasn’t that I was afraid of him; I just didn’t need to get beaten up by a criminal. Trying to gaze down at my limp body, I realized that I was covered in resin and that tiny patches of rash-covered and burnt skin were dotting various inches of my poisoned body. It took a moment before I realized that I had been covered in resin ever since the Paralid had attacked me.

More importantly, I realized that the Paralid wasn’t in my field of vision until I looked around and found it watching me.

“Why did you save me?”

“Save you? No no, I’m merely preserving my now primary source of information. You see, my partner’s been missing for a while now and frankly,” Dr. Powell joined my side and stood staring down at me with what appeared to be a syringe filled with a strange yellow liquid in his hand, “I think you know where she is. And whether you accept it or not, I’m afraid you’re going to have to tell me where she fucking is.”

“I-I don’t-”

“Don’t want to tell me? You see, if you don’t co-operate with me I’m going to inject you with resin and kill you.”

“Please. . . I don’t know where she is! I’ve been looking for her!”

“Really? Because Guy’s goons claim you’re the reason she’s gone!”

“Wh- Guy told us that she told him we have his eggs!”

“Bullshit!”

“It’s NOT BULLSHIT!”

Agitation.

Sighing, Dr. Powell moved closer and hovered the syringe tip over my arm, allowing some resin to leak onto the skin. A burning sensation began eating away at my flesh as hot tears began stinging my eyes. A slight fuzzy sound took residence inside my eardrums and tickled it softly.

“Stop! That hurts!”

“Of course it does! Now tell me what you did to Kyrin!”

“N-nothing!”

“Liar!”

Moving the syringe to my cheek, Dr. Powell carelessly dropped more of the sour-smelling toxic fluid onto my face and grabbed my hair, tugging it with force. All I could muster were screams of undeniable agony as I found myself trying to shift my lifeless body. Through the tears and yelling, I could make out Dr. Powell’s face: it was contorted horribly with anger and vein began to pop out on every inch of his face. The fuzzy sound began growing louder in volume and began rattling my eardrums now.