The Nibiru Effect

Memory 59

The first thing I see is Kara's face. Under normal circumstances, I would be happy to see her, but the horror of Jonn's memory is still fresh in my mind, and all I see when I look at her is that crying baby.

"How do you feel?" she asks.

"Like crap," I groan.

Kara chuckles.

"At least you're alive."

"Am I?" I ask as I struggle into a seated position. A wave of nausea slams into me and nearly knocks me over. My head throbs and my vision is blurry. My skin feels sticky, though I'm not sure why. I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. It helps somewhat, but it takes a while before I dare open them again. One look at my surroundings reveals I'm back in the Mesozoic era.

"What happened?" I groan, my head now throbbing. My entire body feels numb, but I pay it no mind.

"You don't remember?" asks Kara.

I shake my head, which only makes the pain worse.

"You—" she begins, but a voice cuts her off.

"What the drowned happened?" asks Jonn.

"Oh my god!" I gasp at the sight of him. "What happened to you?"

"What?" he asks, patting himself down in search of injuries. He has no open wounds, yet he's disfigured. Massive welts riddle his entire body, giving the impression he was in a cartoon fight and is now suffering the exaggerated side effects of getting his butt handed to him.

"You're hideous," I say.

"You're one to talk."

At first, I think he's merely insulting me, but then I catch sight of my arm, and I realize he's right. I'm just as disfigured as him, if not more.

"I'm... I'm revolting," I stutter.

"Yes," agrees Jonn. "You are."

"He's not that bad," says Kara. "In fact, he's kind of cute."

I glance at my friend. She's unaffected by whatever mysterious disease caused Jonn's and my hideous transformation. Once again, I'm reminded Kara is no ordinary girl. Still, it's rather strange that she escaped whatever fate befell Jonn and me.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, still slightly confused by Kara's appearance. "I'm a me—Wait! Did you say you think I'm cute?"

Kara blushes, but only slightly.

"What happened to us?" asks Jonn before Kara can answer my question.

"You got stung," explains Kara.

"By what?" I ask, but the memory of the giant mosquitos comes rushing back before my friend answers. I can tell by Jonn's facial expression he also remembers the attack.

"What were those things?" he asks. At first, I'm confused, but then I remember he lives in an underwater city.

"Mosquitos," I say. "Flying insects that drink your blood. They're quite common where I come from, though this is the first time I see such massive ones."

"They're rare," says Kara.

"How do you know?"

"Who cares," says Jonn. "I want to know what happened. Why did we pass out?"

"Mosquitos don't just suck your blood," explains Kara. "They inject you with a venom that causes you to relive your worst memories."

I glance at Jonn, but he avoids my gaze, which tells me we relived each other's memories. I don't know how it happened, but I'm grateful as it allowed me to learn things about my friends I otherwise never would have known.