Jay shifted uncomfortably in her hospital bed. It was so hot in here and the sheets kept getting tangled around her. In the end she kicked them off of her completely, leaving them in a crumpled ball at the end of the bed. It helped some, but it wasn't the root of the problem. The bed itself was too soft, like it was trying to swallow her.
He had one hand clamped around the back of her neck, pressing her face down into the mattress, whilst his other hand stroked the soft skin of her thigh.
Her breathing hitched in her throat, her heart quickening with fear.
Even as he lay over her, crushing her body with his, his hand trailed upwards, taking in every inch of his property, until eventually he reached the bite mark that marred the crook of her neck.
No, no, no. Please stop. She begged her mind. Don't make me relive it. With a strangled gasp she tumbled out of the bed, not even caring when her body smacked against the floor. She scrambled away, pressing herself against the wall, as though pleading with it to protect her.
He turned her face to the side, brushing his fingertips over the cut that encircled her eye. "Look at me." He whispered. His hot breath on her neck made her skin crawl. But she didn't dare disobey him.
Jay jammed her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, desperate to shut him out. "Get out, get out!" She whimpered.
He smiled triumphantly when her eyes cracked open. She could do nothing as he sank his teeth into the crook her neck again, his bite fitting her skin the same way a key fits a lock.
"Stop!" She screamed, "Please make him stop!" She wasn't even aware of a nurse running in, gaping in horror as she saw her patient smacking her head against the wall, over and over again, her eyes wide in terror.
"Jennifer" the nurse said urgently, crouching in front of her and grasping her hands, "There's no-one here except you and me, you're safe now."
But Jay was oblivious; all she knew was the fear and dread that coursed through her veins.
"Jennifer" he cooed, "Jennifer"
"No!" She shrieked. Someone was holding her wrists, trying to keep her trapped. Tears streamed down her cheeks, soaking into the thin cotton of the hospital gown, the same way they had soaked into the sheets of that bed. "No! Get away! Stop!" She screamed again, her terror blinding her.
She tried to pull her hands away but she couldn't get free. She kicked outwards, hitting something. The pressure around her wrists vanished. Desperation fuelling her movements, she rammed the heel of her palm upwards.
Someone gasped in pain and the presence that cornered her was gone. Jay just curled in on herself, rocking back and forth, begging it all to stop.
Then she felt a short pinch in her neck and it all faded into blackness.
An awkward silence had settled over the Humvee as it charged its way down the dirt road, leaving a swirling storm of dust and sand in its wake. The relief that had filled her when 'VonnegutBlackbird618' had logged in to the online scrabble forum had been largely been erased as the convoy made its way to the offsite location. The offsite location where they had been given clearance to use enhanced interrogation techniques against their own people.
She glanced over at Hastings; she knew something was bothering him, but so far he had declined to share with her.
She didn't get time to ponder his odd behavior further.
