Human Untouched: Requiem of the State (Sequel to Human Untouched)

1.

{S}

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Was this... Was this pounding in my head or above me?

My eyes were glued shut, refusing to open no matter how hard I tried. The pounding had died down too. Maybe it was outside. I should go back to sleep again.

Wait, it started again. Was there construction going on outside my house?

But... I haven't been to my house in ages. Rebels doing target practice outside?

I wasn't with the Rebellion anymore either. Is someone knocking on my cell door?

I finally forced my eyes open... or did I? It was pitch black. I couldn't see anything.

I raised my hand, but it stopped short above my chest. I frowned, stroking the obstacle. Wood. Why was there wood?

Oh no. I'm in a coffin. I've been buried alive.

Panic coursed through my veins, heart rate rising as my other hand slammed against the wooden cover above me. Where was I?! Who did this to me?!

The panic in me subsided as did my actions as my memories slowly returned. Hugging Pigeon, Melissa, Terrence and Lionel before stepping into the coffin-no-box. They'd closed me in here. The sedative they'd given me started to kick in again as I relaxed. My hands fell back to my side, sluggish in their movements as my eyelids started dropping shut again. The pounding had stopped again.

My eyes started open again as the box jolted. I could hear voices now. Faint through the wood, but voices nonetheless. Two men.

My hands flew to the side of the box, as it shifted again. There were grunts of effort. They were lifting me. The box tilted heavily, making me slide slowly to the side. This was uncomfortable, my upper wings were squished under me, lower ones wrapped around my waist for now.

"Be careful."

"You be careful! This box is heavy!"

"On the count of three. One... Two... Pull!"

There was another jerk before I slowly started rising. The box shifted to the side before being suddenly dumped on the ground. My head jerked upwards, cracking against the top before I fell back down. I groaned in pain as I rubbed my forehead.

"Keelan, I think she's awake."

Keelan was here? Was the other voice Mikhail then?

"Come on, let's open this up."

There was a few moments of silence, followed by the sound of nails popping out of wood. They were probably using a crowbar.

As the lid came loose, it veered away a bit, letting bright sunlight in. I stared at the spot of light illuminating my feet. It grew bigger and bigger, till I finally heard the nails above my head pop out. Without any regard for my eyes, the lid was shoved off.

I cried out in pain as the full force of the sun's brightness drilled into my eyes. My hand rose to shield them as I heard sighs of relief. Hands gently wrapped around my waist and shoulders, lifting me out of the box. I weakly waved my hand about, trying to force whoever it was to drop me.

"Jee-Terra, calm down! It's me, Mikhail."

"Put. Me. Down." I smacked my hand against what was probably his chest.

"Fine! Fine." He lowered me as gently as he'd lifted me, placing me on the surprisingly soft ground.

I slowly removed my hand from my eyes, blinking rapidly to get used to the sunlight again. It was really hot outside the box. I turned my head to the side, staring down into the hole I'd been buried in. There was the remnants of a red flare lying a few metres away on the other side of the hole.