Amrite's feet were glued to the floor. Even when alarms started blaring, and the guards who were so absent minutes ago could be heard running towards her from all directions, she stood dead still, staring at the now dismembered girl.... No—her friend, Hale.
Like water from a broken dam, Amrite's memories returned in full force, filling the gaps in her brain the Nest forcefully created. Her family, what happened to them? And that red haired woman, the one Hale and her hated so much—that vile wretched witch—.
Only when the vicious murderers below jolted in surprise and stared up at her, their goggles glinting with malice in the artificial light, did Amrite turn and run—sprinting, leaping, flying faster than she had ever moved before.
Amrite's hair whipped across her face and she spun through the halls, making turns at random to throw off her pursuers.
Unbeknownst to the Nest, their training had inadvertently filled Amrite with great strength and determination, allowing her to run softer than a feather and faster than the wind. They had prepared her for mutilation, perfecting her body with dedicated exercise, and so she took her only stroke of fortune, not bothering to hide her war-like cries or pounding feet.
Instinct told her she was going in the right direction. The ground began to climb upwards and she saw, for the first time since entering the Nest, real sunlight. Filtering through the windows above, she gasped at its yellow warmth; the way it kissed her pale, sun-drained skin. Filled with renewed hope, Amrite continued to run, but she knew she was running out of time. The sound of the guards was no longer a distant rumble but a tremor, which shook the very ground she propelled from, as if attempting to jolt her feet into submission.
Hearing some movement from the right, Amrite made a sharp left turn and emerged into a hallway quite unlike the others before. Instead of doors, this corridor was filled with art. No...not art.
Amrite kept her attention to the path ahead, the warm, life-filled air tickling her brain, promising her freedom. But her curiosity was too great, so she let her peripheral vision scan the images whizzing by.
They were faces, rows upon rows of girls. And not just images. Like a slideshow, each frame would show the girl's profile for a split second, before switching to a forward facing headshot, and then to the whole body—in a grotesque and demeaning display of ownership.
But then, Amrite's body reacted in a way beyond her control, beyond logic and authority from her brain. Knowing full well the consequences, Amrite stopped and stared at a still image of her own face.
Amrite Yanguo: 3034021124
Height: 5'6''
Age: 20
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Weight: 125 lbs
Desired Attributes: Skin, Lips, Hair, Eyes, Ears, Vital Organs
City of Origin: Lowerne
Status: Alive
Alive....
"AHHH!" She crumpled to the floor, a shiver traveling up her entire body starting from her left leg.
"Hurry!" a deep voice above her yelled. "Take her to the Harvesting Room, she could still be utilized!"
Their voices sounded muffled and distant, even though their faces were right above her, peering down with threatening eyes.
What? Amrite tried to move her right leg but it didn't budge. Stupid leg, what are you doing? Why are you oozing blood? How did this happen?
She felt herself being hoisted into the air, her neck falling back in submission and eyes turning cloudy.
"Dammit!" A another voice shouted. "I know the next buyer is coming next week, but schedule them tomorrow! They were looking for an Eurasian girl and this one fits the picture. Go! Now!"
Multiple feet began to scuffle away, and Amrite noticed for the first time the sound of rattling wheels.
"No... no..." she moaned, making a feeble attempt to sit up on the mesh cot.
Gruff hands pushed her back, and her head slammed back into the fabric.
"How did you get out girl?!"
"Uh...." she groaned "Stop, I don't want to...."
She felt a hard slap across her face, and a voice interjecting, "Don't do that!" Someone's definitely going to pay good money for her skin."
Amrite almost laughed at the absurdity of their worries, but all she managed was another chilling scream.
So this was her fate. To be cut open and sold for parts. She remembered the cold stare of the red haired woman and her deadly blue eyes.... Were they her eyes or some unsuspecting poor girl's? Ah... to become the bodily accessory of some snotty troll, no different than the leather of a lady's handbag.
Amrite cried out in fear one last time, as the horrible truth finally dawned upon her. An animal, fearful, wild, inhuman shriek. The sound a young lamb makes when cornered by a hungry wolf. Yes, with her memories back she remembered those stories her mother told her as a child, of how the strong preyed on the weak. But her final scream only reached so far, as the familiar metal door of death closed upon her....
If a tree falls in a forest, does it really make a sound?
YOU ARE READING
Pliable Creatures | ✓
Science Fiction124 woke up in the Nest with no memory, no name, and no idea why she was there. All she knows is that she must win the hearts of the Committee and leave the Nest with glory and honor for the sake of her family.... A family she couldn't even remember.
