The Last Theiro

37

Eden
•••

As my eyes opened my limbs flexed in shock. There was a liquid in them, around my entire body too. Tubes ran up each nostril and all that met my skin was the warm glass that surrounded.

There was binding on my limbs and around my neck. Without conscious thought, a choice, my body did what any must to survive. Every muscle was stronger than it should ever be and there was no mental restraint on the force I could use. Snapped bones were preferable to death.

The liquid rushed out of the newly shattered glass and I stepped out, bindings in place but their anchor points free.

I wanted to stand but for the moment my legs had given way to gravity, shaky, weak. The retching went on for so long I lost track of time and then I realized what the stench was. That wasn't water at all, it was a preservative of some kind.

I blinked, blurriness fading, surroundings crisper. The coldness of the air was more apparent, stealing the warmth given to me by the foul concoction that had swept over the grey floor. I wanted to use all my senses, get a feel for whatever that was, but the foul odour dominated the air and the chill froze my skin, and the little brain power I could muster.

Before my legs could give away again, strong arms wrapped themselves around my torso and carried me over to a stretcher. I groaned in pain as the person turned me to my side and I felt a sharp pain in my lower back.

"Whattis-" I was too weak to get any words out.

"Shh." It sounded like a man. I squinted up at him but my vision was too blurry to recognize his features.

The man stroked my hair. "Go to sleep, son."

~*~

I woke as if it was an emergency as if sleeping had become a dangerous thing. My heartbeat rapidly and there was a buzzing in my brain and together they were as panic with jump-leads.

My hand went straight to the stinging in my right arm. I managed to free my left arm from the restraints, pull out my IV tubes and Foley catheter, as silently as I could.

I narrowed my eyes at the figure standing before me. His fingers were tapping rapidly on a computer and his back was to me. He was short with dark hair.

"WhereamI?" I grumbled lowly. My voice was hoarse and my throat burned when I spoke.

The man spun around and rushed to my side. He lifted a glass to my lips and I emptied it greedily.

"You should go back to sleep, Primus," he muttered.

I shook my head and pushed him away from me. "I- I needa-" I rubbed my throat painfully, my eyes blinking, trying to regain my vision. "I need to find her."

I didn't know who "her" was. All that I could feel was the urge to find her and kill her. Somehow, I knew it was her fault that I was in that position.

"Primus, please." He pushed on my shoulders to get me back to the stretcher. "You're not ready."

I was struggling to keep my balance. It was like some sort of outer body experience. My legs didn't work as I told them. Neither did my hands. Or my fingers. Somewhere, deep inside I knew my brain was sending signals telling me what to do. Whether or not my body was listening was a different story.